NEED YOUR ADVICE, TWW

As new truck owners living by the water, we're looking to pick up two jet skis. This looked particularly attractive to me:

http://baltimore.craigslist.org/tid/2381641600.html

Performance and price seemed great. If the condition is genuinely as good as the listing, that's impressive also. I intend to ask them for a test drive before buying.

Thoughts?

6/6/2011 9:14:14 PM

Neither of those skis is even close to being the "fastest jet ski ever built", and an Ultra 150 will not run 70 mph without pretty heavy modifications. It might indicate 70 mph under the right conditions, but it will not run 70 legitimate mph.

They're not bad skis--I had an Ultra, and it was a lot of fun...just don't believe everything in his ad.

[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 9:49 PM. Reason : if they're in good shape and come with the trailer, that's a great price, though]

6/6/2011 9:48:48 PM

I absolutely know the ad was terribly written.

I've been on skis that topped out at 50 and still had a blast. I'm not looking for beastly things here. I would like enough power to be able to pull the occasional tuber/skier as well.

Other listings at this price point were single-seaters with ~100 hp. These seat 2 people, got more power, and are fairly new (2001/04!)

[Edited on June 6, 2011 at 10:12 PM. Reason : ]

6/6/2011 10:11:43 PM

well, it's not just terribly written...it's inaccurate. you'll have fun on those skis, though. if they're in good shape and run good, and the trailer comes with it, buy them.

6/6/2011 11:01:05 PM

If I were to buy a moderate-sized (19-22' or so) center console or cuddy boat (i.e., not a performance hull), how much power would I need to be able to pull a skier from a deep water start on one ski? Like, not an expert skier, not marginal or difficult...I'm not saying total overkill, but what would reasonably be considered a totally adequate setup?

6/7/2011 1:19:35 AM

my force 125 did ok with anyone that was under 225...then it got a littttttle laggy.

for an outboard i guess thats not bad.

6/7/2011 1:21:28 AM

Quote :

"^sounds like a fuel filter....damn ethanol"

Certainly a possibility, but I doubt it. CarZin has been putting a lot of hours on that boat and burning through the gas pretty quickly.

Ryan...One quick way to check...We need to drain your fuel/water strainer and see if it is full of water. It'll take 5 minutes if you want to do it this weekend.

I'm not against pulling the plugs and checking the condition of each one although you might as well bring replacements if we're doing that.

6/7/2011 8:46:20 AM

Thx for the advice, Duke.

6/7/2011 8:46:42 AM

^^ I used to keep replacement plugs in my truck when I was boating anyways just in case one dropped on me. its a cheap and good thing to keep around.

6/9/2011 11:16:21 AM

A friend is looking for a 14'-16' skiff or other shallow draft saltwater boat if anyone sees a good deal. $4k max budget, but I think $3k would be ideal.

6/10/2011 11:58:50 AM

does he mind tiller steering? a tiller on a 16' is awesome. so much room to fish.

6/10/2011 3:02:01 PM

i'd offer $4k for this

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/2423613070.html

this is kinda neat too. little high on the price imo.

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/2420922734.html

get this and sell off all the gigging shit (or keep it and gig)

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/2420378514.html

[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 3:57 PM. Reason : asfd]

6/10/2011 3:46:57 PM

NRR...you guys ever do a pre-5200 check of the transducer install? I've followed the instructions, I have the thing in what I feel like will be a non turbulent area, its protruding about 1/8" from the bottom of the hull. I have adjustment up and down on the mount to the transom but if I stick it with 5200 that won't be so easy. However, Id rather not take it down to the water just to see if that is going to work only to have to trailer it.

6/10/2011 4:56:16 PM

no, the only thing i've had to do before was adjust the front to back tilt to get a complete fish arc. i guess i've been lucky. maybe use the 4200 like stowaway suggested.

you only need to put it around the screws, so you can usually still adjust it after sealing. some idiot mounted the one that was on my key west when i bought it and i was able to adjust it down even though it had been sealed well (about the only thing they did right in mounting that ducer).

