Should I buy this 2007 Sea Doo 180 challenger w/ Rotex 215 Supercharger?

[T-Doo]

Should I buy this 2007 Sea Doo 180 challenger w/ Rotex 215 Supercharger?
So many questions, so little time ...
Can I even get parts or fixed / serviced .. its 15 years Old ( 32 Hrs garage kept Looks and runs great )
Paying $13K .... seems like a great deal.
any feedback would be great !

First time posting.

 

[ski-d00]

Yes, you can still easily get parts. The biggest concern with that year is the supercharger. If it fails, the engine will need to be removed and gone through. I would ask if the sc has ever been rebuilt and I would remove the intake hose and make sure the clutch washers are still in tact, takes 2 minutes. If good, you will still need to rebuild the sc immediately after you purchase it.
I would test drive it and make sure it reaches around 8000 rpms.
$13k is a decent price in this market.

 

[T-Doo]

Thank you. I am mech inclined ... but not on boats. Can you elaborate on what the clutch washers are in the intake hose ... Is that a Air Intake hose, or are we talking about a water inlet hose ?

 

[ski-d00]

The air inlet hose on the center of the supercharger. Loosen the hose clamp with 5/16" nut driver and pull the hose off, reach in and try to turn the impeller. If it only has slight back and forth movement, that is good. If it free spins, that is bad and the engine needs to come out.

 

[T-Doo]

Understood. I see supercharger rebuild is about $500 ... I can remove & Install myself. Any idea about cost to go thru motor if it spins ?

 

[ski-d00]

Yes, you can remove and install sc yourself.

Plan on several thousand to completely go through motor as it most likely will need replacement parts due to damage unless it was caught right away. Even then, it will cost a lot. Last one I did was around $3500 and needed a new head since the cam journals were scored up.

 

[T-Doo]

Is it possible that sc was replaced after failure and motor has not been done and still runs good ?
Only has 32 hrs on digital dash meter ... On a test drive boat was sluggish. i do not think we got up on plane ... He said he would have it fixed IE: It has been stored inside storage center and this happened before. and was a plastic inlet in the jet .... story did not click with me ( Heavy equipment repair back ground ... )

 

[T-Doo]

No money has changed hands yet.

 

[ski-d00]

Yes, very possible it let loose and not cleaned out properly and I normally don't buy if they say the sc has just been replaced. I take that as, it failed and I didn't want to pay to fix it right, or most techs don't even know and even many dealers, so I just had it rebuilt and it runs great now but it won't for long.

 

[T-Doo]

So, sounds like worse case scenario $ 7,000 to have a shop fix it ?
$5,000 if I fix it. How long should a sc run before Rebuild ?

 

[ski-d00]

BRP recommends 100 hours or 2 years on the older ones. The newer ones they recommend 200 hours or 2 years but nothing really changed between old and new. I tell most people in my freshwater only area to have it done every 5 years under normal use or 100 hours. However, once rebuilt and the ceramic washers are replaced with metal ones, the risk of major engine damage goes way down even when they fail, which they still do but normally don't cause any real damage unless a gear breaks or strips the flywheel.

 

[T-Doo]

One more question / your take ... If the owner says the sc has not been replaced, ( he bought boat new ) how likely is it at 15 hrs old, the ceramic washers are till together with only 32 hrs of use ?
It has been a pleasure chatting with you.
Sincerely,
T-Doo

 

[ski-d00]

The boats rarely have the ceramic washers break especially with low hours compared to the skis but it does happen but much less.

If they haven't been replaced, check it and make sure it isn't free spinning, then you are good I'd say. Just rebuild it after you buy it.

 

[Toms speedster]

Should I buy this 2007 Sea Doo 180 challenger w/ Rotex 215 Supercharger?
So many questions, so little time ...
Can I even get parts or fixed / serviced .. its 15 years Old ( 32 Hrs garage kept Looks and runs great )
Paying $13K .... seems like a great deal.
any feedback would be great !

First time posting.

I would try to talk them down in price.
Everyone is absolutely correct as soon as you buy that you need to rebuild those superchargers.
There's lots of places online that do it for a lot less you can send them your supercharger just make sure they put the stainless steel washers in it.
Any jet ski mechanic can pull that supercharger for you you do not have to take it in to seadoo.
I would look up the value of the boat online and deduct that right off the top because you are going to have a lot of expenses for something that sat that long.

