:willy_nilly: Argh... I am in desparate need of advice.
I am in the habit of getting older things and getting them working again, be it Pinball machines, boats, etc. I came across this Seadoo 1990 on CL and he was looking to swap it for a pinball machine, arcade, slot machine, etc, some other toy. He'd had it as a project to soup up and beat his son's Kawasaki. He'd bought several aftermaket add-ons, many you can see in the pictures:
Please look at these pictures I snapped when I checked it out last night
I have a nice Williams Flash Pinball machine I've restored, and realistically value it around $800-$1000 range. Its plug and play and ready to go for the barter/swap, which is definitely not what this PWC is. The engine compartment is dirty. Its registration is over 10 years out of date. When his older son sold off his PWC, he lost interest in the hobby and its langushed in the garage, on the custom dolly they made. No trailer is available and the length of the hull has been scraped up from hauling it in a truck during a move. The motor was purchased online from someone the seller knew, and has had good business dealings with in the past (professional crating when shipping, last motor shipped started right up when installed. Timing predone).
But.
And I know there are a dozen other things to look at.
The engine compartment shows no signs of fire or major leaks.
While there is some spiderwebbing on the fiberglass near the nose of the bow, it doesn't look like its ever been crashed/abused. (looking all inside the hull there are no signs of fiberglass patching).
The styrofoam is clean and not melted or beat up.
The seat is a newer replacement one. (will need a new mid strap)
The impeller blades looked okay.
It has a aftermarket carb (not installed), original carb, aftermarket exhaust manifold (in picture), some fugly leather add-on that is mounted to the nose bumper trim supposedly to minimize spray, aftermarket performance head (not mounted on engine yet) and the starter I have been told is in good shape.
I like to think I can read people pretty well. This guy's getting older, and his knees aren't up for the challenge of riding, and he's lost interest in the hobby now that his sons are grown up and moving away. He needs the room in the garage for his youngest son's Golf Cart repair business. He is throwing in the custom dolly the ski sits on, so I'll be able to easily move it around while I work on it. He has a full set of manuals on it including the professional service manuals. He's trying to clear out the other sons stuff and get his gameroom back in order (he used to service arcade and pins during the lean dot-bomb times when his regular work wasn't an option). I don't think he is trying to scam me, but at the same time, I am not sure what a project PWC like this without a trailer is worth.
When I started restoring my Nordic speedboat (has a 1976-77 Merc 150HP inline 6),
Nordic Boat when I bought itI had to understand that no parts were available from the manufacturer of the boat, and the motor, while a solid quality item, can be a bear to find parts for and/or mechanics that will work on something that old. So, I have to make some calls and see who in the Denver area works on antiques. And I'll have to get my hands dirty on this one two whenever and whereever I can. It looks like you can stiill get parts for this, am I right?
This is meant to be a present for my wife since she blew out her knee last year water skiing. She's rehabbed to the point she went snow skiing this winter with a brace, and wants to get on the water again later this summer. I don't know if she will be able to water ski, but I know she'd be thrilled to get back on a PWC at least, and blast around the lake. (We owned a Kawasaki Jet Ski 2 seater, but we sold it right after moving to Colorado 10 years ago).
:hurray:
SO FINALLY, MY QUESTION: What is your appraisal of this PWC? Is it worth the trouble to restore and is it a fair trade? I can't afford to buy a new one or even buy a working used one, so its this or just stick with the boat.
I am in the habit of getting older things and getting them working again, be it Pinball machines, boats, etc. I came across this Seadoo 1990 on CL and he was looking to swap it for a pinball machine, arcade, slot machine, etc, some other toy. He'd had it as a project to soup up and beat his son's Kawasaki. He'd bought several aftermaket add-ons, many you can see in the pictures:
Please look at these pictures I snapped when I checked it out last night
I have a nice Williams Flash Pinball machine I've restored, and realistically value it around $800-$1000 range. Its plug and play and ready to go for the barter/swap, which is definitely not what this PWC is. The engine compartment is dirty. Its registration is over 10 years out of date. When his older son sold off his PWC, he lost interest in the hobby and its langushed in the garage, on the custom dolly they made. No trailer is available and the length of the hull has been scraped up from hauling it in a truck during a move. The motor was purchased online from someone the seller knew, and has had good business dealings with in the past (professional crating when shipping, last motor shipped started right up when installed. Timing predone).
But.
- I'm buying something from a stranger without being able to test drive it.
- I know its going to need a professional mechanic to assemble the parts and install them.
- I'm going to have to replace several items, from the storage lid's rotting anchor straps to some of the fuel and other lines that look kludged.
- Need new battery, and perhaps wiring harness.
- When it was in use, it sounded like the guy maintained it well, he could point out the lube points and other things.
- I've no idea if the bilge pump/starter/etc will work after storage for 10+ years.
And I know there are a dozen other things to look at.
The engine compartment shows no signs of fire or major leaks.
While there is some spiderwebbing on the fiberglass near the nose of the bow, it doesn't look like its ever been crashed/abused. (looking all inside the hull there are no signs of fiberglass patching).
The styrofoam is clean and not melted or beat up.
The seat is a newer replacement one. (will need a new mid strap)
The impeller blades looked okay.
It has a aftermarket carb (not installed), original carb, aftermarket exhaust manifold (in picture), some fugly leather add-on that is mounted to the nose bumper trim supposedly to minimize spray, aftermarket performance head (not mounted on engine yet) and the starter I have been told is in good shape.
I like to think I can read people pretty well. This guy's getting older, and his knees aren't up for the challenge of riding, and he's lost interest in the hobby now that his sons are grown up and moving away. He needs the room in the garage for his youngest son's Golf Cart repair business. He is throwing in the custom dolly the ski sits on, so I'll be able to easily move it around while I work on it. He has a full set of manuals on it including the professional service manuals. He's trying to clear out the other sons stuff and get his gameroom back in order (he used to service arcade and pins during the lean dot-bomb times when his regular work wasn't an option). I don't think he is trying to scam me, but at the same time, I am not sure what a project PWC like this without a trailer is worth.
When I started restoring my Nordic speedboat (has a 1976-77 Merc 150HP inline 6),
Nordic Boat when I bought itI had to understand that no parts were available from the manufacturer of the boat, and the motor, while a solid quality item, can be a bear to find parts for and/or mechanics that will work on something that old. So, I have to make some calls and see who in the Denver area works on antiques. And I'll have to get my hands dirty on this one two whenever and whereever I can. It looks like you can stiill get parts for this, am I right?
This is meant to be a present for my wife since she blew out her knee last year water skiing. She's rehabbed to the point she went snow skiing this winter with a brace, and wants to get on the water again later this summer. I don't know if she will be able to water ski, but I know she'd be thrilled to get back on a PWC at least, and blast around the lake. (We owned a Kawasaki Jet Ski 2 seater, but we sold it right after moving to Colorado 10 years ago).
:hurray:
SO FINALLY, MY QUESTION: What is your appraisal of this PWC? Is it worth the trouble to restore and is it a fair trade? I can't afford to buy a new one or even buy a working used one, so its this or just stick with the boat.
