# Not Tin! - Carolina Skiff J16 / Kawasaki 1100cc



## mhale (Oct 15, 2012)

Well guys... .To make a long story short, I've been wanting to build one of these for many years. Pretty sure I've read every single post on this site and looked at countless others. Thank you is in order primarily for the community on this site as your knowledge and experience assisted greatly in the build. 

I had purchased an engine and controls about 3 years ago for a jet jon and they were just begging to be be used. The hull belongs to a friend of mine that magically became my partner in the project when he produced a "free" boat. Needless to say I was quickly amazed at the lack of fiberglass builds there were. So with sawzall in hand, we started to cut, engineer, and build on the fly. We started disassembly of the ski 9/26 and just completed and test ran yesterday 10/14.

We still have a few issues to wrinkle out, primarily slight cavitation and porpoising with increased speeds. Our trimmable nozzle wasn't operating and was stuck in the highest position and we feel once that it is repaired most of our issues should be resolved. We'll see. In an attempt to avoid some of the pitfalls I regularly read about, we made the decision to sacrifice draft and keep most of the spoon from the bottom of the ski. 

Once again, thank you for making your build posts available for everybody.


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## mhale (Oct 15, 2012)

Continued -


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## PSG-1 (Oct 15, 2012)

VERY nice work!! =D> 8) 

I bet it runs good in the chop, too, especially with the 'spoon' you built into the hull. The spoon reduces cavitation, the one issue that's hard to deal with when building a jetboat from a flat bottom hull.

Now get out there and post some video of running the flats, so we can see this boat in action! :mrgreen:


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## mhale (Oct 15, 2012)

This is all shallow water with a very grassy bottom. Water depth is ranging from 8 - 14 inches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUfKlvSHfeY&feature=channel&list=UL

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu-_QWxsyKo&feature=autoplay&list=UL0plQqwNAYAg&playnext=1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KZbr4RNV2c&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0plQqwNAYAg&feature=channel&list=UL


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## Kevin Turner (Oct 15, 2012)

Very Kewl! =D>


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## richg99 (Oct 15, 2012)

Very creative. If your nozzle adjustment doesn't solve the porpoising problem, you might consider some smart tabs. Rich


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## PSG-1 (Oct 15, 2012)

Well, it looks like you already got some video posted, too! Love the island hop on the last one, LOL try that with an outboard.

As for the porpoising, if you weld a short tab of aluminum the back edge of the ride plate, at a downward angle, it will eliminate that problem. Doesn;t have to be a large piece, or a very sharp angle, either, a small piece with a small angle will make a HUGE difference. It's what I did with my jetboat, and it worked really well.


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## mhale (Oct 16, 2012)

Thanks guys!

We were already thinking trim tabs if the jet nozzle wouldn't take it out, but I really like the idea of placing a piece of aluminum on the ride plate. I like cheap and easy! 

I was really amazed at the way it handled and traveled in water that has ALWAYS been a no go for me. Other than this our only other option is an airboat since our area in Texas has several spots that the sea grass is protected. It's won't be the perfect duck hunting boat, but it's going to be better than the little jon and the big Kenner. I really don't like having to walk to blinds or drag a boat!

I've got a few legal issues to line out on the boat but I'll keep you posted on the future progress.


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## PSG-1 (Oct 16, 2012)

Yeah, same here in SC, it is unlawful to operate airboats in any body of saltwater, as well as several areas of the inland rivers, so, the option of an airboat is out around here.

As for the trim tab on the ride plate, if you don't have access to a welder, you can always take a piece of aluminum and put a bend in it, then use some countersunk screws, drill and tap from the bottom of the ride plate, and bolt the tab onto the rear edge. This way, you can easily remove it, tweak it, or try another one if you don't like the results.

My ride plate is not a factory ride plate, it's made from a piece of 1/4 aluminum plate, and it has the bend incorporated into it. Not sure if you can see this bend, but here's a couple of pics:


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## lovedr79 (Oct 17, 2012)

That is sweet!


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## Canoeman (Oct 17, 2012)

Coolest surfboard ever!!!


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## Loggerhead Mike (Oct 18, 2012)

That's got to be a blast to drive


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## Ranchero50 (Nov 28, 2012)

Pretty cool buggy, looks like it needs a seatbelt. =D>


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