What sort of rep do these boats have in AK?

Cold...

Dennis

Jetcraft makes the XS (Extreme Shallow), with the inboard Optimax 200 they perform very well, quick hole shot, can run in XS water and carry a pretty decent load.


the biggest complaints on them are the hull transfers motor noise so that you can hardly hear each other in an enclosed canopied boat, (ime actually quieter outside by the motor)

the sand trap is not easy to clean

and they are a bit heavy compared to similar boats particularly the Sport Jon, but there's a reason for such, they use a ladder frame construction which is stouter than the SJ

local guy Craig Compeau used to sell the SJ's but recently started manufacturing SJX's with some of the former guys from SJ, believe they use the heavier framed ladder setup as well.

get the UMHW on the bottom and you've got a slippery craft that will run in some pretty slim water or right over bare rocks for short durations, but noisy as hell, and a bitch to clean the sand trap out.

they're a special purpose boat mainly, though Jetcraft makes other models, but running skinny water is what the XS is used for around my locale, and they are superb at doing so, just wish they'd quiet them down from the factory instead of it being after market fixes and figure out some way to clean out the trap without wearing scuba gear!

Really kinda hard for me to be thinking "XS" and "heavy" at the same time.. Hull desighn can help, but heavy is heavy no way around that.. Around here Jet Craft has a pretty crappy reputation in the CS department.. 10 yrs ago Jet Crafts were going pretty stong in our area.. Now, hell now I can't even remember the last time I saw one..

heavy was meant to be a relative term Shaq, heavier than the Sport Jon, about the same I believe as the SJX.


they sold like hotcakes here the last 8 years or so, a good pard has the dealership that handles them (the Boat Shop, great guys, great customer service)

think the market has cooled a bit for them and IIRC price has jumped from like 28K to dang near 40K for one now

I'm limping along old school in a '97 Sprint, but the old mare has a new saddle been running a 130hp Etec with a jet and absolutely thrilled with that motor, gave us much for it as I did my whole package, but sold the old 115 Evinrude for about 4K to offset the 12K the motor cost.

I always tell the owner of Boat Shop, please don't bend me over cause due to loyalty and friendship I can't shop your competition, they've been really good to me every time I've made a major purchase from them.

they even helped a guy out that was barely outa warranty on their own dime, I'm telling you those guys run a good biz!

Yep, they do; they even covered for OMC when they went bankrupt and BRP wouldn't touch it. I almost feel bad that the Honda they sold me -discounted hugely- doesn't break. I buy a gallon of gear oil, a fuel filter or two, plugs, and such every year or two, and not much else. And they're still happy to give advice and suggestions so that I don't have to send stuff in for maintenance. Cleaning the carbs after running seven years? Okay, they're probably collecting stuff in this particular passageway. Make sure you use a screwdriver that fits well. Sure, we'll send a new manifold gasket right out. They are the guys with the best prices, hands down; I don't care what others sell motors for up-front. You simply can't buy what the guys at the Boat Shop sell: family to family service.

Then there is the other answer... airboat, with UHMV. Uses a car motor IE easy to fix/repair/replace... don't have to worry about water, though sand can ruin your day by getting you stuck just depending.... but generally able to run up and down most anything, water, ground, mud, rocks, gravel, pavement. Not friendly with green sticky grass and sand. Sprayer system can help with the grass but not the sand....
No intake to clean out either.

Pavement is hell on that stuff!

Not so bad... the new UHMV with hardners and lubricants... wears ok.... not that I'd drive around much on concrete unless I had money to burn... asphalt isn't so bad... Gravel is pure gravy..

But oyster shell reefs can be interesting a bit...

Back in 2003 or 2004 a local was arrested in Fairbanks for running his airboat with a new UHMV bottom up and down Airport Road to prove that it could be done.

He had been out on the Chena River and stopped in at a bar on the way home. Supposedly he told the other patrons at the bar; "Hey, hold my beer and watch THIS!"

We got an airboat stuck on a mudbar on the lower part of Alaganek Slough just outside of Cordova one moose season. Stopped the airboat on what we thought was a sandbar and got out to check out the area. When we got back in, the tide had dropped a bit and the boat was now GLUED to the bottom.

We had to go upstream, break a beaver dam, and add some water to help break us free.

I do love airboats, but they have their drawbacks too.

Ed

That's the incident I had in mind Ed!