[Edited on June 10, 2011 at 7:17 PM. Reason : adf]

6/10/2011 7:17:36 PM

The problem with my boat was TWO bad plugs. I bet I've had one bad for a while, and when the second one went, thats what made the difference. Replaced all the plugs and the boat is purring again. The bad plugs may have something to do with my high fuel burn, although I abpom in the 4 gallons an hour range which seems normal for my boat.

Skack, we also know why the thermal breaker has been throwing. Bad second battery that accessories are pulling too many amps when it gets really low.

6/11/2011 11:49:15 AM

skack, this would be pretty cool for your friend: http://wilmington.craigslist.org/boa/2434597723.html

6/11/2011 9:46:59 PM

Still deciding whether I want to just sell my GPR with the blown motor, as-is, or if I want to fix it. I'm looking into building a REAL hotrod if I decide to fix it. Big bore (1390cc), port work, ditching the power valves, maybe even a little more compression than the Riva heads gave me before.



This dude is one of (if not the) go-to guys for Yamaha GPRs. He's in Jackson, MS, so it wouldn't be too big of a deal to get the ski to him from Pensacola.

6/12/2011 12:11:41 AM

if you fell off at that speed you would definitely have time to play a game of monopoly while you were tumbling around

6/12/2011 3:19:17 AM

He reached 80 with the quickness. Im not sure I would want to being that fast on a river with logs and vegetation so close to you.

6/12/2011 3:58:11 AM

NRR, have your transducers worked at speed? I got mine own and it seems to work fine at very slow speeds but loses signal. My neighbor across the street has a skiff and the same transducer and he says his doesn't work at speed either.

6/12/2011 6:21:27 PM

i've had cheap ones that i couldn't get to pick up well on plane. post some pics of your install from the back and especially from the side.

what sonar unit did you purchase?

my hds 7 picks up on plane. my dad has a eagle (cheap lowrance) with pretty much the same ducer as my hds and it picks up well on plane.

[Edited on June 12, 2011 at 6:24 PM. Reason : fads]

6/12/2011 6:22:54 PM

Hmm, reading around I'm getting mixed info on whether transducers work well at speed on skiffs or not. Seems to be 50/50 split that they do or they don't. I have trim tabs and I'm speculating they are adding turbulence but even when them pulled all the way up it doesn't ever recover the signal (didn't try slowing down and then starting again with the tabs up).

Pics to follow I started off with it at about the same angle you see here and moved it twice (shooting more towards the front of the boat) and at a really steep angle like that it actually seemed to work slightly better at slower speed but I still lose it at anything much more than 10 knots or so

http://tinyurl.com/5tgeps9
http://tinyurl.com/6x4y4b4
http://tinyurl.com/4y5alg5

6/12/2011 7:06:09 PM

there's no reason a quality sonar/ducer that is mounted properly shouldn't pick up bottom on a flatbottom skiff

i'd try moving it down (deeper in the water) a little bit. i know the instructions probably say to have the midline of the ducer on the plane of the bottom of the hull, but it won't hurt anything to move it deeper. it does make it a little more susceptible to debris strikes in the water, but if you don't tighten the pivot bolt up too much it'll just flip up if you ever hit some debris.

[Edited on June 12, 2011 at 7:37 PM. Reason : could also be too close to the tab]

6/12/2011 7:37:17 PM

i've used on on a skiff and it was mounted so the entire thing was under water. worked fine.

6/12/2011 8:15:22 PM

another one for your friend, skack:

http://eastnc.craigslist.org/boa/2436207032.html

this one's a steal at $1k. not sure what's up with it: http://eastnc.craigslist.org/boa/2436174136.html

[Edited on June 12, 2011 at 8:36 PM. Reason : adsf]

[Edited on June 12, 2011 at 8:39 PM. Reason : still think that 15' key west would be awesome]

6/12/2011 8:35:00 PM

also this: http://eastnc.craigslist.org/boa/2436773944.html

6/12/2011 9:29:52 PM

^ Hey man...Thanks. Sent him the links. He's in Wilmington, so those Wilming/ENC links are perfect. He wouldn't mind buying a freshwater boat, so local links are good too.

