Buying a Jetboat
Don’t rush into it & get some advice!
Decide what sort of boating you will want to do, water sports, fishing, hunting, exploring, family boating, river/lake use, etc as this will have some bearing on what you buy.
Decide on how much you want to spend, remembering you’ll need some $ for life jackets, push poles, bow rope, insurance, etc
Have a look around various jet boat yards, trade me, try and talk to a few jet boaters as some boats get sold by word of mouth.
There is a lot of rubbish out there so be patient in your search.
Couple of things to consider
The Deadrise, this is the angle of the bottom of the boat & has a bearing on its handling.
Basically the lower the deadrise angle the shallower the water it will be able to go in (within reason) but a low deadrise hull will slide in the turns (Hamilton Jet20 8 degree deadrise)
An ex sprint boat hull may have as much as 23 degrees (it will draw more water but turn very sharply)
Standard for a modern general river boat would be 14-16degrees, (Hamilton 141, 152, Rivercraft, Rapid Runner, Scottcraft, Keelowcraft, etc)
The Jet Unit, this is what propels the boat along, make sure the unit on the boat you buy is appropriate for your boating needs & is in good working condition. A single stage unit has one impellor, 2 stage 2 impellors & 3 stage 3 impellors, (Eg. Hamilton 771,772,773)
If you are new to boating you don’t want a boat that has a race unit in it or one that you can’t get parts for anymore.
Once you have found one you’re interested in, have a good look over it.
Check underneath for any major dints, grill look ok, upholstery, steering is free, has it got working bilge pump(s) ask about the motor history, fuel consumption, battery condx & secured, road cover? Trailer condx? WOF/Rego? Etc
Still happy, then take it for a test drive or better still get someone to test drive it for you who knows what they are about, does it start easily, how does it ride, responsiveness to throttle & steering, does the reverse work properly? etc
When you get back check in the bilge area to see if it leaked in much water, most jetboats will leak a bit of water eventually but if it’s up to the fly wheel you might have a hole somewhere!
Still keen, then get an expert to check it out for you as it may save you a lot of $, if it’s an older motor I’d want a compression test, is the fuel system set up properly, is the steering safe, what are the impellor blades like, if it is a fiberglass boat are there any rotten patch’s etc, a 100 bucks here might save you thousand’s!!
Got the Boat
Lets load Mum & the kids in and tear up the nearest river – Wrong!
As what usually happens is an afternoon of pushing, swearing, crying & they never go with you again!!
Get a mate or 2 and go somewhere there is plenty of water (lake) and learn to drive it, better still get an experienced jetboater to go and teach you how to drive it. Practice putting it on & off the trailer, using the reverse, doing turns until you are confident operating it.
Before you go to the river, learn the river rules!!
Join your local club and do the new boaters program (www.jbnz.co.nz)
If you can’t do this get someone to take you on a couple of runs up your local river & teach you how to read the river (i.e. how to pick between deep & shallow, where to stop, channel selection, etc)
Now you can take the family out, start off with some simple trips as you want to get them hooked on this jetboating caper, then it’s easier to get upgrades, etc for the boat!!
Tips
Prepare the boat at home, check you have the bow rope, lifejackets, push poles, etc
Check oil & water if a closed circuit system, grill clean of stones, decide how much gas you will need.
Leave the bungs out when you are trailering to the ramp as it will flush any fuel fumes out, road cover off is a good idea too. If you smell fuel don’t start it!
Launching, bow rope on, bungs in, engine cover up, only you in the boat while you start it, warm the motor up before you back off as I’ve seen plenty of people start their boats and back straight off for the motor to conk out & drift off, stress levels go up in a hurry!
I like to see the water temp coming up on the gauge before I back off.
Tools, a few basic ones plus some spare fuse’s, a good idea at some point is to learn how to pull your unit apart.
Make sure your steering shackles are lock wired, keep an eye on water/fuel hoses for signs of aging, check the bilges still work occasionally, battery terminals clean.
Winter
Drain the sand trap after you finish boating as frost’s can cause the water to expand & break them. Carry your boat cover (up under the dash) as it’s a good shelter if you get caught out on the river.
