# River boat suggestions



## ugabowhunter

Hopefully, within the next year or so, I will be able to buy a legitimate river boat. I would like something around 18ft with a large enough live well to support a good sack of fish easily. I am thinking 18ft, 60" wide, center/side console, aluminum tunnel hull, 36v trolling motor, with at least 90 hp on a jack plate. I would love any suggestions for boat make, jet or prop drive, tunnel hull vs. standard. Any feedback from experiences would be highly valued! I would probably have, at most, three people fishing in the boat...if i can ever become a guide. This boat would be used for rivers only and clear lakes, so grass getting into a jet drive would not be an issue. Are there any other concerns or cons about a jet drive? Just how beneficial is a tunnel hull in a rocky, shallow river?

Thanks,
Robby


----------



## Nicodemus

I got a 16522SS Lowe Roughneck with a 40 horse 4 stroke Mercury, last year, and it works wonders in the Flint, and everywhere else Iv`e  put it. Settin` up front with that stick steerin`, I can see any log, rock, gator, or anything else I might not want to bounce over. For me, and my style of fishin`, it`s real close to perfect.


----------



## bow_hunter125

I've seen videos of a guy in his jetboat on another forum and it's unreal how shallow he can run.  He had a video of him with 2 other guys running in about 6 in. of water with no probably and it was a 90 hp motor.  He highly recommended jet motors to everyone on that forum.


----------



## JR'S GUIDE

*River Boat*

Robby, I spent all summer looking and talking about jet vs prop and what boat, here are few choices 1. River Pro,( best) but your talking big bucks a tie for #2 would be the G3 1860 ccj  with a 65hp 4 stroke yamaha or the Triton 1860 cc with a 80 hp Merc.
The G3 has the open room but the Triton has a lot of deck space. I bought a Triton because I found a demo  ( 2 weeks ago) as for the jet and grass so far I have sucked up moss 2 times a trash bag and a 5 gal bucket top, but I have gone places I have never run a prop, as for the trolling motor it came with a 24 volt 82 lb thrust and it will pull it up the river like a small gas motor, I was shocked. If you like pm me for my shopping list and where I priced. Good luck


----------



## olered

Check out www.riversmallies.com and go to the forums  then go to watercraft. There is a lot of good info on there about jet boats and setting them up right.


----------



## little rascal

*That 90*

you hang on the back will be a 60 h.p. at the foot, and it won't run as fast as a prop 90, especially with 3 men and a load, and gas ain't cheap. Jet's don't sip, they guzzle fuel. If you want 90 h.p. at the foot with a pump(jet), you would have to hang a 125 or bigger. With jets just take whatever h.p. you are thinking and multiply x .7(30% loss)= h.p. at the pump. Also, you will have to keep it shimmed, greased, and impeller sharpened to get the most performance out of it. A tunnel won't work with a jet unless it is designed specifically for a jet(small tunnel). Maybe some of the jet guys will chime in, they even have Uhmw bottoms on some of the jet hulls and those guys can slide up and over rock, dry or wet.
  A regular prop tunnel(large tunnel) with jackplate and a tunnel design prop(lot of cup) will haul the mail and get you into the skinnies, but still may not be best for shallow rocky rivers. If you vent that prop tunnel it will be even faster and draft less(won't make the rear end squat). Lot's of things to think about. If you want even more to chew on, enter the MudMotors. I have a ProDrive and run some shallow rivers for Stripe and Ducks. Can go just about anywhere the jets go(rock) and lot more places the jets can't go(weeds, mud, over land)., there is Mudbuddy, Go-Devil, and others. They are 4stroke Briggs and Kohlers, Hondas, etc., not as fast as outboards, but will haul heavy loads very well, they sip fuel, air cooled, easy to work on, very dependable, very tough, and though not cheap, still no-where as expensive as outboards w/props and or jets. A good mudboat designed for these Mudmotors will have ribs that run vertical with the hull(longitudial) any hooks or cupping and dents will not affect performance like the production vertical ribbed jons do, they get the sideways vertical dents and hooks that slow you down and will affect performance in a big way especially on a jet pump. Also these hulls have at least .125(1/8") aluminum bottoms and sides. They are a tank!! And they are quieter than a jet!!


----------



## blindhog

Check out Scandy White, and Xpress.


