14/32 Jet Jon w/ yamaha 701

[SC Designs]

Went out for a camping and fishing trip this past weekend with my friends. My buddy just finished up his 16/42 Jetjon and brought it along on the trip for his maiden. Had a great time and the Jetjon's ran great. Here is a small video of the highlights from the trip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxUvgCNJI5E

 

[SC Designs]

I changed out my intake grate with a R&D Aquavein grate. What a major improvement. It really keeps the pump hooked up in choppy water and also helps the pump stay hooked up in sharp cornering. I haven't tested the top speed with it yet, but I can tell that the hole shot is much better now. I think the biggest Improvement is the leaf issue that I am having this time of year. The river is full of large holly leaves and it has made it difficult. I would have to stop about every 1 to 2 miles and clean out the grate. Now, the majority of the leaves are able to pass through the pump. I was able to run 7 miles up river this past Friday with out any cavitation issues do to leaves. There was still a small build up at the mouth but nothing like before. \/

 

[Boz Mon]

Do you have any more pics of how you attached the jet ski part to the Jon boat? Did you put the pump below the bottom of the boat or flush with it?

 

[CedarRiverScooter]

SC - I too bought a scoop 'top loader' grate which helped my cavitation issue. The down side, as I found out the hard way, is that the space between the tines is much bigger than the OEM grate. There is a reason the spacing on the OEM grate is less than the pitch of the impeller - It keeps out chunks large enough to get stuck in the impeller.

I am thinking of modifying the scoop grate to add tines, as I got a rock stuck in the impeller once.

 

[SC Designs]

Yes, I am fully aware of the posbility of larger objects being able to enter into the grate now. For the most part, the rivers I run in have boulders with sandy bottoms. I try to be aware of my surroundings and depth during operation, although it is a risk that I take. Keep me posted if you decide to modify yours, I would like to see how it turns out.

 

[SC Designs]

Do you have any more pics of how you attached the jet ski part to the Jon boat? Did you put the pump below the bottom of the boat or flush with it?

I did drop the pump below the bottom about an inch to an inch and a half. The ski bottom has a slight down angle to it allowing the pump mouth to be more open to the incoming water. Now the water is more forced into the pump than being flush with the bottom of the boat.

 

[Boz Mon]

What did you paint it with?


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[SC Designs]

I painted it with white T-Rex Liner. It turned out really good.

 

[PSG-1]

Yep, that's the one drawback about those top loader grates. Their open design may allow leaves and stuff to pass through with no problem, but it can also allow a rock, or a large stick to jam the impeller. I got rid of my top loader grate when I had a stick jammed in there causing major cavitation, and I had to idle 5 miles back to the boat ramp.

Not only did I go back to a grate with tines, I also modified it into a weedless grate, and also beefed it up by making the tines from stainless flat bar, and having 6 tines, instead of 4.



As you can see, they are spaced close enough that the joint of my middle finger can't pass between any of them, so, this should keep out any rocks or other obstructions large enough to cause damage.

 

[onthewater102]

How long do these things hold up with fiberglass bonded to aluminum? I've always liked the idea but I'm concerned that either vibrations from use or from trailering would create substantial leaks in the seams. I doubt I could make it out of aluminum and rivet it in cleanly enough not to have an issue and I don't have a MIG welder, but that would be another option too - I suppose if you're going to spend the thousands to frankenboat a jon with a jetski you might as well spend a bit more & make the base all aluminum & weld it in properly.

My interest would be in something more sizable though - possibly a 16' host. 1432 with a rocket in the bottom sounds like the opening to a entry in my Darwin award book...

 

[SC Designs]

How long do these things hold up with fiberglass bonded to aluminum? I've always liked the idea but I'm concerned that either vibrations from use or from trailering would create substantial leaks in the seams. I doubt I could make it out of aluminum and rivet it in cleanly enough not to have an issue and I don't have a MIG welder, but that would be another option too - I suppose if you're going to spend the thousands to frankenboat a jon with a jetski you might as well spend a bit more & make the base all aluminum & weld it in properly.

My interest would be in something more sizable though - possibly a 16' host. 1432 with a rocket in the bottom sounds like the opening to a entry in my Darwin award book...

Honestly, the debate with the fiberglass to aluminum issue seems to always come up. I used a Poly resin that adheres to metals. Now sure, maybe 5 years down the road there may me some stresses that start showing, but understand that I still screwed through the aluminum with stainless screws and used 3m bond between the jet ski hull and jon hull. The fiberglass is mainly there to provide a smooth surface over the screw heads and add protection to leaking. It's not the primary bond securing the two hulls together. I have read where guys that have used fiberglass are 2 and 3 years into there use with many hours with no signs of cracking or signs of the fiberglass trying to separate from the aluminum. It's all in what a person feels he wants to build his with. I mainly did it for the cosmetic look of having a smooth finish.

 

[SC Designs]

Oh yeah, and to the 14/32 with the 80 hp giving the impression that it is crazy scary, it's not.. You guys would be amazed at to how stable it is. When riding at speeds, it feels just as stable as a 42 bottom. I have been in both. I recon being the engine is mounted closer to the center of the boat it rides much flatter vs. a 25 h.p. hanging off the back causing the boat to ride up on the rear pad. There is no dancing around even at speeds over 40. Just smooth and easy. I never go much over 30 when I'm using it. That seems to be where the engine sounds happy and it's plenty fast for the rivers I use it on. It 's nice knowing I have the extra power on tap but it is hardly used. I will admit, I would like to have a wider boat for when I'm sitting still and trying to move about in the boat, yes it's tipsy but once moving it's a 100% stable.

 

[Boz Mon]

Is that t-Rex liner pretty expensive?


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[CedarRiverScooter]

IMO, the potential for cracking has more to do with temperature expansion than vibration. If you live in an area that does not go from -30F to 90F, then it's good to go.

The 3m5200 is supposed to flex enough to absorb the thermal size difference between plastic & aluminum. I put in an 1/8 inch layer so it had some give to it. My boat spent last winter in the garage, so it hasn't seen the extreme low temp.

 

[PSG-1]

I also concur that 3M 5200 is the best bet for a secure bond between the fiberglass and aluminum hull. It has outstanding adhesion properties, and once it is cured, it's a nearly indestructible bond. Due to differing flex and expansion properties of these 2, simply glassing it won't work. Some adhesives may also not work over a long term period from constant vibration, hitting chop, etc.

Another thing to remember....proper reinforcement of the cut-out in the hull of the boat, as well as the flange of the fiberglass, will guarantee integrity of the boat over the long term.

 

[SC Designs]

Is that t-Rex liner pretty expensive?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote

I think it was around $85 bucks for the gallon kit. For my boat I had to add a little thinner to get it to cover the whole thing, I should have bought 2 more quarts to make sure I had plenty.

 

[SC Designs]

Being it was in the 80's this past weekend here in southwest Georgia, I decided to take the Jon out for the day. Here are a couple of pics from last weekend. Also I got my Jet Jon decals made as well.