2 replies to this topic

[LilMikey]

So... lemme preface this post by stating I had originally found a Yamaha jet boat for sale locally and posed this same question to a Yamaha jet boating forum with surprising results. Now I'm looking at a similarly priced SeaDoo jet boat and would like to hear what the SeaDoo crowd has to say.

Here's the deal. I live in Jacksonville, FL. I'm a couple miles from the intracoastal and a couple miles from the St John's river. This would be boating paradise if only our water was a little clearer.

When I do get a boat, I would say it would spend most of its time cruising with friends and/or parked on a sand bar. We'd do some pulling, mostly tubes but maybe some very amateur skiing or boarding. Finally, it may see some fishing but that is the least important activity we'll be doing on it. We want something that holds 6-7; we'll typically have 4-5 on there with a cooler and toys so an open seat or two to spread out would be nice.

I'd say we'll be in the brackish, shallow intracoastal 60% of the time, the (relatively) fresh and deep St. Johns and its creeks 25%, and maybe near-shore (in route to beaches or islands) the remaining 15%. The boat will be trailered and hopefully stored in our garage although we haven't ruled out surface storage. I'm guessing we'll have it out 3-5 times a month, maybe down to 1-2 in the winter.

Given that, I'd say our priorities in order would be 1) Maintenance and reliability - IOs sound like a disaster, there seem to be few bowriders with outboards. I definitely don't want anything with a supercharger that calls for rebuilds every 100 hours but the I/O horror stories don't sound a whole lot better. I know that the engine will have to be flushed after every trip in the salt... that seems like a pretty good idea regardless of jet or prop. 2) Enjoyability (sic?) - we want something that will fit us and our friends and will be a good time on the water. We like to go fast, park on the beach and party for an afternoon, and maybe throw a fool in a tube for an hour. 3) Efficiency - The higher the mpg the better but this has to be weighed against maintenance costs 4) Fish-ability - decent room to move, easy to clean up, placement/troll-ability. I'm sure I'd be more than happy with just a park-and-cast situation as I'm not really a fisherman, I just need something to do with the non-Budweiser hand.

The boat I'm looking at is a 97 and has the old Rotax engines in it so I hear maintenance is almost non-existant. Per NADA these boats are stupid-light so my FJ should have no problem trailering it (5000lb limit). My main concerns are 1) The intracoastal can get quite shallow and places can be weedy. I don't mind having to clean out a pump now and then but if it's going to be chronic that might be an issue. I hear there are grills or screens that can mitigate that a bit? 2) I hear the engines are loud and fuel hungry. Sound wise, how would they compare to say a 2-stroke 5.0 Merc I/O? I'm thinking the reduced and often DIY maintenance of this boat may counter the increased fuel costs to where it's a bit moot. Finally, 3) I'm not going to be off shore fishing but I wouldn't mind jumping out to the Atlantic now and again on a calm day to buzz past the beaches and see what's happening. I know these aren't the best boats for comfort in chop.

So, if anyone has any advice on whether a jet boat would be a good idea in my situation I'd love to hear it. I would especially love to hear from anyone that tools around the St. Augustine or Matanzas inlets or the Julington creek to downtown areas of the St. Johns. My other options are standard bowriders in the 18-20' range as the wife will not accept a CC and scoffed at the fit and finish of the DC's we've seen.

Thanks in advance!

Mike

[LilMikey]

No comments? Anyone take their SeaDoos down the intracoastal in the St Augustine area or on the St. Johns?

Would a beginner be better off with an I/O prop over the rotax jets?

[Kevin Leclair]

Mike, welcome to the site. Things tend to slow down quite a bit around here during the off-season months.

I am little biased, but I think a jet boat would be great for what you are describing.