----------



## Wes204

I second that Blindhog.  Also check out rockproofboats.com....watch the video


----------



## Alan Matthews

*Boat*

I have a G3 1860CCJ with a 90/65 yamaha jet It will run very shallow and lots of room The riverpro boats are very nice I was going to sell mine and buy one. I have not heard anything good about Brent the guy at Rockproof boats. I would suggest if you are going to run shallow rocky rivers to put polymer on the bottom I am going to put some on mine this winter. Jets suck on gas the inboard jets like river pros run are suppose to get preatty good I have heard. It just depends on how shallow you want to go if you need a jet or a tunnel hull with a prop. If you run an outboard jet I would definetly get a tunnel hull so your intake will be a few inches above the bottom of the boat my boat will run in 2-3 inches of water


----------



## GA Bowfisher

Go with an F & F boat you can have them built to your specs and they are cheaper than most mass produced boats. They are in Monticello Ar.I gust had an 1872 cc with 6 ft. deck and 29 in sides built for 5300.


----------



## Msteele

Alan Matthews said:


> I have a G3 1860CCJ with a 90/65 yamaha jet It will run very shallow and lots of room The riverpro boats are very nice I was going to sell mine and buy one. I have not heard anything good about Brent the guy at Rockproof boats. I would suggest if you are going to run shallow rocky rivers to put polymer on the bottom I am going to put some on mine this winter. Jets suck on gas the inboard jets like river pros run are suppose to get preatty good I have heard. It just depends on how shallow you want to go if you need a jet or a tunnel hull with a prop. If you run an outboard jet I would definetly get a tunnel hull so your intake will be a few inches above the bottom of the boat my boat will run in 2-3 inches of water




Alan likes his jet that runs shallow, because he can't swim.


----------



## sittinginthewoodsjr

I have been searching for the same type of boat(a little smaller) and have just got more confused than when I started.  The first thing that you must accept is that one boat/motor combo will not do eveything.  

Mud motors will work well in shallow water, but beware of sand.  Sand will ruin a mud motor prop in one good trip.  They make rock guards for these motors and several different hp choices.

Also be aware of longtail mud motors.  I bought one last year and could not stand it.  It was extremely hard to steer.

Jet drives also work well in their own types of environment.  Sand will also cause with a jet.


----------



## ugabowhunter

so far, i kinda like the idea of a prop with a tunnel hull. the gas consumption of a jet drive really turns me off, as well as the potential damage that may occur when running in grass or sand. i did not realize the jet drive has to be shimmed and the turbine had to be sharpened. i have seen a 17ft duracraft tunnell hull at a bass tx i really liked. it had a 115 4 stroke yamaha with a prop on a jack plate and I know that boat did fine running up to newton from bainbridge. plus, a prop would be more versatile if i wanted to fish a lake and a river in the same day or trip. thanks to everyone for the info...keep it coming.

Robby


----------



## Lindseys Grandpa

I have a 18ft Weld-Bilt boat that was built for me by the company of the same name located in Perry Fla. It is a 18ft center console with a smal tunnel infront of a jet foot (135 Merc) it has a sprayed interior (like rhino liner) flotation wings on both sides of the motor, front gas tank 92 inch beams , i forget the numbers on the aluminum but it is the heaviest i have ever seen but will run on 3 inchs of water on plane and 6 inch idle. They sell the johnboat verzion at Sportsman World in Perry Ga but if you want to order a larger boat they will custom build it for you. The owners name is James Taylor and  the company is Weld-Bilt Boats.


----------



## riverrat

i have a riverpro and i love it. it has the 200 optimax inboard and is very good on gas. the boat is built like a tank, trust me i have tested it on some rocks in the hooch. it is layed out much like a bass boat plenty of room and storage. it will run in about 3 inches, and draft about 8-10 inches. to me it handles turns much better than a jon boat style boat, no sliding in turns, it handles much like a jet ski on steroids. pm me if you need more info, or want to go fishing in it.


----------



## TBRocket

I have had numerous dealings with Brent and he is a great guy. He builds a great boat aand will do anything that he can to build somebody a custom boat. Some other companies just sell a boat with very few options.


----------



## huntndeer

I have a G3 1860 tunnel w\90hp yamaha prop drive its been a great all aroud boat.  Had to add a jack plate for when I was int he lakes the tunnel with the prop would not take off well due to teh motor sittin so high, but when in the river it works fine just the factory had setup because on take it would sit way down in the rear causeing the bottom to drag.   The only complaint I have is with the live well in the model I have not very big.  If we get into alot of fish always have to pull out the stringer or start putting them In the cooler


----------



## brett30030

Hopefully the guys didn't have to wait 3.5 years before making a decision, LOL!!!


