# 16/48 Tracker w/ 145 HP



## SC Designs (Sep 16, 2016)

Alright guys, time to start another one. I sold my other Jetjon so its time to upgrade. I picked up a 2000 Kawasaki Ultra 150 that has the 1200cc 145hp motor and a 95 16/48 tracker. It's tear down mode for the next couple of weekends. The tracker is completely rotted on the inside, so its all got to come out, the hull is in good shape though. Going to try and make haste on this project being I am without a running boat right now. Updates will follow.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Sep 16, 2016)

That thing should fly!


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## SC Designs (Sep 29, 2016)

Ok, some progress updates. The boat has been gutted and the ski hull has been mated and sealed in. Bottom paint has been applied and the polling platform has been completed. The transom was rotted and needed much repair. There were a few leaks on the bottom that needed tending to. Overall it is going pretty smoothly. Last night I got the sides and transom prepped for paint. I will be putting Durabak Smooth Dark Gray on the sides and transom. Hopefully by the weekend I will have the engine mounted in and I can start on the inner structures and decks. Really looking forward to this thing being in the water. It should be a rocket with this engine.


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## SC Designs (Sep 29, 2016)

Here are some pics of the cleaned out boat and cut up ski hull.


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## SC Designs (Oct 3, 2016)

Quick update, I got the paint on and the motor mounted in this past weekend, now time for the decking.


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## PA Delaware Fisher (Oct 3, 2016)

This set up is my dream boat. My buddy has a Yamaha XLT 1200 I'm trying to buy so I can do the same thing to my Grumman 1649! Really excited to see the outcome of this build!


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## SC Designs (Oct 4, 2016)

Thanks man. I'm really excited too. It's getting close, hopefully by Sunday I will be 90% done. Can't wait to see how this much horsepower pushes this thing.


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## PA Delaware Fisher (Oct 9, 2016)

Any updates on this awesome build?


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## SC Designs (Oct 10, 2016)

Here is the update from this past weekend. I got 90% of the decking completed, all that is left is the decking in the front. Console is built with everything wired up. Still have to make the side panels and a engine cover but other than that she is just about ready for the water. I arranged the seating so that when I am riding solo I can sit in the middle and steer with my right hand and when two people are on board I can move the seats to the out side pins and then I would steer with my left hand. I should have it all wrapped up over the next couple of days and hope to be on the water this coming weekend.


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## SC Designs (Oct 10, 2016)

Here is a video of it running last night.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OKUyx1gSeM


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## PA Delaware Fisher (Oct 13, 2016)

WOW that looks great! I hope it rides as good as it looks! =D>


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## SC Designs (Oct 17, 2016)

Well, I can say that it is a completed project aside from putting the platform on top of the tower. I brought home the tracker on Sept. 15th in rough shape and one month later it has come full circle. She runs out great. I have not stretched her out yet because I am trying to break in the new top end on the motor but she cruises happily between 37 and 42 mph. I'm thinking she will touch 50mph once it is all said and done with. I have a short video of her running that I will post later.


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## ADIBOO (Oct 17, 2016)

That came out amazing! Can't wait to see the vid of it running! Color scheme is very sleek also.


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## SC Designs (Oct 17, 2016)

Here is a 30 sec. video of it cruising around 37 mph.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJKM2Bj_nG0


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## badrider77 (Oct 17, 2016)

That is some beautiful work! Great job!!


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## SC Designs (Oct 18, 2016)

badrider77 said:


> That is some beautiful work! Great job!!



Thanks man, I seconded what CedarRiverScooter said in his last post. You want to try and make the transition from the jon boat hull to the ski hull as smooth as possible. I try and leave about 10 to 12 inches of the actual ski hull in front of the pump exposed so that the transition happens far enough in front of the pump that it will not cause any disruption of water flow plus I add bondo and fiberglass and sand the hell out of it to make it smooth. I think if you fill that step in with bondo and smooth it all down it will cut out most of the cavitation.


