Not for everyone, but those who have ‘em, love ‘em By Jerry Hale
They’re sexy. Fast. Agile. Prop-free safe. And just plain fun. At least that’s what jet boat makers like Bombardier/SeaDoo and Yamaha would have us believe. Jet boats, they say, have a special appeal for water-sports lovers. No surprise: they’re basically personal water craft (PWCs) made longer, wider and deeper to comfortably accommodate up to six adults, their gear and goodies for a day on the water. Curious, we checked with some Smith Mountain Lake jet boaters to see if their experience was anything like what’s promised in the manufacturers’ hype. We began by knocking on the door of a house well up Gills Creek, where a jazzy jet hangs in waiting down at the dock. Steve Davis was happy to talk. He knows SML boating having used the Lake for 11 years before buying a place on the water four years ago. “I’ve owned seven other boats,” Steve said. “And the jet is more fun than any of them. It’s a real kick on flat water —60 mph plus … and she’ll turn on a dime.” His boat is a 2002 Yamaha with twin 135s. It gets heaviest use during the early and late season, when Steve and his passengers can feel like they have the Lake to themselves. “It’s great fun to be out there virtually alone,” he raved. Downsides? “It’s not for the timid. Like the older PWCs, you’ve gotta have power to steer, and that takes some getting used to,” Steve cautioned. “And it’s a gas hog. I have a line of credit at the Foxport pump.” Frank Radozycki is another Gills creek jet-boat fan. His 1997 17-foot SeaDoo Speedster accumulates about 60 hours a summer. “It’ll spin around in about its own length.” Frank said of its uncanny maneuverability. “And around the dock, the twin engines let you make it dance.” He’s referring to the fact that the two 110 horsepower jet drives can be shifted into reverse individually, levering a pivoting turn like a skid loader with right wheels turning forward and left turning in reverse. “Once you get the hang of it, you can put the boat about anywhere,” Frank said as he fired ‘er up for a joy ride with wife Sylvia. Glenn and A.C. Martin-Asher and their Rottweiler Sebastian are on their fifth summer with a 2002 SeaDoo Challenger 2000 as their primary Lake recreation. “It lets us poke into places that would bang a conventional boat’s props,” A.C. raved. “And it handles just like a large jet ski.” She considers it ideal for a lake the size of SML. We encountered Kathy and Dave Kelley near Bridgewater in their spiffy blue 2004 20-foot SeaDoo sport boat, powered by twin 155 horsepower 4-stroke engines, the ones used in Bombardier’s top-of-the-line PWCs that year. The Kelleys trail the boat to SML from Richmond as often as they can. They especially enjoy runs to secluded coves with daughters Kristen and Carolyn and German shepherd Killian aboard. “The girls love tubing,” said Kathy, “and we love that there are no sharp props or exposed transom-mounted drive units for them to kick while swimming around the boat.” She also finds the SeaDoo much easier to operate than the 22-foot Wellcraft they once had which, she explained with a nose wrinkle, “always seemed to be trimmed improperly.” “This boat is quick out of the hole, and the four-strokes are stingier on gas,” Dave added, comparing it to their earlier jet, a 14-footer with a single two-cycle for power. Boasting ample power plus the safety advantage of no props spinning outside the hull, jet boats are well suited for tubing, skiing and wakeboarding. That’s what prompted developer Jim Petrine and his wife Debbie to order a SeaDoo Sportster to share the boathouse with their 34-foot Sea Ray Express cruiser. Their jaunty yellow four-seater even sports a wakeboard tower — a boon for new skiers and riders since a rope affixed high helps pull beginners up out of the water more easily. The tower-mounted tow point also helps keep ropes from being ingested by the impeller — an inconvenient and potentially costly possibility with all jet drives. So, is there a jet boat in your future? Don’t discount the appeal of one without getting behind the wheel. “You can’t fully appreciate the exuberance of a jet until you hit the throttles, feel the acceleration and experiment with the maneuverability,” said Dixie Payne of Ace Marine during a pause between highly-demanded test drives of a new Yamaha SX210 at the Bridgewater In-Water Boat Show. “For water sports or just cruising the Lake, our customers rave about the total experience.”
|
test 
PR: 
L: 
I: 
Rank: 
Age: 
I: 
