Purchasing a 2005 RXT

[southernusta]

I was hoping someone with some experience could give me their opinion on a decision I'm making. I have been looking to buy a newer, faster ski (currently have a 2001 GTI) and have been looking at the RXT and RXP. Because money is a factor, I've been looking at older models. Since I heard the RXT is more stable in choppy water and more friendly for tubes, etc. I decided to go with that. Long story short, I found a green/black 2005 RXT at my local dealer that has 7 hours on it (there's a rich retirement community nearby from which it came). After talking to the manager who didn't acknowledge the ceramic washer problem, I asked if they would replace the washers but he said they could only replace the whole supercharger (to one with metal washers). Hence, I bargained down to $4k for the ski and $800 for the new supercharger replacement (including labor...they said replacing the supercharger is just as expensive as rebuilding it). So the total will be $4800 for the ski and SC replacement, $350 for a used trailer and about $500 for sales tax and registration etc.

What should I do? Will I run into problems with this ski? He said its running at full RPMs at the moment but he cannot give me a guarantee with a used ski, even though it has 7 hours. I know this was a rough year for the RXT/RXP so should I stay away or is it a fair deal? Any input appreciated. (also is the green/black 2005 the same as the red/silver 2005?)

Also, another dealer told me to stay away from seadoo altogether and go with the newer Yamahas. I just don't think I have the money...$5500 is the absolute most I can spend.

Thanks

 

[red2blue]

I was hoping someone with some experience could give me their opinion on a decision I'm making. I have been looking to buy a newer, faster ski (currently have a 2001 GTI) and have been looking at the RXT and RXP. Because money is a factor, I've been looking at older models. Since I heard the RXT is more stable in choppy water and more friendly for tubes, etc. I decided to go with that. Long story short, I found a green/black 2005 RXT at my local dealer that has 7 hours on it (there's a rich retirement community nearby from which it came). After talking to the manager who didn't acknowledge the ceramic washer problem, I asked if they would replace the washers but he said they could only replace the whole supercharger (to one with metal washers). Hence, I bargained down to $4k for the ski and $800 for the new supercharger replacement (including labor...they said replacing the supercharger is just as expensive as rebuilding it). So the total will be $4800 for the ski and SC replacement, $350 for a used trailer and about $500 for sales tax and registration etc.

What should I do? Will I run into problems with this ski? He said its running at full RPMs at the moment but he cannot give me a guarantee with a used ski, even though it has 7 hours. I know this was a rough year for the RXT/RXP so should I stay away or is it a fair deal? Any input appreciated. (also is the green/black 2005 the same as the red/silver 2005?)


Thanks

First off....let me congratulate you on your interest in purchasing the best lookin ski ever produced.


You can get your sc rebuilt with upgraded parts for around $425. Most with any mechanical ability opt to do the removal and install themselves.

If your service manager didn't cop to the washer prob until he could sell you a new sc...I'd be questioning his honesty from the git go.

Before I'd buy it...I'd ride it. I'd wanna see 8100 rpm.

As for that ugly red and grey ski...eh...same ski. Although...to be honest with you the second ski the mrs and I bought was that color...and it was a tick faster.

I've never seen another ski from '05 with only 7hrs on it.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

[Coastiejoe]

MUST DO a ride and drive. If it reaches the 8100 RPM range, let this site rebuild your SCr. All parts will be updated with Seadoo parts and they know their stuff. I have the 09 RXT and LOVE LOVE LOVE the ski.

You will too. Welcome aboard and thanks for joining.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[hfgreg]

What should I do? Will I run into problems with this ski? He said its running at full RPMs at the moment but he cannot give me a guarantee with a used ski, even though it has 7 hours. I know this was a rough year for the RXT/RXP so should I stay away or is it a fair deal? Any input appreciated. (also is the green/black 2005 the same as the red/silver 2005?)

Welcome to the forum, we have a Supercharger Rebuild Service that is $415 total with return shipping. We use all OEM parts.

 

[southernusta]

MUST DO a ride and drive. If it reaches the 8100 RPM range, let his site rebuild your SCr. All parts will be updated with Seadoo parts and they know their stuff. I have the 09 RXT and LOVE LOVE LOVE the ski.