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## Crazyboat (Oct 21, 2016)

Got any numbers on this, Top speed, fuel burn at WOT and cruise?


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## CedarRiverScooter (Oct 22, 2016)

Sorry, missed this story until now. Kudos on the speed build! 

You're gonna get asked about it at every boat ramp you go to. 

The adjustable seating is a great idea, as well as the fwd fuel tank. 

How much gas do you burn per hour? I am running about 7 gals per hour (750CC) but keep the hammer most of the way down.


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## SC Designs (Oct 24, 2016)

Hey guys, here's a little update on the performance. Everything is running great, she seems to be the most happy cruising 35 mph. and at that speed the motor doesn't seem to be working hard at all. I am a little disappointed in the top speed though. Right at 46 is all she will pull. I feel there is a lot of drag on the hull. I used a roll on bed liner that has a really rough surface. I was more concerned with sealing rivets than speed. I bet if I had put something like Gator Glide on there it would be a little faster but its fast enough. As far as fuel burn, I haven't really run it enough to get an accurate number. I'm still in the break in stage with the new top end on the motor. Attached below is a pic of all three Jon's that I have built in the past year. This was from last weekend.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Oct 24, 2016)

They keep getting bigger! Are you going to sell the older one's? Just wondering how hard they are to sell.

46 MPH seems pretty fast in a 16 ft jon boat. 

I was out yesterday, probably doing 30, when a strong wind gust changed my course. I think 50+ mph would be risky for getting air under the boat at the wrong time.


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## SC Designs (Oct 25, 2016)

CedarRiverScooter said:


> They keep getting bigger! Are you going to sell the older one's? Just wondering how hard they are to sell.
> 
> 46 MPH seems pretty fast in a 16 ft jon boat.
> 
> I was out yesterday, probably doing 30, when a strong wind gust changed my course. I think 50+ mph would be risky for getting air under the boat at the wrong time.



As far as the other Jon's go, the smaller one was my first build and it was mine. I sold it to a buddy of mine who was chomping at the bit to get it. The one in the middle I actually built for a guy. It was never mine to start with. They do sell well around here, It really depends on the builder and the quality as to how much they bring.

My boat being a 16' with the 4' bottom is really stable and the fact that I used treated wood to build my floors and sub structuring made it weigh in a little on the heavy side. That to can be a contributor to the speed reduction. But you are correct, 46mph is plenty fast, I will probably never run it over 40 anyway but it is nice knowing I got the extra power.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Oct 25, 2016)

The extra power will come in handy when you take friends for a ride!


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## SC Designs (Mar 6, 2017)

https://youtu.be/AaMdOYkMT0A

Short clip from the river this past weekend.


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## Crazyboat (Mar 6, 2017)

I didn't read every post in this thread and am not sure why other then a leak in the rivets you didn't leave the original aluminum bottom but that hull does sound like it's adding tons of drag IMO. The ski it came out of (if my numbers are right) ran 53+ and it a god amount heavier then your jon, granted you have more hull touching for drag (wider).

Either way she's a nice looking boat and as mentioned anything above 40 in a light boat can get tricky with wind and a wave or two.

Enjoy and run hard!


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## SC Designs (Mar 7, 2017)

Hers's the skinny Crazyboat, I used to be apart of a jetski race team way back in the day. I have been around these skis my entire life. I have built many jet jon's to date as well. The ski that I used to build this jon (2000 Kawasaki ultra 150) was the fastest production 2stroke PWC of its time. Its a true 65, 66 mph ski in stock form. Don't know where your numbers of 53mph are coming from. I actually own another Ultra 150 that I can confirm those numbers plus if you google Ultra 150's those mph numbers are all over the net. Also the ultra's weight comes in around 600lbs and my boat is weighing in at 790 when we rolled it over the scales a couple of months ago. So yes, I have more drag (regardless if the hull is bare or painted) and yes it does weigh more. So, After it's all said and done, mid to upper 40's is actually quite well. The main reason for painting is I had to patch so many rivets that already had stress cracks running from them, plus patch large holes that had been punctured in the bottom. That boat had been abused by the previous owner and I was left with alot of work needles to say. So, I wanted to cover all the ugliness up because I was painting the whole boat. People always are surprised when I tell them that at wide open speeds in the boat is just as stable as if it was at 15mph. I had a 14/32 jon with an 80hp waveraider engine in it that would hit 43, and it was super smooth and stable. But the objective of building these boats with greater horsepower isn't for the top speed, it's so the the cruise speed can be moderate at lower rpm and also to be able to carry gear and passenger's with out the engine struggling all the time.






