2011 Sea Doo Challenger 215hp - What to pay?

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R1blade75

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Hi - I'm looking at purchasing a 2011 Sea Doo Challenger SE 215hp with 45hrs and I wanted to get some opinions on the following.

1) What can I expect to pay for the boat? It currently has the Bimini top and hydro-turf mat.
2) Can the chip/gel coat be repaired easily?
3) Can the scrapes and scratches be easily buffed out? Should I just leave it considering there will be wear and tear resulting from unloading and loading the boat?

Currently the service records are unknown.

Thanks!
 

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We paid $28K OTD for 2012 Challenger 210SE with twin 155's. She was is amazing shape. Can Doo scan revealed she was well maintained as well. 112 hours on each motor. She looked brand new when we picked her up.

Based on that and the info you've supplied, I wouldn't pay more than $18 - 20K OTD the door for that boat if everything was in working order. The scrapes should buff out easily and the dealer should do it willingly to close the deal. The interior seems to have some discoloration on the cushions (mildew stains?). The gel chip in the bow can be fixed with a gelcoat patch kit from Spectrum for about $30, but that's with you doing the repair (not difficult). A lot more if you pay someone to do the repair.

You posted no pics of the motor or drivetrain. Is it clean? Did you check the fluids? How does the underside of the hull look? Any scrapes from being beached or damaged on anything? Have you water tested it? Does everything work (gauges, lights, blower, bilge pump, etc)?

The bimini and hydroturf are nice, but they add very little value to the asking price in my opinion.
 
Thanks JPass - The boat is the Challenger 180 with 215hp motor just to clarify.

I haven't seen the drive train yet because the boat is out of state and I'm working with the dealer on a pre-purchase inspection later this week if all goes well. I'm trying to obtain service records on the boat and from what I can tell, there aren't any. So I'm assuming I'll have to have the supercharger rebuilt even though it's only got 44hrs on the motor (Sea doo recommends 100hrs or every 2 years). On the plus side, since the boat's a 2011, it doesn't have the ceramic washers from what I've read........but that wouldn't be part of the equation anyway if I was to have the Supercharger rebuilt.

As for the cosmetics, I'm sure the scruffs and scratches can be buffed out which isn't a big concern. If I can repair the chip on the front of the hull myself, that'll be great!!

I was thinking a fair price before taxes and fees would be $13.5k, but I'm new to this and some people may say shoot for $12.5k assuming the supercharger will need to be rebuilt on my own dime.

I was considering purchasing a 2008 Challenger 180, but the price difference we're looking at is approximately $3kto $4k or so, therefore, might be worthwhile to get something newer as long as it's been looked after.
 
The supercharger will knock the speed of that boat to about 41/42. It's a good boat handles well. I just replaced the engine in mine 2006. You can shoot around 12.5 and work your way back to 13.5. If it's in Florida the price on those is cheaper than other states. Up north expect around 14K
 
I had a mechanic inspect the boat and he said there were a couple of fault codes and the compressions in the cylinders came back at 135, 136 and 131. Inaddition, he said it looks like the boat was last serviced at 33hrs in Oct 2011 which means the boat had only covered 14hrs in 4 years which gives cause for concern since I would much prefer regular use vs a boat sitting for long periods of time without been turned over. Also, he mentioned the wear ring would need replacing. So if I factor the cost to rebuild the supercharger, an oil change and replacement of the wear rings, I should be looking about $1k in service items.

I read the 2011 Challenger 180 215hp came with the depth finder as standard from the factory. Is that true?
 
R1blade75 said:
I had a mechanic inspect the boat and he said there were a couple of fault codes and the compressions in the cylinders came back at 135, 136 and 131. Inaddition, he said it looks like the boat was last serviced at 33hrs in Oct 2011 which means the boat had only covered 14hrs in 4 years which gives cause for concern since I would much prefer regular use vs a boat sitting for long periods of time without been turned over. Also, he mentioned the wear ring would need replacing. So if I factor the cost to rebuild the supercharger, an oil change and replacement of the wear rings, I should be looking about $1k in service items.

I read the 2011 Challenger 180 215hp came with the depth finder as standard from the factory. Is that true?
Click to expand...

what are the fault codes? that could be another thing to consider.
 
I'm waiting for the inspection report to come through, but I'll post the codes once I have them.

The estimated cost to have the service, super charger rebuilt, wear rings replaced and a good detail which includes repairs the chips at the front of the hull is $2,200. That sounds high. The detail alone came to $850.
I think at the minimum the boat will need to have an oil and fluids changed. Do you think it'll be wise to have the supercharger rebuilt now or wait till the boat has 100hrs?
 
Also, how many keys or types of keys should the Sea Doo Challenger come with? Are there anything else that would come with the boat?
 
