Pros and Cons of Jet Drive Boats (Yamaha Boats, Scarab, Vortex, Sea Doo Boats)

[@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon]

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[@delilahranae3891]

My favorite thing about having twin engines is the likelihood of both going out at the same time is slim. So, it’s peace of mind knowing I can at least putt back to the launch. Lol 😆

[@teop7887]

Great presentation! I'm very interested in the Yamaha 190-195 models. Can fit in a standard garage, easy to service for basics, and Yamaha covers everything bow to stern.

[@beeman8663]

Did you get one. How did it go?

[@ericstites9470]

Remember the older boats with Berkeley/Hamilton/Jacuzzi jet drives? I'd love to see how they stack up against these jet boats, especially since they used a mixed flow pump and often had big-block V8 power.

[@jamesdavidsmith4033]

I really appreciate your presentations, very helpful.

[@dachshunddadbob6765]

I am on my second jet boat; first was a Sea Doo boat with a single rotax engine and now I have a Scarab with twin rotax engines. They do have their peculiarities. If you sit in idle with the engines on, it will just rotate in a circle. Secondly they are a bit tricky to dock at a ramp or slip as they don't track as well as a prop engine boat. It just takes a bit getting used to.

[@11icarocosta]

sell your scarab and get a yamaha.

[@dachshunddadbob6765]

@@11icarocosta Why would I want to sell something that has 600HP and goes 70mph?

[@philOKC]

@@dachshunddadbob6765 You were complaining about being tricky to dock . . . he was just recommending a solution using Yamaha's joy stick.

[@fejro]

Good intel, thank you, around $30 k difference b/w jet and outboard- makes it a tough decision - ur info helps

[@kailuasurfing]

PROS: Jet drive on fiberglass boat=opens swim platform on back sporty handling, fun to drive, safer for people in the water CONS: higher RPM on engine which may be harder on engines , higher pitched sound, barnacles can get in the intake ports, twin engines on boats longer that 20' thus increase maintenance, slightly harder to maneuver at slow speed

[@Pleksilasi]

I'm really not sure about the "higher rpm"-argument. While yes, they do have a higher rpm than your average outboard, they are technically motorcycle engines. For example Yamaha AR boats have twin MR-1 engines (derived from R-1 street motorcycle). The older LX2000 is powered by twin GP1200 engines which are 2 stroke which explains the high pitch. The newer boats with the TR-1 3-pots (which is shared with snowmobiles, IIRC) are quieter due to less over-square design. So yeah, all in all jet boats seem to have very sport oriented powerplants so I'd reckon that is a design choice and for a guy/gal who likes to braap, the high pitch sound is a pro. TLDR: moar soundenings yes. braap make brain go brrrrr

[@druvesen5127]

Thanks for the knowledge!.

[@beeman8663]

I'm looking at the 190 for PCB bay fishing and limited offshore. Is seagrass an issue with these drives?

[@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon]

If its light sea grass, may be a pain to go to the clean out port. If its heavy, it will be a significant pain

[@h.i.mcdunnough9401]

I'm on the Ohio in the tri-state area. What do you think of jet boats on the ole river? Is it an unsaid "not such a good idea" thing or what? Specifically inquiring about fiber glass hulls.

[@Hatunrumioc]

Jets were originally engineered in New Zealand for the rivers there, the main benefit being able to navigate the very shallow rivers of the South Island

[@impulse922]

Jet boats are loud, much louder than comparable outboard 4 stroke boat. They are thirsty. They have to be actively steered, you’re never really going “straight”.

[@Spirited_Driver]

Just because an engine is designed to run at a higher RPM does not mean it wont last as long, or long enough to make any difference. Matter of fact, my friend and I use-to rent these out, and some of them are over 15years old and have over 2,000 hours! The internals in the Yamaha engine are forged so are stronger and more durable, and the basic design of the Yamaha engines is a very close resemblance to their outboards. And as far as damaging via ingesting, dont worry about that unless you intend on purposely damaging the boat by running in unreasonable depths like less than 20" of water.. Ive driven numerous Yamaha jet boats and they are much easier to handle in the marina as the steering radius is smaller (rotates sharper), and it didnt wander at all like prop boats do, and i felt reversing had much better steerability.

[@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon]

Thanks for sharing your opinion

[@edfernan5815]

My 2022 drive system is bad on a yamaha 252sd 1.5 years of buying brand new and cables riped the steering system cause the cable where corroded.....smh

[@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon]

Wow…Do you leave the boat in salt water? Did they warranty?

[@philOKC]

covered under warranty I suppose?

[@people_planet8593]

Switch 21 only has 1 engine

[@johntaglienti-sf6ep]

How about old jet boat owners.Berkley jet.

[@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon]

Not familiar with them

[@r3gflm916]

Nothing factual presented about the engines being unreliable nor not able to handle the designed RPMs. These engines have more life in them than people have vacation on the water unfortunately!

[@69mjar]

Why wouldn't they put some kind of screen where the intake is, so it doesn't suck up bigger items like ropes or rocks into the impeller?

[@BoatBuyersSecretWeapon]

They do have a screen, but there is a lot of suction from that spot, and it can suck up things that will get stuck in the screen, cutting off water flow and overheating the engine. So they use as tight of grates as possible to keep big things out but not clog up, if that makes sense

[@GunshineStateFL]

Everytime I’ve had to clear debri it’s always the screen that has to be cleared not the intake. That suction is crazy.

[@signoresantinoburnett1169]

You're better off buying an older Glastron 20 with a big block V8.