Jet Tender vs Outboard

Jets tend to be quieter and you've got no props hanging out if you get into swimming areas or shallows, but their motors take more interior space and clog in weedy areas. OB's take up more deck area on your boat, but can be pull started if you have battery or ignition issues. You can also tiller steer them if need be. I think OB's maneuver better and more how you're used to at slow speeds, but that's more a matter of what you're used to. I think OB's are cheaper and easier to maintain. For starters you don't need to bring the whole dink in. For beaching I'd prefer an OB as you can pick it up and not ingest the sand.

Agree and I'd also prefer an OB for all those reasons and more, but Jets do have good points to consider such as swimmer safety and they take up less space on deck. In fact if he can only fit an 11' with OB he can probably fit a 13' jet. Of course that also increases the cost though. I wouldn't be any more worried about a gas inboard (jet) than a gas OB on an 11' boat. They've both got fuel lines, tanks and ignition sources right behind/under you. But I'm also not as concerned about gasoline as you are. Diesel fuel and exhaust smell more, smoke more and spills are harder to clean, and diesel motors are a lot more expensive. Everything has its place and use, and any fuel system has to be respected and maintained.

We had a new Zodiac jet tender. Within a week the Boss got rid of it and got an outboard one. Horrible things.

We're long time jet fans while Capt J is a more recent convert. We have Williams 325's, 385's, 445's both gas and diesel and 565 diesel. We love them all as they'll just outperform and outride comparable outboards. Now, one caveat, our gas models are Weber/Textron before their switch to Rotax, but all we're hearing about the Rotax is far more positive than the PWC stories. Rotax also doing ok in boats. Just we don't have personal experience with the Rotax models as Capt J does.

You pick up roughly two feet of space over an outboard which is huge in a small RIB. So consider an 11' equivalent of a 13' outboard. The 385 is 12'6" and easily equal to a 14' or 15' outboard. I would go for the largest size I could fit.

We don't use ours to shuttle back and forth but use them to explore and often put 50 to 100 miles on one in a day.

The biggest issues people have is acting like their draft is 0" and it's not. We treat it as if it's 2' at all times and don't take it so shallow as to inhale sand or other bottom debris. When approaching a beach we turn it off for the last few feet just as you'd do with an outboard. As to the engines, the main thing we encourage is regular flushing and we don't leave ours in the water. That's simply a personal preference but we return to it's davit after use. The built in flush system is very easy and quick.

The only negatives I see are the price as they are clearly far more expensive.

Can't speak as to Zodiak. Williams has long been the industry standard. Avon made some Seasport's for Europe which were very comparable (came under Riva label in Riva's). Novurania makes larger ones. Aquascan makes models using Yamaha engines. Ribjet makes two models. Carbon Craft now has four models and they make Williams seem cheap. Two gas and two diesel and use Textron for the gas. Castoldi makes some nice models. Then the new players. AB has recently entered the jet market, also with Rotax, from 10'-15' and Agilis is a new entry from Germany.

One more caveat. I don't know how I would have felt had I owned outboards for years, but I had not. My first tender and all since have been jets.

I've been servicing/tuning outboards, from 2.5 to 400hp and rather powerful race engines, since I was 15. Go with what you know.

I have a 2019 Williams 325 for a bit over a year now. Ive had AB Ribs with Yamaha motors. The jet boat is certainly a lot more fun and you can do a lot more water sports safely. Now the challenging part owning this boat. Under 50 hrs replaced the following:
1. Electronic control module - ROTAX part.
2. Shaft seal (carbon) shattered and almost sunk the boat. The pumps did their job till I could get her back to the mama ship.
3. Steering cable bound up and had to replace.
4. Brazed plate frame heat exchanger, Sea water to Coolant unit developed a coolant side leak and had to replace.
Thankfully the parts are all under warranty but their service network in the states is not great. Working with the service manager for US distributor i was able to replace the parts and troubleshoot by phone and FaceTime. Very accommodating but if you arent capable you will have to find a mechanic willing to work on these.
My Sunseeker has a garage specifically built for this model. If not I’d have my AB with Yami all day long.

Safety is for when pulling kids on water toys. Sometimes they use the jet tender with out myself. My son is learning and has his state license, 13 years old.

Hard to get past the safety, but each of those breakdowns would put it OOC for the remainder of your cruise. Not good advertising. At least with the OBs parts and service are always close.

While we like the safety, our big reason is the performance and the handling. We also like the size gain. We get a lot more boat and carrying capacity in the same space. One other advantage when carrying on deck is the low profile.

Now I'm still withholding judgement on the Rotax. Our experience has been with the Weber/Textron. We're also going to need some new ones soon. Soon, as within two months.

Good Afternoon. Since you seem to have extensive experience and knowledge regarding jet tenders I have a question I hope you can answer. Our new, 2021, Williams 445 Diesel Jet will not flush after its most recent short trip. We got an engine overheat warning and put it back on the swim platform. Tried to flush the engine and the water never traveled through engine. There is obviously a blockage between the flush mount and the engine. Worked perfectly two days ago. Simple fix possibly? I look forward to your thoughts.