I did my share of ice breaking this winter but most of it was in a prop boat. I don't try to break much more then skim ice with my jet. In the spring when the ice is soft I have no problem hitting it wot and sliding as far as I need to hit more open water.
Let the boats performance tell you like you are planning. It will change with a load or without and each boat will be different. I had a old motor on two different boats one I had to have it tucked in and the other worked great with it 4 holes out.
My first jet was a Lowe 1648. The transom fell apart with a 40/28 2 stroke on it with a bolt on riser. How did they raise transom? If it is just some sort of bolt on riser I would plan on adding extra knee braces and corner gussets before it starts flexing.
Not sure about posts on this site but I know I have ran across them in the past about adding uhmw to .100 hulls. The list of pros is much smaller then the cons. Not sure that i have ever ran across someone that said they would add it to another .100 hull again. If it was me I would run it the...
I rarely tip up fish but there are plenty of people here in Minnesota that do. I did make it out this winter once with a fe buddies to chase some flags. We went through 5doz suckers in under 2 hrs. The pike were definitely hungry that day.
I have managed to not open my hull up yet but have damaged a few things along with myself. A few big dents, one shoe, one concussion, and one outboard hood. My back and pride might of been hurt once or twice while sitting high and dry.
I ran my wiring in my old but through the gunwale. I ran short pieces of plastic hose into the gunwale down into the decks to keep from chaffing the wires.
The old 3 cylinder Yamahas were very reliable but I always heard the 90/65 were thirsty. Are you planning on fishing with 4 people or riding around? Do you plan on it being frequent? I have had 4 of us in my boat a few times and it sucks to fish with more then 3.
I have a 1652j alweld with a 2015 60/40 merc. With 3 of us and fishing gear it will run 28-30. My hull weighs 390 without gear in it. What size 2 stroke Yamaha are you talking about?
I will keep my lite weight boat that is paid for over a 30k+ boat any day. I could buy 6 new hulls and alot of spare shoes for the price you want for your used rp. It all comes down to what your needs are. If you want a decked out boat with all the frills and want to push it while running...
Before you weld pods on run it. With a forward counsel and as lite of a motor you are putting on there you should not need pods. Standing and driving a jet will bite you sooner or later. All it takes is one unexpected hit and you either end up on the bottom of the boat or swimming. After a good...
There is a lopro for sale locally for 32k.There is also a 18'g3 with a 90/65 Yamaha for 12,500. I am in CR and run a 1652 alweld with a 60/40 merc. The local dealers have no idea what they are doing with a jet. I looked all over the state and ended up driving to Missouri for both my boat and...
If you plan on having 4 people in it very often I would go as big as you can. I have had 4 people in my 1652 and doing anything but riding around is a pain.
The largest load in my boat was with 4 of us which 2 of them where in the 300+ category. I guess atleast 900lbs of people then fishing gear. My old 40/28 Yamaha got us planed out but barely.