Driving a Jet Boat 101

[2Driver]

I have always had a I/O. Now that I have a jet boat I feel I need to know a few things.

I know it can go in really shallow water and the rooster tail thingy is good for washing down jet skiers, but what else do I need to know? I cant be the only one on here that needs to know this stuff, just the only one admitting it.

Class is in session:

 

[28Eliminator]

You'll learn very quickly you have to give it throttle to turn...

 

[cofooter]

Don't let your friends see you driving it.

 

[BasilHayden]

Only hit those in need of punishment with the rooster if its a true place diverter, its a lot stronger than a fire hose. I just about knocked my younger brother out cold years ago :yikes

Don't suck up a rope, that's a bad day
You only have steering if you have your foot on the gas

Rule number 1 - you can't ever admit to owning a jet on RDP, just say a friend of an acquantance needs some help
Rule number 2 - Its a jet, so it's much faster than a Schiada, but not faster than a Stoker :cool

 

[Havaduner]

1. throttle in the turns is a good thing:thumbup:
2. Roosting jet skiers off their toys is a good thing. :thumbup:
3. Don't let your friends see you driving it.

Have fun and enjoy the shit out of it. I miss mine.

 

[rivrrts429]

Nobody will ever ask you if you've tried a different prop...

 

[Boschma]

It's BOTE:tbi

 

[obnoxious001]

I have always had a I/O. Now that I have a jet boat I feel I need to know a few things.

I know it can go in really shallow water and the rooster tail thingy is good for washing down jet skiers, but what else do I need to know? I cant be the only one on here that needs to know this stuff, just the only one admitting it.

Class is in session:

You don't really want to run it in shallow water because it will pick up dirt and rocks and pass them through your jet pump and engine.

The jet pump is a great way to fight boat fires if you ever find yourself able to help someone out. Not sure if they will be happy if you sink their boat though.

 

[454Rocket]

I like my bote... fuck the haters

 

[CampbellCarl]

However much fuel that the old owner told you it burned...double it then add 40%...

Don't lift when something unexpected happens, stab and steer...if'n you don't...she'll straighten out and slow down.

 

[RCDave]

Jet boats are fun to drive.

If you need to kick a friend in the junk, you can do it with a jet boat. Orient the boat in the right attitude, blurp the throttle, whalla. Kick in the junk.

They are good for drought control. Just water down the plants and bushes along the shoreilnes.

And with the gas prices trending lower, filling up the tanks 2-3x per day isn't as bad as it used to be

 

[jonnyd]

Jets are very easy to operate and are fairly safe in relation to props. I really miss the jet boat as it was a lot of fun to run! Learn how to clean out the bowl. Jets do not like ropes, weeds, or even plastic ice bags etc. Learn how to pull the back of your boat onto the beach enough to pull the bowl cover off in order to clean stuff out. Make sure it is far enough on the beach or you will swamp your boat. If it's a rope get a tow back to you trailer and pull it out of the water.

While they are great in shallow water, just realize that sucking sand will wear the parts out quicker than clean water. If you run in shallow water you may lose the little skag at the bottom rear of your jet which controls slow speed steering. I never really felt like I needed the thing and without it you can actually turn around in a very small area with a little practice.

Do a little research about your pump through some of the Jet repair company's on this site. If your jet is original and stock there are diverters that can enhance top end speed, or low end quickness that are fairly inexpensive and easy to install.

Have fun!!

 

[ChevelleSB406]

Haters are going to hate, but I like my jet for what I could afford in my budget at the time, and it certainly seems like even everyone that is ballin' a little harder than when they first started out with a boat, never deny they had a damn good time with their jet. Enjoying mine until I can afford my next upgrade, 25' I/O hopefully. :thumbup: Oh and my sarcastic tip#1, that is not a shifter on the left hand, it selects Forward or various degrees of Not Forward, there is no such thing as reverse.

 

[was thatguy]

Don't run a Berkeley in shallow water.
Even though it is a jet, it isn't a 3 stage Hamilton with gravel sized ring clearances.
Treat it as you would your out drive as far as depth is concerned.
The difference is that the damage is usually non existent (or minimal) as compared to an out drive.
Stay out of floating debris.
I sucked a stick up once and could not get it out on the water. If you pull the hand cover while afloat you are going to the bottom.
I have a stainless impeller, so I just punched it and spit that bitch out. You do that with an aluminum and it will be toast.
If you develop a cooling leak or lose a hose you are going down also.
My cooling loop is hard lined nearly to the engine, and all hoses are braided. I have a gate valve at every junction so I can isolate in an emergency. It's way overkill but having almost lost a Miller once by inches, it is what I feel safe with.

