Riverjet Version 1 reliability modifications

[fweasel]

Picked up a brand new Riverjet locally for $150. That was a steal I couldn't pass up. It's the first version, so it has all of the flaws. Fortunately, the jet boat enthusiasts have all sorts of well documented threads with lots of upgrades, improvements, and changes to follow. For the most part, everything I've done here was already documented by someone else. I just followed the pictures and bought the parts.
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After I tore everything apart, the first step was to reinforced the thin spots at the rear of the hull with dyed epoxy. Horizon modified the mold and manufacturing process so that the new hulls aren't stretched as thin at the rear strake ends and floor to transom transition. I didn't have any holes in my hull, but the ABS was incredibly thin and easily seen when held up against the light. Problem solved.
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I drilled the pump housing for a stuffing tube grease port to greatly simplify maintenance between runs. This modification has been done on jet pumps for a long time and was an easy mod once everything was pulled apart. Now there's need to pull any parts just to regrease the shaft after each run. The hole is filled with a small hex grub screw that threads into the pump housing plastic. Pull it out, inject fresh grease with a grease gun, then screw it back in to place. Much easier than the method Proboat had intended users follow with the stock setup.
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I ordered an updated impeller from Horizon. The original design had a 90* angle between the blades and hub body and was prone to crack. The revised impeller has more of a radius curve with more material where the blade meets the hub. I cleaned up a little flash with my Xacto knife along the edges and it dropped right onto the stock shaft.
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