70's jet boats

[Chris J]

Why are so many boats on this site from the 70's or why are there so few jet boats from the 80's & 90's. In Minnesota I see lots of factory built V-drives but very few jet boat. What cuased the death of the V8 jet boats?

[HammerDown]

My take on it was due to the Fuel cruch in the mid 70's....as popular as Big Block Jets were in the mid 60's and early 70's ...they soon became reconized for poor fuel economy...and popularity soon fell off. With the newer more efficient pumps,Hulls, and add-ons, they have recovered some.
Good question...and you should win a free t-shirt!
[ December 22, 2002, 11:38 AM: Message edited by: HammerDown ]

[mud duck]

I too live in Minnesota and currently own two big block jet boats. But when people ask me what the HP rating is, or what cubic displacement the engine is, they don't really understand. Today, I believe, most individuals live in the world of four and six cylinder cars, maybe 50 to 150 HP boat motors, or perhaps only jet skies. I even had a dude at a gas station explain to his kid that my boat was just like a jet ski. I've had people roll their eyes when they hear the HP rating (like; what the heck do you need all that power for).
Of course, I probably do the same thing when I see those triple engine Foutians out on the river (I really just want them to give me a ride).
Fast forward fifty years and how many big blocks will you see, in cars or on the water? You can have a lot of economical family fun on the water with a 350 (or V6) and a prop (just don't hit anything submerged).
Only my .02 worth.

[Hydro-Thunder]

I think we need to hook up next summer! Now there are even more people from MN with jets!

[Chris J]

Not sure I buy the V8 thing. I see lots of new V-Drives with V8s and lots of new jet boats with two stoke 3 cylinders, Just don't see many new V8 Jet boats. Also with some of the 150+hp outboard motors selling for over 10Gs you would think a 350EFI with a jet would be cost effective.
I just thinking outloud.

[77charger]

I think it comes down to the style of boats.IMO think that a jet should only be used on smaller 20' and under low profile boats.After that size the boats get heavy and you are just wasting efficiency and fuel going 53 mph.
Most boats being sold today are 22 feet and up as compared to 20 years ago when 18-20 were sold alt more.

[HammerDown]

77Charger also makes a valad point...as the popularty grew in the late 70's Boat Builders were putting pumps in 26 foot boats...I had one!

[77charger]

HammerDown:
77Charger also makes a valad point...as the popularty grew in the late 70's Boat Builders were putting pumps in 26 foot boats...I had one! How did that work out?(26 ftr with a jet)I am curious about the new dual jet systems that are out now.I have talked to 2 people who have ridden in one a 23 ft boat i believe and both said the same thing it came on plane really fast and it cruised at 50 at around 3400 rpm.That sounds really good to me.

[Rexone]

I think it had to do with many factors including the gas crisis, the manufacturers and customers moving up in boat size where jets were less efficient, and the introduction of Merc's Bravo drive too, which made it easier for builders to effectively build and market stern drives, which ultimately pretty much now dominate the market.

[Her454]

gas crunch was the reason my dad got rid of his back then, but eventually wound up getting another one again in the early 80's. my brother still has his 74 Tahiti, garaged, NEVER uses it, looks like the day he bought it, and will probably be buried in it. :D

[HammerDown]

77Charger...well it was a 26' SleekCraft Ambassador with a pumped up 460 and a Jacuzzi pump. A very heavy Solid boat with a White Hairy head liner...cool eh. Not to mention the wet bar. Something out of a 007 1960's movie for sure.
The best it ran was 50 mph at more rpm's than I'd like to remember. Nice riding boat. It was all about cool...however I sold it the very next day.

[77charger]

HammerDown:
77Charger...well it was a 26' SleekCraft Ambassador with a pumped up 460 and a Jacuzzi pump. A very heavy Solid boat with a White Hairy head liner...cool eh. Not to mention the wet bar. Something out of a 007 1960's movie for sure.
The best it ran was 50 mph at more rpm's than I'd like to remember. Nice riding boat. It was all about cool...however I sold it the very next day. I know which boat you are talkin about.I did a job for a guy(he does read here but doesnt post) who owns one he showed me pics of it even the inside and it had a roomy cabin said the kids love it and he uses it at lost lakes his had an olds but i think he wanted a bbc in it and was lookin into the dual jet system.Was weird i mentioned boats and we started talikin about them for like 20 minutes showing pics of our rides was definitely one of the coolest custumers in a while.He also had a nordic jet too.

[roostwear]

If you have a high speed connection, check out the Sleekcraft brochure I just posted on Roostwear. The hairy headliners were cool.....
www.roostwear.com/scbr.htm (http://www.roostwear.com/scbr.htm)

[Jungle Boy]

Still lots of jetboats being sold in the area I live in, they are the river boat kind. We have a limited summer and lots of rivers, so it don't make a bunch of sense to buy a prop boat that you can only use for 2-3 months a year. The tin jets can be used from the day the river break to the day it freezes. Most are small blocks and can ran as fast or faster than the prop boats in the lake. :cool:

[Bajajet]

Don't forget that in the early 70's the only way you were going to have a big block was with a jet or a v-drive. Have you ever seen an early 70's sterndrive that wouldn't spill it's guts with too much power applied to it? 4 cylinders and 6's were the norm with those, then later small blocks powered the drives.

