Jetting on a river

[paulimusmaximus]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, just had a quick question because all the dealers will try to talk you either into or out of a jet boat (depending on what they sell). I live near Pittsburgh, and want to dock my boat on the river. It rains a ton here, so worried about stuff floating down the river and getting sucked up into the jet, or just using a jet boat on a river in general. Seems like over 95% of boats on the river are prop boats. I really like the Yamaha boats as they seem to have a better price than comparable inboard/outboard boats. The only comparably priced around here seem to be Bayliners, but you can see a big difference in quality just by stepping on the two. So the first question is does anyone have experience with jet boats on the rivers, and do you think they're fine for that use, or would I be better off with a prop boat?

Second, the closest Yamaha dealer is about 2 1/2 hours from my house (they come to the local boat show). I'm skeptical buying a boat from a dealer that far away as if I ever needed work, I'd have to take an entire day to drive it out, then another day to go pick it up. We have many other boat dealers closer, and everyone works on Mercruiser engines. My only other option for a jetboat around here is a Chaparral with a SeaDoo engine, which is very nice, but about $5,000 more than a comparable Yamaha.

 

[haknslash]

Depends on the river and how much stuff is usually in it. If it's normal to see debris you will not want a jet boat if you plan to boat in that water. Or find a nicer and cleaner body of water if it's possible.

 

[zipper]

There are a lot of members on the map in your area. @McMark may be willing to share some knowledge/experiences boating in the area.

 

[sunbyrned]

I'm downstream from you in Louisville and so we have all the debris as well. I pick up junk mostly when in idle or in wake mode. I've learned to spit it out so that no longer is an issue to me and I don't idle any longer. I just turn the boat off when removing bumpers, etc. I have however picked up stuff when moving at a good clip, which when that happens, it usually gets in there good to the point that I have to remove the impeller. But, that could happen anywhere, such as a lake. For me personally, if I had to do it all over again, I would be looking at another Yamaha. My wife is not a fan though anytime something gets caught, even if I can spit it out immediately. She's concerned about being stranded in front of a barge. So, that perhaps is something to consider. Regarding maintenance, I've found that I can do most everything on my own based on the advice I've received through this forum. On more difficult issues (I've had to replace an engine), that's when I travel to a dealer, which so far has been extremely limited thankfully. Just my 2 cents. There are plenty of other Yamahas in the river in this area as well if that says anything.

 

[bobbie]

While in Oregon, we have boated entirely on the river. We had over 300 hours on our engines before i finally sucked up a piece of wood. With the clean out ports...not an issue. The only reason i would not go with the yamaha is we are huge wakesurfers. If you see yourself surfing, i would suggest getting a surf specific boat. Otherwise, i would never go back to a prop boat.

 

[OCMD]

River? I love my private river. Yes this was a clear day but if not and you suck something up? Use the reverse clean out move, blow it out, and on your way.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/thank-you-reverse-trick-and-this-site.10674/


Maintenance on a Yamaha? Wash and wax! Of, you mean that other stuff? What is that? The annual oil change and spark plug change. That is it. At least that's all I've done for my first 180 hours. There is a reason they call then BottomoftheBay Liners...

 

[ripler]

I boat on the Monongahela river between locks 3 and 4 and deal with the debris. I rarely suck anything up, if I do the beauty of having a Yamaha is the clean out ports. There are times when I nailed something submerged and glad I had a jetdrive. Since you were at the boat show I'm assuming that you were talking with Full Performance Marine in Raystown. Do yourself a favor and call The Aquatic Center at Deep Creek, I bought my boat from there and they are good people, I'm pretty sure they still sell Yamaha boats. I would never run a Chaparral on the river since it doesn't have access to the jetdrive from above the water if you do suck something up something. But if you do decide on a Chaparral Carl at Smitty's is a good guy, I bought a Chaparral I/O from him years ago. I've had my Yamaha since 2010 and have over 450 hours on the engines and have never had an issue with the exception of a melted plug that was caused by a bad battery.

