# The 14' Jet boat project (update 7/19/2010 Video on page 4)



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Boat 197? 14' $350 w trailer and good title and reg. This is a big deal in South Carolina
Motor and Jet 1995 SeaDoo XP $130 Was told they could not get it to start, we rode it at the lake the next morning. 

Here is a photo project update and a little information.

This is my first boat ever and I go and cut a hole in it. Everyone thinks I am crazy. 

Redid the trailer






Stripped most of the paint from the inside of the boat.





Measured and cut the boat. We measured the lowest rib on the Sea Doo and based our first cut on this and it ended up being perfect.





No turning back now, you can see the chalk line in the photo, this is what was used to keep the cuts somewhat strait.





Can we keep it? NOPE





First cut on the SeaDoo Made a world of difference getting all the guts out





First test fit, there was an echo in the garage as everyone said "BADDASS" at the same time. Everyone thought I was crazy up untill this point right here.









Then we removed the motor and more paint.









Motor in for life, sealed in with 5/16" lag bolts and 3M 5200, a length of 1.5" x 1/8" aluminum flat bar was used on the inside and the outside for strength, the separation between the fiberglass and aluminum got epoxy that is being sanded smooth, more photo's of that part to come later





a little decking work has begun.





I hope to do a water test this coming weekend while the decking is out of it for sealing. To fasten the decking together I bought an 8' length of aluminum angle and have cut to size all of my brackets. Sure is cheaper than buying all that stainless hardware and it's pretty strong.

Any questions just ask, nice forum you all have here by the way. I will also get more photo's of the engine install soon. Hands where too nasty to take photo's 5200 is nasty stuff. Oh yea so is fiberglass, many nights I scratched myself to sleep, glad that part is over!


----------



## perchin

Stop!!!!!!!! before you go any further......... take any Pressure Treated lumber out of there, it will just react with the aluminum and cause corrosion and pitting, and fast.

Other than that, It looks awsome..... and I can't wait to see more.. opcorn:


----------



## BaitCaster

Wow, I like where this is going! Can't wait to see more.

There was another guy on this site that did a similar conversion. However, you appear to be taking a different, simpler, approach.


----------



## Jim

Very cool man!


----------



## Waterwings

Gonna be an interesting build to say the least. I always thought mods like this were more for flat-bottom boats? 

Welcome Aboard!


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

perchin said:


> Stop!!!!!!!! before you go any further......... take any Pressure Treated lumber out of there, it will just react with the aluminum and cause corrosion and pitting, and fast.
> 
> Other than that, It looks awsome..... and I can't wait to see more.. opcorn:



Is it OK to seal it with watersealer before installing it? Someone else already told me about this issue and recomended either sealing the wood or protecting the aluminum.

So what is the best wood to use and keep it from rotting? Not using marine grade this is a cheap garage project.


More pictures of the motor mount coming when the batteries get finished charging on the camera. Really tired of cell phone pics, they show no detail.


----------



## Jim

Use plain old regular lumber instead and seal that.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Jim said:


> Use plain old regular lumber instead and seal that.



Thank you Jim This is why I came here, LOTS of information. I heard about the salt issue and didn't even think about salt treated lumber causing the same issue.


----------



## perchin

Tis the copper in the treated lumber that reacts with the aluminum :wink: Can't wait to see her maiden voyage. 8)


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Boats over all view





Input: you can see the 1/8" bar on the bottom to keep from pulling the bolts into the boat along with half the lake, there is another one of these on the inside of the boat also. Sanded everything the 5200 would touch for good stick.





Inner support brace





Overhead motor install shot





Rear Tow Hook Brace and Tow Hook (kids need a place to put a tube)









Rear Lag Bolts and Epoxy, Still working on the sanding, have to take a break from the sanding, my hand gets tired.





4 lag bolts in rear and 5 stainless steel machine screws along the top edge, aluminum transom was rolled under, drilled, and sealed, then covered in putty to make it look cleaner, the main frame will NEVER come out again.





Those 5 upper screws, you can also see the waterline vent in the upper right.





Outer Water Vent





If you want anymore photo's of certain parts let me know, I have more located here https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157624375334682/

Tonight I have to get the pressure treated wood out of the dang transom then I will be back on track to get this project complete by the end of the month.


----------



## Jim

Coming along great man! Your really thinking things through.


----------



## fender66

Amazing job. Can't wait to see it in action. Possible video later???


----------



## Loggerhead Mike

sweet! nice work, pretty jelious of that shop


----------



## bassboy1

I have a major concern with the tube tie point. Tubes put a hell of a lot of force on their tow point - and much of the time impact force. 

