Well-known in go-fast powerboat circles, marine industry veteran Sean Stinson is renovating and reassembling a 1978 Taylor SJ jetboat. Based in New Jersey, Stinson said he purchased the completely disassembled 18-footer with its 460-cubic-inch engine and Berkeley jet pump for about $3,000. The engine, which currently is being rebuilt at J & E Automotive Performance in Blackwood, N.J., is a naturally aspirated, single-carburetor model that Stinson estimated makes roughly 400 hp.

“I am hoping to get it done in the next 30 to 60 days,” said Stinson. “I have all new gauges for it, and the bucket seats and bench seat are in my garage. These old jetboats usually came with some kind of indoor/outdoor carpet. I don’t want to go with that, so I’m thinking about the kind of rubber flooring I used in one of the Apache boats I worked on.”

Stinson said he plans to sell the boat in the $10,000 range once it is finished. With the profits he hopes to make from the sale, he plans to tackle a larger go-fast boat renovation project.

“This was something I could do to keep my appetite going for the high-performance boat world,” said Stinson. “I plan on selling it and buying something bigger to restore, then selling that and getting something bigger to restore until I get back into an offshore boat.”

Editor’s Note: Speedonthewater.com will provide an update on this project with additional photos when it is complete.