 

[BlackandTan]

Downstream from you as well in Cincinnati. I boat almost every weekend on the Ohio, and after rains there can be a lot of debris, but I don't have too many problems. I've gotten pretty good at playing dodge the debris, and I've only sucked up less than a handful of sticks in the last five years. I'll echo what @sunbyrned said, don't idle, and stay out of the barge lanes when clearing something out.

 

[IndySmittyYammi]

I sucked up a little tube rope strap in a party cove the 2nd time out with my boat. I've never had an issue since. The cleanout ports are pretty amazing.

In my 10 years of boat ownership prior to my Yamaha, I lost 3 props. 2 were in rivers. There are few things scarier than being without power in a river with current and boat traffic throwing you all over the place. The last time I lost a prop in the middle of a river in Northern Michigan over an hour and a half boat ride to our cottage, and 6 miles by foot to the nearest town. I decided that day I was going to a dual jet, so that I would never put my family in that situation again.

2 seasons, 130 hours, 8 lakes, 5 rivers, surfing, tubing, wakeboarding, skiing, cruising, floating, you name it. I have ZERO regrets on my boat decision. Maybe 1 day when the kids are older I'll switch to a surf boat, but the ar240 is damn near perfect as far as my family is concerned for right now.

 

[jdkaeser]

Downstream from you as well in Cincinnati. I boat almost every weekend on the Ohio, and after rains there can be a lot of debris, but I don't have too many problems. I've gotten pretty good at playing dodge the debris, and I've only sucked up less than a handful of sticks in the last five years. I'll echo what @sunbyrned said, don't idle, and stay out of the barge lanes when clearing something out.

BlackandTan, I'm in Cincinnati as well! Have not had a chance to take my boat out on the river but would like to this summer (only been in a kayak for Paddlefest). Do you have any recommendations for where to put it and any restaurants that you can pull the boat up to?

 

[BlackandTan]

@jdkaeser Launch ramps depend on where you live. Check out the link below. I've only used Schmidt ramp, it's a nice ramp, $10 to launch, and has a big parking lot for your tow vehicle and trailer. The ramp in New Richmond looks like it's a nice ramp, but the parking situation is not as good. I keep my boat a Rivertowne now, so I don't have to use them now. As far as restaurants, Ludlow-Bromley was my favorite, now that it's gone, I'd recommend Pirate's Cove, Riverside Marina, Skips in new Richmond, and Cabana on the River, you can boat up to all of them. I talked to the folks from Manhattan Landing at the boat show and they have a restaurant too, so I'll be checking them out this summer. Hope to see you out there!
Cincinnati Area Boating Guide

 

[msavold]

@paulimusmaximus we often boat on a shallow canal that connects a couple of bodies of water and honestly I *prefer* the jet drives - less likely to clip something underwater than a prop. When it comes to floating crap, IMO that's a problem for any fiberglass hulled boat. My biggest worry, particularly in the spring is clipping some floating piece of wood and pin-striping the side of the hull. About the only thing I can think of that would be a bit less of a worry would be a pontoon. The only thing I'd really worry about is if there are a lot of weeds where you plan to boat - jets really don't like those. On the plus side, bring on the shallow bits! And if you do suck something up, the cleanout plugs, unique to Yamaha, are a godsend. (I've lost count of the number of pine cones...)
When it comes to the distance to the dealer, I think you'll find most of us have only seen the dealer once, maybe twice at most and the rest is simple DIY stuff. Plenty of assistance here with anything that comes up too. What I did the first year, because I didn't have the confidence or time to research everything in time for the end of the season, was take the boat to the local dealer and have them do the service and store the boat for the winter at a place nearby.

 

[IA_210SX]

We boat in a Missouri River reservoir. With the flood last year there was quite a bit of debris on one side of the lake. We just avoided it for a week or so, and waited for it to pass through. We’ve sucked up a couple reeds, and some weeds but the plugs work great. Soon you’ll figure out if something does not sound right just check the clean outs. Of course I’ve sucked up a rope for the tube-could blame it on my co-captain but it’s better to just “take the blame.”