[Edited on June 12, 2011 at 11:54 PM. Reason : l]

6/12/2011 11:46:24 PM

Quote :

"The problem with my boat was TWO bad plugs. I bet I've had one bad for a while, and when the second one went, thats what made the difference. Replaced all the plugs and the boat is purring again. The bad plugs may have something to do with my high fuel burn, although I abpom in the 4 gallons an hour range which seems normal for my boat."

That makes sense with the bad gas mileage you were getting. I bet it picks up some now that all 8 cylinders are firing properly.

My boat = broke. Frustrating as hell. I'm buying a new carb tomorrow morning and giving my current one just one more chance before replacing it. As best I can tell, the power valve that was in my rebuild kit was blown through. It idled well and would run very smoothly if I slowly brought the RPMs up, but it wouldn't run under load. It was blowing tons of black smoke when I gassed it and the boat didn't shut off when I closed both idle air screws. As far as I know, the only way it could run with both idle air adjustment screws seated is if the power valve is blown, but I need to do some research this week before I get back to it.

I put in another power valve today and now I'm not getting any gas for some reason. The bowls are filling up, the jets are perfectly clean (and they're the same jets that were running fine before), but the gas just isn't making it into the intake.

I hate to be that guy who throws parts at the problem, but my time is worth more to me than to keep spending my weekends working on the boat rather than enjoying it. If it takes a $500 carb I just want to get it on there and not have to keep messing with it.

The boat did look really good in the water when I tied a rope to my ankle and swam it from my pier to the boat ramp.

[Edited on June 12, 2011 at 11:58 PM. Reason : l]

6/12/2011 11:53:55 PM

could you just take the carb to someone?

[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 12:10 AM. Reason : but they probably wouldn't find anything you can't. i feel for you man. i've been there.]

btw i have this if anyone is interested. came on the key west when i bought it: /message_topic.aspx?topic=614175


[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 12:26 AM. Reason : df]

6/13/2011 12:09:55 AM

I know of one good mechanic I can take the boat to, but $90/hour labor rates can quickly surpass the cost of a new carb. Amazon.com has the carb for $445 with free shipping, so that might be my best bet. I can always sell my old carb for parts and recoup some of that money too.

6/13/2011 12:32:52 AM

...so if the bottom end of my GPR's engine is ok, it looks like I can get it to 80-83 mph for about $1800 plus a basket of stock parts that I have.

6/13/2011 3:54:40 PM

^ Good to hear. Hope it works out better this time.

6/13/2011 4:34:24 PM

Quote :

"there's no reason a quality sonar/ducer that is mounted properly shouldn't pick up bottom on a flatbottom skiff"

The problem it appears is air gets caught between chines on the bottom of the boat and it has nowhere to go but straight back (where it eventually gets compressed into the water in the form of bubbles) and disturbs the pickup....so, your idea about going deeper is about my best shot at this point.

6/13/2011 5:29:00 PM

i didn't see any chines near your ducer in the pics you posted but it's hard to tell. if it is near a chine, move it away if possible.

i wouldn't figure that boat would have any chines at all (except for where the bottom meets the sides, of course).

[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 6:52 PM. Reason : adsf]

6/13/2011 6:48:55 PM

Maybe I have my terminology wrong, but there are 3 (im calling them chines, perhaps fins is the proper term?)...picture 2x2s glued to the bottom of the hull to keep it from sliding in a turn. The outer fins run from near where the bow dead rise begins to nearly all the way back. The middle fin starts near the deadrise but doesn't go but about half way back. Air enterring between the hull and the water can't get around these fins so it just gets rammed into the water and forms bubbles. The TD is positioned nearly in the middle between these fins so I don't think it is them producing turbulence directly.

A picture
http://tinyurl.com/3qe8qwy

[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 10:25 PM. Reason : .]

6/13/2011 10:24:18 PM

you're right. most folks call those chines. i assume you can't put it outside of the outermost chine b/c of the trim tab, right?

[Edited on June 13, 2011 at 10:28 PM. Reason : all you can really do is go down with it. it can be annoying. what fishfinder did you get?]

6/13/2011 10:27:02 PM

Yeah, im pretty much stuck with where it is or outside of the tab where I think the turbulence might be even worse.. I got a Garmin 300c. I was only gonna get a depth finder but I figured if I could get a screen that would show me if I went over a sandbar or something for not much more money I'd do that. I realize this thing isn't going to stop me from running aground in an area I don't know if I'm running 30 knots but it might keep me from doing it if I've slowed down enough exploring an area.

