Another jet jon build...

[ben48]

So ive been lurking quietly here and other boat forums while building my boat. lots of good info i very much appreciate so i thought i would share what i was able to cobble up in my garage. my goal was to make something smallish stable and beefy for exploring the varying rock filled rivers around Ottawa, Ontario Canada.

it started with the jetski which was a 1993 arctic cat tigershark 640. sat on that guy for a year thinking about the pile of parts i pulled from it while waiting for a desirable boat to turn up. when it did i had a 11.5 foot by 45" flat bottom jon. no brand on it looks like some welding shop did a short run of them for rural sale as there are no HIN numbers on it. any way it was kinda beefier than the average jon boat at .100 thick with square tube gunnels... and a decent price.

so there was boat and there was jet at this point i really thought about where i wanted to run the boat and realized this hull wasnt gonna cut it for very long. it needs more structure. so i laid down 6 square tube stingers running the lenth of it from stern to the bow. it felt a little better after that. but not quite so then went on a sheet of .125 over the whole bottom and an extra foot wide strip down the middle. and then it still wasnt slippery so then went on a full 3/8" sheet of uhmw. now it felt like it should last a few years. and also packed on quite a bit of weight which was kind of a gamble .. that worked out in the end

heres some photos along the way i wont explain everything here but if your curious just ask

 

[ben48]

darn pictures reversed order youll figure it out



couple video too

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgPd7az878KsWGs2dEqF9BQ

 

[Ranchero50]

Very cool. Do you know why it plows so much water? Almost looks nose heavy running two up.

 

[ben48]

it only plows until it gets up on plane it sprays up quite a bit because the bows comes up pretty abrubtly when running with two guys the water starts at like ur butt i actually had to put a longer ride plate on it to trim it out flatter cause its heavy in the rear when you let off the throttle the nose will drop though like most boats

 

[amk]

Very nice first one I seen with poly on bottom I like it. You got some skills and how you mounted the pump seems very solid!

 

[PSG-1]

Nice work! The cladding on the hull with the .125", as well as the UHMW, ought to protect you from any kind of rock strikes, for sure. Looking at your intake grate makes me think I need to re-design mine, with more tines, and closer together, to prevent ingesting rocks, or in my case oyster shells.

 

[Zum]

I'm know boat builder, dont even own a jet but seems like the bow is to "square/flat",making it hard to stay dry. A typical flat jon or modV might off made for a drier ride but again I really dont know.
Real nice shop skills, definitely soild and sounded like the motor pushed the boat fine.

 

[ben48]

ya for sure if bow came up more "slowly" it wouldnt spray out the front as much. but alas i didnt build the hull it was meant to be row boat. it does offer some advantages though such as haveing alot of planing surface in a short package. which for a shallow water boat is nice. it planes at a very low speed. which is good for newb boaters like myself. and the water adds to the experience i think in the summer at least lol.

Thanks for all the comments guys good to hear from all the big posters in the jet section............... soon to be jet jon section? lets hope

 

[tigfisher]

yep....that is the surprise of a build, how its gonna ride, handle etc..., mine is the same way , it planes instantly with zero bow rise at all on take off. taking off up river on a schoal in a ft or less water is no problem, but it suffers top end (which i don't need).
look into adjusting your nozzle (trim) like the company called place diverter makes adjusters, but not for skis, just to get a idea. Kawasaki x-2 pump nozzle has adjustable nozzle and it makes a big difference in bow height on plane.
nice fab job man, it looks expensive

 

[PSG-1]

If you want to experiment with adjusting the angle of your nozzle, the easiest way is with a pump wedge.



https://www.torxracing.com/Pump-Wedge-Watercraft-s/2193.htm

My stock nozzle is a +5 degree, which runs good, except at WOT with no passenger in the bow, then it wants to porpoise. But I corrected that by taking my ride plate, and bending a slight downward lip at the very end of it, so it's kinda like a trim tab. It's just enough to take out the bounce, but not so much that it makes the bow dig in.