----------



## huntndeer

didn't even check the date post was toward top of the list assumed was a new topic


----------



## fishbum

*Jet Boat*

All good info. Most of the time a jet is a trade off.
The reason a jet gets sucks gas is because you run at full throttle most of the time!  You loose 30% horse power when changing to a jet.   If you can get a larger motor you can run at 3/4 and save a lot of gas.
Jets work best with a small dead rise in the hull, if you have 3-6 deg it helps a lot on the lake. 
A jet tunnel is good but not necessary!
I have set up several boats with no tunnel that run fine.
In fact they will run better than a tunnel but the intake in in danger a little more.  If the vidio you are talking about is Judah Clark. I rigged that boat,  no tunnel with a 6def dead rise hull.   If you want you can rig one to switch back and forth prop to jet from winter to summer.  Takes about 2 hours.  I am building a 1860 grizzly right now with a 115/80. Just ran it Thurs. Ran about 36mph.  
That boat will be for sale.  I am a dealer for outboard jets 
if you need any jet drive info


----------



## Alan in GA

*old post?...but...*

Might be an old post but anytime I see "riverboat" I CLICK ON AND READ!
Love the rivers!!!


----------



## BowHunter89

Alan in GA said:


> Might be an old post but anytime I see "riverboat" I CLICK ON AND READ!
> Love the rivers!!!



Myself, lakes are fine but the river is where you'll find me!


----------



## Perkins

I have a Lowe 1652DB Jet Rig 90/65 and I've been very happy with it.  been fishing tournaments out of it on about 7 gallons of gas a day. It has one 14 gallon tank. if I fished large bodies or ran long distance I would have to add another tank but for right now its ok. Its unreal how shallow this thing will run. My motto is if I see water covering the river, it will run it. I havent really run alot of rock but the same thing goes when I do. if its up over the rock it runs it pretty well.


----------



## fishbum

*Lowe Jet*

Very nice!!! Love the front console. Great idea for people that don't like stick steer but don't want to stand at a console,  I like the Roughneck hulls and tunnel about the best of the factory boats.  It should move well. The mercury 90/65 is a great rig!  It should run up higher rpm than others,  what is the top speed?
I would guess about 36-38?


----------



## Alan in GA

*jet preference? [2 cycle or 4?]*

Does a 4 stroke endure constant high revs as well as a 2 cycle? Which makes a better powerplant for jet drive?


----------



## fishbum

*4 stroke*

I think most would say 2 stroke is better. 
Weight is also an issue.  There may be some new stuff coming that might change things. Yamaha has a new 70 that is light and runs the rpms up
They say they will build bigger motors in this format soon,
I had a 60/40 4 stroke before and it was a dog.


----------



## Alan in GA

*Yamaha 70......*

that new Yamaha 70 would be nice on my stick steer! I'm rated for 50 hsp max but the 70 is about the same weight as most 50s! Don't worry..I know...transom stress etc....but I don't have the $$ anyway but it's nice to have 'more than enough' horsepower! If the 70 had a higher pitch prop it would prabably stress the transom as much as a 50, and get higher speeds and still be in the proper rpm range......talking prop drive motor here.
I like the 40 I have though!


----------



## Jetjockey

Alan in GA said:


> Might be an old post but anytime I see "riverboat" I CLICK ON AND READ!
> Love the rivers!!!





BowHunter89 said:


> Myself, lakes are fine but the river is where you'll find me!





Im with you guys.  Unfortunately, folks down here in the south have no idea what a "river boat" really is.  Trust me guys, if you ever get to ride in a "real" river boat, do it.  Im gonna post a link to some videos of what running rivers is really all about.  Ive been running inboard jet boats since I was about 15.  Ive driven most of the major brands from the Northwest.  North River, Edge (Boice jet), Duckworth, Alumaweld, and Wooldridge.  Back home we run 20+ feet boats in 6 inches of water all the time.  20+ ft inboard jet boats with 400+ horsepower build from heavy gauge aluminum.  The general rule of thumb back home is not if you will hit rocks, but when will you hit rocks.  There has been days in the summer when I WISH we had 6 inches of water.  But the boats are built for that kind of water.  The boats down here in the south just aren't built to stand up to the beating of boats from the NW.  For an open boat, IMO, a tiller steer is really hard to beat.  IMO a jet will always outperform a prop when it comes to steering and handling, but they will use more gas.  Here's a couple videos for the guys who love rivers, and running boats in rivers.  You have never driven a boat until you have driven and inboard jet.  They can do things that will blow your mind!

http://edgemarine.com/models.htm#VIDEOS


----------