You don't have to punch it to steer. At idle just blip the throttle whe turning.

Hold the forward lever when starting the boat.
Many jets will kick into forward at fire up.

After a while, you can learn tricks.
I. An crab mine sideways out of a line of boats at the dock. And spin it in its own length.

 

[Lunatic Fringe]

A few important facts...

All v-8's whether small block or big block are at a minimum, 550HP when you talk about it.
Your jet bote will easily do 75-80MPH or more but you choose not to ride it hard all the time.
Unlike v-drives and some stern drives in the 21' or less class, jet botes do NOT require triple axle trailers.
That being said, if you use a single axle trailer you're not only gay, you have a small dick.

Enjoy it.

 

[GRADS]

Never and I mean never stay in throttle more than 3-4 seconds. A true jet boater likes to go fast, slow, fast, slow etc..

The motor needs to be tuned so that it has a "miss" and lets out a "pop" through the carb every once in awhile.

Get used to this a lot....oint

 

[RCDave]

WTG makes a great point. Make sure the inlet line from the pump to the motor is in great shape. I had a 2 inch long portion split on me and almost sunk my former jet boat too. Had to beach the back of the boat right away or it would have gone down....

 

[Carlson-jet]

Boat wheelies really aren't that cool.

 

[2Driver]

LOL was intended as a jet hater comedy relief thread, but I may have learned a few things in the process.

 

[TeamGreene]

Don't run a Berkeley in shallow water.
Even though it is a jet, it isn't a 3 stage Hamilton with gravel sized ring clearances.
Treat it as you would your out drive as far as depth is concerned.
The difference is that the damage is usually non existent (or minimal) as compared to an out drive.
Stay out of floating debris.
I sucked a stick up once and could not get it out on the water. If you pull the hand cover while afloat you are going to the bottom.
I have a stainless impeller, so I just punched it and spit that bitch out. You do that with an aluminum and it will be toast.
If you develop a cooling leak or lose a hose you are going down also.
My cooling loop is hard lined nearly to the engine, and all hoses are braided. I have a gate valve at every junction so I can isolate in an emergency. It's way overkill but having almost lost a Miller once by inches, it is what I feel safe with.

You don't have to punch it to steer. At idle just blip the throttle whe turning.

Hold the forward lever when starting the boat.
Many jets will kick into forward at fire up.

After a while, you can learn tricks.
I. An crab mine sideways out of a line of boats at the dock. And spin it in its own length.

Unless it's a 12JE pump

 

[2Driver]

Dominator 12TD here

 

[Waffles]

Anything and everything will and can sink your bote. Freeboard doesn't exist. Neutral doesn't exist. Mpg's? What are those? Your kidney's will suffer on holiday weekends. Always know your surroundings, you never know when you're going to have to emergency beach it somewhere.

 

[was thatguy]

Never and I mean never stay in throttle more than 3-4 seconds. A true jet boater likes to go fast, slow, fast, slow etc..

The motor needs to be tuned so that it has a "miss" and lets out a "pop" through the carb every once in awhile.

Get used to this a lot....oint

Lol!
Good stuff Grads!!:thumbup:
That is how most jets go since many younger new boat owners can only afford a worn out Tahiti.
My first hot rod boat was a 79' Miller, it wasn't a pile but it was nowhere near what I have the current 79 Miller at.

I'll give you a ride in the Miller one day.
We'll go wide open for a long time, do 80 MPH, and it won't pop once!

Oh, it's a little more than 550 HP, am I still cool??D

 

[BarryMac]

Rooster trails are illegal on the river. You may not get pulled over but they are illegal.

 

[Quicksilver]

So I'm a jet bote owner. I have a Spectra 18 mini day cruiser with a Berkeley 12 je pump and a Ford 460. The original engine cover is still on the boat as is the swim deck. I love this little boat. It has plenty of room and has been cheap to run. Its family friendly and I can beach it and not give a shit. For what I paid for the boat it has returned that money many times over. Yes, it isn't fast (63 mph tops) and isn't as cool as the newest cats but my boat is paid for and I couldn't care less what other people think. I actually prefer the older boats from the 70's.

