Looking at buying a 2010 Seadoo Speedster 155

[Nosnibor]

***if you are reading for first time I have changed my mind and now looking at a 1999 Challenger 1800...I don't know how to change the title but any help is still appreciated***

Hey all, I'm newly registered here but have been reading the forums for a bit now.

I know I want a boat and pretty sure I want a jet boat. I have rode on my friends 215's. I'm now looking at getting a non-supercharged 155. It's used with about 40 hours on it. This would be my first boat ever. Riding on the 215's I pretty much know what to expect as far as ride goes but I had a few questions on some other things. Any help would be appreciated!

Maintenance: How easy is it to fix simple problems yourself with these? And what kind if any issues are people experiencing with them? (wiring, pumps, ect).

Fuel: I read the standard 155 can use regular gas. I haven't been able to find the tank size for the 155 but I assume it's the same as the 215 which is around 22 gal? I also wonder if the 155 gets better usage than the 215?

Price: The person selling is asking 12,500. I have no idea here and want to get your thoughts. I have only seen pictures but another friend that has seen it says it is in great condition.

That's all I can think of right now. I appreciate any response, thanks!

 

[devonte007]

Hi and welcome to the forum...

I have and older sportster (speedster) 155hp and really like it. The only thing that has disappointed me in the past is lack of power occasionally. I really only feel this way if the boat is heavily loaded down or for tow sports. If I had it to do over again I might have gotten a supercharged version. Otherwise it has been a great boat and I have had no issues.

Maintenance: Maintenance on seadoo 4-tecs is straightforward and if you are mechanically inclined normal yearly tasks can easily be accomplished. I and most other forum members perform our own maintenance and fixes, basically what this forum is about. Basic yearly tasks include oil changes, coolant changes, spark plugs and general cleaning and lubrication of parts. You may need to purchase a few special tools like a vacum pump for oil changes but otherwise most of your garage tools should work. The 155hp version is the easiest to maintain and generally considered a bulletproof engine if properly cared for. Do yourself a favor and download a shop manual for whatever you intend to purchase. Other things like dissembling the propulsion system and pump can be an easy task if you take your time and follow instructions, common nut and bolt operations.

Fuel: The 155 version does just fine on regular gas. The tank is around 22 gallons as you suspected. The fuel economy is better than the supercharged versions, how much better is hard to say. My gut would say 35% better maybe, Sure there are some hard facts online about this somewhere. It really all depends on how you drive these boats. They tend to be very fun to drive and if you run wide open the fuel economy definitely is less than ideal, if you drive with a bit more restraint I think you will be happy with the fuel economy. Jet boats but their very nature are not that efficient when compared to stern drives or outboards, but the fun factor is the trade off.

Price: 12,500 for a 2010 seems reasonable for low hours and impeccable condition, but shop around and compare. I purchased my 2004 for about 6,500 4 years ago. Just be sure to properly test drive and fully check it out before purchase. Search the forum for tips on buying and what to look for when test driving. If you are not all that familiar with these boats take someone along who is, you mentioned a friend that has a supercharged version.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. If you have any other specific questions post back and I'm sure someone will help out. Be sure to post back with some pictures and let us know what you end up with!

 

[Nosnibor]

Hi and welcome to the forum...

I have and older sportster (speedster) 155hp and really like it. The only thing that has disappointed me in the past is lack of power occasionally. I really only feel this way if the boat is heavily loaded down or for tow sports. If I had it to do over again I might have gotten a supercharged version. Otherwise it has been a great boat and I have had no issues.

Maintenance: Maintenance on seadoo 4-tecs is straightforward and if you are mechanically inclined normal yearly tasks can easily be accomplished. I and most other forum members perform our own maintenance and fixes, basically what this forum is about. Basic yearly tasks include oil changes, coolant changes, spark plugs and general cleaning and lubrication of parts. You may need to purchase a few special tools like a vacum pump for oil changes but otherwise most of your garage tools should work. The 155hp version is the easiest to maintain and generally considered a bulletproof engine if properly cared for. Do yourself a favor and download a shop manual for whatever you intend to purchase. Other things like dissembling the propulsion system and pump can be an easy task if you take your time and follow instructions, common nut and bolt operations.

Fuel: The 155 version does just fine on regular gas. The tank is around 22 gallons as you suspected. The fuel economy is better than the supercharged versions, how much better is hard to say. My gut would say 35% better maybe, Sure there are some hard facts online about this somewhere. It really all depends on how you drive these boats. They tend to be very fun to drive and if you run wide open the fuel economy definitely is less than ideal, if you drive with a bit more restraint I think you will be happy with the fuel economy. Jet boats but their very nature are not that efficient when compared to stern drives or outboards, but the fun factor is the trade off.

