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need some jetboat advice

1K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  BrotherWolf 
#1 ·
Need some advice/input on what to do here… sorry my first post is a help plea. I have been lurking around for a while and have picked up quite a bit of info here.

The Background: This spring I bought a 17 foot Wriedt jet with a 455 Olds, Berkeley pump, nothing special. I liked the boat because it has a lot of freeboard for the rough lakes around here, it was a cheap way to get into jet boating to make sure I liked it, and could maybe get my wife on the water with me.

The carpet and seats are ok, the gelcoat is faded in spots and it has peeling automotive clearcoat on (most of) it. The hull is ok, no major issues but not spotless. The guy told me a head gasket had let go and milkshaked the oil. He replaced the head gaskets and had the heads re-done, rebuilt starter, rebuilt carb, etc. It ran good on the trailer. The lake was too far away so I didn’t lake test it.

I haven’t had it on the water yet, I have been doing small things like putting in a water pressure relief/bypass setup, cleaning it up, re-plumbing water hoses, adjusting cables, etc.

I was working on it today and noticed that there was a freeze plug in the engine block that was replaced with a patch plug – one of those temporary o-ring deals. I didn’t notice it before since it is behind an engine mount (3 point setup). Right next to the plug is a nice spiderweb of cracks into the block. The prev. owner definitely didn’t tell me about a cracked engine block. So I basically paid “running boat” price for a “project boat”.

So what do I do with it now? Sell it as a project boat? Part it out? Get another engine and sell it running and lake ready? Go run the wee out of it as is and wait for it to blow?

Nobody in Ohio is giving away running/rebuildable 455s, I am seeing $500 or so for “ran good when pulled” engines. But if I am going to spend the money rebuilding something, it should be something more desireable like a BBC or BBF. But then I am spending additional $ on logs, rails, mounts to convert it over. If I try to sell it as is, obviously I will take a bath on it. Even if I found a cheap 455 runner and threw it in, I think I could spend about $300 max before I wouldn’t be able to break even selling it. I don’t think I have the time/room/patience to part it out. Probably wouldn’t break even there either.

To compound the problem, I found a Glastron jet that I have been lusting over for not much money and it doesn’t need anything.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
To compound the problem, I found a Glastron jet that I have been lusting over for not much money and it doesn’t need anything.
hmmm now thats sounds fishy a used boat that doesnt need anything..LOL..........I would just throw in another running 455 and have some fun with it while your learning about all the in and outs of jet boats.....its never ending.
 
#3 ·
JB Weld the cracks, put in an expanding rubber freeze plug, and enjoy the boat while prepping a Chevy to replace the Olds. ;)

Or find a good salvage yard 455 and build it to replace your JB-welded one.

The JB repair will likely only last 20 or 30 years.
 
#4 ·
Oh, and "boat", is actually an acronym:
B reak
O ut
A nother
T housand


You NEVER "break even" on a BOAT. ;)

Got my Taylor SS for free, running boat, but worn, heavilly, 2003.

MAYBE could get 6 or 7 for it, absolute tops, currently, on a good day.

I've got 6500 in the engine
2,600 in the interior (not counting 200 in carpet)
800 in new bottom gelcoat (gone by me)
1800 in the jet pump (and need 500 more, short, money tight)

MANY MANY misc. extra things (gauges, stereo, full re-wire (incl. trailer & LED's), but, she's a 31 year family heirloom, and not for sale. Dad pulled her from the showroom in Cushing Okla. spring of 1978, I was there, age 11.
 
#5 ·
Pics of the spider cracks? You positive they are not superficial? Either way that stinks.. How long have you had it? If it has not been too long i would talk to the seller about a partial refund.. Outside of that i dont know if the JB weld would hold but i would not think those exterior walls hold too much pressure. Maybe worth trying out.
 
#7 ·
It held the corrosion cracks on both my old Niccson log exhausts for 3 years, untill I could afford my Lightning headers.
There SHOULD BE no way that the block sees more than 10 or 15 pounds of pressure, at most. That is per square inch, and the size of a crack is far less thatn a "square inch".

Clean the block very well, degrease where the cracks are, & surrounding area, scrub them good, small brush like toothbrush and carb or brake parts cleaner (this could be hard on bilge coatings, lots of sop-up cloths), and ventilation.

Original 24-hr cure JB Weld, the JB Quick will set up on you way too fast.
 
#6 ·
I am thinking the JB weld route myself and make sure there is a ball valve on the inlet just in case. I am sure that the block is not going to have a catostrophic failure that will sink the boat. If anything it will develop a leak but that will be the worst of your problems.

Cy
 
#8 ·
does it leak ? If not, get that thing wet and have fun! And don't even think about the "breaking even" part if you were to switch motors, etc. You'll never make money off these things, they are not real estate. Sometimes, yes, but for the most part after a couple of beers you don't even think about the money you've lost.
 
#9 ·
Yep, boats are holes in the water into which you throw money, but you just have to make sure you feel it is worth it. I have used high temp epoxy for similar fixes with great sucess.
 
#10 ·
Thanks guys... I feel a little better about it now. When I found the cracks I was pretty put out on the whole thing, to put it mildly.

I understand about not breaking even (in general) on boats, I just got this overwhelming crappy feeling like after one little discovery I am instantly about 50% upside down in what it is worth vs what it was worth. Its not a money thing - I dont have much in it, and its not like Im spending the mortgage payment - its just that kick in the nutz feeling that you got screwed and just realized it.

I will bust out the JB weld and hope to see some of you on the water. Any jet peeps around southwest ohio area?

But now you got me all spooked on the Glastron! My wife (non-boater) said the same thing "A boat that doesnt need work? Sounds fishy!" I guess that serves me right after this episode... lesson learned...
 
#11 ·
Thanks guys... I feel a little better about it now. When I found the cracks I was pretty put out on the whole thing, to put it mildly.

I understand about not breaking even (in general) on boats, I just got this overwhelming crappy feeling like after one little discovery I am instantly about 50% upside down in what it is worth vs what it was worth. Its not a money thing - I dont have much in it, and its not like Im spending the mortgage payment - its just that kick in the nutz feeling that you got screwed and just realized it.

I will bust out the JB weld and hope to see some of you on the water. Any jet peeps around southwest ohio area?

But now you got me all spooked on the Glastron! My wife (non-boater) said the same thing "A boat that doesnt need work? Sounds fishy!" I guess that serves me right after this episode... lesson learned...


Dont beat your self up so bad.....I picked up my tahiti last spring when everone was dumping everthing thats sucked gas. I knew I was taking it home the minute I pulled in the driveway to look at it. 1st trip out the steering cable broke, 2nd trip out the new steering was backwards..ooops, 3 trip out started to have motor issues...4th 5th and 6th still having issues, 7th trip out blew up the motor.....I found another motor did the swap and enjoyed July and sept...then Oct started gutting out the rotten floor etc....Its never ending....but its been fun doing the work.
 
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