As for some advice, a water line shutoff is a good idea. Your old fiberglass gas tanks are rotting away if you still have them. Get some aluminum tanks asap. You can suck up rocks in shallow water. Sucking up a ski rope can suck big time, been lucky there so far. The engine is fed water by the jet pump, so a pressure relief valve is money well spent. Good luck.

 

[Flynryan]

Rooster trails are illegal on the river. You may not get pulled over but they are illegal.

They are? I never knew that

 

[BarryMac]

They are? I never knew that

Yes sir. According to the police on my stretch of river, "the rooster tail impedes you from seeing anyone behind you". I had mine up and got pulled over and given a full sobriety check while he was at it.

 

[DaveC]

Stab, Steer and you're probably queer

 

[5 150whiteboy]

I like my bote... fuck the haters

X2 I love my jet boat and the 16" of water I can run it in down in blythe.

 

[GRADS]

If your headers aren't a nice brownish-blue color with a little skin stuck to them, you're not a true jet boater.

If you don't have a foot shaped gas pedal, you ain't shit.

If your boating day lasts longer than 2 hours before you are forced to put it on the trailer due to mechanical issues....You're not a real jet boater.

If you have matching tires on your trailer, you're a poser jet boater.

As a jet boater when you go to the AM/PM in the morning to fill up you will spend more on beer than gas.

You know how you you tell everyone your jet boat does 80 m.p.h.? It just feels that way because you're so low to the water....you're really doing 40.

 

[Your ad here]

What depth is considered shallow water for a jet? Someone told me don't take it in anything less than 6' because of the suction of the pump. I find that hard to believe. I wouldn't drive along or near a rocky shore line. If the engine or jet stops you have no control where the boat will be going. We expeirence this when our engine broke. Missed the rocks by 20'. If your going to let a friend drive it that has no expeirence driving a jet make sure you are both sober and make sure your traveling at a controllable speed. The faster you go you'll find that you start steering a lot and a rookie driver will over correct, lift, panic and spin out.

 

[shueman]

LOL was intended as a jet hater comedy relief thread, but I may have learned a few things in the process.

People helping People :thumbup:

 

[was thatguy]

If your headers aren't a nice brownish-blue color with a little skin stuck to them, you're not a true jet boater.

If you don't have a foot shaped gas pedal, you ain't shit.

If your boating day lasts longer than 2 hours before you are forced to put it on the trailer due to mechanical issues....You're not a real jet boater.

If you have matching tires on your trailer, you're a poser jet boater.

As a jet boater when you go to the AM/PM in the morning to fill up you will spend more on beer than gas.

You know how you you tell everyone your jet boat does 80 m.p.h.? It just feels that way because you're so low to the water....you're really doing 40.

Haha! The pedal and header is true!

I had "basset" tattooed on my back for half a summer.
That freaking hurt!

Btw, mine has a GPS speedo with recall so yeah, just promise you won't scream when we hit 80 for real...while sitting on a shingle. :yikes

 

[steamin rice]

Dual jets are the future.

 

[HOOTER SLED-]

Jet boat haters..........fags that can only get to play with trim if they buy an I/O.

 

[MSum661]

Lol!
Good stuff Grads!!:thumbup:
That is how most jets go since many younger new boat owners can only afford a worn out Tahiti.
My first hot rod boat was a 79' Miller, it wasn't a pile but it was nowhere near what I have the current 79 Miller at.

I'll give you a ride in the Miller one day.
We'll go wide open for a long time, do 80 MPH, and it won't pop once!

Oh, it's a little more than 550 HP, am I still cool??D

First Hot Rod Jet Boat without pics is worthless!!!!
My first hot rod boat was a jet. 1976 Sanger Bubble Deck "Super Jet" . Yep...it was a super jet alright!
I blew that thing up every 3rd or 4th trip out. Broke a crankshaft in half once trying to pull my
overweight fat ass buddy on a tube. Funny watching the ballancer wobble like a egg while cranking over the starter.
Also, Fun telling all my buddies that it was a "100 mph boat". Lmao!

 

[Crusader Kid]

Dominator 12TD here

Don't dry start. The bowl has a water cooled bearing unless it has been upgraded to a greasable one. Still do not start on land.

 

[cofooter]

All kidding aside, I think jet boats are cool! Spent my high school years and early 20's with a bunch of friends on my buddies green metal flake Tahiti on Parker and Havasu. Those were some of the best times of my life. Early 80's were such a great time to be at the river. I still get that nostalgic feeling every time I see one going by!!!