6/13/2011 10:32:41 PM

that one should work well. i bet it'll get better after you move it down.

and the best thing you can do if you're on plane and it starts getting shallow is don't get off plane

any reason you didn't go ahead and get a sonar/gps combo unit? having that navionics chart makes me much more comfortable when i'm exploring new places.

6/13/2011 10:37:28 PM

Well...I had in my head I needed a depth finder and needed it soon to help me from running aground and I'd get a GPS later. So I wanted to get a basic finder and then do some research and try to pick up a solid used GPS later. And I'm not trying to invest a ton in electronics at this point. And I know on my buddies Pioneer with a not too old unit it was barely any better than the buoys navigating the Cape/Middle Marsh area because of how much the shoals and channels have shifted.

6/13/2011 10:46:38 PM

yeah, i forget that most folks aren't spending 95% of their time in <6' of water like i do. that chart makes it so much easier for me to stay in the natural unmarked channels of the little bays we fish. also helps me run the banks of the rivers when it's rough out in the channel.

it's also nice to cruise down the river to a creek or bay you've never fished before and know that the creek you're looking at is the one you actually intended to go up in and fish. i may or may not have fished a different location than what my buddy told me to fish b/c i didn't know where the fuck i was.

i'm gonna be pressed for dash space after a vhf and stereo head unit, so standalone gps wasn't really an option for me. i think the lowrance hds 5 would've fit your needs well. does everything the 7, 8, and 10 do, but only $600.

6/13/2011 10:58:44 PM

T-Dub garage should start a boat company. I'll do sales & electronics, NeuseRvrRat can do hulls, Jeepman and zxappeal are on engines and outdrives.

Here's a prelim on the marketing strategy:

6/14/2011 12:11:14 AM

btw, those are not chines, the correct terms are keel and strakes. The keel is the one that runs down the center line and the strakes are the ones that flank it.

chine refers to the shape of the hull and how quickly the angle of the hull bottom changes as it moves toward the gunwale

6/14/2011 8:20:36 AM

you're correct. i call them strakes, but a lot of the uninitiated call them chines and it's easier to just not argue it.

that's why i told him i wouldn't think the hull would have any chines besides where the bottom meets the gunwales.

6/14/2011 9:10:05 AM

I figured you knew what you were talking about, just figured i would put the correct terms out there for people to learn.

I just finished up getting another small motor running. Picked up a 1970 9.5 hp Evinrude off CL for $150. Had to re gap the points, rebuild carb and fuel pump, and replaced the impeller. It now runs like a top and will push my gheenoe about 20 mph.

This is the second small outboard i have rebuilt/refreshed. I am really enjoying it and have learned a ton about small engine repair. If any of you guys need any help looking over an an outboard engine let me know. Also if anybody knows of any small outboards that arent running, i would love to pick up another one and rebuild it.

6/14/2011 9:16:13 AM

this would be a good one for your buddy, skack: http://wilmington.craigslist.org/boa/2440412427.html

tell him he can justify going over budget a little b/c it's rigged well with the raymarine units, trolling motor, batteries, and on-board charger.

[Edited on June 14, 2011 at 3:47 PM. Reason : adf]

6/14/2011 3:46:53 PM

6/14/2011 3:55:08 PM

another deal: http://ncwaterman.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=69282

6/14/2011 4:22:13 PM

^ Nice...Keep them coming. I need another boat buddy so I can get out more when I'm at the coast.

6/14/2011 5:57:56 PM

^^^ I want something like that in a bad way. Maybe a little smaller...22-26', and I want it to run at least 80 mph.

I'm a little scared of the ownership/operating costs, because I also want to buy an airplane and think that the two of them together could be excessively painful to own from a financial perspective.

6/14/2011 6:59:04 PM

^boats like that will be fun for like 2 days then you will get sick of them......burn a lot of fuel just driving around....get involved in skiing/wakeboarding or try out fishing ....just my opinion

6/14/2011 9:23:59 PM