• This site contains eBay affiliate links for which Sea-Doo Forum may be compensated.

Looking to purchase..

Status
Not open for further replies.

Seadooboatfan

New Member
I am new to the forum and new to seadoo boats. But my wife and I rented one when we were on vacation in Aruba 2 weeks ago. It was a Seadoo Sportster and now we want one!

So my question is I am looking at a used 1997 Seadoo Challenger and have downloaded the check list in this thread, but my problem is I live in the northeast and the lakes are frozen so I can't take it for a ride. So is their anything that I should make double or triple check since I can't take it for a ride?

The owner says that the motor runs strong but it feel like something is slipping when at mid throttle, but goes away when at wide open. He said he replaced the propulsion system 2 years ago. I would like to pick it up in hopes of fixing it before spring as long as its not gonna cost me a ton of money.

What do you guys think and what should I look for to find what the problem is? Thanks
 
First... Welcome.

Second... don't pay too much for it if you can't take it for a test ride, because it can get expensive, very quick. Chances are... the problem is that the carbon seal is leaking a little. When the pump draws air, it will feel like a car spinning it's tires. (High RPM, and no thrust)


At minimum, get a good visual of everything to make sure there is no physical damage, and also get a compression check. A cold, dry (no oil in the jugs) engine should give you a reading of 150 PSI. The absolute min should be 135 PSI. But, when it's that low, you will need a rebuild soon.

Good luck
 
I wouldnt buy a boat without taking it for a water test. Would you buy a car without driving it?

Like doc said, it can get very expensive to fix some things on these. If you dont water test it, you may miss something. I would think any reasonable seller would understand that. If not, his boat is worth a lot less in my book.
 
Well the guy is asking $3000 for it with trailer. We are waiting for a few more days of warm weather to remove more snow to get to it and check it out. I'll see if I can get a compression test kit and check the engine. Also is it expensive and hard to change the carbon seal?

Also I'm sorry I just realized I posted this in the wrong thread forum. I meant to put this in Boats not PWC. Mods feel free to move thanks. :banghead:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top