PWC powered jon boat

[Frank ZX]

A friend of mine built a 14 Ft.Sea Nimph powered by a 80HP PWC engine and jet drive unit.The build looks easy enough.He used everything from the PWC ie fuel tank,controls etc.
I found a Kawasaki 650 PWC and I'm toying with the idea of installing it in my 12Ft.Appleby.
Anybody have any info on this subject?I've searched jetjons with no luck.

 

[Frank ZX]

This could be the ultimate topic.My buddy promises it his boat will run in less than 12 inches of water.
I could run the boat in a shallow river or lake.

 

[Zum]

Theres all kinds on youtube:https: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OplcFe9OOMA
Almost any jon boat will run in less than 12" of water with a jet outboard.Be a pretty cool mod to see though...with lots of pics.

 

[Jim]

This looks interesting! Pulling up a chair..........

 

[Frank ZX]

Since no one is talking too much,I will tell you what I know.My buddys boat is very ridge.He cut a hole in the back(where the drain plug was)to pass the jet outlet thru.He some how mounted mounts for the engine and jet drive.I do know that the jet drive has to be perfectly in line.
His boat has adjustable trim.The whole unit takes up very little space,and he buily a aluminum casting deck over the engine.You can't even tell it has a engine unless you see it from the back.
I must get to work now before my boss sees me playing on the computer.
More on this subject later.

 

[natetrack]

Sounds like fun. Have your buddy join up and post some pics so we can all formulate a plan to put something like that in our boats.

 

[Nickk]

cool!

Yeah, get him to post pics

 

[seif5034]

that'd be really cool to see a jet project

 

[Frank ZX]

I called my buddy and asked him to join and post some pic's,maybe he will.If not the next time I see him,I will post some pic's.
Maybe my father-in-law will let me get the Kawasaki 650,and I will post some pic's of my jetjon :mrgreen: .
If anybody is interested in the project,it is fairly simple.The bad news is there is very little info on the web.
If you bought a clapped out PWC,you could use almost every part on the craft,and then sell the hull to recover some of the cost.
Some of the things you could use on your jon boat are the throttle,steering assemblies,battery,fuel tank,kill switch,etc.
The only thing I can think you would have to buy is the materials and hardward to mount the unit.

 

[heavy-chevy]

seems fairly simple. I seriously thought of using a pwc engine or a snowmobile engine with some other kind of drive to have something a little different and fast. but i found a 25hp johnson for $50 so i went that route, eventually when i have money il put the 35hp carb and tuner plate on her, should make it fast enough. make sure you post some pics.

 

[heavy-chevy]

btw, what kind of top speed does your buddy get out of that boat? my guess would be upper 40s?

 

[Zum]

Man that outboard looks supersized.

 

[Frank ZX]

Heavy-Chevy,I'm not sure what kind of top speed it has.
All I know is his brother says It's scary fast,His comment leads me to beleave it would run atleast upper 40's.
The great thing about the PWC unit is weight,they put out alot of HP,and the hull is what weighs so much.
His engine put's out 80HP,and looks to weigh about 100 LBS.,a 80HP outboard probably weighs twice that because of all the shrouds,foot etc.,now before I get flamed,I'm only guessing.

 

[Frank ZX]

Also My buddys boat has a adjustable trim,and according to him planes easily.With a large outboard,and light boat,it seems to me it would never plane,and just plow thru the water?

 

[heavy-chevy]

yea pwc engines are much lighter i would think, the lower unit and leg and mount and such make up alot of the weight on an outboard, the only thing i don't like is the inefficiency of a jet drive vs open prop, but with that much power it really doesn't matter... yea i would think it should be crazy fast i mean even 30mph can get you in trouble on a boat that small! i know on my 14 footer a large boats wake will put em over the bow and can get downright dangerous at a full speed, but im sure a sea nymph would ride much better then my flat bottom.

 

[WTL]

I heard one con to doing this what that although you have in theory a very shallow draft, it is very easy to suck up debris into the PWC engine. A jetski isn't really made to be toying around in 6 inches of water, its meant to accelerate quickly in the open lake and do stupid stuff that we all hate and envy.

 

[heavy-chevy]

yea last time i rode a friends ski we had to clear seaweed out of the pick up alot. and that would suck for fishing the flats and stuff when you get to shallow and it sucks a bunch of shells and sand up. still worth having that kind of power though.

 

[ceejkay]

what about turning on a flat bottom jon? turning at speed, in theory it would skip and eventually catch on the edge and flip, right????? thats the only thing stopping me. if any one wants to donate a beat up old v bottom to me ill do a build. i can find totaled jet skis all over the place.

 

[heavy-chevy]

i wouldn't hesitate to do it on a flat bottom, it will just walk and skip all over the place when you turn, at high speed, at lower speeds the back will still dig enough to get normal steering. you would just have to go easy on the fast corners, even on my boat if i corner to hard at 30+mph it loses bite and starts to walk, but when do you ever need to turn like that.

 

[ceejkay]

that was a bad question!! why do you need to turn like that? why do you need a 40+mph jon boat?

Ill tell you why, BECAUSE ITS FUN!! :lol: