14' Smokercraft Alaskan w/ a Jet

I'm thinking about putting a 20 HP Merc Jet on my 14' Smokercraft Alaskan in hopes that I'll be able to start fishing some of the sky and snoqualmie. Has anyone seen an outfit like this on the river? It's not exactly flat bottomed but given that it's small and light I'm hoping that that won't be too much of an issue.

Someday I'd like to get a small sled but that's just not in the cards right now.

Aaron

they work ok most go with a 40 or 50

I've got a 15HP Yamaha 4-stroke on there right now. It seems like a 40 - 50 would be huge. I'll check to see what the boat is rated for.

I think your boat is only rated for 35 HP max.

You loose about around 20% effective horsepower with a jet. Putting a pump on a 40 horse OB would give you roughly 30- 35 HP. Another thing you might consider with a boat that size is the weight of the motor. Also consider how the boat will handle if you're by yourself. You'll have your weight and the weight of the motor near the stern. You may want to add weight towards the bow. Good luck

I thought the loss was about 1/3 of the rated h.p.??? The smallest pump I have seen is sized for a 25/35 h.p. Even on a real small sled this 35 h.p. jet is pretty weak power. But if your rig can't take the extra weight then thats where you are stuck.

Approximately a 30% HP loss - multiply your motor HP by .7 - example: 50 HP with jet is approximately equal to 35 HP prop drive ( 50 x .7 = 35)

So if your boat is rated for 35hp, a 50hp with a pump will be just fine. Also remember that its the power at the pump that matters, not the powerhead.

Here are a few good links for outboard jet info:

http://scottandjenn.com/tiki/tiki/tiki-read_article.php?articleId=1&page=1

http://www.sonarsearch.com/Jets.htm

http://www.outboardjets.com/BoatSelection.htm

http://www.outboardjets.com/FAQ.htm

I have an older 50 hp merc on a 16' smokercraft jon style boat and seems to be a but underpowerd for more than 2 guys. Im thinking a 75hp powerhead. That will give me the 50hp at the pump.

I saw a 14-15' Smokercraft with a prop running the Skagit above the Steelhead park a couple years back. He had the motor trimmed way up and seemed to be doing ok.

I think the boat will be fine,the 15' Alaskan I ran had an almost flat bottom in the rear. The 14's have more deadrise in the rear but its probably less than 10 degrees. You'll need more motor though. If you get into some skinny water you'll need to get on step right now,you can't have the rear of the boat squat trying to get on step.

Aaron,

There are lots of 14 and 15' Smokercraft with small jet pump motors on rivers in SW WA. They usually sport a 40 hp (25 or so at the pump) on the transom. They must work well, or at least OK, cuz there are quite a few of them.

For comparison, I use a 50 hp (35 at the pump) on my 16' Lund, and it works very well.

Sincerely,

Salmo g.

there is a few guys who run the sky in a newer smokercraft.I think he is running a 30 horse pump and he does pretty well.on another note i have fished in oregon a few times and it is a different story down there most guys run props on there boats granite there are more restricted waters down there that are prop only but they all do real well.Fished with scott amerman and his dad a few times and thats all they run,in fact his dad runs a 25 and a15 at the same time.its the funniest thing i had seen but he does it pretty well and yes there is quite a difference when the 15 gets a bite.

Erin - I run a 14' aluminum with a 25 horse prop (with a river-runner guard) in the confluence area all the time. I find that 25 hp in the water is just right for that size boat and really appreiciate the hp when running in the salt or on a big lake and deffinately when running upriver. You will need a jet to run up the sky though. Did it a couple times with my prop but that's when the water level was up and I knew the slots I could get through. I don't mess with it anymore though. 3-rives has a nice used 28hp jet as well as a 40hp you should check out. I was thinking about putting one on my boat but decided to wait till I could get a decent sled.

I have a 15ft Smokercraft with a 40 hp Yamaha
pump and it works fine for 2 people in all the rivers that allow motors!! I have mine on the Cowlitz and Columbia all the time!! If you have any more questions just ask!!

I just looked at the plaque on the back of the boat and realized that they actually classify it as a 13 footer. It's rated for a 15HP motor and/or 700 lbs people, motor, and gear.

It seems like the 25 Merc might be ok but I'm not sure about anything larger.

heres a question........does anybody ever put a jet on the smokercraft lodge models.......been seriously looking at a lodge but wouldnt mind being able to use it in shallower water too......any input would be appreciated.......unfortunaly i dont have info on the deadrise of this craft and smokercraft site doesnt give the info either

dont do it man dont do it