Crazyboat said:


> I didn't read every post in this thread and am not sure why other then a leak in the rivets you didn't leave the original aluminum bottom but that hull does sound like it's adding tons of drag IMO. The ski it came out of (if my numbers are right) ran 53+ and it a god amount heavier then your jon, granted you have more hull touching for drag (wider).
> 
> Either way she's a nice looking boat and as mentioned anything above 40 in a light boat can get tricky with wind and a wave or two.
> 
> Enjoy and run hard!


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## Crazyboat (Mar 7, 2017)

SC Designs said:


> Hers's the skinny Crazyboat, I used to be apart of a jetski race team way back in the day. I have been around these skis my entire life. I have built many jet jon's to date as well. The ski that I used to build this jon (2000 Kawasaki ultra 150) was the fastest production 2stroke PWC of its time. Its a true 65, 66 mph ski in stock form. Don't know where your numbers of 53mph are coming from. I actually own another Ultra 150 that I can confirm those numbers plus if you google Ultra 150's those mph numbers are all over the net. Also the ultra's weight comes in around 600lbs and my boat is weighing in at 790 when we rolled it over the scales a couple of months ago. So yes, I have more drag (regardless if the hull is bare or painted) and yes it does weigh more. So, After it's all said and done, mid to upper 40's is actually quite well. The main reason for painting is I had to patch so many rivets that already had stress cracks running from them, plus patch large holes that had been punctured in the bottom. That boat had been abused by the previous owner and I was left with alot of work needles to say. So, I wanted to cover all the ugliness up because I was painting the whole boat. People always are surprised when I tell them that at wide open speeds in the boat is just as stable as if it was at 15mph. I had a 14/32 jon with an 80hp waveraider engine in it that would hit 43, and it was super smooth and stable. But the objective of building these boats with greater horsepower isn't for the top speed, it's so the the cruise speed can be moderate at lower rpm and also to be able to carry gear and passenger's with out the engine struggling all the time.
> 
> Sorry, don't know where I got this from but for some reason I was thinking you had the engine from a Yamaha ski, the same model as a friend of mine had that topped out at 53 MPH on a GPS. So yes, my numbers would be wrong. Still if you got 65+ from a 150 HP engine that's pretty fast, many 250 HP ebgines ran stock at about 70 as I recall, no? (Yamaha/Seadoo)
> 
> ...


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## SC Designs (Mar 7, 2017)

Crazyboat said:


> SC Designs said:
> 
> 
> > Hers's the skinny Crazyboat, I used to be apart of a jetski race team way back in the day. I have been around these skis my entire life. I have built many jet jon's to date as well. The ski that I used to build this jon (2000 Kawasaki ultra 150) was the fastest production 2stroke PWC of its time. Its a true 65, 66 mph ski in stock form. Don't know where your numbers of 53mph are coming from. I actually own another Ultra 150 that I can confirm those numbers plus if you google Ultra 150's those mph numbers are all over the net. Also the ultra's weight comes in around 600lbs and my boat is weighing in at 790 when we rolled it over the scales a couple of months ago. So yes, I have more drag (regardless if the hull is bare or painted) and yes it does weigh more. So, After it's all said and done, mid to upper 40's is actually quite well. The main reason for painting is I had to patch so many rivets that already had stress cracks running from them, plus patch large holes that had been punctured in the bottom. That boat had been abused by the previous owner and I was left with alot of work needles to say. So, I wanted to cover all the ugliness up because I was painting the whole boat. People always are surprised when I tell them that at wide open speeds in the boat is just as stable as if it was at 15mph. I had a 14/32 jon with an 80hp waveraider engine in it that would hit 43, and it was super smooth and stable. But the objective of building these boats with greater horsepower isn't for the top speed, it's so the the cruise speed can be moderate at lower rpm and also to be able to carry gear and passenger's with out the engine struggling all the time.
> ...


