Riverpro not so tuff!!!

[Rainman]

I heard last night that a guy down on the river this week ripped his RP wide open in the front. Did anybody else hear about it or see it? I guess he hit a sharp rock.

[Papa Grump]

I know that Jim Hooper from Jordan put a pretty nasty dent in the front of his from running the St Cloud area a couple of weeks ago. Pushed in the hull about 8" in about a 2 foot wide area. It's bad enough that the hull should be replaced, but I'll weld in a patch for him if it starts to leak. Still runs and drives like a dream. Other than that I haven't heard anything else, though there is a new owner/old 'pro running into everything lately. Wouldn't surprise me if he managed to wreck it. It would really take alot to wreck one of these things. Dennis tossed his on top of the rocks by the Chaska bridge a couple of years ago and didn't hurt a thing.

[Kyle B]

Nice!! Being just a stamped hull once it gets hit, theres nothing to stop it from going as far as it wants to dent it! Sure wouldn't be the first one!

[hanson]

I gotta believe that any aluminum hull boat on the water these days is subject to that kind of damage if you hit something in the right spot going fast enough.

One problem with any kind of jet is they do allow you to go faster than conditions may allow, sort of like overdriving your headlights on a snowmobile. Whether its outboard or inboard, the simple truth is you are moving rapidly in shallow water where objects can sneak up on you.

Comes down to driver skill and experience with how you evade these objects and read the water you are boating through.

[aanderud]

Anyone ever fish in an airboat on the MN river or a similar river? I don't imagine they're the most fuel efficient, but they sure work well in the everglages.

[Rainman]

There was one down in mankato on the river 2 yrs ago. That looked like fun. Very loud though. No sneaking up to a spot with one of those.

[Kyle B]

The guy in kato that had the air boat was a friend of mine. being to loud was the reason that he got rid of it. There are a few people in New ulm that run air boats.

Beware of a 19ft roughneck jet boat comming down or up river near you...we'll just say his handling skills arn't totally up to par yet!

[DTro]

Quote:

---

Beware of a 19ft roughneck jet boat comming down or up river near you...we'll just say his handling skills arn't totally up to par yet!

---

yeah, I wasn't quite sure how to respond to your txt msg.

[Kyle B]

I have been in many jet boats and in some very iffy situations, but the ride I had in eds boat was by far the wildest ride I have ever been in!He has got the driving down pretty good now! I think!

[Kyle B]

By the way! That wild ride was not a controled wild ride!

[Dan Thiem]

I tell ya what Kyle, that time you took us out was fun. You knew how to run that thing like a real champ! Really!

Another time when I went with Dennis, we removed a very large log jam under a railroad tressle. He made that Pro do stuff that still makes me shake my head. Some of it involved a chainsaw, a log chain, and last but certainly not least Jonny P. But I guess, I am supposed to remember, what happens on the river stays on the river.!

[ogrejce]

Was the log jam between jordan and chaska? I saw a huge one on a railroad tressle last year for the first time. It looked kind of permanent though, I didn't think there was any way it could be moved or navigated. I haven't been back since, I normally go up river instead of down.

[DTro]

I'd like to hear more details on this. Because if it the boat I'm thinking of, it wasn't really "tore right open". Yes there was quite a bit of damage, but after speaking with him, that would've happened to any boat the way he hit.

I will call any boat that you can get tossed out, have the boat fly up a steep rocky bank, rpms cranking dry until you finally are able to shut er down, then yanked back down, and drive away.......tough.

I have heard of a few incidents of the RP's getting dinged near the intake, but one has to consider the way these things are abused. Drive a RP even a little more agressive then a normal prop boat and they will last a lifetime. Try to take it 4 wheelin and you might ding er up a bit possibly beyond repair.

[Dan Thiem]

Quote:

---

Was the log jam between jordan and chaska?

---

I really don't remember where? I do remember a beach up river from the tressle on the right. There were people applauding us when we went by.

[ec30_06]

The first day was a little shakey, but I think I got it down now. Someone was even nice enough to hit the first rock with it for me last night. I'm gald that is out of the way.