time to say good bye to my supercharged sea-doo's :(

[beergut]

sorry- I gotta blow off some steam here... so don't take any of this personally. I just can't take it anymore. I love sea-doo, I love the monster horse power but every one of my last 3 super-charged sea-doo's in the last 2 years has been just a nightmare and a fortune to keep running- and I take extremely good care of my water toys. my current ski- a 2011 RXT-iS 260 had only 60+ hours on it before tons of little issues starting happening; VTS malfunction- iBR malfunction, two pressure and one temp sensor, rebuilt s/c, replaced starter solenoid & puel pump then all the P, U & C codes (c2221, c2222, p0106, p1106, U16A4, U16A5, U0129) popping up every ride, then, without warning while cruising to the far side of the lake last Saturday at 40mph the engine stalls and cam 1 sensor code pops up (P0340)- my 4th tow back to my dock this season on this ski... zero compression in all cylinders. broken timing chain at only 90 hours. top end is gone and god knows what else- just spent thousands on the s/c and other fixes- now $4.5k on a new engine (or $3k to rebuild) hell no! I pay good money to have all my sea-doo's dealer maintained. I will admit, when they are running good- nothing else on the water can touch these machines, there's just something inherently wrong with these ski's tho. Even the sea-doo service manager told me these 2010 & 2011 RXT models are super glitchy. Maybe it's my riding style; I never go over 50mph but spend most of my time in lake coves doing water tricks- maybe the constant on-off throttle just stresses the motor. anyway- I sold my blown 2011 rxt-is 260 (which was otherwise mint) for $3k and picking up my non-supercharged 2018 trixx today- since I rather do tricks on the water rather than get to 70mph in 3 seconds! I will be getting the 3 yr warranty!!! I will miss it tho...

 

[greenhornet2]

sparks are a blast. They fit my riding style perfectly. I have 2 and they have been good so far. You'll love the fuel cost savings and they still pull nice out of the hole, I rarely go faster than 40mph I'm a trick guy.

 

[beergut]

yeah- the 260 was a blast over the rough water and would get me to the other side of the lake in 10 minutes but I spent most of my time in a 50 acre cove tricking out tossing that 800+lb ski around!
picking up my 2018 orange crush trixx in 2 hours- then I'll get the 110 tune kit and solas prop upgrade.
work day is snailing by as I check the clock every 5 minutes waiting for 330 to roll around!

 

[greenhornet2]

yea you won't like the spark in rough water comfort wise lol. Most are saying the tune and prop upgrades are just a waste of money on the 90hp sparks, little to no top end improvement just a little better acceleration but not by much.

 

[beergut]

yea you won't like the spark in rough water comfort wise lol. Most are saying the tune and prop upgrades are just a waste of money on the 90hp sparks, little to no top end improvement just a little better acceleration but not by much.

I haven't really spent any time researching the spark mods, just saw it on youtube. I think people are getting used to seeing these big hp ratings and start thinking anything under 200 hp is a waste of money. I couldn't disagree more. I used to have a pontoon with a 75hp 4 stroke- moved it pretty good. my new 22' 3000 lb sunchaser pontoon has a 90 hp Yamaha 4-stroke that'll move the boat with 6 people to 35 mph in 6-8 seconds!

 

[mikidymac]

I hate to agree as I am a seadoo die hard but if I were buying a new ski it would be a Yamaha. Even a few of the dealers I know are sick of seadoo or have dropped them due to the maintenance and problems. THe few that have kept them is only because the have to to keep the Can-Am line.

 

[greenhornet2]

I haven't really spent any time researching the spark mods, just saw it on youtube. I think people are getting used to seeing these big hp ratings and start thinking anything under 200 hp is a waste of money. I couldn't disagree more. I used to have a pontoon with a 75hp 4 stroke- moved it pretty good. my new 22' 3000 lb sunchaser pontoon has a 90 hp Yamaha 4-stroke that'll move the boat with 6 people to 35 mph in 6-8 seconds!

power to weight ratio on the spark is pretty darn good. 90HP and 420lbs it moves out to 40mph in no time and 50 feels plenty fast on such a light ski. I have no problem with sea doo and the non supercharged stuff I will never buy any jet ski that is supercharged, nor car or bike unless I am building an old muscle car. the more power and bells and whistles the more problems you have. I do warranty claims for GM I see all the 100k cars in because of all the electronic BS

 

[beergut]

330! That was torture! Time to get the new trixx !

 

[mikidymac]

power to weight ratio on the spark is pretty darn good. 90HP and 420lbs it moves out to 40mph in no time and 50 feels plenty fast on such a light ski. I have no problem with sea doo and the non supercharged stuff I will never buy any jet ski that is supercharged, nor car or bike unless I am building an old muscle car. the more power and bells and whistles the more problems you have. I do warranty claims for GM I see all the 100k cars in because of all the electronic BS

While I can respect the spark, at 430 lbs with 110 HP for $1,500 you can't beat the old X4 for smiles per gallon.

 

[beergut]

well- I left my initial review of the 2018 trixx here:
My review of the new 2018 Spark Trixx

funny tho- while there, I talked to the tech who un-crated my trixx. I asked him about my RXT 260, he said at any given time they have at least 3 supercharged units in the shop with blown engines or blown superchargers. He said he's seen a lot of people quit on them and go with the non s/c models. He said they can't keep up with the spark trixx demand. After riding the trixx for a bit, I will admit to missing the punch of that 260, but I haven't had so much fun on a ski in decades!