I just went through this with my speedster same motor.

One piece of advice if you ever think of upgrading the engine by the upgraded supercharger variable rate fuel system and upgraded injectors now.
You can get a lot of horsepower out of these engines you might want to do a little research.
Should be a fun boat.
As far as parts go if you look around online you can find everything for a pretty reasonable price

The only thing I've ever had trouble finding was a new Bimini top that's OEM

 

[Toms speedster]

I am so tired of hearing that.
I would like to see anyone with a prop do the kind of things that I do with my jet boat.
I have a boat with a prop we take it out the cruise around in when we want to go slow and put around.

I can do 50 mph and spin 360° at top speed corner like it's on rails.
Zero to top speed and a few seconds.
And if you put some money into the motor you can do all that even faster.
It is like comparing a Yugo to a Ferrari.
All boats are expensive to own.
If you're going to pay to play your might as well enjoy playing.
So good luck to all you prop nasayers.
If you want to boat that makes you feel young by a jet boat.

 

[Guyy]

I have an 06, and I have had some problems with mine, but would buy that one easy. Like others have said rebuild the supercharger first thing.

 

[T-Doo]

Thank all of you. for the feedback ...
Currently waiting on boat mechanic to look at it. Engine was not running right on test drive, He said he would have it fixed IE: It has been stored inside storage center and this happened before. and was a plastic / rubber inlet in the jet ? .... story did not click with me ( Heavy equipment repair back ground ... )
Guyy, Can you expand on the problems you had. How much was it to fix ...

 

[Guyy]

Thank all of you. for the feedback ...
Currently waiting on boat mechanic to look at it. Engine was not running right on test drive, He said he would have it fixed IE: It has been stored inside storage center and this happened before. and was a plastic / rubber inlet in the jet ? .... story did not click with me ( Heavy equipment repair back ground ... )
Guyy, Can you expand on the problems you had. How much was it to fix ...

I had cavitation issues, but having the jet pump rebuilt fixed that. Also the ICS (inlet cleaning system) system had issues and caused a leak, so I got rid of it (it was a bad system and they stopped using it, not sure if it was on the 07s). My speedo and gas gauge do not work, but I can live with that. It's a 16 year old boat so there are going to be issues. I did rebuild the supercharger before I had any issues, I think I paid about 1K to have it done, if you remove it and send it out yourself to be rebuilt it is cheaper, but I just wanted it done.

Stuff can get into the jet pump/impeller, sometimes it will work it's way out and sometimes not. I've sucked up rocks, but that was more my fault.

I love the boat and for the price they are hard to beat (I paid 11k for mine 4/5 years ago and would again), but jet boats have their own set of issues so there is that.

 

[T-Doo]

Thank you.

And Sorry to all for my misspelling of Rotax in my post.

I will keep you posted .... Hoping to have it next week ( Fingers Crossed )

 

[turbosl2]

Buy it. Decent deal but idk about the hours of they are real until you get a report from buds or candoo. The supercharger failure isnt the end of the world. I been thru a few. You usually don’t have to pull the motor. The engine is pretty resilient so buy it, rebuild the charger and enjoy

 

[T-Doo]

HELLO Sea Doo Pros.
I bought the boat and I need to do a little repairing.
* Digital Temp Gauge Reads Constant 73 to 78 Degrees Fahrenheit.
That can't be right.
Where is the Temp Sensor and any direction for Buying a new Sensor. ( Of course I will be checking Electrical before I replace.

 

[ski-d00]

That isn't the engine temp, that's the exterior temp or water temp. There is no readout for engine temp on the gauge.

 

[T-Doo]

Ahh ... Shazam. Thank you !!
Next Problem.
* Looking to do a Oil change on the engine And any other Components that require Oil Changes.
Any secrets so I do not make a mess ... Have not found the drain plug yet ?

 

[Scriz]

Yikes. You, sir, will need to download a User Manual. All of your current and future questions are in there.

 

[pretex]

No drain plug to change the oil. You need to suck the oil out through the dipstick. You can buy and electric or manual pump version online. I would have to agree with Scriz, download a user manual. I have a 2012 Challenger 230 with twins, and I can switch the mode to read each engines temperature. Not sure if your year can display that or not, but the manual will tell you.