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## CedarRiverScooter (Mar 7, 2017)

SC - Thanks for sharing the video - I am getting itchy to get back out in the water. it hit 70 degF yesterday, way above normal.

Keep building those good looking boats!

Ever consider cutting into a new hull? Or building your own?


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## SC Designs (Mar 7, 2017)

Building my own hull would be a new challenge, but I have to admit, I would need to really bring my welding skills to the next level..lol. I wouldn't hesitate to cut into a new hull if somebody would bring me one. I got three skis sitting at the shop now I got to find boats for. 2 Yamaha's and a sea Doo. Got a 50hp 650 Yamaha, an 80hp waveraider and a sea Doo GTS 3 seater with the small 580cc in it. The 80hp will be good for a decent size Jon but the others will need to be in small Jons. Either way, jetjon building will be continuing. 






CedarRiverScooter said:


> SC - Thanks for sharing the video - I am getting itchy to get back out in the water. it hit 70 degF yesterday, way above normal.
> 
> Keep building those good looking boats!
> 
> Ever consider cutting into a new hull? Or building your own?


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## handyandy (Mar 16, 2017)

CedarRiverScooter said:


> SC - Thanks for sharing the video - I am getting itchy to get back out in the water. it hit 70 degF yesterday, way above normal.
> 
> Keep building those good looking boats!
> 
> Ever consider cutting into a new hull? Or building your own?




Nice work on the boats you really finish them out well. I was going to ask about the same thing. Since all your boats are riveted old clunkers to start with seems like you spend a awful lot of time money and effort just to bring the hull up to snuff when it's still always going to be a thin riveted hull, not the best for jet boat beating. Surprised you haven't started with welded hull of some kind so you have a better base from the get go. Not bashing your builds at all you clearly have it down to a science on these jet ski jons. Just seems like with how much time, money, and work you put in them starting with a better sturdier hull would be worth it. Would cost more up front vs riveted hulls that you can pick up for cheap, but seems like it would be worth it. Anyways nice work cool boats makes me want to build one, but I have too many projects already.


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## SC Designs (Mar 17, 2017)

handyandy said:


> CedarRiverScooter said:
> 
> 
> > SC - Thanks for sharing the video - I am getting itchy to get back out in the water. it hit 70 degF yesterday, way above normal.
> ...



Thanks for the remarks, and yes, welded boats would be best but around here welded jons like (alweld, tracker grizzlys etc.) come at a pretty penny. Average cost is around 2500 bucks for a smaller boat. People are proud of them. The builds that you have seen from me is what the customers have brought me. Yes, my personal boat is a 93 tracker panfish that is riveted but I also only paid 400 bucks for it. To get a 16/48 welded boat around here I would be in the 3 to 4 k range. Hell I only have half of that in my total build. So the question is, is it really worth the extra thousands to go to welded. Not so much for me. First off 98% of use of these boats around here are in the Flint river that on a rough day barely has much more than a ripple on the water. So the boats aren't getting beat around. They are riding on glass most of the time. I do tell the customer that they will need to be real cautious if they want to run in a rough lake that the boat could be over stressed. All that aside, I would love to do a build from a welded boat but it's not going to be out of my pocket unless I come across some ridiculous cheap price on one. Each man has different depths to his pockets. 3k on just a boat to cut up may be nothing to some people but that is a hell of a lot of money to me and not something I can fathom. 

One last thing, I know others here are building these jets and are running them where they are intentionally going through shoals and banging off of rocks. Not here, the purpose around here for these on the flint are for those who don't know the river and don't want to have the worry of taking a lower foot off on the large rocks that lurk below the surface. The river is deep but there large rocks in areas that can ruin your day if you aren't careful with an outboard.


