1852 Jet Jon - 130hp 951cc

Started what will be a slower build. The boat is an 1852 Lowe flatbottom and the powerplant will be a 1998 Seadoo GTX LTD 951cc twin cylinder two stroke with 130hp. I wanted a longer and wider boat. I don't plan on running super shallow but with the waterlevel of the river I live on going up and down, I don't want an outboard in the water. I've used an outboard for a few years now and always hit a random log/stump here and there that you just can't see. I chose a 951cc GTX LTD as the powerplant because I've owned one and it's been a great ski. Runs right at 60mph and has the neutral & reverse bucket on the pump. The main issue with that engine is the stock paper exhaust gasket leaking but that will be replaced with a new one.

I bought the donor ski with the engine locked up so I will have to rebuild it. I have to work a turnaround April 13- May 3 so my plans are to pull the engine out of the hull before then and get all the parts coming to where I can have the engine back in the ski and running shortly after I finish my turnaround in May. After I get the engine running again, I will finish trimming up the powerplant of the ski and get it ready to put in the 1852 hull. I'm still not sure if I want to splice the 951 into the boat or if I want to fab my own engine mounts and pump intake. I know splicing it in with some 3m 5200 would be easier and I would add some bracing where it slices together but I may end up fabricating everything. Still thinking on that.

Anyways, figured I'd post some pics of the boat and donor ski. I did manage to get the top half of the hull cut off this weekend. I'm going to leave it like that for now until I get the engine rebuilt. I have more pics of the boat that I can post later. The center console is not mounted and I'm still not sure if I'm going with the center console or if I'm going to put in a side console. The front deck will be extended and then the rear deck is coming out then I will build a new rear deck to cover the engine. Everything will be aluminum, no wood. Towards the end of the year, I plan on building a New Zealand style jet dinghy with the 750cc Kawasaki Jet ski I have.

How did you do the steering with the center console

Hey man he posted that 2 years ago.... odds are hes not going to respond. I own a couple of 951 seadoos and they are waayy too high strung in my opinion to put in a jet jon. You would have to custom fabricate a system for steering though if one were to build a boat like that.