jet to outboard conversion

[uselessgrant]

anyone ever done it if so how did it do? i have a 16 ft cheetah jet that is just like zaairmans tahiti. thinking of hanging a 150 optimax on her. i just dont want to get too much weight back there and swamp it:D

[Towndrunk]

It can be done but if I were you and really wanted an outboard I would sell it and buy a hull thats already made for one. Too bad you weren't around a while back cause I gave a 17' Hydrostream away. Good luck,
TD

[fkboatman]

glass transom in,put gussets in,get a bracket that is setback with jackplate in it,bolt motor to bracket hang all in back with cherry picker mark and drill holes bolt it up and hook up the rest and go for it......but only if the transom and stringers are not ROTTEN AT ALL AND YOU BETTER MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT

[Kim Hanson]

It can be done but if I were you and really wanted an outboard I would sell it and buy a hull thats already made for one. Too bad you weren't around a while back cause I gave a 17' Hydrostream away. Good luck,
TD
You gave away a HydroStream :( :( JesusH Hanson Christ, I have to ask why TD ?..........( . )( . )............:confused:

[Towndrunk]

I needed the trailer. I posted it on Barneys. Come get it and nobody off the board did so I gave it to some clown here that will never do anything with it. Had a sst140 motor on it too.

[uselessgrant]

glass transom in,put gussets in,get a bracket that is setback with jackplate in it,bolt motor to bracket hang all in back with cherry picker mark and drill holes bolt it up and hook up the rest and go for it......but only if the transom and stringers are not ROTTEN AT ALL AND YOU BETTER MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT
thanks for the info .. right along with what i had planned only i was going to beef up transom with 1/2 to 3/4 alum. plate since transom in the area around plate for jet drive is only about 1/2 to 5/8 thick. thicker over by stringers. seal it up and leave the hole where the jet was. it will cover up the exaust holes also should look cool all polished up. think a 150 is too much?:idea: :crossx:

[ratso]

Quite a few years back, a buddy of mine bought a Southwind tunnel... less motor and jet pump. We cut the "pod" off the back, glassed in a solid transom, stuck a jack plate on back and hung a 235 Johnrude on it with a modified 30 Merc Cleaver... wasn't too bad of a rig.

[Tom Brown]

I remember back in the 80s, this guy on the men's professional tennis circuit got a sex change and moved to the women's circuit. It worked out well for him because he probably couldn't have stayed on the men's circuit much longer, with the state of his game. On the women's circuit, he did better and got plenty of action but it was pretty much oral only for him after that.

[Tom Brown]

I needed the trailer. I posted it on Barneys. Come get it and nobody off the board did so I gave it to some clown here that will never do anything with it. Had a sst140 motor on it too.
I thought that was the boat Kim bought to convert to a jet. http://www.***boat.com/ubb/confused.gif

[uselessgrant]

Quite a few years back, a buddy of mine bought a Southwind tunnel... less motor and jet pump. We cut the "pod" off the back, glassed in a solid transom, stuck a jack plate on back and hung a 235 Johnrude on it with a modified 30 Merc Cleaver... wasn't too bad of a rig.
how long was the boat and how did it sit in the water compared to a jet/bigblock rig? i would hate to do all this work and then sink the focker:D

[Towndrunk]

I thought that was the boat Kim bought to convert to a jet. http://www.***boat.com/ubb/confused.gif
Kim has never bought a boat from me. To date I have "given away" 1 Allison GS, 1 Hydrostream Viper, 3 Hydrostream Vectors, 1 Hydrostream Varmint and 1 Lowe aluminum boat.
I'm trying really hard to stay interested in my Sanger v-drive so I won't part with it really cheap or free. I also need to get my Riot done before summer.
I have had too many projects and can't seem to get anything done!!

