fishing jet boat?

hello guys my name is Rory and i am from australia i was looking for a new boat for me and my old man to go out on and well i had the thought of a jet boat and he thought it was a great suggestion! we were looking at maybe buying a 4 cylinder turbo or non turbo depending on the size of the boat we want it to be tough for going over rocks and logs in shallow water but with casting decks on the front and back i was really thinking maybe something like a aluminium bass boat with jet unit on it instead of the outboard.
does any one know of any boats like this or close to that? we were even considering building it from scratch but we cant even find plans.
so if any of you have any knowledge or plans or know of a boat? We don't want to spend much more then $10000AUD




cheers Rory

 

There are jet units for outboards, replacing the lower unit with a jet drive.
Saw some in Alaska a few years back, running in inches of water on aluminum jonboats.

 

Dude I think the money is too little for what you're looking

 

how much would it cost me ? my dad gets a lot of stuff really cheap and knows a few people that will help him out if i got a car motor i can get it for $1000 + the jet unit

i saw the jet units for the outboard are they any good or are inboard jets better???

i don't want is as big as a bass boat but simile design really for rivers going up back waters only tree stumps were i go fishing no rocks really but i want it to be tough.
are there any plans out there ?

 

a value to 15000 I think is more realistic.

 

well say we have $15000 whats could i get for that?

 

That in your opinion is better

 

any one got plans or pics of some just to know that it can be done ?

 

The jet foot on the outboard is the cheapest way to go. Keep in mind that they are less efficient than other jets, and tend to clog easier and wear faster. Not a bad deal if you run in clean water.

I think the Mercury SportJet is the best all-around jet for something in the size of a 18'-24' fishing boat. It is robust and efficient, but may be a little pricey. I think they are around 200-250hp.

There are some other jet units in that size range, but I am not familiar with them (I think one is Italian, may be others from Aus/NZ, where they are pretty popular).

The larger jets (that connect up to inboard petrol or diesel engines) are obviously more robust, but probably larger than you need.

For your price point, you should look for a good used boat that hasn't been abused. For ideas, google Phantom SportJon - they are a company that sells SeaArk boats with the Merc Sportjet and customized slightly by the company (several add-ons, custom consoles, paint, etc.)

 

wouldn't go much bigger then a 150hp whether it's inboard or outboard. maybe we will just design our own boat we pretty much want a jet bass boat maybe we will buy a really big tinny and just cut it to pieces and modify it to what we want. maybe not as long as your average jet boat tho.

 

If you want reasonable speed from a shallow draft boat that would have modest cost you could take a look at Rescue Minor. I have seen this boat run at about 15 knots in six inches of water and without excessive disturbance.

Rescue minor uses a simple inboard engine such as that found on small Kubota tractors. You can find references to that boat on the forum, use the search function.

 

i can get a 4 turbo for less then $1000 or a 6 for 500

 

RORY, there are plenty of jet boats around for 10k or less. keep an eye on ebay, the trading post and gumtree. where in vic are you planning on jumping logs and rocks, there are plenty of good rivers to fish without doing that, unless you are trying to drive it to dargo or somewhere in the hills. the boats i am referring to are usually hamilton fiberglass hulls but ex jet sprint ally hulls come up as well occasionally. forget about those s##t mercury sportjets, over priced underperforming rubbish. there is an article somewhere if i can find it about one of those going down the murray, the people using it were pretty disappointed with it.

 

ye wasn't very keen on the outboard jets i plan on fishing the murray in it and take it threw back waters over trees lots of stumps

 

you could make a pretty good fishing jet boat out of a tinny fitted with one of the bigger jet ski engines and jet units.