To keep or not to keep....

[Blackroze]

Hello all,
I have been reading the forums, and trying to come up with some solutions on my own, but having a hard time.

My story is simple, never owned a boat, decided to buy one, had a budget, and went for it. So in my budget I had a few choices, mostly older (late80's) bayliners, with some wear, or this 1994 four winns fling jet boat, with perfect interior. I was foolhardy to take the boat by its cover. It was beautiful. So, after purchasing the boat on looks alone (d*psh&t), also hearing it run, but never driving. The first important lesson was that I did not know how to properly start it, choke, neutral forward etc... so the first day on the lake, I spent it recharging a dead battery as the boat would not turn over. Second day, I get it to run finally, but played the stereo to long while out, and had to paddle in. 3rd time out, the locknut on the starter gear flew off, and all the goodies with it. Another paddle day. 4th time out finally got the boat out, but would top out at about 25-30 mph, and took forever to get on plane. (lots of reading on the forum led me to change gas, and things to this nature) 5th time out new gas, new oil, runs like a top, but only about 40MPH tops. I am ok with that, as this seems pretty quick. 6th time out, 4 people in the boat, boat doesnt plane, and 10MPH max! 7th time out, ignition switch sticks on, and something happened to the starter, all I hear is click click, but the starter does not turn. Ugh... Anyway, looking for a little advice, being that this is my first boat, should I keep working on it, or just get rid of it for something a little more newbie friendly? Thanks a ton!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: To keep or not to keep....

nothnig personal, but a new boater + an old boat = problems. In your decription, half are a result of learning and half on age. You really need the experience to deal with the problems or they often get worse, which is why I recommend new boaters to pay for reliability.

Can't say whether it's better to kick this one to the curb and start over, or pay a pro to go over the whole thing and get it up to speed, or keep flailing away. How patient are you and the rest of the family?

 

[Blackroze]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

Thank you for the reply!

Well, I am pretty patient, but one of my concerns is not so much the "learning" I am an engineer by trade, so love to tinker. The biggest concern for me is size/people ratio. I took 4 friends out in this thing, and it would not go. I did compression tests at 90 across all 4 cylinders cold. I figured a 115HP motor should be able to pull us around... Again, the rookie in me is shining on this. I am stuck in the "should I keep it to learn" stage, or dump it and get another, in which I will still need to learn....

 

[oops!]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

black rose......sorry bout your troubles....

keep it......and learn.

replace the starter.....get the motor running.....then we can research why the lack of power.......could be an impeller problem...

 

[Blackroze]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

I was told it could be starter/solenoid, so I am just going to replace both since they are easy, but check voltages first.

The power thing baffles me. I have the manual for the boat, and motor, so I will check the impeller. Any advice as to what to look for?

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

Anyway, looking for a little advice, being that this is my first boat, should I keep working on it, or just get rid of it for something a little more newbie friendly? Thanks a ton!

Sorry to hear about your run of bad luck Blackroze. Happens to everyone to some degree or another. If you like the style and appearance of the boat then I would keep it, fix it and learn as you go. You will gain confidence, knowledge and experience as you go.

As far as finding something "a little more newbie friendly", I'm not sure what that would be. Any used boat that you buy will run perfectly according to the owner, but they rarely do. Part of boating is the routine maintenance and repairs needed to keep it running reliably and safely.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: To keep or not to keep....

and if it makes you feel better, new boats have problems, and late-model used boats have problems. Even if covered by warranty or service agreement, you stillhave to paddle home, haul them out, take them in, and wait a week.

"If you have a boat, you have a problem." They aren't like cars.

 

[Aquaman-PSD]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

Personally I wouldn't go for a jet boat for your first boat. They are , IMHO, sould we say "finiky". I have the same opinion with I/O though they are great for more experienced boaters. For new boaters, like myself, I would only recommend on OB. They are more reliable and easier to work with.
This is not to mention the fact that driving a jet boat takes a lot of getting used to. What's done is done but my advice would be to unload it and get a more user friendly outboard. Steer clear of Chryslers and late model Force (made by chrysler for a while).
Also from experience if you are looking for late 80's boats I would run from fiberglass, expecially bayliners. Stick to aluminum and you won't have to worry AS MUCH.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

I did compression tests at 90 across all 4 cylinders cold. I figured a 115HP motor should be able to pull us around... ...

Someone else can chime in to verify or disprove, but, isn't that compression pretty low?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

The Turbojet uses a standard OMC V4 powerhead so it shouldn't be inherently unreliable. You do lose a good amount of HP due to the nature of jets so it won't be a powerhouse. I believe there may be some unavailable parts related to the jet pump and I know some mechanics don't really like to work on these. It doesn't sound to me like you're currently up against anything out of the ordinary in regards to inexpensive used boats. I wouldn't throw major money into it but I'd not have any qualms about throwing a starter and/or some carb rebuilds at it.

 

[gtochris]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

Someone else can chime in to verify or disprove, but, isn't that compression pretty low?

Unfortunately the performance is spot on I had a Sea Ray Jet-boat with that same Merc engine and it was HORRIBLE! NO power with any passengers/ performance. I hated that boat toward the end so much!

 

[drrpm]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

The jet drive is inefficient and with a 4 cylinder engine there will never be much power. If you want to take out friends and engage in some water sports, you would be better off selling it and getting something that is a better fit for your needs. +

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

Everyone has to start some place. Your challenge is finding a mechanic with a good reputation that will deal with you honestly. Hate to say it, and maybe it's just this area, but there are more shade tree dummies looking to take your money than really good marine mechanics. So...most important...don't get ripped off. On the other side of the equation, a lesson I have learned is that when you buy cheap, you get cheap. Sometimes it's better to start new, or at least close to new. While the group can't tell you what to do, in that we are not in your shoes, the experience here is priceless. Since you have the boat, move forward, be cautious with who you pay for services, and keep the team here informed BEFORE you make costly decisions.

The other part of this, which no one has mentioned, is the overall condition and structure of the vessel. I saw that you said it was beautiful, but that sounded cosmetic. My first wife was beautiful...the second one can cook. It won't do you any good to throw $$$ into a motor and then discover your stringers and transom are shot. Just remember it's an 18 year old boat.

 

[SKEETR]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

The jet drive is inefficient and with a 4 cylinder engine there will never be much power. If you want to take out friends and engage in some water sports, you would be better off selling it and getting something that is a better fit for your needs. +

I agree completely. This jet/engine setup is for 2 people max and little gear. A great fishing boat setup but that is about it. I have done everything to squeeze as much power as I can but to no avail. I liken it to a 4x4 toyota 4cyl truck. You love them off road but you wouldn't want to be behind one on the freeway going up a hill.

 

[Blackroze]

Re: To keep or not to keep....

It has been a couple months since my update. It has been a horrible boat season so far, but was able to get out a few times. So, I fixed the starter issue, basically I did some troubleshooting to make sure power was getting to the starter, and it was not. Unhooked all the wires, and cleaned/reinstalled, and it fired up. Still have the low power issue, but after much reading, I am finding that 30Mph is probably what I am to expect out of this thing. Decided to sell it, and look for something a bit bigger. Thank you guys for your help!