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## xFORBESx (May 29, 2017)

Absolutely awesome build! After I get my new roughneck my 97 tracker panfish, should come to you for a build like this!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## caver101 (May 31, 2017)

SC Designs, this is an awesome build! I saw that you build these for people. Do you have a website or anywhere with some contact information? Looks like you are in GA too.

I have a all welded 1860cc alumicraft that I want to talk to you about doing some conversion work on. Thanks! 

[email protected]


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## Stumpalump (May 31, 2017)

Awesome thread. Anything over 30mph with a hat and shades gets old in 10 minutes if your in an open boat. You only tweak out the WOT so the cruise is as you say. The boat feels right, the motor gets smooth and into the breeze your not hanging onto your hat or worrying about stuff blowing out. Most pros run two different props or have enough reserve power like you to compensate for extra passengers. The other thing to tweak for is lowest planing speed possible. I do that with tabs or hydrofoils. Boat feels boggy at that speed so you bump it enough that the boat gets light feeling. If all ends well you are at a reasonable cruise RPM, are sipping gas and your motor will last for 1000's of hours. Quite frankly the boat drives the best at cruise. I shoot for 75% throttle at cruise but you have to tweek the planing speed and wot speed to find that bliss. Looks like this boat nails it and that ain't easy to do on a jet Jon. Nice job!


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## SC Designs (Jun 1, 2017)

Thanks Stumpalump, I have built quite a few of these now, I am in the middle of building two more. There will be another 16/48 tracker with a Seadoo 110hp coming and a 14/48 Monark with and 80hp Yamaha. Between Installing and fabricating Marine Audio and building Jetjons, I stay pretty busy.






Stumpalump said:


> Awesome thread. Anything over 30mph with a hat and shades gets old in 10 minutes if your in an open boat. You only tweak out the WOT so the cruise is as you say. The boat feels right, the motor gets smooth and into the breeze your not hanging onto your hat or worrying about stuff blowing out. Most pros run two different props or have enough reserve power like you to compensate for extra passengers. The other thing to tweak for is lowest planing speed possible. I do that with tabs or hydrofoils. Boat feels boggy at that speed so you bump it enough that the boat gets light feeling. If all ends well you are at a reasonable cruise RPM, are sipping gas and your motor will last for 1000's of hours. Quite frankly the boat drives the best at cruise. I shoot for 75% throttle at cruise but you have to tweek the planing speed and wot speed to find that bliss. Looks like this boat nails it and that ain't easy to do on a jet Jon. Nice job!


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## nowgrn4 (Sep 18, 2017)

Wow! Nice fabrication. Love to have something like that but My SF agent wife would drop my insurance like a hot potato if I went over my Jon's HP rating. And I know, she did it when I exceeded my 17' Pro-Lines HP by 30 HP. Had to go with progressive Ins.

Check my Google Earth Foo. Are the last scenes from your Spring Creek vid from the outfall of Yates Spring run?


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## SC Designs (Sep 18, 2017)

Lol, you are correct about the hp ratings, but remember, jet drive Hp is a percentage of prop drive HP. The equivalent would be like having a 70 HP outboard on the back of a 16/48 tracker Pan Fish model.

And yes to your second question, that is the Yates spring exit. 




nowgrn4 said:


> Wow! Nice fabrication. Love to have something like that but My SF agent wife would drop my insurance like a hot potato if I went over my Jon's HP rating. And I know, she did it when I exceeded my 17' Pro-Lines HP by 30 HP. Had to go with progressive Ins.
> 
> Check my Google Earth Foo. Are the last scenes from your Spring Creek vid from the outfall of Yates Spring run?


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## CedarRiverScooter (Sep 18, 2017)

You can have a jet jon boat re-registered as an inboard, which it is.

There are no USCG restrictions on HP for an inboard.


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## eshaw (Sep 19, 2017)

Have you or do you know of anyone that has put twin skis into a 1872 welded jon?


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