You will too. Welcome aboard and thanks for joining.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you guys so much for your input, its greatly appreciated. I've also been told I should worry about the valves and flywheel bolts for this year. I'm not very mechanically inclined so I am not sure what this means...do I need to replace these? Is it expensive/ who should do it, etc? Or do I even need to worry about it yet since it has such low hours? (even though it obviously sat for some time.

And the problem is that I am completely booked with work until next weekend (not this one) so I can't test it out until then but he said he'd get the compression checked as well as the rpms. I'm afraid if I wait until I can test it it may be sold already. Should I take his word on it...or just say that I'll put a down payment on it and pay the rest if I can see it hits 8100 rpm?

All input appreciated!

 

[Coastiejoe]

02 (I think) to 06 had the sodium filled valves. In 06, the early had the sodium and the late 06 have a solid core. The sodium vales are known to fail. It isn't cheap to make the swap, but,,, it should be done as it iis a pretty expensive fix when they fail.

 

[southernusta]

02 (I think) to 06 had the sodium filled valves. In 06, the early had the sodium and the late 06 have a solid core. The sodium vales are known to fail. It isn't cheap to make the swap, but,,, it should be done as it iis a pretty expensive fix when they fail.

Any idea on how often they fail? I don't have any extra money to replace these if I were to buy the ski...I may in the next year or two though. Does this mean I shouldn't get the ski?

 

[ricardo1]

You might be alright you might not, it just luck to be honest. People had their mess up with only a few hours and some people had hundreds of hours with 0 issues, I think maintenance has a big part to do with it.

 

[xintersecty]

Go buy that ski and learn to do some of maintenance yourself. A lot of the guys (gals too) on this site. I have a 2007 RXT and love it. I also have a 2006 Challenger and love that too. Both have super chargers. It will take you about 45 mins to pull the supercharger the first time, and after that you can do it about 20mins.

 

[ricardo1]

^ most of the things you need to do are not hard, they might take some time and a lot of research but you can almost do anything yourself with the right tools, oh did we mention that you will save thousands in the long run? I have a rxp which is very similar and man o man those things are a blast to ride.

 

[Waterluvr]

It's worth replacing the valves and having the SPC rebuild at that price, 7 hours total time is a Unicorn. You'll have number 72 series exhaust valves in that ski, if you want to verify that the head cover comes right off and you can inspect the part number on the valve bad ones start with 72.

When the valves were changed from the sodium filled style the first two numbers changed and are stamped 75.

You have to find a way to do both, or bargain for it in the deal the carnage from either failing could put you into a repairs approaching value situation on a ski that age, the value of those low hours evaporate if the engine grenades itself.

 

[southernusta]

Thanks for all the input! The guy in the service dept I've been talking to said he rode the ski when it was traded in and it was running at 7750 RPM. He told me that this should increase as the ski gets past its break in period...is this correct?

 

[red2blue]

Thanks for all the input! The guy in the service dept I've been talking to said he rode the ski when it was traded in and it was running at 7750 RPM. He told me that this should increase as the ski gets past its break in period...is this correct?

He's full of sht. There was no ecu mandated wake up in the older skis.

Mine went to flashes of 8150 after only a few min warm up. With the exception of constantly varying the throttle...no long runs in any given rpm range...I broke mine in the way I intended to ride it....warm it up, then wot.

 

[Coastiejoe]

I doubt he meant a "wake up" increase. I would suspect he meant as the engine wears in and not so much friction exists. It is very common for engines to run better once parts "mate". Better compression too.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[southernusta]

^ Thanks. Yea, I thought I read elsewhere on the forums that RPMs slightly improve from new...since this ski only has 7 hours and has only been ridden a few times I'm hoping this will increase...although I do see a lot of people that seem to be stuck in the 7800-7900 RPM area on various year RXT/RXPs...guess it could be temp/altitude,etc. And I've also read that filling the oil too high will dec the RPMs so I'll have to watch out for that I guess.

red2blue - it seems you have the exact same ski. You saw 8150 within the first few hours from new? Do you think this ski not being used much/sitting could make it take longer to reach the higher RPM range?