It looks to me as if the tow point only goes through the single layer of transom aluminum, with the small angle backup plate, as well as the factory tie down ring back up plate. You need to get whatever structure that tow point is on going all the way across. I see you have the slightly turned up lip on the top of the angle going to the wood, but as you can see, the outside of the radius has started cracking already. 6000 alloy aluminum doesn't bend very well at all - just cracks, like you've seen. Brake bending an extrusion like that is weakening the (already weak, as that is 6063, not 6061) piece of aluminum angle. 

That tow point really needs to be attached to something SOLID, that runs the entire width of the boat. You may even want to, after putting some structure all the way across, still put a ring on either side of the transom, and use a bridle, to get the load off to the edges, as opposed to right in the middle of a span.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

bassboy1 said:


> I have a major concern with the tube tie point. Tubes put a hell of a lot of force on their tow point - and much of the time impact force.
> 
> It looks to me as if the tow point only goes through the single layer of transom aluminum, with the small angle backup plate, as well as the factory tie down ring back up plate. You need to get whatever structure that tow point is on going all the way across. I see you have the slightly turned up lip on the top of the angle going to the wood, but as you can see, the outside of the radius has started cracking already. 6000 alloy aluminum doesn't bend very well at all - just cracks, like you've seen. Brake bending an extrusion like that is weakening the (already weak, as that is 6063, not 6061) piece of aluminum angle.
> 
> That tow point really needs to be attached to something SOLID, that runs the entire width of the boat. You may even want to, after putting some structure all the way across, still put a ring on either side of the transom, and use a bridle, to get the load off to the edges, as opposed to right in the middle of a span.




FIXED

Measure transom





Mark for cut





Cut





Set up table saw to rip 1" thick transom





Damn 10" blades





Thats better





Mark to fit(13 year old son as clamp) note to self buy some clamps.....





Use a strait edge use table saw to cut 





Drill holes for tow hook





GET BEER: grab new chisel, mark template for plate, yes it is strait





Pay Dirt





Now what you don't see is there is a piece of 2" by 1/8" flat bar between the aluminum transom and the 2x6 and this guy





Measure twice cut once


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

We have also decided to add bracing from the transom to the sides of the boat under the decking, we wondered about that and thought we might have fixed it, figured I had to get the pressure treated wood out of there, might as well get it right.


----------



## Jim

Coming along nicely! :beer:


----------



## carolinasled

Man, I cant wait to see a video of this thing. Where are you in SC?


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

carolinasled said:


> Man, I cant wait to see a video of this thing. Where are you in SC?



Greer, SC


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Progress:

New fuel lines installed and fuel shutoff in place.





Fuel Tank installed





Steering installed and there is an issue, it is bound up somewhere and something is going to have to change, this is tonights project





Hammer is there untill I get some pipe bent. You get the idea.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Oil block off plate ordered water test next week.


----------



## jkbirocz

This looks awesome, I cannot wait to see it on the water =D>


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Not a lot of progress this weekend, We did get the steering issue resolved and the throttle hooked up, Still trying to figure out a way to mount the gauges. 

Might get a chance to work on it tonight, i'll try to get some more photo's.


----------



## free jonboat

please hurry up and finish :lol: . i have been following your thread and it looks really cool. good job>


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Picture of Steering and Throttle setup. It is designed so that bath the driver and passenger and drive. This setup really is sweet, smooth and the throttle is in the perfect spot. The original idea was to use half of the original bars but after looking in the garage for them for over 30 minutes my son decided to tell me that he might have thrown them away. OOPS! So my buddy had an old roadmaster kids bike we stole the handlebars off of and cut down to size, no bending required. Looking to get a shift boot to fit over this entire assembly to make it look nice, oh yea and a better grip. Also looking for one of the Chrome naked trucker girl shift knobs. :shock: 

Have a wiring diagram so tonight I will work on gauges and wiring Miss Propless back together.


----------



## MadCatX

Man that is awesome - keep us posted


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

ihavenoideawhattoput said:


> Picture of Steering and Throttle setup. It is designed so that bath the driver and passenger and drive. This setup really is sweet, smooth and the throttle is in the perfect spot. The original idea was to use half of the original bars but after looking in the garage for them for over 30 minutes my son decided to tell me that he might have thrown them away. OOPS! So my buddy had an old roadmaster kids bike we stole the handlebars off of and cut down to size, no bending required. Looking to get a shift boot to fit over this entire assembly to make it look nice, oh yea and a better grip. Also looking for one of the Chrome naked trucker girl shift knobs. :shock:
> 
> Have a wiring diagram so tonight I will work on gauges and wiring Miss Propless back together.



