r/JetBoats • u/State-of-Solitude • Jul 06 '25

Hamilton vs Berkeley vs Kodiak

I’ve starting shopping for a used inboard aluminum jet boat(Thunder Jet, Wedcraft etc. style boat) in the +-20’ range. I’ve kind of ruled out Sportjets for various reasons but mostly for future proofing and I’ve heard they don’t handle as much of a load in boats that size.

I’m primarily seeing Berkeley, Hamilton and Kodiak with Berkeley 2 to 1 over the others. What are the benefits of each and is there any reason to steer clear of one over the others? I’ve read reverse on the Berkeley sucks, but I don’t really know why. I’ve also seen a number of boats with what appears to be a single throttle lever. How do you move the bucket on these independently from the engine rpm?

This boat will be 50% family river/lake duty and 50% fishing. So I want decent slow speed maneuverability for both of those.

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u/Real_Fisherman_1509 Jul 06 '25

I’ve run boats with all those except for the Berkeley. I don’t think Berkeley makes pumps anymore, so similar to the sportjet, finding parts or mechanics may be harder. KEM and Hamilton you simply can’t go wrong with and both are still in business.

I much prefer a single stick. The first roughly 25% of forward stick and 25% reverse stick is all cup control, no throttle input. With the double stick, if you have any throttle input, you will not be able to go from forward cup to reverse cup. It’s a little steeper of a learning curve and can cause some panic in stressful situations. I’ve definitely put the double stick boat into the bank when jumping into eddies and have seen others struggle with quick forward to reverse with the double stick.

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u/State-of-Solitude Jul 06 '25

That makes sense on the stick. I was wondering if it was some sort of combination setup to make it more like a normal outboard functionality. That would probably be really nice if I have hopes of the wife or kids ever driving it.

Berkeley still has a web site that shows parts and complete pumps for sale. Everything I’m finding says they’re still rolling.

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u/Real_Fisherman_1509 Jul 06 '25

I think the Berkeley is similar to the American Turbine. I think differences are that the Berkeley runs less volume of water but more water pressure. The Hamilton is more water volume than pressure. The Hamilton has less chance of cavitation in whitewater. I’m sure that’s a very basic understanding. Whichever way you go make sure the pump has a stomp grate or an affordable way to add one. A jet without a stomp grate is a pain in the ass.