Why Not a Jet Drive?

[GoneFission]

Check out this Hinckley 29C with a jet drive...   :-*  I've always said a great skinny water boat would be a 22 foot Osprey inboard with a jet drive - what do y'all think? 

 

[seabob4]

Nothing wrong with jet drives, JJ.  The only real drawbacks are, of course, low speed manueverability, ESPECIALLY backing up, the HP loss due to the inefficiency of the drive, and the fact that you have a motorbox intruding into the cockpit.  Now an O/B fitted with a jet is a different story.  As most of us know, that is the set-up of choice (almost necessary) of the river boats in the northwest...

[Blue Agave]

The biggest downside is sea grass.

[seabob4]

The biggest downside is sea grass.

Yes, that will clog an intake in a heartbeat...

[Jack Hart]

I've owned a couple of jet drives.  They're inefficient, loud, can't handle weed, and difficult to handle at slow speeds.  A good prop in a tunnel with a jack plate will run just as shallow as a jet with far less hassle.  Jets have their place on beefed up aluminum hulls that are designed for running rocky rivers with no weed.

[RickK]

Good points Jack :icon_thumleft:

They're crazy to watch in the races where they almost get tied in a knot in the race. :icon_e_biggrin:

[dburr]

Check out this Hinckley 29C with a jet drive...   :-*  I've always said a great skinny water boat would be a 22 foot Osprey inboard with a jet drive - what do y'all think? 

JJ if you get a chance ride on that Hinckley take it they are a really slick boat.. If that one has the joystick control hang on to your socks, they are really something!


A FB with the correct jet would be a cool thing to see, and an Osprey wouldn't be bad either..  Engine under the console with wing tanks and bats under the deck in front of the console. Yes I have a long drive to work and have spent time thinking about it..  I past lives I have had nothing but good experiences with water jets as long as they have been paired correctly to the hull.  The manevuerability of a good setup is a joy once you get the hang of it. 360 degree turn in its own boat lenght with no thruster, vectored thrust to put the stern exactly where you want it? Awesomeness right there...