Watch This Jet Boat Hit Sweet Jumps With Honda K-Series Power
The Internet’s favorite Honda engine looks great in the back of a jet boat, who knew?
YouTubers BoostedBoiz have built a mini jet boat powered by Honda's venerable K-series engine, as seen in their latest video.
The Honda K-series motors are popular swap candidates for many automotive platforms. The compact four-cylinder engines make great power, whether naturally aspirated or fitted with a big turbo. They're also cheap and readily available, with junkyard engines often available for well under $2000.
Combine that with the engine's online popularity, and the K-series makes a perfect candidate for a YouTube-ready build. As for the boat itself, the build is based on a 12-foot mini jetboat kit from Jetstream Adventure Boats.
The gang chose a K24 engine, as commonly seen in the Honda Accord, Odyssey, and Element. As seen here in stock form, these motors put out around 160 hp, but tuning and a turbo setup is on the cards down the track. K-series engines can readily produce in excess of 600 hp with boost and the right supporting mods.
In its first test, the boat achieved a top speed of 46 mph. This was limited by the power output of the engine, with the K24 turning at around 5,500 rpm, well below its 8,000 rpm redline.
The team then added poly-cladding to protect the hull and a proper trim nozzle for the water jet. With the boat now armored, it was ready to hit jumps, and did so with aplomb.
Surprisingly, top speed dropped to 44 mph on the second test. However, the team hopes that more power and fine-tuning will up that figure well beyond 50 mph.
It bears noting that car engines aren't always the best choice for marine applications. Boats run their engines at high load and high RPM for long periods of time. This can put great pressure on the valve train and other components. Plus, an oiling system that can keep up under such conditions is key.
There are other risks around running a car engine on the water, too. You can end up with water ingress into parts like the unprotected alternator. You can't simply throw a sealed engine cover on to protect things, either. That can trap gasoline vapors that are then ignited by sparks from the alternator. Marine-grade parts are specially sealed to prevent these issues.
Regardless, in early testing, the Honda engine has held up just fine. Plus, it gets "K-Swapped" into the YouTube title which is exactly what the fans are screaming for. We look forward to seeing this jet boat throwing huge rooster tails in future once it's got a giant turbo in the back.
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