1996 Speedster Restoration & Upgrades

[Speedster 1996]

Hi guys,

new here on the forum.

Bought a 1996 Speedster with twin 717 Rotax and split intakes - it was a dream to have since my teenage years and made this come true some time ago. Condition is original and quite good for an almost 30 year old boat, but now it needs to have some loving hands on the engines and the gelcoat here and there.
Engines are not running well, one always stops after some time running half throttle, the other is not running smooth as well. Have a lot of cavitation on both pumps so it takes a whiiiiile to get up to speed. Finally a complete engine, carburetor and pump rebuild is on my list.

I am happy to own an engineering and restoration company so everything can be done in my workshop.
Would be happy to get feedback and advices from some of you, who are familiar and specialists on Speedsters

Here are my questions to get this project started:

1. Are there aftermarket impellers wich are available today, which are adding something (...like performance etc.), any recommendations?
2. Should I go with an original wear ring or what are you using?
3. And for the engine rebuild: Which replacement pistons and parts like seals should I use or not use?
4. Do you guys think I should skip the oil pump and go back to an oil-in-gas mixture?
5. I already replaced the two batteries to a bigger single battery which turns out to be a good upgrade.
6. Want to produce my own drive shaft seal with needle bearing and seals, but want to add something like a reservoir so that grease/oil is always available in this area. Already have some ideas in mind. Let's wait and see.
7. Another thing: When the boat is on the water, loaded with one or two people, the footwell slowly fills with water. As soon you are starting to speed up a little bit, the water slowly disappears, but is that normal? Just thought about lifting the bilge hose a little bit to avoid water coming in.
8. Last one: There is this little blower in the engine bay. On mine the fan came off the last time I was on the water. Is this little thing really needed? I mean the engine compartment is vented and I can not see how this little thing could have any affect on the temps or on the running of the engines.

Thank you very much for your help

With greetings from northern Germany.

Matt

 

[Spider4real]

Hello and welcome,

Here are my thoughts:

1) I am not too familiar with all the options of aftermarket impellers for your model boat. Talk to Impros. I assume they ship worldwide. They can help you out with best recommendations for your boat: Impros The Impeller Professionals – Impros is a Personal Watercraft Impeller Repair and modification service.
2) Personally, I have always used the OEM wear ring. I would personally just avoid stainless. The wear ring is supposed to wear. That's why it is there.
3) Are yo sure it need a re-build? Have you checked compression? I would do that first before I tear the engine apart. But if a rebuild is required, I have used WSM myself and they worked great. You can find everything you need here: SEA DOO Yamaha Kawasaki Polaris Parts - OSD Marine, Your ONE SOURCE for DISCOUNT Parts!
4) I am a firm believer in the oil injection system. If it isn't broke, don`t fix it. But the experts on this site will be sure to remind you to change the little oil lines going from the oil pump to the rotary valve cover. This is the most common failure point.
5) Nice.
6) Cool, keep us posted.
7) Normal. The water will eventually drain into the ski locker which will drain into the engine compartment. From there it will be pumped out by the bilge pump (make sure that the pump is working and the automatic on/off feature is working correctly). Lifting the hose would likely help a lot.
8) The blower has nothing to do with cooling or the running of the engine. It it there to clear out any fumes before you start it so the boat does not explode. I think the manual says you should run it 3-5 minutes before you start it every time. Who has that much time though, I used to run it for about 30 seconds at most. It is a safety device. Considering no jet-ski has a blower fan and they all have the same engines, is it really needed? Probably not, but if you google exploding jet-skis you will finds some interesting You Tube videos that might make you wish you had one working correctly.

Cheers

 

[Speedster 1996]

Hi Spider,

thanks for your reply, it helps a lot.

About the blower: Now I got it. So on the other hand, I always take a look into the engine bay before starting after weeks of not using. Lifting the engine bay cover is more venting than that little thing will do in 2 or 3 minutes, right?

Did somebody modify the bilge hoses, like lifting it up half way or installing a one-way valve to it?
It feels weird that so much water comes into the boat already when going very slow or during anchoring.

Thanks

Matt

 

[Spider4real]

Well opening the engine cover before you head off would be ok, but I assume when you are in the water you are unlikely to open the engine compartment every time you stop as it would be a little inconvenient. Especially if you have gear on board. The manual specifies you need to run the fan each time you start it up.

I have heard of people installing a one way valve to stop the water from getting in. Some people have changed the scupper valve on the hull, but the results seem to vary. I did use a rubber plug once and a while on the opening under the drivers seat. Simple and effective.

 

[Speedster 1996]

Hi,

Impros offered me a set of Skat-Trak 16/21 impellers.

Does anyone have experience with them and can tell how they perform in comparison to the original impellers?

They would cost about 1.000 $ including shipping, so it must make sense…

Thanks a lot

Matt

 

[Sandman251]

I'll keep an eye on your thread. The water you're getting is likely coming up through the cockpit Scupper. Any water that accumulates on the floor is supposed to be evacuated through the hole behind the driver's feet and out the transom where there should be a check valve. It's nothing more than what looks like a plastic ping pong ball that opens and closes. Make sure it is present and that it moves freely. Lots of times there are bits of contamination like leaves or Acorn tops and such jammed in there. When it's not working right it's very common for water to backwash into the passenger compartment.
If there's nothing wrong with your impellers, leave them be. I think Seadoo tuned these boats very well from the factory.
Likewise with the oil injection system. If it works leave it alone. These are normally bulletproof systems.
If both Motors run and have decent compression forget about a rebuild until you need it. I've had 96 and 97 speedsters with compression in the 120s still make speeds in the 50s. Anyway good luck

 

[Speedster 1996]

Thanks for your reply. I didn't know about the ping pong ball. I will pull the engines, pumps and tanks next week and will check all that.

 

[burtshaver2021]

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