What are your plans for this baby? What drew you to her?
Don't you have plenty O' boats already?
yeah, thanks for asking. I joke that I'm a "Drinker with a boating problem."
This one was rotting away unloved and unkept. I wasn't all that enthused when I saw it in a boat yard, based on its shape I assumed it was a 70's fiberglass vessel. When I was told over the phone that it had big block engines and jet drives I immediately assumed the ubiquitous Olds 455 and Berkeley jet combo of that era, good but antique at this point. I didn't even get out of the truck to look at it, later I wished I had. I went back months later. In my life anyway I've learned when you find something really unique that you like better not pass it up, you probably won't find it again.
Upon my return I banged on the hull and realized it was heavy gauge aluminum and after I lifted the hatches and saw modern 8.1's with High Performance LS EFI and American Turbine Jets (still in production) I was shocked. You gotta lift a lot of engine hatches to be surprised like that once in a while.
My plans are to get rid of the awkward layout of the gull winged door aluminum and canvas top and the two roof top AC units. I want to loose about 1,500 lbs between that and getting rid of 70% of the heavy gauge bench seating. I'm going to replace the top with fabric bimini tops, deck the rear 2/3 and create a mini kitchen/ wet bar area with a head back there. it's a private boat and a jet boat so why not a Private Jet Boat? Like the old days of flying on jumbo jets, a lounge in the back to hang out in once the seat belt sign was off.
I'm also very nostalgic for the days of Art Greene and company who used to run tours from Lees Ferry to Rainbow Bridge so I kinda want to make it look like some of their tour boats, kind of a tribute boat to those days. It's got a similar shape and capacity to what some of theirs did. They ran some crazy stuff!
As you point out I have a few other boat projects and I completed a couple last year. My fuel tanker boat is working and finished, my tri toon aluminum Boatel houseboat is on the water so the two still in progress are this and my open air houseboat that I'm installing bigger outboards on, Day Tripper. My welder on that has been slow and I'm waiting patiently. His work so far looks good and I'm not in a big hurry especially since I found this new boat. I figure I could go in and try to make demands and he might finish but I might loose a friend and I'm pretty sure the price would go up. For now he's storing the boat at his place and using it as fill in work. Sometimes, in my opinion, that's one way to get the best price.I don't put lots of money into any of these projects, mostly elbow grease, I'm frugal. My friends even say I'm cheap. lol
With both of these boats I'm chasing efficiency (not economy) and up lake comfort and speed. I'm sure the twin jet boat will have the speed but efficiency, IDK. To me once it's on plane I'm curious to see what I can throttle back to and what speed I'll get for best fuel efficiency. It makes peak torque at 1900 RPM or so which is impressive. It's got the second most efficient impeller American Turbine makes so with 700 ft lbs of torque at 1900 RPM on twins could it go 20 mph at that? Each of these motors at WOT will drink 28 to 30 GPH or so. How much at 1900 RPM?
10 GPH each? I'd take that, 1 gallon per mile with 12 people on board? A soft smooth relatively fast ride Wahweap to Padre Bay in an hour for 20 gallons of fuel with a bathroom and a bar? I'll have to see, if it's not efficient it will sure be fun!
This is Volvos calculator for an EFI 8.1 at/or about 2500 RPM
Maybe the other boat, the twin pontoon with outboards will be more efficient than this one. Which ever one is the winner that's the one I'm keeping. (At least that's what I'm telling my wife.)
I'm also going to play around with it as a novelty for Wake Surfing. (before my friends flip out I have a daughter who loves to surf so it's a quandary for me. (Don't worry, I won't be in any coves) I'd like to see what kind of wake she throws but since it's a jet I think it could be done safely on occasion. I might even put tabs on it, coukd it throw a monster wake, IDK? The motors and jets weigh about 1200 lbs each and the fuel tanks looks to be at least 300 gallons just forward af the engine bulk head. (I need to measure and calc it but that's my guess) It would also be fun to be able to throw a big wake at will in self defense too. Got an inconsiderate surf boat crew in your cove off your transom? Follow them home and return the favor in a big way at their Houseboat!
So there are all kinds of options with this. It's also got a 5000 watt water cooled generator on board for the AC. I'll use it to power the kitchen, battery chargers and for camping out of it.