The above makes very little since because it was typed in a hurry at the office. We had a very busy day.

I should read what I post before posting it. :?:


----------



## Quackrstackr

So what happens if you don't have a passenger? :shock:


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

The cops get called because there is some guy playing with ... while going up the lake fast.


----------



## MadCatX

LOL the power to weight ratio must be insane on this rig.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

All wiring is complete aside from trying to locate a place to put the trim switch. 90% complete on the front deck, need to do some sealing before going any further. Gauges are mounted. Relocated center seat has been fully riveted into place. Going to attempt to get the side bracing carpeted Wednesday afternoon. 70% of all rivets and bracing on the floor have been silicone sealed with 100% silicon.

Still waiting on oil pump block off kit to arrive, I could have built one by now.

2 days left to get it on the water this week or it will have to wait until next week, not in a hurry just ready for a leak test so I can get started on the flooring. I will try to get some more photo's posted but not a lot of photo type progress has taken place.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Photo Updates






Front Nose





Test Fit, I hacked the crap out of the scrap piece of carpet





Big Sexy (and it turns over)


----------



## MadCatX

Does the control yolk feel comfortable or is that one in place for test purposes?


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

MadCatX said:


> Does the control yolk feel comfortable or is that one in place for test purposes?



I really like how it feels. I am trying to locate a 2 way monetary switch small enough to fit inside the top for the trim also. 

It seems to be in the perfect spot at the right angle, you can hold it in several different positions and still control the throttle smoothly. I am unsure I like the fact that in order to go right you have to push left though. I rode motorcycle for awhile so it feels natural in a weird sort of way. It also allows you to lean into the turns easier. I know a fix but requires more modifications then I want to tackle before getting it in the water and seeing how I like it.

Standing water test is Thursday. I will not be able to run it because last night I realized I ordered the wrong oil block off plate.


----------



## MadCatX

There is a dude on you tube they call Crazy Caprisi or something like that that has a set up like this. 

It doesn't look as well placed as yours I am curious to see what kind of speeds and handling you're going to see. 

That thing looks like its going to be a blast to drive. Freaking helicopter style lol.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Last night cleaned up wiring and mounted guages, no water test yet, Looks like this weekend we might get one done. I will finish sanding and priming the interior this afternoon.

Carpet was glued down with liquid nail, let sit over night, then wraped around the edges and nailed to the underside with button fastners that roofers use to hold the tar paper in place.


----------



## MadCatX

Nice looks clean -looking forward to hearing about the water test.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

IT FLOATS!


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUYACt3hNiM


----------



## Troutman3000

Awesome _ what was the top speed?


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Still had the same dirty carbs on it. I didn't take a GPS with me so my seat of the pants tells me something around 15 to 20.

The highspeed jet was clogged, fixed that last night so we will see what it does in the next few days. I may still end up sending the carbs out for a rebuild, just have to see how well it does.

It did leak right where I thought it would. Easy fix and not a big deal. We will get it out on the water again later this week and see what is does with a GPS.


----------



## MadCatX

Awesome I will watch the video later.


----------



## S&amp;MFISH

Really nice.Did it take on any water?


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

S&MFISH said:


> Really nice.Did it take on any water?



Yes, exactly where I thought it would. As soon as we backed it in the water I said, hey look a leak. Dropped the jet shoe off last night and fixed it. We also had water running under the lip around the edge of the boat when we put alot of weight in the front. This will be fixed tonight. Test duece might come this week. Still have not put the hitch on the Jeep.

Also learned a few more things last night.

We forgot to hook up the crank case oil inlet and the exaust cooling pump was not wired. Also cleaned the carbs again and can now bounce the motor off the rev limiter which it would not do before, might not need a rebuild on them after all. We will see.

My oil pump block off plate arrived yesterday and was installed, also worked on getting a few other guages working and for the life of me can not figure it out. Still tracing wires and checking fuses and grounds. The Tach is not working.


----------



## MadCatX

Nice Nice -I wonder if there any resistors or relays as to why the tach is giving you problems. Could the tach be faulty?

I estimate now with getting the things hooked up and carbs cleaned your top speed will improve. I watched the video - you're going to have a blast with that thing.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

MadCatX said:


> Nice Nice -I wonder if there any resistors or relays as to why the tach is giving you problems. Could the tach be faulty?
> 
> I estimate now with getting the things hooked up and carbs cleaned your top speed will improve. I watched the video - you're going to have a blast with that thing.



