Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Jet Outboard

When I lived there (I moved to CO five years ago) I never saw a boat with sponsons/pontoons. They just hadn't got to AK yet. Most prop boats used a flat bottom hull for better shallow water performance.

For running real skinny water jets were the ticket and tunnel hulls were popular.

One of the great dilemmas in SC Alaska was having a boat that's legal for the Kenai River salt or having a jet that could run the rivers up north. It's very difficult to have boat could do both with the exception of something like ptarmigan has. It isn't perfect for either use but it will git 'er done.

Another consideration was having something big enough for use in the salt. You almost have to have two or three boats to do it all but with some compromises you can have one that will do at least two of the choices.

I am going to have beavertail flotation pods welded on in the next week or so. The boat does have a tunnel as well. Should be a good little shallow water boat.

The bunks are just carpet covered 2x4s as best I can tell. I am going to get the boat set up first, then tweak the trailer if I need to.

I put the pads over the carpeting and you have to use very long and very well secured screws so they don't back out. Where it really helped was on "primitive" launch ramps with weird angles where you couldn't just drive the boat onto the trailer. It was a lot easier to winch it on with the pads.

Your boat is small enough to where it may not be necessary and I'm just throwing out what worked for me.

One thing I modified on my trailer was the bunks. The way is was originally set up the bunks didn't extend all the way to transom and trailering it beat a "cup" in the bottom. I couldn't see in the pics how your's is set up.


Good luck with the boat and good fishin' to ya.

here a pic of 2 jamesriverjets. mine and a buddies

mine closest 1752 125/90 merc

other a 1660 90/65 merc


few more of mine

Where's the console?

What's a console and why do you need one?

I have an 1860 G-3 with a 50/35 jet. It's not a rocket by any means but easily gets on step with 3 big boys and camping gear. The beauty of the set up is when kings are done up north, I put the prop on and fish big Kenai kings for another month. This set up is not perfect for either, but works for both.

Well.....I don't see a tiller. Do I need a better monitor?

LOL!

guys haven't you ever seen a stick steer jet. stick is on the left,hot foot throttle on the right. very fast steering in the rocks and i think its the best way to go. these boats are great for fighting a fish. duel 10ft rod lockers so you can walk all the way around the boat up on the deck. livewell is 3ft long under the drivers seat. i added a qick drop folding front pedestal on my front deck. works gret just drop the front seat and go.

here you can see the stick drive


here's one on the the fly.

fold down quikdrop front seat pedestal,up and down

That's a new one to me. Interesting!

That looks like a pretty speedy setup. I just cant have all that stuff in a little boat. I have to be able to move around and not be tripping over things. Thats why I decided to not even go with a center console, even though it would be way more comfortable to operate.

i think legally you can only run up to a 125/90 on a stick steering control . its very nice when you have to turn fast to avoid hitting something. to me the hotfoot throttle is the only thing to have on a jet.

Well J.H.C.! I brought my boat to the shop last week because of a wierd little stutter it has at idle and low RPMs. They couldnt seem to find anything wrong with it (which I am in disbelief over). Shop guy says the bill is $110 and they would goodwill it for me because the motor is so new.

Dudeman brings my boat from around back and I notice the gas tank is missing. I ask where it is. He gives me a blank look and goes to find somebody. Mechanic (who is a pretty good schit) comes out and just shakes his head and spouts off about [bleep] thieves. Next guy must be the shop manager, he tells me that "you have to buy the gas tank separate from the outboard". I says, look dude, I bought it months ago and just had it in for service. He didnt believe I had a tank in the boat when I brought it in! Well he reluctantly went and got a new tank for me and said "We will eat the cost of the tank, but your on your own for the full tank of (premium) gas that was in it."

I about told them all to *uck off but I was in a hurry. I grabbed my schit and got out of there before I got ugly. If it wasnt for Marita being the only Tohatsu dealer in town, I would never step foot in that [bleep] place again.

I feel the same way about Marita. Fuggin hate that place.
passed on buying a boat last week because of the mercury motor and paid more for one with Yamahas just so I wouldnt have to worry about going there.

You can buy an outboard (or wheeler, snowmachine, etc) because of the sales dealer's trump, or you can buy from the guys who have a great service department. If I don't trust the service department very well, I won't talk to the sales staff.

I guess I didnt look into things from a service standpoint when buying the outboard. On the other hand the service I got at the Boatshop in Fbks where I bought my Alweld was great. Those guys were on it and delivered. I wish they had a store down here.

My perspective is distance modified so I have been forced to know the service end of things. You find out how well you did when buying, the first time you call their service department. I have known both Alaska Power Sports and Boat Shop service/parts guys on not only a first name basis, but a voice recognition basis. I gave up on APS when some years back, but the Boat Shop guys have always done me well, even over the phone. Service departments that treat you like a friend and neighbor even when you're 500 miles and $1000 freight distant are service departments who make a lot of sales. Heck, if I lived on the road - even in Anchorage- I'd still buy from those guys (Boat Shop).

really sorry to hear of the bad luck, that sucks rocks like a jet in the wrong channel.


I'm really grateful to have the Boat Shop to do biz with, I couldn't ask to be treated any better than I am there.

Course we have some history, had to give the owner and his bride a ride to their honeymoon suite the night of their wedding over 20 years ago with my little girl in tow due to his bro the head mechanic enjoying the nuptial celebration a little too much.

they are good folks

their dad and mom are salt of the earth type folks as well.

oh and btw, no video as I've not been to our cabin once this year, in fact, just ran my boat for the first time on the Chena a week or so ago with the sprout. Chemo sucks, specially going to Anchorage once a week for her to receive it.