ride plate / bottom right in front of jet foot

[semojetman]

My boat bottom is beat up pretty bad directly in front of the jet foot and i am needing to repair it.

The damaged area is approximately 12 inches wide and 24 inches long.
It is the middle rib and the 2 smooth areas to each side.

When replacing this section we are considering not putting a rib back in it.
My buddy that works on boats seems to think it will help, but i want some more opinions cause jets can be tricky sometimes.

So go smooth or put rib back?

 

[Lil' Blue Rude]

Which rip you talking about? The rib that run down the middle stops about a foot short of the back maybe a little more then a foot. They say it helps feed cleaner water with less air in it.

 

[semojetman]

It is the very center rib. On mine it runs to back of boat. But it is beat up so bad it dents in before and behind the last cross brace by atleast an inch.

 

[Lil' Blue Rude]

Yeah i'd leave it out. That's how Blazer SS and exterminaters are made. Think the outboard jet website say something about it's better to have the rib stop short of the back.

 

[user 6672]

A couple of dif jet sites actually do suggest cutting out the keel/center bottom line 24" and leaving it flush.

Less water turbulence, hence less air intake/cavitation