# jet jon boat conversion



## hvickers2

ive been looking in to this and it seems like something cool to tinker with anyone else heard or seen it anywhere or in person.


----------



## WOODIE13

Saw them in Missouri, tends to cut your power down a bit, @ 1/2, but beats replacing props and shear pins.


----------



## Meason

Ask Aaron Batson.  He converted one, I think.  He's a member here.


----------



## trout man

I used a jet Jon boat in Alaska for three summers. They will go almost anywhere but will not do good in water with a lot of debris. If you stay on plane they will run in a little over ankle deep water.


----------



## ngaduck

What are the advantages over a mud motor? I don't know anything about jet motors.


----------



## WOODIE13

Jets do not take too kindly to weeds, mud an all, plus your HP goes way down.  They do good in shoals and @ rocks.


----------



## ngaduck

trout man said:


> They will go almost anywhere but will not do good in water with a lot of debris.



I was thinking that might be a problem. So I am assuming that would rule them out for getting back into some ducky waters. I guess my thinking is that if they are good for duck hunting, you would see more of them being used for that.


----------



## Larry Young Jr

I like jets myself. I never seen them have any problems yes they are slow but they go just about any where. But it is up to the person and their needs.  Mud mtrs,jets,outboards they each have thier use. It is what is going to work for you the best. That is my 2 cents.
Good luck and besafe
Larry


----------



## hvickers2

I was thinking about open water and running up river next season and this summer. I dont have to many swampy muddy places on the big water that I've found yet. Those are all private places where walking is the best way. Besides im always up for a project. As far as speed goes I've heard depending on motor and weight some will do 45. Im looking for a broke down jetskj and a 16+ ft aluminum boat at the moment with a few prospects.


----------



## Barroll

A jet drive is good in shallow, rocky rivers. That is about it.  Weeds, grass, mud, small gravel, and whatever else can get sucked up into the drives and mess it up.  A mudmotor will be more durable and be better in everything except for rocky rivers.  You can look at my profile picture and see what kind of nasty stuff you can go through in a mudmotor that you cant do with a jet


----------



## Hunter22

Im in the same situation. I have a 14ft aluminum flat bottom green jon boat and was thinking of converting it into a duck boat. Take of the 25hp johnson outboard and replacing it with a mud buddy or go devil but dont know much about them and put a blind on it. I havent decided if im going to do it yet or not because of funds right now but im hopeing I can so I can hunt different places!


----------



## little rascal

*A jet*

drive on an outboard will be whatever the h.p. x .7= h.p. @ the pump.  (30% reduction at the nozzle)
Example: 60 h.p. mercury powerhead x .7= 42 h.p. +/-, so now you have a 40 h.p. jet drive.
Think you was talking about a jet ski motor in a jon boat project. My brothers buddy who runs a lot of river, built one and it was labor intensive with minimal results.
We fish shallow rivers with the mudmotors and can "almost" go everywhere the jets go and even more places the jets can't or won't go. The mudmotor will hold and push a lot weight, sip's gas, doesn't need the attention and maintaining that a jet requires. It isn't a speed demon, but a jet is not either unless you go really big on the powerhead and a jon boat does not like a lot of weight on the transom. A mudmotor is a very good compromise and really shines for duck hunting, but also makes for a very satisfactory and reliable fishing motor.


----------



## hvickers2

How much do the mud motors run?


----------



## little rascal

*here's a link*

with price on the ProDrive. If you look around a little you can find some good prices on some used ones. Try some of alabama duck sites, with duck season over you can find some deals.
http://prodriveoutboards.com/motors.html


----------



## jerry russell

Barroll said:


> A jet drive is good in shallow, rocky rivers. That is about it.  Weeds, grass, mud, small gravel, and whatever else can get sucked up into the drives and mess it up.  A mudmotor will be more durable and be better in everything except for rocky rivers.  You can look at my profile picture and see what kind of nasty stuff you can go through in a mudmotor that you cant do with a jet



I'm with Barroll on the use of a Jet drive- Shallow rocky rivers. I have run them extensively in Alaska and Canada and they excel on a moose river but I cant even imagine running them in a situation where there is light weight debris like weeds and soft mud.
I run a tunnel boat with an outboard/jack plate but I only do that because I need speed and I use the boat in a very broad spectrum of environments - saltwater, big lakes etc. I do EVERYTHING out of this boat. If I only duck hunted with my rig my choice would be a mud motor.


----------



## trout man

for what you said you are gonna use it for i would go with a jet. they are not real fast but faster than a go devil. look it up on you tube. something about back channels in alaska should give you a better idea about jets.


----------



## injun joe

There are some boys who run them on the Chattahoochee down from below Lanier. They do great over the shoals, much better than outboards with jack plates. As said earlier, light debris is a problem.


----------



## grizznasty93

Hunter22 said:


> Im in the same situation. I have a 14ft aluminum flat bottom green jon boat and was thinking of converting it into a duck boat. Take of the 25hp johnson outboard and replacing it with a mud buddy or go devil but dont know much about them and put a blind on it. I havent decided if im going to do it yet or not because of funds right now but im hopeing I can so I can hunt different places!



i have the exact same boat and im guna start here soon on buildin my own mud motor outa a lil go cart motor or lawn mower motor, as long as it has a horizontal shaft


----------



## bocephus1

If you want a project build your own mud motor, it would probably be easier to build then a jetski jonboat. 
http://www.duckhuntingchat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=72&t=97024


----------



## BradMyers

hvickers2 said:


> I was thinking about open water and running up river next season and this summer. I dont have to many swampy muddy places on the big water that I've found yet. Those are all private places where walking is the best way. Besides im always up for a project. As far as speed goes I've heard depending on motor and weight some will do 45. Im looking for a broke down jetskj and a 16+ ft aluminum boat at the moment with a few prospects.



I know a guy in Newnan that had 2 new Yamaha jet drives with no motors. I do know from my past experience looking into this, it is a big project and weight and motor placement is very critical. 1 fella that did make one work had a real squirrelly ride and the motor sat almost in the center of the hull. PM me if you still want to use a jet and I'll see if he still has them.


----------