Price: 12,500 for a 2010 seems reasonable for low hours and impeccable condition, but shop around and compare. I purchased my 2004 for about 6,500 4 years ago. Just be sure to properly test drive and fully check it out before purchase. Search the forum for tips on buying and what to look for when test driving. If you are not all that familiar with these boats take someone along who is, you mentioned a friend that has a supercharged version.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. If you have any other specific questions post back and I'm sure someone will help out. Be sure to post back with some pictures and let us know what you end up with!

Thanks for the reply!

Since I wrote that I came across another deal. It's actually for an older Challenger 1800 dual motor. Which I assume is going to use twice the fuel as a single motor, lol. Again some more questions about boat maintenance and what to be weary of.

The seller is stating they had "1 upper end rebuilt in 2012 and the other in 2013". I'm guessing this is a good thing...but honestly have no idea. He stated they have less than 30 hours since that happened. Should I be worried they were rebuilt or relieved?

I had already been reading the Operating manual for that specific model. I've been trying to wrap my head around winterizing. As I was reading it seems like the manual suggest a similar process like "winterizing" but for anytime you are done with the boat for more than a day...Is that preventative stuff or needs to be followed strictly?

Also with the boat being older I'm assuming there are other things that could be wrong with it. Any tips on stuff I should look out for? It's a 1999 and honestly I think that Challenger is more of the style I was looking for.


....oh and can someone explain 4 tec and 2 tec...and what the Challenger 1800 may be? My guess is 2 and 4 stroke?

Thanks again for any replies.

 

[devonte007]

I prefer the 4 stroke 4tec seadoo engines. They run flawless and maintenance is easy for me. I personally will never buy another 2-stroke marine engine, the 4-strokes run better, easier maintenance, and they are cleaner. My opinion though (don't want to offend any 2-stoke guys out there

I do not know much about the sead0o 2-stroke engines, but some of the later engines can be quite complicated (and expensive) to work on. If you want advise about the 2-stroke boats I would start a new post in the 2-stroke boat section.

 

[Nosnibor]

I prefer the 4 stroke 4tec seadoo engines. They run flawless and maintenance is easy for me. I personally will never buy another 2-stroke marine engine, the 4-strokes run better, easier maintenance, and they are cleaner. My opinion though (don't want to offend any 2-stoke guys out there

I do not know much about the sead0o 2-stroke engines, but some of the later engines can be quite complicated (and expensive) to work on. If you want advise about the 2-stroke boats I would start a new post in the 2-stroke boat section.

Is the 1800 Challenger a 2 stroke?

 

[devonte007]

I believe the challenger 1800 is powered by a 2-stroke Mercury power head. Seadoo used Mercury engines for a few years while they were developing their 4-tec engines. Not saying that they are bad engines but if you cannot work on them yourself it can be difficult to find anyone that will touch them. Not sure that I would pick one of these as my first venture into sport boating. You really need to be knowledgeable about these engines especially if you are in the market for one, they can be expensive to fix.

Read up in the mercury powered boats section. Dr. Honda is the forum expert on the Mercs.

 

[cheappc]

I believe the challenger 1800 is powered by a 2-stroke Mercury power head. Seadoo used Mercury engines for a few years while they were developing their 4-tec engines. Not saying that they are bad engines but if you cannot work on them yourself it can be difficult to find anyone that will touch them. Not sure that I would pick one of these as my first venture into sport boating. You really need to be knowledgeable about these engines especially if you are in the market for one, they can be expensive to fix.

Read up in the mercury powered boats section. Dr. Honda is the forum expert on the Mercs.

I second that opinion, they told me when I got to this forum to stay clear from the Mercury engines in our boats, hard to find parts, hardly anyone wants to work on them, and if you find someone that will work on them they charge a ridiculous amount of money.

So if you haven't bought it think twice about purchasing it, buyer beware. I love my 4tec, it's been problem free for 2 years now, I had so much problems in my 2 stroke, always having to rebuild carburetors, getting towed many times in the water, the fuel consumption on my 2 stroke was sickening, my newer 4 stroke 1503 engine uses less than half of the fuel my 2 stroke would use in the same amount of time.

 

[cheappc]

*** double post *****

 

[Cheap Engineer]

If it is a 1999 that he is looking at it should have twin 787s in it. 2000 and later went to the Merc jet system. I've got a 1998 Challenger 1800. It is a great boat, but it is more work to keep it running smoothly then a 4-tec equiped boat. Of course I only paid $4250 for my boat a year and a half ago. It would be tough for me to find a 4-tec in my price range.

 

[veedubtek]

Went through the same thing back in April. My buddy was/is/maybe selling his 2011 Speedster, and I almost bought it. Ended up with an 07 180SE w/wake tower and only 47 hours for 12,500. I actually had 2 to choose from at that price that were near identical. I'm at 73 hours now and couldn't be happier. I'd definitely opt for the 4tec if you're still budgeting that much.