24' Flat Top with a Jet drive.

Hello All,

I have an opportunity to buy this boat. It's a jacuzzi jet drive with a ford V8. Can anyone comment on the boat. Anything I should be looking for? Anything that moves on the jet, seems worn, the interior is shoot and the the floor sounds like fiberglass cracking wherever I walk, but the price is intriguing. $2500 CDN on a pretty solid tandem trailer. Thanks in advance.

 

That is a pretty rare boat, but it still sounds high to me. You need to check the hull for water in the balsa core. If you tap on it lightly a dull sound means water and the boat is pretty much worthless.

jim

 

I seem to remember this boat or one like it being offered last summer (06) on ebay. Tom Miller told me that only 6 were produced with a jet drive, which is great for shallow water operation given all of the caveats of the jet propulsion drive. It would be a great party boat and if it was stored properly and cared for during use, it would be quite the rare bird and a fun boat to own and operate.
Should you decide not to purchase it, please post pictures of it here on the Hydrodyners.com thread denoted as "For Sale" as others here on the site may be interested.
Could this be the next MarkBano project as the Manitowish Chain has been relegated to kayaks and canoes to keep the dam flowing 50 cubic feet per minute per DNR (Damn Near Russian) specifications.
Mark, this could be the ticket to preserve your Stilettos and Magnums and still be able to Dyne Up North, no pun intended, if this gent from North of the Border decides not to purchase it.

 

If I remember correctly from other threads here on this site, it is good to use a wooden hammer handle to tap on the hull. Be sure to check the wood up under the joint between the hull and the deck, too for structural integrity.

 

I guess I should now add that I have no interest in the boat, zero.

jim

 

Thanks for the advice. If I decide to take another look, I will check the hull as described. In the condition it's in, it's needing some serious work.

 

If you restore the boat, you will most likely not be able to get your money out of it. So, the only motive would be to restore it for your personal satisfaction because it is so rare. I think that if I took it on, I would convert it to an outboard.

jim