1977 Rogers Bonneville TR
Here is what I've done so far on my jet boat!
Videos
- Maker
- Rogers Custom Boats
- Hull type
- Bonneville TR
- Motor
- 460 BBF
- Jet type
- Berkeley 12 JG
- Length
- 19 ft
- Year
- 1977
- Year started (rebuild)
- 2025
I bought the boat in July 2025 from a gentleman off of offerup, he had bought it from the original owner and flipped it for more money instantly. The boat was listed as "turn key" other than a carbuertor rebuild and header gaskets needed to be replaced. Within a short amount of timeI had realized the boat was going to need a lot more work than I initially thought. While rebuilding the boat, I was able to find the original owners facebook page and found his grandson and I had a mutual friend.That mutual friend is my sister in law and she was able to get me in contact with the family. With that, I was able to get in contact with the original engine builder Paul Kane of High Flow Dynamics and I have since gone to the original owner's house and showed him all the work I have done on the boat. I know this boat will always be a project, but I am excited to see where it goes and make a lot of memories in it like the previous owner did. All the work done on the boat so far would not be able to be done without my dad, mom, brother, and girlfriend.
What I've done
July 2025
Rebuilt the carbuertor and replaced the header gaskets. Boat started running right away.
August 2025 - September 2025
The original upholstery and seating wood were destroyed and in terrible shape. The carpet was also covered in dirt. I made the decision to change the carpet, change the seating layout from a bench seat layout to a cocktail seating layout and also had new upholstery done. The work was done by A1 Marine in Riverside, CA.
October 2025 - November 2025
The trailer that came with the boat was the original trailer from 1977 and had not had work done to it since. The paint was coming off, rust everywhere, dents, no lights, and the coupler didn't work. I talked around to a few different people and got estimates for a rebuild. Instead, I decided to save a couple thousand and rebuild it myself. I had all welding done by Orange Hitch & Trailer Repair in Orange, CA. After all the welding was done I went ahead and drilled the necessary holes for lighting and prepped the trailer for powder coating. Powder coating was done by High-Tech Coatings in Santa Ana, CA. Once that was done, I rewired the lighting, repacked the bearings, redid the bunks, and polished the wheels. This was one of the scariest projects due to having to get the boat off the trailer and pull the motor from the boat. See images in the slideshow for more details.
November 2025
While having the boat off the trailer, I removed the pump due to it leaking gear oil and needing a paint job. I took the pump to Place Diverter in La Habra, CA and had it rebuilt and painted. By far, Tim and Scott Place are some of the coolest guys I have ever met. They did so well at explaining everything and have made sure I am treated right whenever going in there. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a pump rebuild or just looking parts. I reinstalled the pump myself.
November 2025
Since the pump was off the boat, I worked on reinforcing the transom to make sure it was strong enough to last a couple more years. I did so by sanding down the wood, then setting a top layer of epoxy resin on top of the freshly sanded wood.
December 2025 - Present
Most other work I have done has not been major changes. I have installed all new angled bezels for the gauges, a ski tow on the motor, polished valve covers, new braided steel lines for the motor, new steering wheel, grab bar for passenger, pressure relief circuit, new battery tray, new bilge pump, new fuel lines, new fuel pump, created a custom mount for the catch can (puke tank), new water cooling setup for the headers, added drive line cover, and I am currently working on repainting the motor which I expect to be done by March 2026.