OK here's the deal,  for years we have been fishing and hunting the snake river in Idaho Falls.  Well some of the land we hunt has been bought and posted and so we're locked out.  There are other places to hunt but they are across the river and no easily accessible from the other side via land.


I bought a canoe this year to get across and that's cool,  it works but it's scary as shit!  Fast water with 2 very large dudes in this little canoe and you have to find the perfect place to put in and get out cause you drift so fast downcurrent as you cross.

So now I'm looking at some of the small jet powered boats I see scooting up and down river.  I really want one but don't know ANYTHING about them.  There are basically two classes of boats;  the SERIOUS 20,000 dollar inboard/outboard jet boats which are way over my head and my price range.

The second class is the 16 - 20 foot jet boats with the outboard motors with the jet foot that I'm interested in.  The question is what is the best way to go?  Jon boat? Tunnel hull?  V hull?  

The parameters are that it has to haul at least myself and my dad and my two kids for a combined weight of about 700 lbs.  This means I have to find a stronger motor like an 80 hp motor or up.

So educate me-  what should I be looking for?  Anything to avoid?  I am preliminarily interested in a 16 foot Jon boat with an 80/50 jet unit but I don't know which kinds are good or which kinds should be avoided so I can use some help from you guys to avoid buying some total piece of crap.


matt
crashburnrepeat

OK the original description isn't getting much traffic.  Let's try this;


I need a small in-expensive jet boat in the 16 foot range and less than 5000 dollars. What should I get?

I'm a little confused by the description above. A jet boat is as follows:

A jet boat is a boat that uses a conventional hull but is powered by an inboard engine driving a water pump that works just like the jet drive on a PWC. (See PWC). The jet boat, however, has the driver and passengers ride down inside the boat rather than on the top of it, like a PWC.

If that's what you are looking for then you can find a number of small seadoo boats in that price range. They will be from around 98 or older depending on the overall condition. I picked up a 97 for a little less than that with trailer in FL. Had it for the past 2 years. No major problems so far.
Not sure if this is the response you were looking for.

close,  I am looking for a conventional hulled boat like a Jon boat that uses a normal outboard  motor that doesn't have a prop but am impeller unit on the bottom.  

I also can't use the seadoo jet boats cause they are fiberglass,  this boat will be used for running up and down a river where you can bounce the hull off gravel and/or sand bars so it would probably have to be an aluminum hulled boat.....

is that any clearer?

IM or email me...Have ran boats from 16 to 28ft on the Snake.