 

[mikidymac]

Nice ski!

 

[sheldon2es]

Ive grown up a seadoo guy but but the bullet and got the vxr over the gtr this summer for reliability and overall costs to run. So far I’m not missing that 230hp over my 180hp. Adding ribbon delete, intake, and a simple exhaust mod this weekend. For under $400 I should have added some extra pep. I already love it as is.

My buddy has a spark and it’s fun. I do think it’s a way closer comparison to the two stroke style skis, which is super fun and squirrelly. I also think the Yamaha EX looks like a blast. My next ski for the fleet will be a 60 spark or an EX, either with a tune.

If they just made a spark with reverse it’d be perfect.

 

[beergut]

Ive grown up a seadoo guy but but the bullet and got the vxr over the gtr this summer for reliability and overall costs to run. So far I’m not missing that 230hp over my 180hp. Adding ribbon delete, intake, and a simple exhaust mod this weekend. For under $400 I should have added some extra pep. I already love it as is.

My buddy has a spark and it’s fun. I do think it’s a way closer comparison to the two stroke style skis, which is super fun and squirrelly. I also think the Yamaha EX looks like a blast. My next ski for the fleet will be a 60 spark or an EX, either with a tune.

If they just made a spark with reverse it’d be perfect.

You can add the iBR package to the spark- comes standard on the spark trixx. I also added the convenience package to my trixx. It gave me a front storage container and rear fold down step. Only was $200 additional cost.

 

[sheldon2es]

Ive grown up a seadoo guy but but the bullet and got the vxr over the gtr this summer for reliability and overall costs to run. So far I’m not missing that 230hp over my 180hp. Adding ribbon delete, intake, and a simple exhaust mod this weekend. For under $400 I should have added some extra pep. I already love it as is.

My buddy has a spark and it’s fun. I do think it’s a way closer comparison to the two stroke style skis, which is super fun and squirrelly. I also think the Yamaha EX looks like a blast. My next ski for the fleet will be a 60 spark or an EX, either with a tune.

If they just made a spark with reverse it’d be perfect.

You can add the iBR package to the spark- comes standard on the spark trixx. I also added the convenience package to my trixx. It gave me a front storage container and rear fold down step. Only was $200 additional cost.

Oh no way?! I thought you got trim but not the reverse bucket. That’s sweet then.

 

[beergut]

Oh no way?! I thought you got trim but not the reverse bucket. That’s sweet then.

yep- the base price for the 2018 spark 900 is $5399 - if you bump up to the spark 900 H.O. with iBR & convenience package the price jumps to $6999. still a great price for the added features imo. you get the high output 900 with the iBR, added rear step & front storage bin.

2018 Sea-Doo SPARK® 2-up Rotax 900 ACE | Central Mass Powersports

 

[sheldon2es]

Oh no way?! I thought you got trim but not the reverse bucket. That’s sweet then.

yep- the base price for the 2018 spark 900 is $5399 - if you bump up to the spark 900 H.O. with iBR & convenience package the price jumps to $6999. still a great price for the added features imo. you get the high output 900 with the iBR, added rear step & front storage bin.

2018 Sea-Doo SPARK[emoji768] 2-up Rotax 900 ACE | Central Mass Powersports

That’s pretty cool. I’d probably just get the 60 and tune it instead of the 90. Like I said, if I get another ski, it’ll be a smaller spark/ex for inland stuff. I do too much two up riding on the Great Lakes for a spark everyday haha.

 

[greenhornet2]

yea both my sparks have IBR and I added the extended VTS to both of them 3 seater and a 2. Much more fun than a Yamaha for tricks. Next I am going to remove the sponsons on my 2 seater and get the ass REAL loose lol

 

[beergut]

yea both my sparks have IBR and I added the extended VTS to both of them 3 seater and a 2. Much more fun than a Yamaha for tricks. Next I am going to remove the sponsons on my 2 seater and get the ass REAL loose lol

funny, I was actually wondering about that. I removed them on my 01 RX Di and it made slow corning pretty fun but a bit scary at high speeds!

 

[tubshooter]

My insurance company, Progressive has a program called propulsion plus. It covers any mechanical breakdown not due to normal wear and tear. It can not be added for any watercraft over 10 years old or any Sea Doo product. Says something.

 

[sheldon2es]

My insurance company, Progressive has a program called propulsion plus. It covers any mechanical breakdown not due to normal wear and tear. It can not be added for any watercraft over 10 years old or any Sea Doo product. Says something.

I work in insurance. It’s a neat coverage for people not at all mechanically inclined. The boat has to be under 10 years old to add it, and then can remain on until it’s 21 years old.

I didn’t know about the seadoo thing though. I’ll have to call underwriting and ask. I’m sure they’re referring to something like a seadoo utopia 205 or speedster, I don’t think PWC’s are eligible. Just O’s and I/O’s.

 

[beergut]

I have a progressive policy on my can am outlander. I was looking at skisafe before my rxt blew up- they offer insurance on all makes and models. Now that i have a 3 year warranty on my new trixx, i have no worries

Personal Watercraft & Jet Ski Insurance Coverage | SkiSafe