agallant80
Commander
- Joined
- Oct 25, 2010
- Messages
- 2,328
I would like to see it in the small cruisers. Don't knowhow it would work but it would be allot nicer than having a weekend gone because you hit something and took out your outdrive and prop.
Couple of things, Yahaha's control system makes handling at low speed a breese and their engines have improved vastly and are very durable. They went for a little more boost and cut their WOT from 10,000 RPM to 7,500 RPM and it made all the difference.
Data please. I have seen nothing to support this.Fuel economy is now on par with I/O's,
that's odd. Every year we go to the boat show and I see all the Yamaha jetboats, yet I have NEVER seen one on a local lake. And I see hundreds of boats each week in the summer.
Are you sure about Bayliner? They seem to be focusing on outboards - e.g. the new Element with the Mercury 60.
Nobody mentioned weeds - I can't remember the last time I picked up weeds in my I/O. Also, I can't remember the last time I didn't pick up weeds when I had a jet.
* Maintenance is worse - a dinged prop is eaier to repair and cheaper than an impeller and wear ring.
* Shallow water - see above - I haven't dinged a prop in 30 years. I know when the water gets shallow so I use the power trim and
now the prop is above the bottom so no problem. Skinny water and you are inclined to try it anyway. The new jets are powerful
enough to suck up rocks from 3' down. There goes the impeller and wear ring again.
* Low speed manueverabilty - still sucks
* Fuel economy - sucke even worse....LOL. I mean the usage is high.
We will not mention that the 205 is 25% heavier (#2840 vs #2160) and has a foot more wetted surface.Yamaha (1812cc engine) sx190 jet boat best cruise: 24.7 mph/4.51 mpg
Bayliner (220hp MPI 4.3l) 205 bowrider best cruise: 24.9 mph/4.34 mpg
kinda seems like maybe the jet has BETTER mileage!
IMHO, lots of misinformation here. But I dunno I can only speak from personal experience. I've had them all....jet, OB, I/O and rowboat....LOL. Never had a straight inboard though. In my experience:
* Maintenance is worse - a dinged prop is eaier to repair and cheaper than an impeller and wear ring.
* Shallow water - see above - I haven't dinged a prop in 30 years. I know when the water gets shallow so I use the power trim and
now the prop is above the bottom so no problem. Skinny water and you are inclined to try it anyway. The new jets are powerful
enough to suck up rocks from 3' down. There goes the impeller and wear ring again.
* Low speed manueverabilty - still sucks
* Fuel economy - sucke even worse....LOL. I mean the usage is high.
Besides all that, Holy crap - ever price a Yamaha jet boat? Thats' surely sticker shock to me. ANY I/O of the same size would be cheaper.
Nobody mentioned weeds - I can't remember the last time I picked up weeds in my I/O. Also, I can't remember the last time I didn't pick up weeds when I had a jet.
Nevertheless, whatever turns you on. Just be informed before you buy.
No, I think it's that cost thing . . . They make a BUNCH of these coupled with the same pump. One makes little boat go, two make bigger boat goI find it interesting that it takes twin super charged jets to equal the performance of a single I/O. Maybe it's that efficiency thing.
That doesn't bother me at all. They know how to build them to spin faster, and pleasure craft just don't wear out if maintained.I don't have confidence in the durability of a motor that runs at those rpm levels.
Don't jet drives still suffer something like a 30% efficiency lose compared to prop drive, or has that changed? I don't have confidence in the durability of a motor that runs at those rpm levels. I'm sure that they'll last through the warranty period though.
I have owned a couple of PWC where the jet drive is necessary, but I wouldn't consider a jet in a larger boat.
What is a reference for Yamaha jet boats being number one in sales, other than that blurb from 2009 which mentioned a select number of states?
I find it interesting that it takes twin super charged jets to equal the performance of a single I/O. Maybe it's that efficiency thing.
I agree with most of your points. Replacing a wear ring sucks to be sure, but I in my 10 years of riding and the four Sea-Doo's I've owned, I had to do it exactly once. I never had to replace an impeller because of damage, only out of discretion. You might be right and the more powerful engines they use on jets now suck more debris, as the biggest I ever had was a modified 720 rotax (very old school, I know).
Weeds were always an issue. It really sucked to have to dive in and clear a blockage from under the ski... But I haven't heard or seen of a jet boat made in years that did not have clean out ports. These make clearing any weeds simple and quick.
As for price, I dont think you can really compare XX length jetboat against XX lenth I/O. You always get more usable space with the jets, and IMO, both Yamaha and Sea-Doo give (gave in sea-doo's case) a better looking package and more features then a comparable I/O pleasure boat manufacturer. And, there are some stupid expensive ~20' I/O boats out there; a Cobalt 200's base price is a completely ridiculous $48,000.
I absolutely loved Sea-Doo's recent Challenger line, particularly the 210 and 230's. I would have bought one for sure, had I not been in the market for a cuddy.