my story

[quiet riot]

Newbie here, been reading for quite awhile and decided to join in. A few Pics:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1036boat4-thumb.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1036y-thumb.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1036u-thumb.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1036l-thumb.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1036k-thumb.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1036boat1-thumb.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/1036boat2-thumb.jpg
Pics not the greatest, just pulled a few off the digital camcorder, I'll gather some better ones later.
Anyhows, I built this all welded alum jetboat as my senior project in college in 1994. I'm the real oddball as it has a 351w ford from my 69 mustang as I didn't have enough dough at the time for another motor build. I worked with a local boat builder to lay up the hull (a modified sprint jet, stretched to 18ft) and then built the rest, trailer and all. I recently redid the whole thing this past year as it got pretty banged up bouncing off rocks and stuff, and I finally figured out how I wanted the boat laid out.
It's got a legend jet w/A imp and I'm always changing stuff around, latest stuff is trying a droop which I cut and welded to the right angle to work with my setup. It'll do 65 @ 5k on this tired motor and just over 80 with a shot of N2O and run 12's in the quarter when I race it in a local dragboat association.
Well, time for work (nightowl here). I'll follow up with more tonight on my breaks. I hope to add a little to this board with my experience and get some knowlege from this place as I have by reading it for about 2 years now.
later
jd

[victorfb]

wow, i just dig the unique stuff. thats a cool boat you got there, and im glad your having fun with it. ive heard of a few people making their own hulls from aluminium. not sure what the advantages and dissadvantages are, but the unique factor is way cool. how much does the hull wiegh? and what thickness aluminuim did you use? im thinking of making an aluminium hull, but it will be a remote control boat with a weedeater motor. not quite the project you pulled off, but should still be fun. :D

[MikeF]

I've always had an aluminum hull to build in the back of my mind :D . You can make it anyway you want. Maybe someday it will happen!
Pull in, It's kinda fun! :cool:

[quiet riot]

The boats got a 3/16 bottom and .105 sides/top. The hull weighs approx 550 lbs. Total boat weight after original build w/all cast iron motor was right at 1300. Its not really built for speed but rather for great cornering and punching through whitewater rapids.
With the original build and when the motor was fresh (400hp build) it ran 72mph with just me and half tank of gas. Last year I redid just about everything but motor and pump in the boat and it now weighs several hundred pounds more with the addition of storage lockers up front, a livewell, washdown pump, ski locker, dual batteries, and other stuff.
Between the addition of weight and motor now being 11 years old (my first motor build) the best I could get was 62 mph on the motor and 74 on N2O. So this year I went to work on setting the boat up better for the extra drag by stepping the bottom, droop snoot, different impellers, and trying some loader/ride plate combo's. loaders and ride plates haven't helped at all. Best impeller was the original cast al A. The steps on the bottom was the bigget help to reduce the drag and it got the boat back up to 65.5 mph and 80 on N2O.
So now that the boat is doing decent for the extra weight, I'm putting together a stroker 351w and still trying to play with loader grates. The loader and ride plates have been a pain because it has a welded intake thats different than most and nobody makes any loaders for it so I've been making my own. It seems the original pump setup I put in it was about optimum for speed and stability as droops, loaders, and ride plates haven't gained anything yet.
jd

[Aluminum Squirt]

Aluminum, ain't it great. Very impressive project. I'm running a 15' Eagle Sprint and down here in Cali, I usually get a lot of attention with it. I'm running a stock TBI350 at about 4900 RPM's with a Legend pump and a B impeller. Right noe I'm getting right around 70, a little better down river. I love the sprint boat design, it corners like an Indy car. You should check out www.jetboatracing.com (http://www.jetboatracing.com) and come racing with us. I've only raced one race, Marysville, and I'm hooked. I hope to make a couple of the southern Oregon races next year but I've got to get my motor mounts and roll cage set up right to comply with race rules. Post some more pics-Aluminum Squirt

[THE BOSTON SIDEWINDER]

KEEP THE PICS AND INFO COMING, COOL BOAT!...BILL.

[quiet riot]

Thanks for the comments, I spent way too much time on this project. On the brite side the wife hasn't left me yet and she knows I plan on doing some more boats now that I've learned alot from this one. Only problem is I don't work at a marina anymore nor have access to the tools/machines at the manufacturing tech college I went to so I've got to accumilate the tools as I go. The four car garage can't fit any cars in it so I'm searching for a place with a shop.
Alumisquirt: I'd love to do some river races but I'm not gonna modify this boat to comply with the rules, thats for the next boat or two. I just run the rivers on my own and watch the rogue river jetboat races and sprintjet races up in washington. The dragboat races are kinda fun but I like water that isn't level. smile_sp smile_sp :D :D (flows downhill fast!)
jd

[Elk Chaser]

Hey QR, you ever run over here on the clearwater and snake? A few of my buddies run alum jets on these rivers and have the dents and holes to prove it :D
We'll have to hook up one of these days if you do.
Nice job on the boat, looks great!

[quiet riot]

Hey elk, I'm living in oregon now on the other side of portland. I make it over usually once or twice a year to visit with the relatives. I was in the snake about a month ago, but just down at the brownlee reservoir catfishing and such. I've had it in the salmon and payette rivers in previous years.
My dad fishes clearwater and around those parts every year so maybe next year I might head up that way with him.
jd

[21footeagle]

sweet boat QR, aluminum is the best way to go. nice job