Thanks

 

[xintersecty]

I think each engine develops their own personality. No telling what that engine will do after sitting so many years. These 4-techs are good engines. I would give about 3 more hours of break in and then ride it WOT!

Give it to the end of the season and check your valves. I would get the supercharger swapped earlier. It will go to those upper RPMS when you push it.

 

[ricardo1]

Correct me if this is wrong but the rxp and the rxt have the same motor, you should def be in the atleast 7900-8100 depending on your altitude. Mine got to around 8150 in a Tn lake, mine was well broken in lol.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Any idea on how often they fail? I don't have any extra money to replace these if I were to buy the ski...I may in the next year or two though. Does this mean I shouldn't get the ski?

It is all but impossible to give you a timeline as to how regularly the sodium valves fail. There is a TON of inputs that will affect when, how, or if they fail. Salt water seems to increase failure rate. How the engine is cooled down also seems to increase the speed of failure as where the valves pass through the head they seem to get weakened and fail on engines that are run hard and not driven for a bit at idle allowing for a controlled cooling of the block and head.

All anyone can telly you for sure is, they are a known issue and Seadoo had created an updated part. The fact that Seadoo has done this, is enough to confirm they should be replaced. Pretty expensive repair process if a valve fails. It will often cost you a head, all new valves and pistons at a minimum.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Correct me if this is wrong but the rxp and the rxt have the same motor, you should def be in the atleast 7900-8100 depending on your altitude. Mine got to around 8150 in a Tn lake, mine was well broken in lol.

Same engine...

 

[Spimothy Leary]

assuming you go through with the purchase, I'd ask for the old supercharger. It has value even "as is".

 

[southernusta]

Hey everyone, thanks so much for your input. So I finally got the ski about a week ago with the supercharger replaced and its great! It's been hitting 8000 RPM consistently and 65 mph with me riding solo (63 with two people). I've already put about 4 hours on it. The only thing that concerned me was today the speedo/gauges (digital and manual) stopped working...I put the key in and it starts beeping really loudly over and over...I can start the ski and ride no problem but it keeps beeping loudly as I'm riding...every so often it seems like the speedo tries to turn on but only blinks for about half a second...has anyone heard of this before and is there anything that can fix it? As a side note, the first time I took the ski out it seems like there was some water condensing on the inside of the gauge plastic after the ride. This is really bugging me out so any input would be appreciated!

Thanks!!

 

[BigDfromTN]

Hey everyone, thanks so much for your input. So I finally got the ski about a week ago with the supercharger replaced and its great! It's been hitting 8000 RPM consistently and 65 mph with me riding solo (63 with two people). I've already put about 4 hours on it. The only thing that concerned me was today the speedo/gauges (digital and manual) stopped working...I put the key in and it starts beeping really loudly over and over...I can start the ski and ride no problem but it keeps beeping loudly as I'm riding...every so often it seems like the speedo tries to turn on but only blinks for about half a second...has anyone heard of this before and is there anything that can fix it? As a side note, the first time I took the ski out it seems like there was some water condensing on the inside of the gauge plastic after the ride. This is really bugging me out so any input would be appreciated!

Thanks!!

The gauge clusters are another item that fails regularly.

I have 2 2006 RXT's and one is totally and visually fried. That ski beeps while riding and it is a warning that the computer and the cluster are not communicating. I checked the codes and it appears that is the case. My other one is on the way out and you can catch glimpses of RPM and Speed at times when the sun hits it just right.

It would be nice if Seadoo or someone would develop a replacement that will hold up! At $625 from seadoo and around $500 elsewhere plus installation and marrying it to the ECU.... That can get expensive too.

Guess its just another BOAT, Bust Out Another Thousand!!!

 

[XP 787]

Did they give you the old supercharger?

 

[southernusta]

Thanks for the reply - is there any way to fix this without replacing everything? Kinda annoying since I only put a few hours on the ski before this happened...

 

[southernusta]

Did they give you the old supercharger?

And no, I asked but he didn't let me keep the old supercharger...