After building 3 Dumas wood kits, I'm thinking about getting a jet boat. The Thrasher is $699 , the Proboat river runner looks to me that it needs considerable work to be run-able.

What other options are there for a reliable jet boat? I am not opposed to a kit, but would prefer something self righting.

Thanks for your advise.

Do you mean River Jet?
If so..since factory modifications were made its ok to run as is...the lube port mod is probably the initial mod you may want to do.
I have both and they are different animals but I like both.
There are no new Thrashers from Streamline to my knowledge,V3 models due next April may be slow coming out as existing owners are getting priority.


If you are referring to the Proboat Pibber..I also had that but soon gave it away,if you want scale and slow running,its ok,just.

Thrasher, the Proboat River Jet and pool-size Jet Jam, and a pair of Proboat scaled military patrol vessels. That's about it for the RTR or ARF jet boat market that I know of. Graupner has a scale twin jet boat, but it's a kit.


The jet boat offerings will probably stay minimal since, like Andy mentioned, the boating portion of the RC world is so tiny in comparison relative to hard surface vehicles and aviation, and jet boats are just one of many divisions of RC boating. The various sub groups in the BOATS section just show some of those other interests. I'd say we are lucky to have what we do, thanks to Proboat. Now if the other boat makers will just do likewise. I'm REALLY surprised we haven't seen anything from the Chinese RC boat marketers like Fei Lun.

Other than Thrasher or River Jet:
Graupner: https://www.graupnerusa.com/Highly-d...t-2155.V2.html

Riverine Patrol: https://www.horizonhobby.com/boats/b...rtr-p-prb08035

Alpha Patrol: https://www.horizonhobby.com/boats/e...-boat-prb08027

Jet Jam: https://www.horizonhobby.com/product...rtr-prb08031t1

THANKS Oyley.

Yep, I was referring to the river jet - sorry for not being clearer.

Sounds like the river jet is an acceptable option now.

Thanks for your help.

Just make sure it is one from the 'revised' batch as there are bound to be some out there that are not....official Horizon Hobby may be the best route as it could cost you more in the long run to correct.

Originally Posted by 1parrothead

After building 3 Dumas wood kits, I'm thinking about getting a jet boat. The Thrasher is $699 , the Proboat river runner looks to me that it needs considerable work to be run-able.

What other options are there for a reliable jet boat? I am not opposed to a kit, but would prefer something self righting.

Thanks for your advise.

If you aren't flipping your prop driven boats over, then you won't flip a jet boat. They are not as fast and are (usually) wider in beam. Those that are designed to self-right are actually designed to flip (narrower beam) to give the impression of higher speeds. Raphael Lopez - Proboat's product developer has removed the flywheel on his own boat to negate this (unnecessary) feature. And the Proboat Riverjet has an intentionally large steering nozzle designed to give the impression of a larger jet drive. But that causes the steering to be extremely sensitive (jumpy), so I have designed an aftermarket nozzle that returns proper control and has become quite popular. I also have a thread dedicated to fixing the RiverJet's inherent problems.

I am saying this because building a jet boat is much more satisfying than buying one. And you already have some building experience under your belt. We have designed a 3D printable jet drive that is as good or better than any on the market, taking the best features of those and putting them into a design of our own. It is free to download and print. And this morning I saw a great deal on an 18" hull on ebay (I don't have any affiliation with this ad) that our 25mm drive (post 1013) would be perfect in.

So I'll make you an offer: If you want to give building a jet boat a try, but don't own a 3D printer, I will make you the major parts (steering nozzle, inlet housing and stator) for free - you just pay shipping. You will need to supply the shaft, bearings, seal & impeller (have Shapeways make it) for the jet (all inexpensive items) and of course the hull, radio and battery. One other stipulation is that you post your build in this forum. You will get all the help you need from members eager to assist.

But whatever you decide, welcome to the world of jet boating, I think you'll find it more enjoyable than prop boats, as you can operate in very shallow water without the threat of damaging your prop. Sdg

That's a pretty good and generous offer if you want build..

sundogz

Your offer is very kind & generous - thank you.

The first Dumas boat I built was the big swamp buggy, and I learned how to fiber glass a boat. The second was the Dumas Shelly Foss, and the third was the Dumas Prime time. The Prime Time took almost 2 years to build. The most complicated, and poorest materials of any model I've ever done. And after dealing with a vendor (who will remain nameless), I am burned out on building. I want to plunk down some money, throw a boat in the water, and have fun.

With all that in mind I will, for the time being, pass on your generous offer.

Again, thank you very much, Dave

No worries. I understand your situation even if I can't relate. If you ever change your mind, the offer will stay open. Welcome to jet drive mania, I'm sure you'll enjoy the ride.

The good old Swampbuggy! A lot of fun but that greasy stuff all over the place from the glow engine....

I am sorry to read that Dumas quality went down. They were known for quality wood decades ago. Like the German kits from Graupner, Robbe and so on.

If you go for an RTR model, please pick a "mature" model. Not the tiny ones like the Pro-boat PBR MkII (nice, but 15mm jets with brushed motors) and swimming pool Jet-Jam.
The second gen River-Jet might be de best offer. And you can always order the upgrade steering nozzle from Sundogz. That is not a big thing to swap with the original.

In my quest to find the most current, updated version of the River Jet, I seem to remember that the newer version has a little silver sticker on one end of the box.

Is that correct?

Thanks

I'll check that out later when home..if |I still have the box,I'm sure someone here will have the box if I don't.

Originally Posted by Oyley

I'll check that out later when home..if |I still have the box,I'm sure someone here will have the box if I don't.

I would appreciate that.

If I buy the River Jet thru ebay or amazon, I got no idea if I am getting the most recent version. Horizon Hobby is out of stock, so I am assuming () that ordering thru HH would get me the newest version?

Sorry...the box got thrown away...

Didn't Andy say that the revised boats came in boxes who's print now say "5000mAh" batteries? The original boxes holding boats with leaky hulls and magnet-pukin' motors said "3200mAh". They upgrade the battery when they made the fixes. Maybe Andy can verify or correct me if he sees this.