Jet motor raising question

[Creekchub]

I am getting ready to raise my motor on hole but have never mounted a bolt thru transom motor before.

There appears to be a sealant on both sides of the transom at the nut and bolt head. What’s the best way to remove this?

Also what type of sealant should I used once I mount the motor again?

Any other helpful advice would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[JL8Jeff]

You should be able to clean off the old caulk with a razor blade and a small screwdriver or pick/awl to clean out the holes. Are all of your mounting holes in the transom above the water line? If so, you might want to try a couple of settings to see where it runs best with the least spray back before sealing it up. That's what I did to find the optimal height on my boat. I used the Boatlife caulk to seal them back up. I went up several holes and my motor sits about 2-1/2 to 3" above the transom to get the jet foot tucked into the tunnel. I also had to add the transom wedges to get rid of some porpoising I had.

 

[Creekchub]

You should be able to clean off the old caulk with a razor blade and a small screwdriver or pick/awl to clean out the holes. Are all of your mounting holes in the transom above the water line? If so, you might want to try a couple of settings to see where it runs best with the least spray back before sealing it up. That's what I did to find the optimal height on my boat. I used the Boatlife caulk to seal them back up. I went up several holes and my motor sits about 2-1/2 to 3" above the transom to get the jet foot tucked into the tunnel. I also had to add the transom wedges to get rid of some porpoising I had.

View attachment 115846View attachment 115847

The top two holes in the transom are above the water line but the bottom two are right at the water line so I’ll definitely have to seal those two up. I only have one set of holes left to raise the motor without increasing the transom height. Honestly the boat runs pretty good but I’d like to raise it see if it helps the speed a little and to keep the foot as high as possible

Nice ride by the way. I’ve kicked around having a tunnel fabbed up but never seem to have the time to get it done. Is your motor a 2 stroke?

 

[JL8Jeff]

Yes, my motor is a 94 or 95 Merc 60/45 2 stroke short shaft jet.

 

[Creekchub]

Yes, my motor is a 94 or 95 Merc 60/45 2 stroke short shaft jet.

I’ve got a 98 model. Love the 2 strokes.
What kind of speed do you get up river with gear and two dudes?

 

[JL8Jeff]

I'm not sure of my speed, I'm usually by myself and I run maybe 2/3rds throttle at most. I run in the sweet spot where it's the smoothest/quietest.

 

[Creekchub]

I'm not sure of my speed, I'm usually by myself and I run maybe 2/3rds throttle at most. I run in the sweet spot where it's the smoothest/quietest.

That 60/45 jumps on plane so quick compared to my previous Tohatsu 50/35 4 stroke. I’m not overly concerned with top end speed, just getting it set up correctly. My cousin has a James river jet with uhmw hull and a 90/65 2 stroke and isn’t much faster than my boat, like 26 mph upriver

 

[Creekchub]

For reference, I just got the impeller sharpened and the foot back on. The T square is flat along the hull and the leading edge of the foot is about 3/4 of an inch too low now. I think the boat should perform a little better up one hole, hopefully. The center keel sits right in front of the foot too. Not sure if that’ll matter after I raise the motor

 

[Tbradley]

I’ve always been told to mount the motor so the boat’s bottom is flush with the 1st pin holding the grills in the jet foot.

 

[Creekchub]

I’ve always been told to mount the motor so the boat’s bottom is flush with the 1st pin holding the grills in the jet foot.

I moved the motor up to the last hole. It’s definitely looking better but not even with the grate pin.

Hopefully I get to run it this weekend and see if I notice any improvements.