Extreme jet-boating

[Ben Okopnik]

Err... these people are crazy. Awesomely cool, but crazy.

 

[MIDLIFECRISIS]

Tuff little boats.

 

[Volffas]

I would love to make one of these and drive it around the local lake like a crazy man on calm summer nights.

 

[Ben Okopnik]

@Volffas - that's what got me to that video; other videos of people building these, especially for running rivers in Alaska. Some of the builds are so cute you want to pinch their little aluminum cheeks.

 

[AboveTheBest]

Those are too cool, but how many rocks do they suck into the impeller?

 

[Ben Okopnik]

Those are too cool, but how many rocks do they suck into the impeller?

Taking a wild guess, I would say "none". They're custom builds, and I'm guessing that the owners planned this - including the appropriate (oversize and well-screened?) intakes.

 

[swatski]

They actually suck a lot of small rocks that get through those tight intake grates - enough to destroy our impellers in a nanosecond! But these guys run heavy duty impellers - usually Skat - which are bizarrely almost indestructible.

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[Ben Okopnik]

They actually suck a lot of small rocks that get through those tight intake grates - enough to destroy our impellers in a nanosecond! But these guys run heavy duty impellers - usually Skat - which are bizarrely almost indestructible.

Huh. I just looked at a Skat on the Web, and they don't look all that different. And heck, for the price diff I see, if I ever have to install a new one... hmm, hmm.

 

[swatski]

Huh. I just looked at a Skat on the Web, and they don't look all that different. And heck, for the price diff I see, if I ever have to install a new one... hmm, hmm.

I would call Glenn Perry at Skat factory - the impeller guy. I'm sure he could tell you everything you need to know. In my experience he is not a salesman type at all, more of a merit/technical guy.
He loves to talk impellers, too.
You can call their general number and just ask for him, everyone knows who he is.

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[Ben Okopnik]

I would call Glenn Perry at Skat factory - the impeller guy. I'm sure he could tell you everything you need to know. In my experience he is not a salesman type at all, more of a merit/technical guy.
He loves to talk impellers, too.
You can call their general number and just ask for him, everyone knows who he is.

Thanks, @swatski! I'm not quite up for messing with that end yet - still trying to figure out what's wrong with my SportJet 175 this week, which (with the bits of troubleshooting I've been able to get done, snatching minutes to do it here and there) seems to have dropped a switchbox all of a sudden... but when I get around to it, well, I like high-quality components for my boats. Good to know!