# Outboard Jet question?



## happyhooker2 (Nov 11, 2005)

Right now I have a 2003 2 stroke 40 horse Mercury short shaft. I want a jet but not sure if I can get a replacement lower unit for my current motor, a conversion kit or do I have to buy a complete new outboard? I use it on my Lund Alaskan and I duck hunt and fish shallow rivers. My boat drafts 6-8 inches. My short shaft gets me a lot of places but a jet would be nice. Does anybody have much experience or info with jets? Thanks!


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

I have some experience with evinrudes with the regular jet and also the pumpjet. there are good and bad with both, it really depends on where/how your going to use it. and how much weeds are there. you can just change the lower.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

Chris,Call up Jeff Dean up at Erie Bay Harbor Marina 1 734 675 7096 .He will tell ya what ya need.I would just go in and meet him.Just North of VanHorn on Jefferson about mile up. 5522 West Jeff Ave,Trenton.Close to Sgate as well ,Mich


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## DangerDan (Mar 10, 2005)

If your wondering about conversions contact this company in San Leandro Ca. 
Outboard Jets Inc.*, *2035 Edison Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577-1103, (510) 562-6049
They can fit just about any application.

additional information:

http://www.sonarsearch.com/Jets.htm

http://www.scottandjenn.com/etomite/index.php?id=22


If you want to know the pro's & cons ask a few specific questions and maybe some jet owners can help ya out.


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## Michigander1 (Apr 5, 2006)

DangerDan said:


> If your wondering about conversions contact this company in San Leandro Ca.
> Outboard JetsInc.*, *2035 Edison Ave, San Leandro, CA 94577-1103, (510) 562-6049
> They can fit just about any application.
> 
> ...


 I would check out this info before i do anything.Mich


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## happyhooker2 (Nov 11, 2005)

Michigander1 said:


> Chris,Call up Jeff Dean up at Erie Bay Harbor Marina 1 734 675 7096 .He will tell ya what ya need.I would just go in and meet him.Just North of VanHorn on Jefferson about mile up. 5522 West Jeff Ave,Trenton.Close to Sgate as well ,Mich


Thats where I bought my Lund at last April!!! Thanks Guys!!!!


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## headshkr (Jul 24, 2006)

I have a 60/40 Johnson Jet on my Steelhead Sled. I can tell you they are great in rock infested shallow water. On the bad side is mud/weeds and debris. They don't tolerate the typical lake stuff very well. Not to mention you will lose 30% of your horsepower with changing the lower unit to a jet, along with the added fuel consumption. Jets love/demand tons of fuel. Your 40 horse will become a 28 horse with the jet kit. The jet kit will cost around $1500.00 to purchase. The installation isn't too bad with a little mechanical know how.

Good Luck.


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## bigfisherman (Nov 9, 2007)

headshkr said:


> I have a 60/40 Johnson Jet on my Steelhead Sled. I can tell you they are great in rock infested shallow water. On the bad side is mud/weeds and debris. They don't tolerate the typical lake stuff very well. Not to mention you will lose 30% of your horsepower with changing the lower unit to a jet, along with the added fuel consumption. Jets love/demand tons of fuel. Your 40 horse will become a 28 horse with the jet kit. The jet kit will cost around $1500.00 to purchase. The installation isn't too bad with a little mechanical know how.
> 
> Good Luck.


I doubt that your boat would get on plane with your motor converted down to a jet with the power loss. I have a jet (115/80) and the biggest problem I would see is you lose your big water performance out of the boat as the jet doesn't stick down into the water so when running in waves you cavitate and lose lots more power. I would reccommend that you look into a hydraulic Jack plate for that boat it would be perfect and allow you to run in the 6-8" depth you are looking for but still allow for that big water performance (actually it will improve that as well as you can drop in in a bit deeper for more bite in the big waves to keep your bow down. Lots of the big bass walleye boats are doing it to improve performance. They run $500-$2000 depending on horsepower of motor and range of travel desired. Talk to a marina experienced in this and they can help more than I.


