Another Jet Ski John Boat (New pics and video 01-18-2012)

[Pruitt1222]

Thats a very cool build you got going there man. Dont think you will have to worry about seeing another one like it at the ramp.

 

[Ride_Klein]

PSG, Wyatt's Dad, and Pruitt1222-

Thanks for the kind words. It has been a fun project and I'm looking forward to getting on the water more often with the boat. A huge thanks to everybody on here for their help and suggestions.

 

[Ride_Klein]

Motor mount repair turned into more of an ordeal than I expected. This is why I love boats and boat projects. Nothing ever comes easy, but when you're done it feels so good.

Ended up needing to pull the expansion pipe, water box (muffler), and all the cooling hoses off to get to the darn thing. The aluminum platform I'd built came loose from the hull. I'd used some 3m VHB tape to hold it down during mock-up and forgot to rivet this one in. Not sure how I missed that, but glad it happened on a shake down run. On the other side, that VHB tape is legit. Held up for 3 pretty good test runs and about 300 miles of rough Texas back roads before it finally gave up the ghost.

When I pulled the expansion pipe off I noticed a small crack in one of the freeze plugs. I used a wire wheel to clean it up down to good clean aluminum and patched it up good. Forgot to snap pictures of it last night. Once again, thank goodness that motor mount let go. Helped me find a little crack that appears to have been there for a while.

Success on the registration front. The people in the Garland Office of the Texas Parks and Wildlife are perhaps the most helpful government employees I've ever met. Know their craft very well, are professional, thorough, and give you all the information you need before you get in there. Took about 15 minutes to get the title modified from an outboard to an inboard boat.


Also got the Raw Water Strainer in the mail the other day. I needed a 1/2" unit and this Jabsco one had the biggest bowl I could find. I'll get it installed before the next/final shake down run. Thanks to PSG for the recommendation. I was tempted to go without one, but his experience convinced me to order it. The test run this past weekend proved that it will be needed because the water box had a little junk in it from running shallow.

It is a Jabsco Pumpgard Model # 36400-0000

 

[fool4fish1226]

I guess their right when they say every thing happens for a reason.

 

[PSG-1]

Motor mount repair turned into more of an ordeal than I expected. This is why I love boats and boat projects. Nothing ever comes easy, but when you're done it feels so good.
View attachment 2
Ended up needing to pull the expansion pipe, water box (muffler), and all the cooling hoses off to get to the darn thing. The aluminum platform I'd built came loose from the hull. I'd used some 3m VHB tape to hold it down during mock-up and forgot to rivet this one in. Not sure how I missed that, but glad it happened on a shake down run. On the other side, that VHB tape is legit. Held up for 3 pretty good test runs and about 300 miles of rough Texas back roads before it finally gave up the ghost.

When I pulled the expansion pipe off I noticed a small crack in one of the freeze plugs. I used a wire wheel to clean it up down to good clean aluminum and patched it up good. Forgot to snap pictures of it last night. Once again, thank goodness that motor mount let go. Helped me find a little crack that appears to have been there for a while.

Success on the registration front. The people in the Garland Office of the Texas Parks and Wildlife are perhaps the most helpful government employees I've ever met. Know their craft very well, are professional, thorough, and give you all the information you need before you get in there. Took about 15 minutes to get the title modified from an outboard to an inboard boat.
View attachment 1

Also got the Raw Water Strainer in the mail the other day. I needed a 1/2" unit and this Jabsco one had the biggest bowl I could find. I'll get it installed before the next/final shake down run. Thanks to PSG for the recommendation. I was tempted to go without one, but his experience convinced me to order it. The test run this past weekend proved that it will be needed because the water box had a little junk in it from running shallow.

It is a Jabsco Pumpgard Model # 36400-0000

Those freeze plugs on Sea Doo head pipes are notorious for cracking, or corroding and getting pinholes, as they are intentionally made from a thinner material than the rest of the pipe, in case it freezes, this will be the rupture point, and not the head pipe. I've welded a bunch of these. Normally, I use my ironworker with a 1 inch punch to knock out some slugs from aluminum plate, and then I drill out the freeze plug, and weld the slug in place.



That was a wise decision to get a water strainer. It's much easier to un-clog one of these, than trying to unclog the cooling passages of your engine!

The water strainer you have is the exact same type I am using in my boat. The only difference is that I am using the strainer screen from the model with the 3/4" inlet, as the mesh is a little more coarse than the screen used in the 1/2" model, less prone to clogging at the slightest thing. All parts from the 2 different models are interchangeable, such as the bowls and the screens.

