Waterluvr
New Member
I really appreciate the referral, thank you for that I enjoy reading your posts and contributions they are always well done and the content for DIY projects is very helpful.
The gentleman that owns this watercraft got a great deal on a trailer and a lousy deal on a money pit of an old obsolete underpowered ski and thankfully is old and wise to know how things work in this world of ours and completely understands why I do not rebuild carbs to be installed on a 25 year old 2 stroke engine that's never been rebuilt.
I'm your number one fan for finding a deal and turning your own wrench as much as possible to save $$$ but this project doesn't merit the cost of making it right for the owner.
It would be irresponsible to take someone's money to perform a service when you know from decades of experience that it never ends well when they bolt a properly tuned set of fresh carbs on an old tired motor and the thing roars to life for a few minutes before the crank and wrist pin bearings self destruct from old age. The only guarantee you have with any 2 stroke engine that old is a fuel to air ratio in what remains of the original crankcase components that will destroy it in short order.
Would you believe some people would even blame the guy that just spent hours painstakingly rebuilding those carbs for that tired old motor grenading itself? An engine has to meet some essential criteria before I will rebuild the carbs, that's strictly for the benefit of the owner of the ski or boat. It doesn't always occur to some people a carburetor is only as good as the engine it's mounted to.
There won't be anything left of the crank seals on an engine that age, average service life is ten years give or take and ethanol fuel blends haven't helped matters alcohol turns seal lips into crusty old brittle rings it's been several years since I pressure tested an early 717 or 787 that didn't leak at one or both ends of the crank and we average about 15 total engine hours a year in my area for total run time. I see plenty of engines with under 200 hours still making 90% or better compression and the crank seals are long gone.
Bolting on fresh tuned carbs that no longer dump excess fuel from leaking needles and seats usually doesn't end well and really bad things happen in a few hours run time or less.
I enjoy helping you guys doing your level best to restore any of the '95 or newer 2 stoke ski's to good order and with the cost of a repower and some carb and pump work you can have a machine that performs as new for about $2500.00 all day long. Well worth it to, that era of ski's remain the best value in performance and long term cost of ownership if you spend the time and a little money to do it right.
In the case of a 1990 SP, the cost of even a minor repair exceeds the ski's value on it's best day and that's not something I'd encourage anyone to do with their hard earned money. It's easy to egg people on and not quit a project when your not paying the bill, in this case the cost of fuel to haul it to the dump puts the owner upside down in it and he seems to understand that concept very well.
Don't give up on the notion of owning one, just find the right one worth your time and money to ensure it's right. You really can't go wrong with any of the 717 or 787 era of Sea Doo ski's, best bang for the buck ever made.
