Jet Boats Any Good?

[Whats_a_fish]

hi guys are jet boats any good off shore. I know they are good in rivers but am looking a possible using one in the ocean

[Wyoming]

Dumb question perhaps, but why would you? I think they are notoriously thisty and hopeless at slow speed for steerage.

[familyman]

As wyoming says they are hopeless to steer at slow speed and an entirely different beast at high speed.Forget everything you know about what a boat should do and how it should handle as these things just dont conform.If you must then try for a few days before laying down your hard earned :o
cheers jon

[DNO40]

And noisy ;D


DNO

[Whats_a_fish]

Ok but a holden red 6 is not as thirsty as a blown v8, some large outboards would use a similar amount. Reason to get one is a very shallow draft in the riversso can fish at low tide. More noise = more fun. Ok need the throttle open to manouver. I'm allways told i'm going to fast.
What i realy wanted to know is do they spend to much time in the air to get up to speed because of the waves type of thing.

[Big_unit]

I looked at one and was told to be careful. They dont have any thrust in white water. For instance a foamy bar crossing, just when you need full thrust to be on tap.

Cheers
James

[Spaniard_King]

I concur with Big_unit

no good on bars...good for shallow stuff.

So if your not crossin bars and go flat out to ya fishin spots..it'l do ya ::)

Garry

[Whats_a_fish]

Thanks thats what i wanted to know.

[snave]

It depends on the type of jet unit; Hamilton jet make impellors designed for use in white water

[Smithy]

Whitewater and jets - better not tell SLSAQ!

All jokes aside the SLSAQ jetboats are awesome. Spent about an hour playing in one at the Fraser Comp. If you ever get the chance go out in one, go. When they say "do you mind getting wet?" say "no" and hang on. They will give you a miles more enjoyable ride. The pickup on them isn't the best to start with as the one we went out on was diesel. Then you had turbo lag so from a standing start they weren't the best. The hull is the good feature. They could hit a wave in any state and punch through - just cresting, broken top, full whitewater it didn't matter.

There used to be a couple of ANSA guys running jets around Maryborough. Had their good and bad points. They used to joke about pumping yabbies with them. One of the Cape York guides has a jet outboard and that lets him fish areas others can't get to and it pays off in spades for him. Horses for courses but you would need a special reason for one.

[Hoges]

I had a 18ft deep V F/glass runabout with a Leyland V8 and a Vicalen jet unit and it was perfect in all conditions. Whatever Port Phillip Bay could throw up and the mates identical boat easily navigated the Narooma bar when it when it was closed but he had no choice but to enter at that particular time.

Steering at very low speeds took a couple of trips to get used to and it was not much different to learning to back a trailer. Given that low speed manouvrabilty was superb as when docking or dropping someone off the bow onto a pier or jetty one could by using the reverse bucket make it hover like a helicopter against wind and tide.

My boat was designed and made by the owner of Vicalen Jets to test his jet units. Mine was the only one out of the mould to made as an outboard version. This I ran for a year with 105HP outboard. I was then given the opportunity to use his factory to convert it back to an inboard with a jet unit. The difference between the outboard and the jet unit was like chalk and cheese. More power, quicker onto the plane, lower running costs fuel wise, lower maintenence due to being able to service the motor myself and of course manourabilty.

Over the course of years I owned this boat I saw Vicalen convert many other boats from inboard,outboard and from Hamilton jet powered to the Vicalen unit. I would say in 100% of these the owners were amazed at the transformation of their vessels. Boats running Hamilton jets got up onto the plane quicker, at less revs than before and got better top speeds at lesser revs as well.

They do very well in white water contary to opinions expressed here and have had mine in every scenario imaginable.

After I regretfully sold mine I found out almost 10 years later that the owner of Vicalen's son had bought it off the chap I sold it to. I then went for a ride in my old boat and given absolutely nothing had been done to the motor, jet unit and even including the replacement of the seats I had taken out the boat it still went like the clappers. Not bad for a boat that was 20 years old at this stage!

Whilst in New Zealand back in the early eigthies I was talking to Hamilton jet boat tour operaters and even they could not believe the performance figures of the Vicalen unit compared to the Hamilton unit.

I shall try and find some photos and post them.

Cheers

Peter

[Hoges]

...and you thought they dont have any thrust in white water! LOL
Also the added bonus of no props to ding.
:)
:o

[Whats_a_fish]

Cool the one i was looking at is a hamilton jet and smallish petrol motor (6cyl)
I know they are good in rivers over the flats but was unsure about elsewhere.
If i got a outboard powered machine it would probably be an old 90hp or something similar so would be thirsty anyway.
It looks like it maybe worth looking into a bit more

[Hoges]

My mate and I as mentioned had identical jet boats and we used them off shore in Bass Strait fishing and often negotiated Port Phillip heads in terrible conditions without any great worries. Mind you our boats had Deep Vs, good freeboard and were a fantastic hull to begin with.

I will be down around the area in Melb were Vicalen was this week and see if I can get any further information regarding them. Len Price the owner still is in the same factory but now produces hair dressing products (Mancine is I believe the name) and I think he sold on the Vicalen jet unit.

Where the Vicalen stood out was the fact they were a single stage 10 inch unit with unique straightening vanes and external rudder for steering, with a reverse bucket. All that was needed to maintain them was the occassional squirt of grease in the bearing buddy type thing in the middle of the water outlet. As I mentioned my unit is still going strong after 20 years of operation.

The only photos I have are on film and seeing my scanner is crap when I have the time I will try with the digital camera to copy them and post here.

PS: Edited the first post I had put 115HP and was meant to read 105HP