Tour Boat

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Great post, we live vicariously through you...& Tanner/Thor (y)

I'd assume she has heat exchangers to keep mud and sludge out of the engine when in shallow water :unsure:, but my experience is they're typically problematic long term.

Would you consider going back to raw water cooling? :unsure:

Again, congrats on your 'hot' run/christening.....where was the champagne? :cool:
 
Congratulations!! Now you need a bottle of champagne to re-christen her proper.

There are a couple of guys that do “backhaul” service from Lees’s Ferry to the dam. For a fee they haul folks with kayaks, canoes, rafts and gear up to GCD and drop them off for the float trip back down to Lee’s.

Given the ample size and low-draft jet config, this boat would seem like a great fit for that type of business.

Good job MB!👍🇺🇸
 
svivian said:
How much weight do you figure you have removed with the roof gone? Also how much fuel was on board? i think you mentioned the fuel tanks being 300 gallons, Thats another 2000lbs of weight. Id be very curious how it would do with a full load.
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not too much on the top, it was all canvas and aluminum but it had 2 RV roof top AC units. I'd say 500 lbs at most for the top and AC's. I'm estimating the tank at 250 gallons, I need to measure and calc it, I had about 100 gallons in it. Putting the boat into a long shallow turn seemed to give the jets more grip and we picked up
speed so I'm wondering if it's just set up to run a little deeper, like more weight might help the situation
IMG_7573.jpegHere is a picture of the same kind of boat giving a tour out of Yuma on the river. I'm wondering if the hull isn't meant for a deeper stance than I have now or if i'm just under propped, IDK. Other than my jet ski this is my first jet powered boat.
 

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Marina Bum said:
not too much on the top, it was all canvas and aluminum but it had 2 RV roof top AC units. I'd say 500 lbs at most for the top and AC's. I'm estimating the tank at 250 gallons, I need to measure and calc it, I had about 100 gallons in it. Putting the boat into a long shallow turn seemed to give the jets more grip and we picked up
speed so I'm wondering if it's just set up to run a little deeper, like more weight might help the situation
View attachment 32176Here is a picture of the same kind of boat giving a tour out of Yuma on the river. I'm wondering if the hull isn't meant for a deeper stance than I have now or if i'm just under propped, IDK. Other than my jet ski this is my first jet powered boat.
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Do they make a different intake grate that would help divert the water into the pumps better like the after market performance ones for jet skis?
 
Marina Bum said:
not too much on the top, it was all canvas and aluminum but it had 2 RV roof top AC units. I'd say 500 lbs at most for the top and AC's. I'm estimating the tank at 250 gallons, I need to measure and calc it, I had about 100 gallons in it. Putting the boat into a long shallow turn seemed to give the jets more grip and we picked up
speed so I'm wondering if it's just set up to run a little deeper, like more weight might help the situation
View attachment 32176Here is a picture of the same kind of boat giving a tour out of Yuma on the river. I'm wondering if the hull isn't meant for a deeper stance than I have now or if i'm just under propped, IDK. Other than my jet ski this is my first jet powered boat.
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Id be surprised it would be under propped considering what it was designed for as well as where it was operating. Im guessing it wants a heavier load as well.
 
How do you think that boat performed when it was full of people, heading back from Rainbow Bridge in a big storm? Usually tour-type boats are much taller and look built for rough water. But this thing is so flat it doesn't look like it would do well when the lake gets 3-foot storm swells.
 
Dude! Way to go! Glad you finally got to make some waves with this thing. Talk about an all-nighter...
You'll find shallow draft, flat bottoms, and jet propulsion easily cavitates. When you hit waves, the flat bottom allows that air all the way to the intake. As you weigh the boat down that will dissipate. I've got a small 15' flat bottom with a jet outboard, it's purpose was to be as light as possible. It's incredible how much the placement of weight affects the performance, ride, etc. It took a lot of trial/error to find the sweet spot.. too much nose weight it plows, or will slide the rear end out of turns, too little and it will cavitate in waves or rapids, or pushes the nose too high.

Once you figure out the right distribution that thing will be solid. It's pretty obvious that boat is set up for a lot more weight than you have in it. Keep up the hard work, your pay-off is coming soon!
 
