New to the "jet boat" life, have a few questions.

[ctaylor2069]

I just recently was given a 96 sea rayder jet boat, i was told it would run with a little tune up and such, im not worried about that as i have gotten lots of old and new boats up and running from sitting for a while. This boat was winterized before it was stored. i was told by the owner a marina told him someone had ran it out of the water and that the "skid plate" had to be replaced. I have no idea what a "skid plate" is and looked it up onine and still couldnt find any answers. I was curious if any of you jet boat guys could get me some ideas. Also can you run these boats out of water? Do they offer some kind of ear muffs for them like traditional motors or do you have to have them in the water to run and work on them? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Any other tips or tricks or anything else i should know i would love the knowlege.
thanks

 

[QBhoy]

Hi
try looking up ride plate instead.

 

[ctaylor2069]

would running a jet boat out of the water cause damage to this?

 

[porscheguy]

No, having it fall off the trailer whilst traveling down the highway would damage the ride plate. As for running them out of the water, you can, briefly. They don’t usually have ear muffs, rather they have a flush port to attach a garden hose. This can vary by manufacturers.

It appears to have a mercury sport jet 120. The powerhead was based on either a mercury or a force outboard, so parts are probably available. But the jet pump itself wasn’t sold very long so parts availability is iffy at best.

My advice. If you must have this, spend as little as possible to acquire it.

 

[ctaylor2069]

porscheguy, i currently own the boat it was free, it ran in july last year then had a few issues, it was parked but winterized. I believe i can get it runing, it has the 90 merc motor. Im capable enough of a marine mechanic to handle everything except im not familiar with the jet drive, i was just worried about getting it running and not having a lake nearby to atleast check to see if i can get it running. could i run it out of the water for a minute or so just to make sure it will fire before going to the lake with the toolbox for the day? The motor was rebuilt a few years ago, and new carbs the year before last. it was never dropped off of the trailer and the plate looks to be in good condition. it was just mention to me something about the "skid plate" thats all i know, . thanks again

 

[ctaylor2069]

new to the jet boat life

Hey guys, im new to the jet boat world. I recieved a 1993 sea rayder 90 boat cause the owner had some issues, he took it to a shop, the shop tore it down and then said they didnt have time to look at it. so the owner brought it home (tore apart) he then took it to a marina, they told the owner it needed a "skid plate" and that it had been run out of water. and they were to busy to work on it. The owner bought a new boat and wanted this one gone. insisting it needed a new "skid plate". I charged the battery, and upon further investigation i see that some wires are unhooked, and spark plug wires are unhooked also looks like a (coil maybe) is unhooked. Im asking for a wiring diagram for this boat and any idea what the skid plate is or what damage is caused from running out of the water. or any other general knowladge i would need, i have owned many inboard/outboard motors but know nothing about jet boats. any help is greatly appreciated. thanks so much.

 

[roscoe]

Clearance tolerances on the wear ring are very tight, thousandths of an inch, too far out of spec and the jet loses it thrust.

I suspect that may be what was damaged if ran out of water. And of course damage may have been done to the powerhead.

I'm not sure this is the part number for your model number, but it runs $670.
[h=1]WEAR RING KIT[/h] [h=2]856814A2[/h]

 

[Scott Danforth]

I just recently was given a 96 sea rayder jet boat

I take it this person hates you? the Sea Rayder was a turd back in 1996 when it was new..... I doubt it got better with age.

it was woefully underpowered for the small jet boat market as compared to the other offerings at the time, and the get conversion on the power head was marginal at best.

 

[H20Rat]

So... With the 90/95/120 merc/force jets, it was advised to never run it out of water. With no water in the exhaust chamber, it can build up fuel rich gasses and when it pops, it blows the seal out of the ride plate. Once that happens, it is going to ventilate the pump like crazy and basically not go anywhere.

 

[ctaylor2069]

So... With the 90/95/120 merc/force jets, it was advised to never run it out of water. With no water in the exhaust chamber, it can build up fuel rich gasses and when it pops, it blows the seal out of the ride plate. Once that happens, it is going to ventilate the pump like crazy and basically not go anywhere.

this was the kind of info i was looking for, thank you. Is there any way to tell if the seal has been "popped"? any advice on where i could find a engine wiring diagram?