I found some information a little while ago that said to try and ground the tach directly to the battery and see if that fixes it. There is a 20k resistor inline on the ground wire to the tach. All of the guages in one way or another connect to each other in the harness as well so after awhile all the wires start to look the same. Fuel guage does not work either. Going to try the ground trick this afternoon and see if this helps. These guages did not work before and are not required, I would just like to have them. VTS guage is the only one that works which is a GOOD thing.


----------



## MadCatX

Hmm agreed you would like to at least maybe have oil and temp gauges?


----------



## fender66

Pretty darn cool!


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

UPDATE!!!!!

30mph on plane at half throttle!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY CRAP this thing is fun, took it up the river and it feels like your riding a roller coaster, after each turn a burp of the throttle and your in the next turn. Each time you burp it on the straits it throws you back like doing a wheely on a street bike. My heart has been racing off adrenaline for about an hour. I still can't sit down.

Good: We took on less water, easy enough fix.

Bad: I think we ripped rivets out of the floor. When on plane the bottom of the hull looks like ocean waves. Going to take some thinking on this one. Thinking the floor alone might help this. 


Even better, I am not sure how accurate the GPS is on my phone, we may have been going faster, sure felt like it. IT WAS A RUSH!!!!!!

Anyone in the upstate area that wants to check it out let me know we will take it out.



Had a flat on the trailer on the way home, a plug, a can of fix a flat, a t-shirt and a light weight coat and we got it filled back and made it half a mile from the house till it went flat again.


----------



## MadCatX

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Man you gotta get a video of that


----------



## fender66

ihavenoideawhattoput said:


> Had a flat on the trailer on the way home



I had a flat on my maiden voyage with my last tin. By the time the semi passed me and I was able to hit the shoulder, my tire was wrapped around the axle and the wheel was about 1/3 of the way ground off. To make it worse....I didn't have a spare yet. ](*,) Learned a valuable lesson that day!

Great progress though. I too would love to see a video of rivets rattling (safely of course)


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

At this point we are a go for take off T-minus 4 hours, If Video girl is there we should get some good video this time, specially now that she knows how to hold the camera at the right angle. Might also try to get my other video camera mounted on a pole in the rear of the boat in order to get some nice action shots.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

This is from last night.

More to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lKvPo4v3bA


----------



## fender66

Again...I'm impressed. Way cool!


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

We broke the boat last night. Back a couple post where I said the floor rippled, well last night it snappped the support brace. Broke it in half right in the middle. Engine is still starving for fuel. 

Tonight, more bracing has to go in the floor of the boat before we do even more damage and end up starting over, poor rivets looked like they where going to rip right out of the boat. Remove the fuel pump and clean the filter in there to try and get some more fuel. This thing is FUN!


----------



## fender66

ihavenoideawhattoput said:


> We broke the boat last night.



Don't hear that too often. Thank God.


----------



## MadCatX

Yeah Bro I am for it but be careful snapping stuff doesn't sound good. LOL you dont want to be swimming lol


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Longer video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUzz7EuL2Cw


----------



## S&amp;MFISH

That thing looks like a BADA$$.Hope you get the bugs out soon.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

No updates, ITS TOO DANG HOT!


----------



## MadCatX

Man you aint lying.


----------



## Ranchero50

Looks like fun, hey, it is fun. Hit up www.pwctoday.com for engine help. I ended up at www.seadoosource.com for carb kits for mine ($109 for the kits with extra springs to set the pop off). My MV1448 build is over on the conversions subforum if you haven't seen it yet. I considered doing the hull swap but decided instead to make the jet inlet and pump mount. Mine will top out around 50mph with a sick engine so be carefull with that thin skinned hull.

Momma called and said my new engine is sitting at home waiting for me.

Jamie


----------



## Ranchero50

Oh yeah, Seadoosource has the fuel floats for around $30. The magnet falls out of the float and the fuel gauge doesn't work anymore...

Jamie


----------



## MadCatX

Any pics Ranchero?


----------



## Ranchero50

No hijack, click the link in my sig.


My jet intake;






I was thinking on this hull you might want to glue a sheet of .120 aluminum to the hull to reinforce it. I think the original metal is just too thin to take the pounding at speed. and there aren't enough ribs to support the existing floor. Neat get your feet wet project that will end up in a stronger hull down the road. =D> 

Jamie


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

Yes, we are still working on how to reinforce the hull. The idea to get another boat has popped up a few times. Not yet though. I will get this resolved or sink it trying. I have some pretty good plans ready it is just either too hot, kids going back to school, wedding to get ready for. Seems lately everything is getting in the way! ARHHHH


----------



## MadCatX

LOL - i understand completely. 
:lol:


----------



## Nevillizer

Wow, that thing awfully neat.


----------



## ihavenoideawhattoput

For Sale in SC, come get it.


----------

