Powering River Jet, options?

I'd take him up on his offer.

I can see this turning into a pi$$ing contest...

I can assure you the Scott is a better pump. May not give you any more top end... unloaded. But put some load on board, or start towing toys and you'll soon notice the difference. Being a 2-stage the Scott has better grip and hook-up in white water. It'll be more durable when pumping silt and stones, comes standard with a trim nozzle that can be operated manually if you don't want the expense of an electro-hydraulic pump. And do you really want to keep boating with the exhaust note going 'ring-ting-ting'?

As noted, gas here is pretty well taxed. A crate 350 here is considerably more expensive when compared to the US, this is due to the fact that usually the motor has gone through 3 or 4 extra 'hands' before it makes it on the shelf. With Merc's dealer network, the SJ is even more favourable when looking strictly at dollars. Our sales tax is about to climb to 15% in October compounding the issue.

The Scott will out perform, out last, have less wear and use less gas than the SJ, meaning even at the stated $13-$1400 it will be a longer term winner.

Go for the ride, and afterwards tell me I'm full of it... or maybe not???

 

I dont dissagree with anything you're saying but the basic fact is to reengine my 240 boat I would need to spend a fair bit more for the engine package alone, never mind the refit. From what im told the SC/scott package is unreal in terms of performance but its just not something I can justify myself and I think its misleading to tell someone the lesser packages will give similar performance to the larger SJ's. There is also the fact of how much room in the boat the engine takes up, another place the SJ is quite favourable.

I sure dont like the vibration and exhaust noise of the SJ, but it is overall a very good unit for a riverboat. The pump does handle debris and lasts reasonably well in rough use once you put a SS liner in it.(trust me if anyone knows about pumping gravel its me )

I wouldnt turn down a ride in any jetboat anywhere, just better watch what you let me drive and where cause I can be <ahem> rough on boats
(i.e. it better have a heavy keel and a skid plate lol)

 

i never tried to compare these combos the the long gone sj 240
i was giving another choice for the 200 sj that also will be gone some day
and we are working on another combo thats a V4 @300hp and 242lbs wet wt.

 

A V6 with a close coupling and boxed transom is pretty short, close to SJ territory, so the V4 should work quite nicely.

 

I currently have an old Sea Ark with an 80 Merc. outboard. It does great in the upper Allegheny river in Pennsylvania (where it's mostly run). It has been a fantastic boat since day one ages ago. But now that it's up there in age, I find myself looking at new inboard jets.

I have nothing but great respect for Sea Ark, and am really interested in the Predator. My primary concerns after cost are extremely shallow water, holeshot and top speed. I know that the SJ is the standard motor for the Predator, and I know that they are not the greatest on fuel...

I have been interested in alternative engine/jet packages to get a little more top end than the SJ has. The slower your speed, the longer it takes to get to your fishin' spot. The more I read about the Scott pumps, the more I really like them. I'd like to get as close as possible to the 200hp max. power the Predator is rated for. And I'd like to get at least 50mph, but more would be nice And as always, fuel economy is a concern...

 

The sport jet 200/motor/pump package is 9500.00 and has a full warrantee and parts support at any Mercury Dealer.

It will run over 50 mph in a suitable hull.

We have a number of Sport Jets over in New Zealand...in fact they used to have a river race class over there for the 240s

Most engines in NZ jet boats are local automotive conversions;transportation and distribution issues limit the sales of marine packages.

Also a lot of Kiwis put their own jet boats together;most of us in North American buy a complete package from a dealer.