(I use the fine mesh strainer on my 3/4" filter for well water, to keep contaminants out of my pressure washer)

Be sure to locate the strainer where it's easily accessible and visible, and be sure to check it from time to time. You'll be surprised at how much trash can accumulate in one.

One other thing I would suggest would be a 2" diameter outboard motor water pressure gauge. You put a T fitting on the feed line from your pump to your engine (put it between the filter and the engine, not between the filter and the pump) Run the pitot tube from the T fitting to the gauge.

Set up in this manner, if your strainer clogs, you see an instant drop in water pressure, and you can shut down before you run hot, and clean your strainer. I put one on my jetboat, and I found it to be such a useful item, I also installed one on my 50 Merc on my Triton johnboat.

 

[Ride_Klein]

Was a great weekend out on the lake. The boat will run very shallow, but you have to be committed. A wise man once said, "If you come off the throttle in 1 inch of water, you will have an afternoon's worth of pushing ahead of you". Fortunately we only made this mistake once.

The lakes I hunt are mostly muddy bottoms with stumps randomly placed beneath them. So long as we either idled through the rough spots or stayed up on the throttle we didn't have any problems with them. It made scouting a lot of water much easier than it normally is.

Had a chance to shoot a little video on my way back to the ramp. Apologies again for it not being the best video, but you get the idea of how shallow it will run.

[youtube]K_w9sxEYSVI[/youtube]

I can get on step in about 10" of water, and run in just an inch or two. It is a real blast.

Couple photos from the weekend.


A shot of the boat layout and the garage camo job I did. The camo was done with regular spray paint. Base coat of tan, then use a 1/2" piece of PVC pipe layed up against the hull and mist the Green, Brown, and Grey down the pipe to create a faded edge. Not the fanciest, but works for us.


Shot of the Camo from the Waterline. Still need to do the interior, but that will wait for the spring.


Limits of Teal. Normally we find more big ducks late in the season on big Texas Reservoirs, but this weekend it was all Teal all the Time. Won't hear any complaints from this captain. They taste darn fine.

Want to again say thanks for the help this site offers. Great group of people with a lot of great boats.

Special thanks to PSG. Your experiences really helped. The Raw Water strainer was a life saver this weekend. When we got stuck it let us use the jet to help "push" a little, but we would clog the filter in about 5 seconds. Simple fix by just emptying it out and start all over again. Really appreciate you sharing you build so I could borrow that engine saver from you.

 

[fool4fish1226]

Nice to see you enjoying your hard work

 

[Ride_Klein]

Thanks F4F. Hope you're having as much fun on the water as I am.

 

[fender66]

Very nice.

 

[PSG-1]

Was a great weekend out on the lake. The boat will run very shallow, but you have to be committed. A wise man once said, "If you come off the throttle in 1 inch of water, you will have an afternoon's worth of pushing ahead of you". Fortunately we only made this mistake once.

The lakes I hunt are mostly muddy bottoms with stumps randomly placed beneath them. So long as we either idled through the rough spots or stayed up on the throttle we didn't have any problems with them. It made scouting a lot of water much easier than it normally is.

Had a chance to shoot a little video on my way back to the ramp. Apologies again for it not being the best video, but you get the idea of how shallow it will run.

[youtube]K_w9sxEYSVI[/youtube]

Haha, I got a kick out of that! Definitely a shallow runner. Don't know about you, but when I run across areas like this in my boat, it almost makes my hair stand straight up, it's a rush, for sure.

I can get on step in about 10" of water, and run in just an inch or two. It is a real blast.

Couple photos from the weekend.

View attachment 2
A shot of the boat layout and the garage camo job I did. The camo was done with regular spray paint. Base coat of tan, then use a 1/2" piece of PVC pipe layed up against the hull and mist the Green, Brown, and Grey down the pipe to create a faded edge. Not the fanciest, but works for us.

That's a good looking paint job. Neat trick with the PVC pipe, too.



View attachment 1
Shot of the Camo from the Waterline. Still need to do the interior, but that will wait for the spring.


Limits of Teal. Normally we find more big ducks late in the season on big Texas Reservoirs, but this weekend it was all Teal all the Time. Won't hear any complaints from this captain. They taste darn fine.

[/quote]

Glad to see you are enjoying the rewards from all the hard work. There's definitely a certain sense of pride of ownership with something like this.

Want to again say thanks for the help this site offers. Great group of people with a lot of great boats.

Special thanks to PSG. Your experiences really helped. The Raw Water strainer was a life saver this weekend. When we got stuck it let us use the jet to help "push" a little, but we would clog the filter in about 5 seconds. Simple fix by just emptying it out and start all over again. Really appreciate you sharing you build so I could borrow that engine saver from you.