[1tricky1]

I love that Sleekcraft brochure! I have an SST. The brochure had some specs I was looking for, such as weight. Thanks for posting it. Merry Christmas everyone! :D

[old rigger]

Chris,
I think the reason there are so many guys with boats from that decade is that we were building them at a rate that won't ever be matched again. There's alot of them floating around. I'm not talking about the bayliners and stuff like that, but the so cal type of boats. In the late 60 and early to mid 70's at tahiti alone, the boats were being produced at pretty big numbers. Later at Hawaiian, at the peak, we were doing 9 boats a day. Not big numbers compared to the mass produced boat shops like Bayliner that would pump out 40,000 boats a year from all their combined shops, but still a lot of boats. Sleekcraft, Eliminater were other guys that were building around the clock. Even little shops like Rogers, were building 40+ boats a year. That's alot for someone like him.
It all came to a screeching halt (or a biiiiig slowdown) in 1979 when the gas crunch hit. Everyone out here in so cal had a 4X4 and a jet boat, and no gas to put in them.
Lots of shops went tits up in 1980-1. The big guys survived and a few custom ones too. In fact in some cases the custom guys had it better than the big guys. They didn't have the huge over head and payroll. I rode out the early to mid 80s at Rogers before going to Advantage in 86.
In the late 80's things started to turn around for the big block jets, but we were using the same pump and motor combo packages from the 70s. Hell, in some cases we were using the same molds from the 70's. People just had money to spend again.
By the way, talking of big boats with jets. At Hawaiian we were doing some of the 28 footers with dual berks and dual BBCs. Talk about a gas hog! We even did some like those that went to some mid eastern country and used to patrol waterways. We had to build mounts under the decks for them to mount 50 caliber machine guns on.

[77468sleekcraft]

THERES ALOT OF THEM BECAUSE THEY KICK ASS....

[JetBoatRich]

Got to agree, maybe because I have one!

[disco_charger]

77468sleekcraft:
THERES ALOT OF THEM BECAUSE THEY KICK ASS.... True. And all the world wants a sparkly boat. If they bring metalflake back to new 19' jet boats, the industry will rise again!!!! :rolleyes:
Disco :D :D :D

[1Bahnerjet]

Yeah, And Besides Its hard to find a cooler looking boat than a low profile bubble deck jet boat or have more fun than sliding and I mean SLIDING one around a corner.

[jetaddict]

Because they are the CHIT!!!!!!1974 Sleekcraft smile_sp

[sidewound]

Yea the gas thing sucked the industry down, but anyone who has ever put 450 stalions and a berk pump into a high speed death slide knows WHY they are still here. Make yer nutsak jump right into your throat. COOL! PEACE MAN

[sidewound]

Let's all hook up. I'm not from minnesota but from extreme North Central Iowa. PEACE MAN

[sidewound]

77 Charger,
What's that eggbeater doin in here ? Who's bakin a cake ? Did someone request whipped cream?
PEACE MAN

[JetBoatRich]

I'm happy with my 78'
Original Paint, a few engines through the years. But a lot of fun for the family and did not break us.

[77charger]

sidewound:
77 Charger,
What's that eggbeater doin in here ? Who's bakin a cake ? Did someone request whipped cream?
PEACE MAN Is that what an i/o is called too? :) I still own a jet that i have had all my life(its mine til my brother pays it off and picks it up so i guess i can still hang here right? wink

[sidewound]

77charger:
sidewound:
77 Charger,
What's that eggbeater doin in here ? Who's bakin a cake ? Did someone request whipped cream?
PEACE MAN Is that what an i/o is called too? :) I still own a jet that i have had all my life(its mine til my brother pays it off and picks it up so i guess i can still hang here right? wink I bet you can. Your big V-Drive Probably smoke my smart A$$ too. I'm glad everybody's here but joke sometimes. Nice to meet you! PEACE MAN

[beached1]

I'd have to agree that it's fuel economy that steers people away from them. It takes alot less HP to push a prop boat then a jet. I prefer a jet mainly because where I boat is very shallow with lots of sandbars. If it were deeper and I didn't drink as much, I'd have a V-drive.

[roostwear]

I'd be broke from repairs if I took a prop where I take my jets. Suck gas? Sure, but if I was worried about THAT, I wouldn't OWN a boat and suck gas TOWING it! That's why it's called DISPOSABLE income! :D

[sidewound]

I just likem cause they're sparkly, noisy, obnoxious, fast and scarey! HOWBOUTU?