It may sound weird, but I say don't buy just any boat and put a jet on it, buy a jet boat..... a shallow running SOB travel on plane across a slight dew on the grass or a trickle over a gravel bar !!! 
Guys,
I have a pretty hard and fast policy against participating in forum discussions about our boats but someone sent me an email a few days ago about this thread and I finally got a minute to get over here and take a look. Mike has an outstanding forum here but I rarely have time to check in more than once every few months anymore. As I’m here, I’ll weigh in too.
First, Jarrod makes a valid and absolutely critical point. Don’t take anyone’s word on anything before you buy a boat unless that person is someone who you trust and they have actually ran the boat for an extended period of time. Then run the boat yourself and make up your own mind. Our entire business model is based on having professional guides who represent our boats rather than traditional boat dealers – people who have enough experience and background to have an opinion that matters. The last thing that we would ever want would be to put a customer in a skiff that wasn’t right for them – it wouldn’t be good for us or them. We offer anyone who is considering going to jet power the opportunity to contact one of our jet owners for a demo.
The Rivermaster was flat out never designed as a jet boat – it wasn’t even a remote consideration. It was designed as a tough, stable and versatile shallow river boat. It was actually our customers who began to switch to jets and began to call us to tell us about it. We began to talk with the folks at Outboard Jets who helped us to understand why our hull did pretty well with jet power – turns out it moves plenty of clean water to the jet.
As long as the parts come in on schedule, you folks should get to see Yoda’s skiff later in the month. This boat was our shop “test mule” and has an interesting history. It started life as a standard Rivermaster and was used by Brad Bohen for a full season to test a rowing set up. It appeared in a couple of different magazine shots. When it came back in, it was used for several prototype projects and finally was used for some stability testing – it was “mocked up” to Calusa standards and the trays were filled to simulate our shallow tray option. Casting decks were added after the fact with not too much attention to appearance as she was a prototype. She had over 4,200 pounds of pig iron stacked in her by the Coast Guard and she still floated. This boat has been through absolue Hell. She’s scratched up, scarred, a bit ugly and somewhat heavier than our normal boats. However , from the calls I got, Eric seemed more than pleased with her performance when he ran her on prop power last week. Im guessing she seems pretty darn nimble compared to his last ride.
The boat business has changed dramatically from the days when the big companies gave boats to pros because anglers looked to those guys to see what they fished. Today, internet forums of full of opinions – some grounded in fact and some not. Either way the information is out there. Buying a new boat is a very personal decision. If you’ve been fishing for anytime at all, only you can make a decision about what is the right boat for you and the way you fish. If any of you ever have questions, there is no need to wonder - my cell is posted on the site – call me directly and I’ll give you a straight answer.
Thx
Todd
Topic: Towee or Gheenoe? (Read 32490 times)