Recent content by Vol423

I am a licensed boat manufacturer in East Tennessee. I sell almost exclusively outboard jet boats. I don't build them but have them built for me. Any major river in this region will see jet boat usage. The Clinch, Holston, Nolichukey, French broad and Tennessee rivers in Tennessee and larger...

nothing beats hydroturf or seadeck for deck covering. I have diamond pattern hydroturf in mud brown color on my jet outboard bass boat. I wash it with a pressure washer occasionally. No other care. The boat is, however, stored indoors.

There are plastic bunk slicks that attach by screws onto the wood bunks.

If the pod is placed so that it is under water, the added buoyancy is equivalent to the weight of the water it displaces at 62.5 lb/cf. Let's say you want to raise the stern by an inch. Place enough weight on the transom to make the stern sink by an inch. Have your 150 lb wife or your 110 lb...

From an engineering perspective, and from my experience modifying Boats, pods do nothing when a boat is under power other than slow the boat. Designed correctly, they add buoyancy when the boat is at rest. I have built one prop tunnel boat and tested it extensively. It worked, with the prop...

Go see James River jets near you. They can do the work right the first time. You won't run shallower with a tunnel, but you will protect your jet foot from damage with one. You may lose 1-2 mph.

There is an outfit that makes a product called ACRE. It is rice hulls mixed with a resin of some sort. You can use as is or paint it or glass it. I used the product once to replace a plywood floor in a big boat. I painted it and glued down a vinyl floor to it. The boat was sold but the owner...

Hydroturf diamond pattern is a lot more durable than carpet. A dark painted aluminum surface is a lot hotter than light colored. Scuff bare aluminum with a coarse cup brush on a buffer. Great nonreflecting surface that remains touchable, and easy to clean.

A couple of ideas and observations: I use a hole saw to cut through the hull for the through hull. Dozens done and never a problem. Use silicone sealer and stainless hose clamps. Screw the pump to a piece of cutting board (or HDPE), to keep the pump upright and out of the debris. Replacement...

Polystyrene foam (the white stuff) will absorb 70-90% of its volume. Polyurethane about 5%. The USCG mandates polystyrene in the bottom 2" next to the hull because polystyrene won't melt in gasoline. I would ignore that and use all polyurethane if you're going to replace foam. Or get a boat over...

I have a 20' boat with marine plywood flooring with vinyl surface. At 10 years old the plywood started rotting in places. I replaced it with 1/8" checker plate aluminum, scuffed it with a big coarse rotary cup brush to remove the shine. Best floor ever. It washes down with my on-board wash...

I second the vote for hydroturf. I used the diamond pattern on my jet boats. That pattern is tough!

Blue ridge boats in elizabethton TN makes drift boats of UHDPE and HDPE sheets. They are "welded" at the joints. I think they use aluminum frames. They were contemplating building a small power boat with jet outboard the last I heard.

I don't like that tunnel. I have boats built for me with my tunnel design. My tunnels are 14" wide and taper from 0 at the front to 5" in the back and I have the tunnel extended past the transom 12". I cut back the extension to clear the motor after installation. Usually 5-7" left. For length I...

I have done the conversion. Unfortunately the pump is the same one used for the 60 Yamaha motor. So with the rpm the same you get 60 HP performance from your 70 HP motor. The man Who bought the boat loves it. The 70 is a great prop motor. I would suggest selling that and buying a jet. For...