[Zaairman]

Blah blah blah...think a 150 is too much?:idea: :crossx:
You're asking the guy whos about to put a 200 Merc on a 16' boat if 150HP is too much? :rollside: :sqeyes: A 150 would be perfect actually..it's what I want, but can't find any decent ones in the right price range. And next time I'm near the boat, I'll get some pics of how the transom is set up. There should be some on the Sidewinder site though.
Also, how low does your boat sit in the water? In the back of my boat right up against the transom, I've got 2 batteries, 2 Six gallon fuel tanks, 1 or 2 gallons of oil, and an anchor. My 130 Chrysler weighs about 350 lbs *I think*. When two people get in the back of the boat when unloading or loading a tuber or skiier, any moderate sized wave will splash into the boat. Nothing major though. These boats can hold a lot of water. Ask me how I know that :hammer2:

[rrrr]

I remember back in the 80s, this guy on the men's professional tennis circuit got a sex change and moved to the women's circuit. It worked out well for him because he probably couldn't have stayed on the men's circuit much longer, with the state of his game. On the women's circuit, he did better and got plenty of action but it was pretty much oral only for him after that.
Sometimes wandering through the forums is a bit weird.
Outboards........Renee Richards.
What is the common denominator? :confused:

[ratso]

how long was the boat and how did it sit in the water compared to a jet/bigblock rig? i would hate to do all this work and then sink the focker:D
Probably sat about the same... low. I think with that old 235, he was running in the 80's... had a few mods to it but not much.

[uselessgrant]

im torn between an etec and an optimax, optimax only goes to 175 in 2.5L etec you can get a 200 and it is lighter, and still 2.5L cant decide may wimp out and put a 115 on it:D

[ratso]

im torn between an etec and an optimax, optimax only goes to 175 in 2.5L etec you can get a 200 and it is lighter, and still 2.5L cant decide may wimp out and put a 115 on it:D
You can find very good used outboards from around $3500 to $6500 for 225Hp and up. I would go with the V-6 definitely though...;)

[uselessgrant]

You can find very good used outboards from around $3500 to $6500 for 225Hp and up. I would go with the V-6 definitely though...;)
i would like to but i think i may run into weight issues since i will have to hang it on a jackplate and my hull only has the jet boat stubby stringers gonna have to plate and gussett the transom also which puts mor poundage on the a$$ end of it.

[DUCKY]

The above is not true.....
A 400lb outboard hanging 8-10" off the transom of a 16' boat will leave less freeboard than 1000lbs of iron sitting 12-18" inside of the boat.
Now with that being said, those 16' hulls were commonly built as outboards, but they only offered V-4's and I-6's back then (much smaller/lighter than a new opti, weighing in at 450+lbs) You will need to put some weight up front. Bad for performance, but good for not sinking.....

[Tom Brown]

8-10" of setback on a 16' boat V-hull is not a good idea.

[sorry dog]

Yup...right up there with putting a 470+lbs 6" off of a 17' or a 260 on 16 footer with a homemade pad.
A 4" rapidjack would probably be a better choice, but I've seen an EFI Bridgeport 6" off of a 15' Hydrostream Viper that only got a little bit a of backwash if you came off plane kinda easy, but otherwise reasonably well behaved.
My best setup was with a 1" hydraulic plate, and the battery in the front...or you could do like UT and use 8 Duracells for your battery.

[uselessgrant]

screw it im gonna sell it and buy me something i wont have to work on for awhile.. anybody want a cheetah/sidewinder clone? 16ft. blown 455 no interior?:D

[uselessgrant]

nah i kinda like these sidewinder clones.. what does an old merc. tower of power weigh?

[Tom Brown]

.. what does an old merc. tower of power weigh?
I've often wondered that myself. Many have cited Mercury's specification of just over 300 lbs (305~210, as I recall). I don't know if that includes the trim pump. I doubt it. Those old L6 trim pumps weigh a ton and that number probably doesn't include a prop.
Personally, I'd stay away from the L6. There's nothing particularly wrong with them but the early ones had nasty ignition systems that are expensive to fix and those rotating reeds aren't the greatest idea ever. This is the era of V6 power. It's just as cheap, way more powerful, and parts are easy to find.
Anyway, you don't want 8~10 inches of setback. There's just no way. With a V6 engine, think 4~6" on an 800lb, 16' boat. That's all you need. Any more will turn the boat into a dog to handle and it will slow it down too.

[sorry dog]

Any more will turn the boat into a dog to handle and it will slow it down too.
I resemble that remark...
Whatever the L6 really weighs I'd think it's at least 50 pounds lighter than a V6. Didn't the later ones rated at 115 at the prop have the integral trim?
I think the main thing that sucks about the L6 is the lack of low end torque...but I guess you can't expect too much from a 100 cubes.

[uselessgrant]

i don't think i would try to revive a basket case but an L6 would be era correct for the boat. Gotta love all the chrome on em. they look cool when they are in good shape.. what years did they start making loop charged v-6's?

[sorry dog]

Merc started in '76.