cockamamie boat motor idea

[Flyinhillbilly]

I have a 10ft aluminum flat bottom boat that I use on creeks and have been thinking about getting a HF 2" water pump with the venerable 6.5 predator and building a small intake on the bottom of the boat and using a nozzle from a jet ski mounted at the bottom of the transom to make a sort of jet drive for super shallow water. What do you guys think? Would it work? I used to use a 250 gallon cube tank and the same pump to water my garden, but loaned the pump to a guy who left it too close to his pond and it sat under water for a while, then froze and busted the pump, but I can tell you from experience that these pumps put out a lot of volume and pressure, but I wanted some opinions before I went off and bought a new one.

 

[Kansaskart]

Sounds cool and only one way to find out. One of them things if it doesnt you still have a pump not like you wasted money.

Lot of guys out here have those 4 seater contraptions, most just drive the roads im like im not spenring that much to just cruise roads. I thought I just build one someday. So then couple nights ago im walking thru yard and spy an old aluminum flat bottom my dad bought over 50 years ago in grewt condition with a lot of family history, mostly beer related stories.

So, like any other guy here, 4 wheels? Engine? Maybe amphibious?

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

This is a trash pump? It can handle solid objects up to a certain size? Does the pump need to be primed? Would it harm the pump to reduce it's output with a valve?

 

[Kansaskart]

This is a trash pump? It can handle solid objects up to a certain size? Does the pump need to be primed? Would it harm the pump to reduce it's output with a valve?

90 day hf return policy. Work fast. "Um yeah, it just quit I dont know what happened". Before you say anything bad about that, last time I was at hf buying predators the head manager told me if I buy the extended warranty that he would take them back even if I did things to them I wasnt suppose to.

 

[ezcome-ezgo]

What I am trying to get at is whether it will work, not whether you can abuse HF's return policy.

 

[ML-TOYS]

Using a jet ski nozzle will most likely fail your attempt. All you will get is a flow of water out of it not strong enough to push you most likely. Jet ski outputs have an impellor in them which creates lots of pressure.
Your probably better off with a pvc manifold with 4-6 of these to get enough force

 

[Flyinhillbilly]

This is a trash pump? It can handle solid objects up to a certain size? Does the pump need to be primed? Would it harm the pump to reduce it's output with a valve?

I believe it's a Clearwater pump, Burt I would just throw the pickup hose off the bridge on my old one and it would lay on the bottom where i'm sure it was sucking in some debris. I plan on a screen filter at the intake to try and help with that.
It needs to primed the first time you use it, then it will pick up on its own. My old one would pull water up about 5 feet from the creek to the pump without priming, sitting at water level it should be instant.
I had a fire hose nozzle on my old one and it never gave me any trouble at all.

---------- Post added at 10:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 AM ----------

Using a jet ski nozzle will most likely fail your attempt. All you will get is a flow of water out of it not strong enough to push you most likely. Jet ski outputs have an impellor in them which creates lots of pressure.
Your probably better off with a pvc manifold with 4-6 of these to get enough force

The one I used to have would make me ha e to brace myself just to hold the hose with a gov intact stock predator. It filled up a 250,gallon tank in just a few minutes. They move a tremendous amount of water.

 

[karl]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CdeTOu3etI

 

[Flyinhillbilly]

Well, we knoe it'll push it. I'm wanting to put the nozzle underwater and use the jet ski nozzle for steering. I may actually take a whack at this.

 

[pRoFiT]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CdeTOu3etI

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Well that killed a couple hours of my day. thanks.

 

[pRoFiT]

okay my buddy showed me these last year. this is what you need to end up with when you are done!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_HMh3RSJQA

---------- Post added at 10:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:09 PM ----------

Here you go. someone is doing the pred jet boat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOsvLZ3RyAY

edit: haha, okay only watch that pred jet build if you want to see how not to build a jet boat. He even geared it 12:22 so putting 6krpm out? only went 3-4mph! lol.

edit2: Should find old jetski to rip apart the jet. or buy one of these
http://www.hamiltonjet.com/global/waterjet-overview

 

[Hellion]

I was gonna suggest just making a mud motor out of it, e.g. a surface drive.

 

[TX7]

I admire the creativity of you guys, but how about mounting an industrial fan to that boat and make it something worthy of the Everglades? You would be the only guy on Camp Crystal Lake to have one.

 

[Ebrownie]

I think I agree with ML that it won't push enough water to fill a jet ski nozzle. I measured the nozzle of my superjet (700cc) and it is a hair over 3 1/4". The ski weighs around 350 lbs wet, and the engine makes around 70 hp. I imagine your little boat gets up on plane pretty easy, but I still just don't think that pump will do it. But hey, try it and find out for the rest of us maybe I'm wrong.

I would also suggest that you put a good scoop grate on the intake; or else the pump might cavitate without a constant water flow. It also blocks large debris.

Just for kicks and giggles, I took a pic of the engine