The 3 codes that popped up were P0351, P0352 and P0353. The mechanic believes the codes were triggered while someone had tested the compression..... He believes after the service, everything will be ok.

In saying that, here is the quote for the full service and supercharger rebuild. I will hold off on replacing the Hydro Turf mats until they're worn out. I think they have a season of life still left in them. Total price will be $1.8k.


SD Challenger Inspection Report & Quote.jpg
 
always best to get it done and boat serviced before you have fun.....
you either do it yourself or some one who has the experience to do it. as you gain knowledge of the boat do your own servicing etc. just buy a candoo system to help with servicing and faults.
 
All in all, I'm looking at $13k for a 2011 Sea Doo Challenger. I think this is fair considering the boat would be all up to date on the service and maintenance. The only other thing I will have to deal with are fixing the chip in the clear coat on the front of the boat, a few light scratches on the hull and a good detail on the seat to rid of the mildew.
 
Boat will come with one key as standard. I had a second one made up. I have seen the 2011 215 non SE model in the flesh and it has no depth finder. I believe the 215 SE model does have a depth finder. You will know if it's an SE as it will have clip ins for carpet, chrome cup holders and covers etc.
 
moochy said:
Boat will come with one key as standard. I had a second one made up. I have seen the 2011 215 non SE model in the flesh and it has no depth finder. I believe the 215 SE model does have a depth finder. You will know if it's an SE as it will have clip ins for carpet, chrome cup holders and covers etc.
Click to expand...

Thanks Moochy for your reply. Yes I've discovered not all 2011 Challengers have the depth finder, carpet etc, only the SE models. The boat I'm looking to purchase is the base Challenger.

Just out of interest, have you had any need to service your supercharger even though it may have low hours? According to Sea Doo, the service intervals are 100hrs or every 2yrs, whichever comes first. I'm not sure if that applies specifically to 2008 boats and older because of the ceramic washers or that it's the best practice for all Challenger boats regardless of age?
 
R1blade75 said:
Thanks Moochy for your reply. Yes I've discovered not all 2011 Challengers have the depth finder, carpet etc, only the SE models. The boat I'm looking to purchase is the base Challenger.

Just out of interest, have you had any need to service your supercharger even though it may have low hours? According to Sea Doo, the service intervals are 100hrs or every 2yrs, whichever comes first. I'm not sure if that applies specifically to 2008 boats and older because of the ceramic washers or that it's the best practice for all Challenger boats regardless of age?
Click to expand...


I've got low hours on my motor (sub 20) my mechanic who knows seadoos backwards has not said anything about a supercharger rebuild yet but I'm thinking that may come in the next 12 months.
 
Considering the boat is a couple of years old. I would rebuild the supercharger.

I feel that's a little high for the detail (unless that includes the surface repairs). I do know it took me about 4 evenings to completely go over and detail my boat (say about 16 hours). So is about 54 bucks an hour. So if two people work on it it should be done in a day.
 
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Typical buff out here in central Florida is about $20/ft. So about $360 for your 18'er. Most of them are mobile, so they come to you. They might charge more if the scratches are bad. We do ours ourselves. Polish and wax takes all day, but well worth the effort.
 
Thanks for the tips - I'm heading out of state tomorrow to inspect the boat which currently has the full service and supercharger rebuild. If all goes well, I'll have the boat in my garage on Sunday.
 
Make sure you water test it. Run through all the gauge modes and features to ensure they're working correctly (I believe engine temp is one of the features). Check to ensure the kill switch and lanyard work. Check all the lights, fire extinguisher, bilge, hinges, cushions, etc.). Inspect the trailer as well. Make sure all of the lights are functioning and the hubs are in good shape and properly greased. If it has brakes, make sure those work as well. Check for cracking of sidewalls on the tires (shouldn't be an issue, but check anyway).

Being an out of state purchase, you really need to ensure everything is working to your liking prior to driving it off the lot.

Good luck with your purchase.
 
JPass - Thanks for the note and it'll come in handy with my checklist of items to go over. I've even gone as far as purchasing a spare trailer tire just in case I have a flat tire on the way home. : )
 
The boat tested out ok with the exception the radio was not working which I'll be replacing this week with an aftermarket unit (any suggestions will be greatly appreciated). After the long drive back to Florida, I finally have the boat safely in my garage. I took the boat out this morning with 2 of my friends with a combined weight of 580 lbs and with a full fuel load and I was only manage to squeeze out 37 mph at 7,800 rpm. The lake we were in was calm. My question is whether that is normal the boat would only rev up to 7,800 rpm because I thought they were more closer to 8,000 rpm to 8,1000 rpm?
 
Top end of 7800 rpm's is normal and not out of spec. Good luck with your new boat...now where are the pixs?
 
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