New boat advice upper Mississippi river MN

[vortac]

Hello everyone. New to jet boats and boating the upper Mississippi river. I am looking for a new boat to fish from basically Champlin to St. Cloud on the river. I have had very little luck talking with dealers because they sell very few jets up here. Frankies marine told me they sell a few G3 ccj's for use on St Croix river.
So with a budget of under 30k what would everyone recommend for a river that gets shallow mid summer with mostly rocks and sand. Weeds do not appear to be an issue in this area.
inboard vs outboard. I talked with someone at seaark who recommended the predator. I have not been able to see them in person and that is a large purchase sight unseen. Riverpros look great but the cost is just to high.
Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[lowe1648]

There is a lopro for sale locally for 32k.There is also a 18'g3 with a 90/65 Yamaha for 12,500. I am in CR and run a 1652 alweld with a 60/40 merc. The local dealers have no idea what they are doing with a jet. I looked all over the state and ended up driving to Missouri for both my boat and motor.

I pm'ed you links to both boats

 

[openseat]

Welcome to Tinboats vortac!

I agree with lowe1648, the only viable option locally is to buy used. Fortunately, that's not a bad way to go for your first jet rig. Those learning curve dents aren't so bothersome if someone else has seasoned the hull a little first.

In addition to the smallie crowd that runs jets up near you, the guys associated with the Belle Plaine catfish league would be another possible source for leads on used river jets. Obviously there's not a lot of active advertising right now with most boats winterized.

My favorite example of how clueless the MN dealers are was the time the guy at Pierz in Ramsey told me that he wouldn't order me a new 60/40 mercury jet because it would come from merc with a prop lower unit and he'd have to get the jet lower unit separately. LOL. I started to show him where the factory 60/40 jets are on his website, up until he gave me an attitude that matched his dubious claim of being the biggest merc dealer around.

 

[Keystone]

I'd start my search with Neal Schauer at Southside Marine in Waseca, MN. He sell's G3 boats. Knows what does what/when/why/how ect better than anyone that I have come across in the Dealership world. In your price range you can purchase a nice G3 rigged out. I have been using Neal to service, repair ect for @19 years now. Bought two new boats from him. Honest as the day is long.

https://southsidemarine.com/

 

[Misterj]

Best option is to score that local RiverPro. IMHO it is so close to your target price range why compromise with a lesser quality, less durable hull and an o/b jet. You will be able to float in 8" of water and cruise in 3". No worries about taking out an intake on a rock or log. Maneuverability of the I/B Sportjet will allow you to navigate areas with ease that would be a challenge for an o/b jet.

Not trying to throw stones at o/b jet owners here, just sharing experiences with both type of crafts.

 

[jhunter1]

Whatever you buy make sure the layout will work for you. I bought a seaark cause it has the layout I wanted and the dealer is exceptionally good. If you buy used make sure its been maintained and if you buy from a dealer make sure they know exactly what they are doing. Its an expensive purchase so if you have to wait or travel I would do so. Good luck!

 

[vortac]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I appreciate it.

 

[lowe1648]

I will keep my lite weight boat that is paid for over a 30k+ boat any day. I could buy 6 new hulls and alot of spare shoes for the price you want for your used rp. It all comes down to what your needs are. If you want a decked out boat with all the frills and want to push it while running shallow a .100 hull is not going to last. If you keep it lite you can get away with a fair amount of stupidity. I have continued on after a guy in a rp told me you can't get through there and made it twice with out touching.

 

[Nav]

Upper Miss river rat chiming in here. I bought a new 17-48 Blazer jet back in 2007 and it's still a boat I really enjoy using. It has a 40hp tohatsu tiller. I fish approx 3 to 4 times a week on the river in July, August and Sept. With that in mind, I have hit hard twice running the river in shallow rocky areas during low water years. The back corner of the jet shoe has two dime size gouges from those hits. At 7am in the morning nothing will wake you up faster than hitting at full throttle. I used a console version of my boat for a little while and I didn't like how slow the boat would respond when turning. My tiller is definitely more responsive.

Boat specs: 17' long, 48" bottom width, Max HP 40, .08 thick aluminum, dry weight is 330#. The boat is great for a controlled drift which I use a minnkota PD55 to slow it down. The GPS reads 30mph with just me in the boat. It's pretty much a bare-bones fishing rig.

Like someone mentioned above, this type of a boat fit my needs rather than an IB jet like River Pro. It looks like your budget is close to that of a river pro so don't rule them out. There are plenty of people that run one and I'm sure they would be happy to take you for a spin. I've been in a river pro and they are a hoot to run along with a fit and finish 2nd to none.

I split my time between lakes and river so I have a boat for each. :mrgreen:

 

[user 6672]

Ive owned and ran both a light boat and a heavy jet on the upper Miss..

I went from a 1648 alumacraft jon with a 30 Johnson jet to a Alweld 1856 JC with a 115 Merc.

They both have there pros and cons but if I were still fishing the upper Miss (Little Falls - Monticello) I'd stick with the lighter boat. Drafted less during trolling and floating and was easier to manage on my own. If you get hung up solo with the heavier rig be prepared to dig n winch n pray to get it off a sand bar etc.. Ive been there too.. We all make mistakes and will hit eventually..

I Fish the Red River primarily now and thoroughly enjoy the bigger rig for it..

 

[71Fish]

FWD Chevy Cobalt verses AWD Cadillac Escalade, it comes down to budget and personal preference.

 

[Misterj]

FWD Chevy Cobalt verses AWD Cadillac Escalade, it comes down to budget and personal preference.

Best analogy I've seen so far. Both will get you there, just a question of how you like to travel.

 

[user 6672]

FWD Chevy Cobalt verses AWD Cadillac Escalade, it comes down to budget and personal preference.

After running that Escalade up a 60' sand bar by yourself and getting it floating again you can make that analogy..

There's others on here who have done it and wont even talk about it..

Take the Cobalt up that far n you can push it off yourself..

No brainer