Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey all,

Looking into a new boat and as many of us am looking for a boat that can "do it all" from rivers and ponds to the salt. There is no REAL solution to this quandary, but some boats come close. I have been looking closely at a Wooldridge Xtra Plus or an Alumaweld Stryker (to name a couple). I like both hulls, although the alumaweld is probably better suited in the salt.

I am going back and forth between prop and pump and can't really decide although most of the good deals I have seen all come with a pump. I would love to get into some skinny water with a boat, but I am a sled newB. Gotta start somewhere. My question is this: What are the obvious CONS of running a pump in the salt? I understand there is a 30% loss of efficiency over a propeller which is one obvious problem for making long runs, but what else should I be concerned with? Is corrosion a serious issue? Cavitation?

Opinions appreciated.

Matt

I have a 15 ft klamath with a jet which I've used in saltwater and the only problem I've ever had was running through kelp and getting a clogged intake, which means having to stop and clean it out immediately. On my boat I can just reach over and do this, a bigger boat may be a harder deal. With a prop you just go in reverse and that generally clears it, but that hasn't been my experience with a jet. On the other hand, jets are great for running skinny water and I love my boat for that ability.

Depending on your style of hull, a major issue I find is wind. When it is windy out and you are running a shallow draft boat with a pump, the wind will blow you around with ease. If you fish by yourself, it makes it very difficult to set up and troll. Throw in downriggers and you really have to work to get things out and stay on track. Having a prop helps, it acts as a keel and having a kicker will help a bit more. You may also need to invest in some drift socks. If you do decide on a pump, you might just need to pass on some of the more questionable days on the salt and hit the rivers instead.

i have a buddy(i know amaze'n huh) that ordered a prop lower unit the day he bought his lil sled and changes it out all the time.....takes bout 15 mins....note: i've been in that boat out on the sound on a pretty windy day and even with the prop it was a lil tough to handle because of the hull design....DOG

Great thread, I have been wondering the same thing. I am considering upgrading from my 20 HP 4 stroke prop yammi to the 40/30 HP 4 stroke pump yammi. I think that the 40/30 would be a perfect match for my boat. The boat floats in just 6-8” of water so I should be able to run in a foot of water. Living just a short distance from the Skagit I would like to be able to run the river and fish areas currently inaccessible with my prop. I know what the general pros are, but what are the cons? My transom is 20” and the 40/30 is designed for a 20” transom so transom height should not be an issue. I have a 9 degrees dead rise at the transom so I think that there would be a clean flow of water to the pump intake. Again great thread and I look forward to reading everybody’s input.

rseas wrote:Great thread, I have been wondering the same thing. I am considering upgrading from my 20 HP 4 stroke prop yammi to the 40/30 HP 4 stroke pump yammi. I think that the 40/30 would be a perfect match for my boat. The boat floats in just 6-8” of water so I should be able to run in a foot of water. Living just a short distance from the Skagit I would like to be able to run the river and fish areas currently inaccessible with my prop. I know what the general pros are, but what are the cons? My transom is 20” and the 40/30 is designed for a 20” transom so transom height should not be an issue. I have a 9 degrees dead rise at the transom so I think that there would be a clean flow of water to the pump intake. Again great thread and I look forward to reading everybody’s input.

One thing to keep in mind, the guage of the aluminum hull. True river jet boats are pretty heavy guage. My Klamath is like a tin can. I have put a few good dents into to it running the river and grounding (that was an OUCH). So consider you won't be able to fly around like the hardcore jets. That said, it really is liberating to not worry about prop issues, whether salt, lake, or river. You'll love it on the Skagit. Regarding the earlier comment, yup, my boat blows in the wind pretty easy, due in part to a steep rise deep vee bow that transitions to a flat hull. Windy days are not much fun. But that's my boat - it's also quite light, your's may not be so bad.

Matt, this Outdoor Line Podcast may interest you.

The Do-It-All Boat
Grant Wooldridge and Rob Hyatt talk about designing and building the Do-It-All Boat.

http://podcasts.theoutdoorline.com/audi ... aspx?a=578

all the cons I know of have been listed just like any motor insure you flush it with fresh after running in the salt.

Get a prop lower unit and swap it out whenever you want. First couple of times takes a few hours, but after that, you can dial it down to around an hour after you've tried it a few times...

Thanks for all the replies so far! I have pretty much decided not to buy a second lower unit for my own reasons although I know many people choose to change between the two regularly. For those that don't know, you can't flush a jet in the same manner that your flush you prop motor, it requires an adapter (pictured below).

also you lose power with a pump in lakes and salt water up to 25% power drop. so like said get the conversion kit, my friend owner and operator of twisted steel guide sevice swaps his pump to prop making it easier to work in the salt and not lose power and performace.

G-mans point in being difficult to handle when setting up downriggers is indeed very hard by yourself....To solve that problem i bought a TR1 auto pilot. I cannot stress how much it is worth. I take my boat in salt and lakes (lake WA is worse then the salt IMO when all the pleasure boaters are out as the waves in salt seem to always go one way)and ive a hard top too, yes you can get blown around but i try and get off the water. As for the losing power it is true still when it is calm i can nail it to 50mph. and in chop well everyone slows down. If i was to but another boat id also be torn on final choice but i would prob buy a 26 DIS bayliner as i like comfort when im fishing...and the simple fact i mostly fish lakes.

why not get a prop trim up. if you get a pump have a good kicker and yall be fine.

saltyseadog wrote:why not get a prop trim up. if you get a pump have a good kicker and yall be fine.

Absolutely, for trolling the kicker goes down.

there never will be a do it all boat you always will be giving alittle here but gettin some there. get a prop i know you like the bay:-#

Quoted from original post:

Matt wrote: I understand there is a 30% loss of efficiency over a propeller which is one obvious problem for making long runs, but what else should I be concerned with?

curado wrote:also you lose power with a pump in lakes and salt water up to 25% power drop. so like said get the conversion kit

Hehe, thanks Curado.

Well, I've been looking at a nice Xtra plus for 2 days now and am leaning towards sealing the deal.....

Matt are u getting the forward helm version or the tiller. get the wooldridge instead of the alumaweld bottoms suck on them. look into willie to.
P.S. Matt the sled u are lookin at is a awsome boat. thats what my friend started with. but moved onto willie raptor 24fter.

Its the forward helm with a canvas and drop curtain. 115 yami pump with a 15 hp kicker. We should probly go out and try it out sometime soon if I do pick it up

i am game. i will kickin some $ how much is it and what year

I've been asking around down at the docks and it sounds like getting blown around by wind and shifted easily by current are the biggest worries running a pump in open water environments. Drift socks should help out... some.