Jet Drives On Skinny Water Boats?

[espurling]

There are many of them built to be more than a toy. This isn't a new concept. If you think that, well, you need to get out more No offense

This is a NOAA research jet drive

Yamaha makes factory jet drive outboards...

Mercury also builds them in 2 and 4 stroke, up to 110 hp.

I could give you thousands of examples, but you can do a google search if you're interested further.

My reference was to the Seadoo/Yamaha take on this - I used to tool around a lake with friends in a 18' Hydro Jet with a 350 Berkley - My brother-in-law had a 20' Seadoo jet boat nothing but sprayed chopped glass with a little gel coat. This was years ago, maybe that has changed. Our Fire Boats around here are also all Jet drive - strictly talking FL type Flat Boats.

[Cracker Larry]

Sorry, didn't you say this?

Never heard of or seen one- would kinda seem like a natural fit. Being that there not any, what is the reason?

And this?

Jet ski/ or jet boat or even a jet outboard

I've showed you jet outboards from every manufacturer. They've been around 30 years.

Now this ...

strictly talking FL type Flat Boats.

OK, again nothing new. This one is on a flats boat...

This flats boat also has a jet drive...

Nothing new at all, plenty of people use them. The problems are as we already mentioned. Jet pumps don't handle sand very well. Jet pumps are very inefficient and result in a 30% loss of power, and jet drives are very noisy, scaring the crap out of bone fish on the flats.

[welder]

Honda has been using for years up in the Pacific North West , There are some posted on my site , mostly for running Rivers .

[A Few Dollars]

Jet drives pick up bottom debris and sand and vegetation in very shallow water

Check out an air cooled surface drive.

http://www.prodriveoutboards.com/motors.html

http://www.mudbuddy.com/index.htm

http://www.godevil.com/index.html

[Slough]

The air cooled surface drives are real popular with the duck hunters. I know some are used in salt or brackish water, but all I have looked at said fresh water use only.

[Cracker Larry]

Have you ever heard one of those air cooled engines run? They sound like a 30 hp chain saw

[Z22]

http://mercurymarine.com/engines/jetdrives/optimax-jet-drives-specs.php

Merc Sport jet. Great power and efficient thrust ratios. Btw, Simmons Custom Boats is rumored to be toying with this in their rigs. www.simmonscutomboats.net Not sure about status though.

[autobaun70]

I can comment first hand that you don't want a sea doo motor in extreemly shallow water with a sandy bottom. I popped the motor on one of our ski's last season, sucked sand into it and filled the water jackets on both cylinders, causing a major overheater.