info about 18ft jetboats?

[LakesOnly]

The most copied 18 ft hull is the Southwind 18-ft v-bottom. Other boat manufacturers that copied include (I'm pretty sure...): Challenger, Charger, Hondo, Kachina, Anthony, and Liberty.
It's the bottom design in particular that was used in all the splashes. Last I heard, Cobra Boats was making the latest exact copy...possibly from the original molds. Look at the detailed lines, they are the exact same boat. Here is an orignal Southwind 18-ft.:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/..._Motor-med.jpg
And here is a 2003 Cobra 18-ft.:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...d_Copy-med.jpg
It does not need dead calm water to be a pleasure to ride in. Set up properly and they can be a pretty fast v-bottom hull:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...04_Pass_1A.jpg
Click Here (http://home.earthlink.net/~kaneofthe.../firstpass.mpg) to see a pass in mpeg.
LO
p.s. Three are lots of good hull designs out there; Rogers, Sanger and Eliminator come to mind...

[BarryMac]

I am interested in purchasing an 18 to 20 ft jet boat. I havent been able to get alot of info on them, and I have a few questions. First, If I purchase a low profile jet can it only be used in dead calm water? Because of their low profile are there alot of limitations to their use? Does anybody who has one really enjoy their boat? How many people can usually rade along comfortably? any information would be greatly app. and hel;p me to make a wise discision! thankyou
Sandstorm has a pretty nice boat for sale, 20' Commander I think, check it out in the Sandbar forum...

[LakesOnly]

any ideas o0n motors? I have heard that the 455 is not my best choice? any ideas between a 460 and a 454? what will an 18ft tahiti or kona run with a 454 with a berkley pump?
You can start a war with a question like that!
I have spent a lot of time playing with all kinds of engine configurations, covering inline, opposed, V-configuration, four-stroke, two-stroke, automobile, boat, motorcycle, and rpm ranges of 2500-14,000 rpm. I was biased against the Ford over this entire period and never cared much for them because of my bias.
Then, after seeing it all, I took a Ford 460 apart and was totally blown away. Almost all the stock components in the 429/460 engine had features that were found on the other brand's aftermarket components only. Long story short, the stock components of the Ford are not only stock-reliable but can also be used to make high horspower engines without the need for aluminum heads or intakes or forged cranks or major block mods/trick blocks, etc. The advantages of the stock stuff over the other brands stock stuff is just unbelievable.
As far as advising you on an engine, let me just say this: When I purchased my boat in the above photos, I made the conscious decision that this time, I was not gonna sell my next boat (because I always ended up just wanting one again). So I decided to take all the time in the world and find a very well-kept hull. Powerplant wise at time, all that mattered to me was that it had either a Ford or a Chevy engine in it...I would pass on all boats with any other brand motor. This is not an effort to dis any other engine manufacturer, just a personal choice...and I am making the same recommendation to you. Find a well-kept turn key boat that is not in need of repair or upgrades because marine stuff is expensive as a rule. Get a popular engine that has plenty of parts avaliablity both OEM & aftermarket, and also has proven its reliability in this application.
Go with a Ford or Chevy. My personal choice is the Ford these days...
LO

[moneysucker]

i too, like oldrigger, am a bit biased with the Rogers, but there are alot of great boats out there. since its your first and your not looking for the fastest thing out there id recommend finding a 19-21 foot boat that has through transum exaust. the lakes can and will get rough and these smaller hulls get beat to crap, not to mention the possability of sinking with an unexperienced driver. the through hul exaust will help you live longer without getting a bassett tattoo. stick with the berkeley pump and the 454 bbc, or 460 ford, the 455 olds are fine but as you gain more confidence in driving the more speed and for longer durations you will want to go and thats the downfall of the stock 455 olds.(no sence in having that limitation). my first jet boat (which i still have tucked away) is an 18 Tahiti, berk pump, and 455 olds with log exaust. it was a great, cheap boat to learn how to be a driver and owner. dont spend too much on your first boat. get something to learn with that you wont cry if you scratch it on the docks, or while launching/retrieving. it happens. if your passengers are not boat owners they WILL treat your boat like crap, so its a learning curve for your friends aswell. and by all means dont think the river is any less dangerous for low freeboard boats. it gets just as choppy with all the boats out there now. but atleast you are closer to a shoreline if any problems occure. and if at all possible, have the owner take you out on the water and make sure that the boat is sound and runns fine. if your not much of a mechanic, take it to someone who is.
That is the truest statement I have heard i a long time. My first boat was a tahiti with a 455 and I learned a lot on that boat. Also, there was nothing you could hit with that boat that could hurt it. It was laid up thick enough to be bullet proof. You will have more fun with a boat that you don't have to wory about. Now I have at least 1 dog per season jump on the deeck of my boat which causes me to have to wet sand and buff the scratches out. Everyone loves to play foot ball around it spotting up the aluminum as well as the gell, and it takes at least 1 day to get the boat ready to go anywhere. Has to be completely checked out and cleaned. My tahiti, I would change the oil 3 or so times a year, fill with 92 and go. Simple turn key operation. The most problems I had were the amps overheating in the 120 degree heat. The gell on the tahiti was bass master brown with the gold flakes and it looked the same if you washed it or not. It was great. I wish I still had it. But, it never did the 70 mph I thought it did. And there was no amount of money that would have made it do 100. Tahiti's are great, 18 Southwinds are nice riding boats as well, Sanger superjets ride good and have a lot of room in them, The 19 hallet is a great riding boat and has the most cockpit space of all the ones I stated in my opinion. For anything above 1.5 ft chop you want a mini day cruiser. 1.5 and I am heading fot the trailer in my drag tunnel.