Not a problem, glad to help out. I went through the whole trial and error period with my boat, learning what worked and what didn't, and what to do to improve certain things to make it as user-friendly as possible.

"Engine saver" is a pretty good description of the water strainer. As most of these PWC engine blocks and cylinder heads are made of aluminum castings, you definitely don't want to overheat them, as it can lead to warpage and engine damage. And as I said, once the cooling passages of the engine get clogged with debris, it can be very difficult to clear them, especially if you're on the water. You just about need garden hose pressure to blow it out. The strainer will prevent this issue.

Have you installed your water pressure gauge yet? Once you combine that along with the strainer, you will have a fail-safe system.

 

[PSG-1]

Was a great weekend out on the lake. The boat will run very shallow, but you have to be committed. A wise man once said, "If you come off the throttle in 1 inch of water, you will have an afternoon's worth of pushing ahead of you". Fortunately we only made this mistake once.

The lakes I hunt are mostly muddy bottoms with stumps randomly placed beneath them. So long as we either idled through the rough spots or stayed up on the throttle we didn't have any problems with them. It made scouting a lot of water much easier than it normally is.

Had a chance to shoot a little video on my way back to the ramp. Apologies again for it not being the best video, but you get the idea of how shallow it will run.

[youtube]K_w9sxEYSVI[/youtube]

Haha, I got a kick out of that! Definitely a shallow runner. Don't know about you, but when I run across areas like this in my boat, it almost makes my hair stand straight up, it's a rush, for sure.

I can get on step in about 10" of water, and run in just an inch or two. It is a real blast.

Couple photos from the weekend.

View attachment 2
A shot of the boat layout and the garage camo job I did. The camo was done with regular spray paint. Base coat of tan, then use a 1/2" piece of PVC pipe layed up against the hull and mist the Green, Brown, and Grey down the pipe to create a faded edge. Not the fanciest, but works for us.

That's a good looking paint job. Neat trick with the PVC pipe, too.

View attachment 1
Shot of the Camo from the Waterline. Still need to do the interior, but that will wait for the spring.


Limits of Teal. Normally we find more big ducks late in the season on big Texas Reservoirs, but this weekend it was all Teal all the Time. Won't hear any complaints from this captain. They taste darn fine.

Glad to see you are enjoying the rewards from all the hard work. There's definitely a certain sense of pride of ownership with something like this.

Want to again say thanks for the help this site offers. Great group of people with a lot of great boats.

Special thanks to PSG. Your experiences really helped. The Raw Water strainer was a life saver this weekend. When we got stuck it let us use the jet to help "push" a little, but we would clog the filter in about 5 seconds. Simple fix by just emptying it out and start all over again. Really appreciate you sharing you build so I could borrow that engine saver from you.

Not a problem, glad to help out. I went through the whole trial and error period with my boat, learning what worked and what didn't, and what to do to improve certain things to make it as user-friendly as possible.

"Engine saver" is a pretty good description of the water strainer. As most of these PWC engine blocks and cylinder heads are made of aluminum castings, you definitely don't want to overheat them, as it can lead to warpage and engine damage. And as I said, once the cooling passages of the engine get clogged with debris, it can be very difficult to clear them, especially if you're on the water. You just about need garden hose pressure to blow it out. The strainer will prevent this issue.

Have you installed your water pressure gauge yet? Once you combine that along with the strainer, you will have a fail-safe system.

 

[Ride_Klein]

PSG-

Not sure how I missed your response. The boat has been in storage for the last couple months as I catch up on honey-do's, etc. Haven't ordered the water pressure gauge but that is next on the list.

 

[PSG-1]

I hear ya. My boats haven't been used as much this winter as they have in past winters, despite this being a very mild winter. Should be a good year for fishing, though. [-o< At least that's what I'm hoping.

The water pressure gauge is such a good idea, I put one on my 16' Triton with the 50 Merc. Sure beats looking back for the indicator stream while you're trying to keep your eyes out in front.

Not sure how I ended up posting twice in my previous response, I just noticed that when I saw you had a new post here.

I did a little upgrade to my boat, installed a set of prow lights, then switched out the factory halogen bulbs for some high intensity LED's. I can't wait to try them out when I go gigging, to see if they can be used to supplement the amount of available light. I use a set of 3 12 volt 55 watt deck lights for gigging, but every little bit helps. I carry a spare 12 volt battery to run these lights, so I don't kill the one in my boat.

And since the LED's in the prow lights draw a fraction of an amp, they should be able to run for a couple of hours with minimal drain to my boat's battery. Hoping to go out tonight, if the wind will die down. Definitely can't wait to see how they work out.