1997 Seadoo Challenger 1800 - engine compartment latch

[jennsavage]

Hi Everyone,

I am a new Seadoo boat owner and new to the forum and wanted some advice from the seasoned jet boat owners on here Two weeks ago I purchased a 1997 Seadoo Challenger 1800. The first day we went up to a local lake, we topped off the gas tank and spent about 4 hours on the lake, 1 of which we were anchored with the engines off....(so three hours of total run time). When we took the boat out a second time and went to top off the tank, we found we had burned 20 GALLONS of gas in those three hours. Is this typical of these boats? (ours has the 2 rotax motors, 220 hp). We were shocked at what a gas guzzler this thing is...and we were not even pulling a tube or a skier during our visit to the lake...we had three adults and a teenager onboard and it cost $70.00 in premium gas for that outing. Just wanted to know if this is typical consumption on these.

I have a second question for any mechanics out there who might work on these models. There is an engine compartment latch pull under the driver side transom which unlatches the storage/engine compartment in the back. It has a plastic t-handle. Mine is broken. I am not thrilled with the latching system, which requires two people to operate and costs $94.00 for the handle and the entire cable system to repair plus the labor costs to install it. Does anyone have a suggestion on how to create a latch which could be operated from the engine/storage compartment itself and bypass the cable system? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Jennifer

 

[dsw222]

I have the same boat you do. Our boats are rated at about 25 GPH (gallons per hour) of fuel consumption at wide open throttle. So if you are going top speed on the boat, it will burn through the entire 40 gallon tank of gas plus a gallon of oil in about an hour and 20 minutes. Do the math on that, and it will cost you about $140 in gas plus $40-50 in oil..... so the running cost of wide open throttle would be close to $200 for an hour and 20 minutes.

That being said, the consumption is much better if you aren't going full speed all the time.... but its an expensive hobby.

 

[jennsavage]

You know what is sad...my 21 year old daughter, who doesn't know anything about boats, but who researched the difference between a prop and jet boat told me not to buy one of these, but I did it anyway...I have to eat crow now.

 

[dsw222]

They're harsh on fuel.... but they make up for it with the fun factor. I'm sure you will have a great time on it. Jet boats are a lot of fun, especially how you can carve turns and spin them out

I'm not sure about the latch question, but i don't think you can really get around it too easily and cleanly. I guess you could mount the latch somewhere closer to the sun deck but it might look strange.

 

[jennsavage]

I think there must be something wrong with the latch anyway because it is supposed to raise up once you pull the latch on gas struts, mine does not, you have to pull it up. It is just so annoying when engineers design plastic parts that break and then you have to replace the WHOLE mechanism with the cable, instead of having some way to screw on a new handle...blah...I know they want to make money on parts, but do they have to be so extreme about it???

 

[dsw222]

Was it a shop that said you have to replace the entire cable? maybe they just want more money. Wait for a pro to chime in on this subject

As for the struts... mine does the same thing. I think mine is because the fabric on the sundeck is rubbing on the fabric on the rear seats ever since they were reupholstered

 

[jennsavage]

I emailed a local dealer and they said you can't just buy the t-handle, you have to purchase the entire mechanism to get the handle, lol. I tried using some pvc glue to put it back together, but doubt it will hold past one pull. It is frustrating, the previous owner kept the boat immaculate, kept it in a warehouse...I go to pull a latch to check on the oil and the handle breaks in my hand. I haven't informed my husband just yet until I find the least expensive repair idea, lol. He is still reeling over the gas consumption thing. The previous owner had told us he could go 7 hours on a 1/2 a tank of gas which didn't sound so bad...he must have never opened the throttle...ever...or, just didn't want to lose the boat sale. The good thing is, here in AZ, boats hold their value...so we will probably use this one for the summer and next season flip it for something more economical on gas...