[BarryMac]

Which is where you should stay...
Nice, just trying to help a guy out...

[Jake W2]

Lakes nice call on the Cobra I have seen it befor but never put 2 and 2 togeather with it being the same as your Southwind.I like the way yours looks better than the Cobra though.
You might think about a Taylor SS it has a low profile bottom but a higher deck so they look cool in the water and they have more free board and a good ski boat but not a runner.
I know you guys thought I was gona say GULLWING
Jake

[78Southwind]

I am interested in purchasing an 18 to 20 ft jet boat. I havent been able to get alot of info on them, and I have a few questions. First, If I purchase a low profile jet can it only be used in dead calm water? Because of their low profile are there alot of limitations to their use? Does anybody who has one really enjoy their boat? How many people can usually rade along comfortably? any information would be greatly app. and hel;p me to make a wise discision! thankyou
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...8Southwind.JPG
Boatncraze
If I was you I would make a list of the most import things that matter to you in your boat buying decision making process. I bought my boat when I was 20 which was sixteen years ago. The things that were important to me at that time was the price and the low profile hotrod look.
If you are looking for the lowest price an 18' will generally be less expensive compared to a 20'. But buying in the winter will usually land you a cheaper price than buying in the summer any how. The hulls that I like for the 18' are of course the Southwind...Southwind splashes and the Rogers. I am sure that one of the ***boat members would take you for a ride at a local lake to see if you like the ride of an 18' or the 20'
To answer your question no you don't need dead calm water but the ride in an 18' is rougher than a 20'. When I bought my Southwind things where a little different I pretty much took my boat every where Lake Mead, Lake Mohave, Lake Havasu, and the river. But that was before Ocean Liners were a common sight on the Lakes. I am more selective where I boat now mostly on the river.
A side note to this is that you should make sure you have a good bilge pump and bilge lines you may even want to replace these items after you buy your new to you boat. I would go with at least a 500gph pump. I don't care if you buy the 18' or 20' your going to get water in your boat.
My boat will comfortably fit 4 people in it but I have had 5 and the brochure say's 6, not. A couple months ago I had four of us in the boat all close to 200lbs each and I was pretty low to the water. In fact the bilge line was taking water back in the boat so I had to leave the bilge on. If bringing lots of friends and comfort is of concern then the 20’ is the answer.
If you are going to get a jet make sure you get a big block Chevy or Ford. I have never owned an Ols but have heard of oil problem issues. You should also stay with a jet that they still make parts for Berkeley would probably be one of the most common. If the jet has a jetovator or place diverter that is a plus your boat will handle the rough stuff and get on plane a little faster.
Once you find the boat of your dreams have the owner take you for a ride at a local lake and ask the owner maintenance questions. How often does the owner change the oil in the engine most will change it at least every season? Does the owner keep the gear oil in the pump topped off, is the packing for the pump and trailer bearings greased up. Do a compression check of the engine cylinders. Also, get under the boat and check for cracks and bondo an old boat will have hair line cracks on the deck but there should not be anything that looks structurally wrong with the boat. Check for any gas leaks let them be from the carbs, tanks or lines. You may want to replace the gas lines any way. This is a small list of what you should be checking but I am sure the others will comment.

[Coleitis22]

The most copied 18 ft hull is the Southwind 18-ft v-bottom. Other boat manufacturers that copied include (I'm pretty sure...): Challenger, Charger, Hondo, Kachina, Anthony, and Liberty.
It's the bottom design in particular that was used in all the splashes. Last I heard, Cobra Boats was making the latest exact copy...possibly from the original molds. Look at the detailed lines, they are the exact same boat. Here is an orignal Southwind 18-ft.:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/..._Motor-med.jpg
And here is a 2003 Cobra 18-ft.:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...d_Copy-med.jpg
It does not need dead calm water to be a pleasure to ride in. Set up properly and they can be a pretty fast v-bottom hull:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/...04_Pass_1A.jpg
Click Here (http://home.earthlink.net/~kaneofthe.../firstpass.mpg) to see a pass in mpeg.
LO
p.s. Three are lots of good hull designs out there; Rogers, Sanger and
Eliminator come to mind...
Hey if your gonna do that, you should consider a longer lake! :2purples: :2purples: :2purples: :2purples:

[PonyFiveO]

http://www.***boat.com/image_center/..._Motor-med.jpg
Looks Good Lakes! I think this and the Southwind Dragster is one of the coolest looking hull designs I have seen (outside of a CP that is ) Anyways, please continue on with this thread

[blown19]

try looking at bahners, my 19 semi v does 95 gps with 800 horse and feels safe