 

[ctaylor2069]

I take it this person hates you? the Sea Rayder was a turd back in 1996 when it was new..... I doubt it got better with age.

it was woefully underpowered for the small jet boat market as compared to the other offerings at the time, and the get conversion on the power head was marginal at best.

i dont think so but after your comments im beggining to wonder haha. i had no idea they were just junk, was just seeing the "FREE" and got excited, has had work done to the trailer and new carbs within the last 2 years so didnt think it was a bad deal

 

[Scott Danforth]

the most expensive boats are the "Free" ones because if they had value, they would been sold.

generally if you see any of the following OMC, Bayliner, Sea Rayder, "L" drive, 470, Vazer, Ford, Force or Free..... stay away

however a good source for cheap 3.0 engines is the "free trailer, must take boat with 3.0" ads on craigslist. you spend an hour with a chain saw and cut the boat up to dispose of it, keeping the motor and drive, then sell the trailer to cover disposal fees for the boat hull.

 

[H20Rat]

this was the kind of info i was looking for, thank you. Is there any way to tell if the seal has been "popped"? any advice on where i could find a engine wiring diagram?

I've never personally seen one that was blown out, but you can inspect the seal around the ride plate. Crawl under it with a flashlight and carefully look at the rubber seal all the way around the metal plate. (going from memory here, I owned a 90, 95, and 120 sportjet at one point in my life, as well as much better 175hp v6 after that)

As far as wiring diagram, they are very, very simple engines. I used to have PDF manuals for them, but those are long gone. Most common thing for electrical is the stator and ignition box, and those are all or nothing type deals.

So... the question is how can you fire it up safely. In theory this should work, but take a shop vac (on blow) or a leaf blower and aim it at the exhaust outlets on the jet pump. Should keep it ventilated of any fuel build up while it is cranking. Don't worry about water if you are running it very short time. Otherwise they do make an optional flush kit where you can run it on a hose. (caveat about blowing the ride plate off still exists)

The impeller/bearings are fine for running without water, there is enough clearance you won't damage anything.


So although it seems like a cool little boat, as you see above I've owned quite a few sportjets. The 90/95's were dogs. Finicky little engines, and even when they were running good, they were slow to plane and generally just underpowered. I don't know anyone in recent years that has kept them more than a year or two before moving on.

 

[ctaylor2069]

the most expensive boats are the "Free" ones because if they had value, they would been sold.

generally if you see any of the following OMC, Bayliner, Sea Rayder, "L" drive, 470, Vazer, Ford, Force or Free..... stay away

however a good source for cheap 3.0 engines is the "free trailer, must take boat with 3.0" ads on craigslist. you spend an hour with a chain saw and cut the boat up to dispose of it, keeping the motor and drive, then sell the trailer to cover disposal fees for the boat hull.

damnit man, do you hate me or what? I literally have a 470 in my chaparrel. I have had almost no problems with it except the stator doesnt quite put out 12v. and i had one in my last boat and i had no issues.
Also felt it was necessary to tell u i was just kidding. i know those things are garbage even for a boat anchor. but fingers crossed i am having ok luck. and something about the word free just screams me. ask my wife haha.

 

[ctaylor2069]

I've never personally seen one that was blown out, but you can inspect the seal around the ride plate. Crawl under it with a flashlight and carefully look at the rubber seal all the way around the metal plate. (going from memory here, I owned a 90, 95, and 120 sportjet at one point in my life, as well as much better 175hp v6 after that)

As far as wiring diagram, they are very, very simple engines. I used to have PDF manuals for them, but those are long gone. Most common thing for electrical is the stator and ignition box, and those are all or nothing type deals.

So... the question is how can you fire it up safely. In theory this should work, but take a shop vac (on blow) or a leaf blower and aim it at the exhaust outlets on the jet pump. Should keep it ventilated of any fuel build up while it is cranking. Don't worry about water if you are running it very short time. Otherwise they do make an optional flush kit where you can run it on a hose. (caveat about blowing the ride plate off still exists)

The impeller/bearings are fine for running without water, there is enough clearance you won't damage anything.


So although it seems like a cool little boat, as you see above I've owned quite a few sportjets. The 90/95's were dogs. Finicky little engines, and even when they were running good, they were slow to plane and generally just underpowered. I don't know anyone in recent years that has kept them more than a year or two before moving on.

Thanks for the imput. I will try that. I saw that somone had made a makeshift water shoot hook up for it. i am currently dealing with a no spark issue so running is at the end of my concerns list lol