The way I heard it, it happened in January as the fellow was taking his boat home from the shop. Had too many at Pike's and on a dare drove the boat to the Lonely Lady strip club - well, almost to it, before he was stopped for a DUI.


Maybe Randy will chime in with his recollection of the event.

Funny no matter how it happened!

If he was drunk when he did it, how would he recollect it? Inquiring minds want to know

I recall that "incident" well - as reported on statewide news. I would imagine the blades on an airboat would surely impart a harsh buzz to the already buzzed condition of the cold dense air of a January night.

Hammered while hammered?

Randy don't drank anymo'.

and while he does drink a bit less, he might still be persuaded to have a little toddy on occasion!


wow memory lane, long dusty road for me

used to know the guy's name but have forgotten it, and to the best of my recollection it was pre UHMV????

seems to me the story went sparks we're showering from the bottom of that boat as he hammered it down the road.

who knows, with the UHMV a guy might could make it to Showboat (used to be the LL) undetected


hmmmmm.....


wish I could say just how it went down fellers, but it was too many drin, er days ago for me to have total recall

still I'd be honored to have held the guy's beer and watched THAT

I remember hearing that the bottom was teflon, but that would have been real expensive.

Enough-with-the-UHMV-already,-or-is-that-a-German-way-of-expressing-the-usual-UHMW???-(Which-stands-for-Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight-(or-veight?)-Polyethylene)

Ultra High Molecular Viscosity is UHMV. Same/same as UHMW AFAIK.

New-one-to-me;-back-to-school-for-this-old-fart.(Viscosity-of-solids????)

Just think of it as super-dee-duper milk jug material!

uhmw is some tough stuff with less wear then steel for most uses.

i make intake fins for jet outboard engines out of uhmw.we invented these fins to help protect the aluminum water intakes on lower units. i put 1/2 uhmw on my jetboat hull after getting stuck a few times on the rocks while fishing. the stuff is slick as snot. its expensive,but worth every penny.i will never own a shallow water boat without it.

here is the hull of my boat



this is a set of my fins on a outboard intake,the will force more water in the intake giving you better performance and give a wear surface on rocks and sandbars.



one me on the fly

UHMW = Good Stuff

rubs my azz raw that my ole boat is solid aluminum on the bottom

often rubs the boats azz raw too


need to take pics of my pards SJ, he put the stuff on himself, including up the sides part way to mo betta bounce off big rocks


srw am thinkin your intake fins might have some merit, but it's also lowering or increasing the profile on the jet, what keeps the danged fins on when running skinny water and the occasional, oops?

seems like if a guy knocked one off, he'd need to raise motor and get rid of the other one, yes? no? maybe

anyway hope you'll expound more upon your invention, it shows merit to my weak lil mind

Having had the pleasure of sticking both of mine so far.... once each.... yes I know what you mean..... Currently I'm working towards enough motor/propeller that it shoudl be almost impossible... Water and or PVC or soap added to water.. or tire shine, or diesel... are all your friend... I have a full bottle of Armor All in the boat at all times.... Last September we were high centered trying to run through 10 foot tall green reeds about a mile to get to a pond.. and there was about 3 feet wide water about 6 inches deep.... Made it 7 times.... but last time I just wasn't heavy enough on the throttle.... 2 hours later we got the hull to touch water again.... was kinda funny getting off the boat to get out and see the hull a foot above the water....

Only other issue, generally when you get an airboat stuck, it may take another airboat to get it loose.... Mud I can deal with better than sand though. Long as I can get some water in the hull to pump out through the bilge...

This defines contrast!

our jets have tunnel hulls and the intake is already up in the tunnel. i have seen guys that raised there engine height one hole after installing the fins. the fins have a notch cut in them where they mount on the side of the intake, this really helps . on impact the rods don't take all of the hit. i have seen them get broken off but thats very rare. i have never lost one on my boat,but i know they have saved my intake lots of times. there are a few total uhmw intakes on the market,but they are fairly pricey.

here a rear view of my intake after a year of beating rocks . you can see how much the fins have been torn up and worn away. most of the damage to my intake that you see was done before installing the fins. a new pair of fins every year is way cheaper then a new intake.you can also see the rear of the tunnel on my hull.

tks srw, just saw this, after being at our cabin, ran fairly skinny water down, bathtub on the way out what with all the rain.

went over gravel bars on the way out that are normally exposed, but now had 3-4 inches of water over them. Why? because I could!

jet boaters get it.

_______________jet boaters rock?
Wait, is rock, so used, a noun or a verb?