 

[Abc123]

Disconnect the pump shaft when you run it on the trailer. It only takes a few mins. Derbies find their way into your pump while towing and you don't want those derbris damaging the pump. The wear ring is usually the first thing to go after continually doing so. Another option is a Jet-a-way.

If it has a rudder, take it off and throw it in the trash.

Shoot a little grease into it once a season. Any marine grade grease will suffice.

Regularly inspect and don't let any water get into the thrust bearing. If this bearing goes, goodbye pump and engine. Been there done that.

Don't worry so much about water levels and enjoy areas of the water where others are afraid to go into with their I/O.

 

[2Driver]

Dual jets are the future.

LOL , Back then they were the future.

 

[2Driver]

Don't dry start. The bowl has a water cooled bearing unless it has been upgraded to a greasable one. Still do not start on land.

I have 3 grease points.
The bearing point inside the engine compartment where the drive connects to the jet drive
12" up inside via the jet outlet
The steering shaft

I never dry start even I could.

 

[was thatguy]

First Hot Rod Jet Boat without pics is worthless!!!!
My first hot rod boat was a jet. 1976 Sanger Bubble Deck "Super Jet" . Yep...it was a super jet alright!
I blew that thing up every 3rd or 4th trip out. Broke a crankshaft in half once trying to pull my
overweight fat ass buddy on a tube. Funny watching the ballancer wobble like a egg while cranking over the starter.
Also, Fun telling all my buddies that it was a "100 mph boat". Lmao!

I don't have any digital of "old Blue"...but here is my 79' Miller now...You'll have to forgive My Wife's video skills...she is electronically challenged!

86 MPH pass testing after JBP (Thanks Tom and Josh!) reset the intake with plate and shoe.

[video=youtube_https;RV4hbWJlqBw]https://youtu.be/RV4hbWJlqBw[/video]

 

[RVRKID]

While Grads was trying to not buy a boat people with jet boats were on the river/lakes having fun.

 

[farmo83]

My Dad owned a Jet Boat for 30 years and then I owned it for 5.

Don't dry start it
Top it off with gear oil every trip, grease I'm sure would work, we just used gear oil
Don't use the fact you can run in shallow water as an excuse
I liked using the training wheel, some don't
Don't assume you have enough gas to make it through the day
Enjoy

Also don't ever turn it all the way to one direction and nail it within ear shot of your Dad.

 

[Dalton]

Things I've noticed about jets, You get stuck in reverse in the channel when it's packed, you run the bilge pump about 75% of your time on the water

 

[was thatguy]

Things I've noticed about jets, You get stuck in reverse in the channel when it's packed, you run the bilge pump about 75% of your time on the water

Huh, I never have to run my bilge pump...what am I doing wrong??

 

[was thatguy]

My Dad owned a Jet Boat for 30 years and then I owned it for 5.

Don't dry start it
Top it off with gear oil every trip, grease I'm sure would work, we just used gear oil
Don't use the fact you can run in shallow water as an excuse
I liked using the training wheel, some don't
Don't assume you have enough gas to make it through the day
Enjoy

Also don't ever turn it all the way to one direction and nail it within ear shot of your Dad.

Yes on the gear oil.

I top off the rear bearing at the 2 plugs before every trip. It is important to know what your pump config is at that rear carrier.
I have the seal in place, so oil is added GENTLY from the bottle so as not to push that seal out inside.
When it comes out the other plug it is good.
If it is all milky and takes a lot of oil, or never comes out, then your seal is gone.
I know some guys run grease, and others leave the seal out for water lube, but I have always used gear oil.


When I had the 660's on mine I couldn't go 3 hours on 20 gallons. Those 1=1 secondaries and center squirters just ate fuel!

I built some custom 750 Holley's based on allstate carb billet 4150 plates, and Holley polished 750 4150 bodies, with modified 4160 bowls and side hung floats for in line mounting and 4 line feed.
They run as well (or better even?) than the 660's and can go all day now on 20 gallons...depending on how I drive it...which is wide open most of the time!:thumbup:

 

[2Driver]

I have the 6.0 375 hp injected. Good hole shot, 60 mph and amazing on fuel for a jet. Never bilged a drop.

 

[5 150whiteboy]

Huh, I never have to run my bilge pump...what am I doing wrong??

X2

 

[wsuwrhr]

Nobody will ever ask you if you've tried a different prop...

Not true.