RichieW13 said:
How do you think that boat performed when it was full of people, heading back from Rainbow Bridge in a big storm? Usually tour-type boats are much taller and look built for rough water. But this thing is so flat it doesn't look like it would do well when the lake gets 3-foot storm swells.
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I agree with you and after my brief 15 minute shake out it's my main question. I think I need to load it up and put it into the channel on an average day to see. In no way would you want to be on this boat in 4 foot swells but In reality no boat with a low freeboard should be. It does have four 1100 GPH massive bilge pumps but that's little consolation if the boat is swamped by one massive roller. IDK, under full power the nose is four foot out of the water, maybe that's part of the reason they had the aluminum and plexiglass hardtop? To divert water? I think that would be terrifying to tourists.
 
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Powder Hound said:
Do they make a different intake grate that would help divert the water into the pumps better like the after market performance ones for jet skis?
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I've seen some that look like hot rod hood scoops, not sure if they are right for these drives, power range or this hull. To me Hydrodynamics seem a lot different than what most of us are more familiar with, aerodynamics. Some of the performance water jet stuff is for racing and 2000 HP plus motors and beyond.
 
WyoRado said:
Dude! Way to go! Glad you finally got to make some waves with this thing. Talk about an all-nighter...
You'll find shallow draft, flat bottoms, and jet propulsion easily cavitates. When you hit waves, the flat bottom allows that air all the way to the intake. As you weigh the boat down that will dissipate. I've got a small 15' flat bottom with a jet outboard, it's purpose was to be as light as possible. It's incredible how much the placement of weight affects the performance, ride, etc. It took a lot of trial/error to find the sweet spot.. too much nose weight it plows, or will slide the rear end out of turns, too little and it will cavitate in waves or rapids, or pushes the nose too high.

Once you figure out the right distribution that thing will be solid. It's pretty obvious that boat is set up for a lot more weight than you have in it. Keep up the hard work, your pay-off is coming soon!
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Thank you for your input, it gives me hope. What do you do about the revs when you cavitate? It sure would be nice if there was a rev limiter. These 8.1's have a lot of piston and valve to get out of each others way, the are push rod motors with roller valve train but they weren't meant for a lot of RPM.

Now I understand what that zip sound is you hear from jet skis as the slap along in rough water, their jet is sucking air. I'm worried about floating valves on this big boat though. Do you just keep the revs down until you know you have grip or do you always pilot with cavitation in mind? This boat has a common marine computer software for GM engines called MEFI. I wonder if it has the capability to set RPM limits?
 
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Marina Bum said:
In no way would you want to be on this boat in 4 foot swells but In reality no boat with a low freeboard should be. ...... I think that would terrifying to tourists.
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Yeah, that's what I'm thinking! Imagine you are a tourist who had never been on a small boat. You take a nice leisurely ride up to Rainbow Bridge at 9am. Then at 1pm you're coming back through Padre Bay in a massive wind storm with 4 foot waves!

I was hoping there was maybe something about the design of the boat that I was missing, that actually makes it work in rough water.

Maybe that's why they quit doing the tour and sold the boat. They had the wrong equipment for the task.
 
RichieW13 said:
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking! Imagine you are a tourist who had never been on a small boat. You take a nice leisurely ride up to Rainbow Bridge at 9am. Then at 1pm you're coming back through Padre Bay in a massive wind storm with 4 foot waves!

I was hoping there was maybe something about the design of the boat that I was missing, that actually makes it work in rough water.

Maybe that's why they quit doing the tour and sold the boat. They had the wrong equipment for the task.
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IDK, maybe, thanks for your feedback. It will require more investigation or you just don't drive it in bad weather kinda like another common low freeboard craft on the lake, a houseboat. Strangely no one sold this boat, it lost its practical use as a tourboat when they moved the weight of the average american up dramatically and it could no longer legally carry it's full compliment of passengers Then it was abandoned as the years went by in a storage yard. I drug it out of there and got it going, I guess I can't resist old and broken boat with huge motors. It's a unique one. I hope it at least does acceptably in the chop, we will see.
 
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Marina Bum said:
IDK, maybe, thanks for your feedback. It will require more investigation or you just don't drive it in bad weather kinda like another common low freeboard craft on the lake, a houseboats. Strangely no one sold this boat, it lost its practical use as a tour boat when they moved the weight of the average american up dramatically and it could no longer legally cary its ill compliment of passengers Then it was abandoned as the years went by in a storage yard. I drug it out of there and got it going, I guess I can't resist old and broken boat with huge motors. It's a unique one. I hope it at least does acceptably in the chop, we will see.
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Hey, Vision Quests are great. Keeps our minds and bodies from going idle. I do envy you and your project!
 
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