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## DangerDan (Mar 10, 2005)

I think that the power loss is inherent in a jet conversion but fuel consuption and planing issues are a matter of hull design. I run a modified 16' hull (narrower than most) and plane well with a 50/30. It will run me from Shamrock to the Dairy & back with about 4 to 6 gal. to spare. Not sure how many miles that is but it's a haul. My boat was sold to me as it was but came from a long time river fisherman who wanted to buy a drift boat. Personally I think that design and application can sort through a lot of fuel and horsepower issues. Not saying it does away with them but just makes them but one can gain in one area and loose in another to suit thier needs. I usually fish alone as i like the solitude I get on the river when I want to get away from things but it can fish two ok. So where you gain in performance you'll sacrifice in room. Some may disagree but this is what I see in my boat anyways.


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## bigfisherman (Nov 9, 2007)

I agree with you sort of. I agree that planing and hull design are huge issues affecting speed and fuel consumption. I don't think that the fuel effecency drops with respect to the motor itself but it is significant especially when you consider coming on and off plane especially with an under powered boat. first off I would be very suprised if you can get a 16' Lund Alaskan on plane with a 40hp jet conversion something like 28 jet hp (depending on kit, etc.) I have riden in several 14ft boats that had a 40 power head converted to jet and with 2 guys/gear they barely planed out keeping in mind I am a big guy. The constant coming on and off plane is were the fuel economy goes down terrible because the longer time it takes to plane out the worse the fuel economy is going to be. I have found that I never run full out except to come on plane and then I back off and it greatly increases fuel economy. The problem being if the boat barely planes at full throttle that is where you will have to run. Now if you have a 4 stroke jet it is not going to use nearly the fuel as friends of mine that are guides that run 80 hp jet use about 1/4 to 1/6 the fuel I do to make the same runs. I think the best option for this situation is the Jack plate I talked about earlier. As a duck hunter HH2 would have to worry about heavy weed growth clogging his intake and then getting stuck due to power loss. 

HH2-Long and short of it is I would defiately contact your manufacture before dumping the money on either option you may already be getting the best bang out of your motor combo with the short shaft. That may mean you wouldn't see much out of the hydraulic jack plate another option I forgot to mention above was with a lower water pickup on your lower unit and the jack plate yo umay pick up a few more inches of clearance.


DD-I am sure your setup is nice and works well for you not dogging it at all. I certianly wish I didn't have the fuel bill I do at the end of the day. I think the narrow hull you have is saving you. Question can you get 3 guys up on plane and if so how fast are you going on plane?


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## DangerDan (Mar 10, 2005)

Yeah, I've had three in my boat and get up on plane nicely. I can do 23 alone, 21 w/2 and about 19 to 20 w/3. It's a very efficient modifcation. Kudo's to the guy who did it! I weigh 240, another guy that fishes with me at times, a little more than me 250ish then his brother at about 180lbs. Thats way more weight than what the boat is rated for according to the placard but that placard is just a recomendation. We were'nt close to sinking although my sled is pretty sleek in design and the gunnels low. We fished a little cramped but as I said, it's a sacrifice one makes. Not that I wonder what distance I can travel on a 12 gal tank but It's a great distance from what I've heard about jets. I usually hit maybe 6 holes on a trip so getting up on plane and slowing down for others yeah, theres a lot of that. All in all you'd be suprized. It just dosen't kill me in fuel.


And yeah, you'll get better performance from a prop versus a jet thats the truth. As you say, a lund would not fare so well under the same conditions. That is why I posted the information that I did with a contact number to the OB jet co. I really considered my options carefully before buying my lil boat but I gotta say, I love it. Especially the 4" draft...


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## bigfisherman (Nov 9, 2007)

I am impressed you can get that kind of speed with that size boat and motor. I do understand how you can get a fair amount of speed out of a lightweight boat, w/ a correct hull shape and smaller HP. I used to have a 16 ft with a 20hp prop that did about those speeds but at 3 guys she would drop off pretty quick. Another buddy had a 16ft flat bottom that he couldn't get on plane with his 20 because of the hull design it supprised the heck out of me too. Looks like you got a pefrectly matched setup. 

I certianly wish mine was easier on fuel as I fish water very quickly and cover allot of water in a day (on the big Man like Rainbow to Manistee and back or Rainbow to High Bridge) and man getting her up on plane sucks the gas right up so I usually putt to spots and run up or down in the morning and evening and that way I just cover the water fairly well and helps the gas bill. I have considered getting a 4 stroke or maybe a Etec but the gas I go through doesn't offset the cost of a new motor. I fish allot but not enough to justify spending that kind of dough when my motor is only 6 years old with very low hours before I owned it.


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