Turbine boats
10-21-2022, 08:48 PM
#41
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Fusco s Jet Set skaters run exclusively in salt water. In fact where he runs is only 5 miles across the Barnegat Bay to the inlet and the Atlantic. There are some areas of brackish waters but mostly salt. He runs his skaters aggressively but safely.
Mikes 40 runs a utility v6 outboard on a jack plate to idle out to open waters. Looks like his 50 also uses that configuration in a water jet. In comparison to crash boxes and disk/caliper setup. His preference may be due to limiting the amount of turbine run time or for simplicity.
In regard to big power piston and turbine my preference would definitely be turbine. The turbine rebuild time alone is no comparison to piston although running gear would be the same. The Hellfire in Havasu is a bargain at 425k IMO.
Wiith 30+ years under his belt and a ton of run hours and real world data best bet is to ask Mike.
Last edited by HuskerPerformance; 10-22-2022 at 10:05 AM.
10-22-2022, 10:34 AM
#42
Registered
I’ve owned 4 turbine boats, all of them built by John Arruda at Turbine Marine. There is a lot of bad, if not just totally false/wrong info on this thread.
1. They are 100% insurable. In fact it, it will be the exact same policy and cost as any piston powered 160mph cat.
2. They can run on any standard diesel that is found on the water all around the country/world. It’s usually a lot easier to find than 93 octane…
3. The fuel burn difference on a trip is not that drastic. I would always figure 3 gallons per mile to be safe and it always ended up being less than that.
4. They can run fine in salt with the barrier filters installed and flushing them with a compressor wash every now and then. They actually hold up better in my opinion than a pair of raw water cooled big blocks/headers.
5. Last but not least is the misnomer that they all just spontaneously combust. The turbine boat fires of the 80’s/90’s were purely attributed to builder error, rigging issues, etc….. Sure, you have the last Geico boat, and the statement that burned on the way to key west in recent memory. On the contrary, I can think of about two dozen piston powered go fast boats that burned in that period just off the top of my head.
1. They are 100% insurable. In fact it, it will be the exact same policy and cost as any piston powered 160mph cat.
2. They can run on any standard diesel that is found on the water all around the country/world. It’s usually a lot easier to find than 93 octane…
3. The fuel burn difference on a trip is not that drastic. I would always figure 3 gallons per mile to be safe and it always ended up being less than that.
4. They can run fine in salt with the barrier filters installed and flushing them with a compressor wash every now and then. They actually hold up better in my opinion than a pair of raw water cooled big blocks/headers.
5. Last but not least is the misnomer that they all just spontaneously combust. The turbine boat fires of the 80’s/90’s were purely attributed to builder error, rigging issues, etc….. Sure, you have the last Geico boat, and the statement that burned on the way to key west in recent memory. On the contrary, I can think of about two dozen piston powered go fast boats that burned in that period just off the top of my head.
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10-22-2022, 01:04 PM
#43
Registered
I’ve owned 4 turbine boats, all of them built by John Arruda at Turbine Marine. There is a lot of bad, if not just totally false/wrong info on this thread.
1. They are 100% insurable. In fact it, it will be the exact same policy and cost as any piston powered 160mph cat.
2. They can run on any standard diesel that is found on the water all around the country/world. It’s usually a lot easier to find than 93 octane…
3. The fuel burn difference on a trip is not that drastic. I would always figure 3 gallons per mile to be safe and it always ended up being less than that.
4. They can run fine in salt with the barrier filters installed and flushing them with a compressor wash every now and then. They actually hold up better in my opinion than a pair of raw water cooled big blocks/headers.
5. Last but not least is the misnomer that they all just spontaneously combust. The turbine boat fires of the 80’s/90’s were purely attributed to builder error, rigging issues, etc….. Sure, you have the last Geico boat, and the statement that burned on the way to key west in recent memory. On the contrary, I can think of about two dozen piston powered go fast boats that burned in that period just off the top of my head.
1. They are 100% insurable. In fact it, it will be the exact same policy and cost as any piston powered 160mph cat.
2. They can run on any standard diesel that is found on the water all around the country/world. It’s usually a lot easier to find than 93 octane…
3. The fuel burn difference on a trip is not that drastic. I would always figure 3 gallons per mile to be safe and it always ended up being less than that.
4. They can run fine in salt with the barrier filters installed and flushing them with a compressor wash every now and then. They actually hold up better in my opinion than a pair of raw water cooled big blocks/headers.
5. Last but not least is the misnomer that they all just spontaneously combust. The turbine boat fires of the 80’s/90’s were purely attributed to builder error, rigging issues, etc….. Sure, you have the last Geico boat, and the statement that burned on the way to key west in recent memory. On the contrary, I can think of about two dozen piston powered go fast boats that burned in that period just off the top of my head.
10-22-2022, 01:32 PM
#44
Registered
50 Nortech vee around 100+ hours
47 Nortech cat probably 10–15
50 Mystic 10-15
50 Nortech cat 10–15
The only reason I didn’t use the cats as much is cause my wife didn’t like them and wouldn’t go on them so we used family boat more.
47 Nortech cat probably 10–15
50 Mystic 10-15
50 Nortech cat 10–15
The only reason I didn’t use the cats as much is cause my wife didn’t like them and wouldn’t go on them so we used family boat more.
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Smarty (10-22-2022)
10-22-2022, 01:42 PM
#45
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I will say this though. 1075 Merc vs 1450 turbine, I would take the turbine all day. Mercury 1350 vs 1450 turbine, I would take the Mercury 1350. Now when you get into the big hp stuff, say 1650 Mercury vs 1850 turbine, the turbine has the advantage again because it’s maintenance intervals are the same, if not better than the 1450, and the Merc 1650 is way more maintenance intense.
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Smarty (10-22-2022)
10-22-2022, 05:13 PM
#46
Gold Member
Gold Member
What are maintenance intervals and costs on the newer big HP Mercury stuff and how does that compare to the turbines? I would have thought there wasn't much to compare in this area - thousands of hours versus what I always assumed was top ends at low hundreds of hours and full rebuilds after several hundred hours. I guess I need to research
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HuskerPerformance (10-23-2022), Smarty (10-23-2022)
10-23-2022, 05:35 AM
#47
Registered
Somebody could buy John Wooleys aluminum Cougar turbine boat thats been for sale and finish it. Aluminum wont burn
10-23-2022, 10:07 AM
#49
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10-23-2022, 03:11 PM
#50
Registered
2017 Desert Storm
Tell me more about the likes and dislikes of the Mystic you owned, I have always thought, based on observation not firsthand experience, that the Mystic cat with turbine power is truly "top of the food chain". I am not a viable prospect to purchase a 50' Mystic cat with turbine power (pleasure boat), but I do have goals.....and I like learning firsthand from people who have been there and done that.
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