Basic question: why have a (relatively) lowered floor in the center of the boat? Seems like a single height elevated floor through the whole boat might have more advantages than disadvantages.
The 5 bottom forward stringer’s I would think should be instead of laying flat play some vertical that increases your support and then you cut the stringer as it moves forward to match the bottom profile and the stringer will come to a point, You don’t need that much support forward unless you do plan on plowing through and over lay downs but still there should still be more than enough support with five or even just for stringers laid vertically. But wow What a blast I’ve always wanted to design and build riverboats
My buddy has a rockproof and I love it, he loves it. It just sucks The prices are getting out of control. He got lucky and bought his at the beginning of Covid. Used with 40 hours for 35k
Very nice build, Joe. I really like the setup of the raised rod boxes. Have you found any rod holders to attach to the side of them to organize the rods instead of just setting them in the box and letting them bang around? Very functional and very well put together rig. That Rotac is quite the beast to have under lever in what is essentially a 19' rig. Nice job outfitting.
I have this same boat with Merc 250 V8, it's a great boat. I ran a 21' Triton for many years and this Phoenix is like a sports car and runs so good in a chop. I'm in the same situation, I'm thinking serious about selling the Phoenix and buying a jet boat. I'd keep the Phoenix but I don't have the room to keep 2 boats inside unless I tell the wife she has to park her 4Runner outside, I don't think that would go over well. I'd rather fish the rivers here in east Tennessee than the lakes so I'm pretty sure that's the route I'm taking. Really enjoy your videos, they're really helping me decide what kind of boat I want. I have a Rockproof dealer 2 miles from my house and out of all the boats I've looked at, that's the one I think I'll go with.
That's an awesome boat! I really hope to have a rig like that one day. Jet boats are crazy though. Total horsepower black holes. 300hp on a 16ft to get 54mph is wild to me. I have a 14ft with a 25 prop outboard and hit 30mph. It's crazy it takes 275 extra hp to get 20 mph.
Ive watched RockProoof from the time I was a novice boater to now being a seasoned boat builder. Theres are quite a few odd things ill never understand. From the use of 4" channel longitudnal stringers to the square gunnels. Im sure Hardox is a premium protection but not having lifting strakes or reverse chines prevents being nimbal & increases plowing through turns. Im mostly surprised by the lack of lid structure. its just weird to see straight 3/16 sheet hatches with no guttering or dry storage. I also didnt expect to see the shallow water exeption & no foam, but that all comes to an end in a few months with the new USCG regulations. love the end result, from the color scheme to the trailer. Im sure that 300 is a fun little unit. even comparing it to outboard weight, power, & cost its a clear winner. Id love to build a hull around one myself. God knows i wont be building another jet with a 460 again.
interesting. Wouldn't adding lifting strakes be pointless while the boat is on plane? I mean the bow is out of the water when on plane adding lifting strakes would increase stern height and lead to additional bow steer in turns. Reverse chine would be of little improvement. I could see a few strakes maybe T bar near the chine being added to resist lateral skid. Probably comes down to preference in handling. Do you have any videos of all the jet boat builds you have completed i would like to see how you have handled it.
@FR-tm1fl the jet boat I built was the first thing I built. It's 30episodes on my playlist & I did UHMW on 8⁰ & no reverse chines or lifting strakes.... I learned this lesson the hard way. With 550hp it still works but it's like driving a bath tub. The last 5 I've built have been slickbottom fan & outboard prop boats. Personally I feel like low speed craft mostly benefit from reverse chines. On aluminum boats those are usually only pointed down the back 8' of the boat. at higher speeds even a 7⁰ hull will have the chines leave the water so lifting strakes are more of an asset for bite at that point. Sometimes even a small hook 2' in front of the transom to keep it sucked down to the water. After my first build I dove hard into hydrodynamics & what makes drag jetboats turn. Obviously that's the complete opposite end of the spectrum. I build a lot of performance pods for outboard boats now. With a jet tunnel & a property powered boat pods can either increase turning bite or maintain a soft plow while only effecting a more level holeshot. I'm far from a professional in jets but keeping the nose down can be achieved with a ride plate however at that point it will begin to require more nozzle pitch......... just like anything with hydrodynamics it's all a give & take.
Did you look into the "jetboat kit set" by thomas hewitt for any ideas on your build?...if you havent then you should check out his channel and his shallow water river videos...keep on rocking bro!!!
I like the seats so far. We’ll see how they hold up. I do have a little concern about the mesh breaking down over time. I sold my last jets boat in January.
It would be best to remove the lineX first but I realize how big of a job that is and it’s not something we get into. I have installed Aqua Traction over the line X on quite a few boats and overall it’s been successful. It must be ordered with Double adhesive. There was one or two pieces that had issue but were fixed.
In my search for my first river boat, I haven’t read much good about these motors. They have to be warmed up and don’t do well in the cold. I wish it were different bc that thing screams!
