I'm looking to buy a seadoo jet boat. I looked at one today( 97 seadoo challenger 1800) that the owner stated it the plug was left in, and the compartment was full of water. Thats all the information he gave me. Could someone explain to me what happens in this scenaro. I might get the boat for about $500. I plan, budget wise, on spending about another $1500 on fixing whatever needs fixing(mechanically). Does this sound possible to you all?
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Water damage how bad?
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bigtexan99
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How full did the engine compartment get? If it covered the carbs, then you can be assured that your lower unit is full of rusty water. The magneto will have slime on it. If they tried to start the engine with water in it, then you may be looking at a twisted crankshaft.
A good mechanic can open up the engine, clean everything and tell you if its salvagable. You would be looking at a new gasket set ($100), and their labor, to clean everything and rebuild the carbs. figure 4-500 total.
If the rest of the boat... hull, upholstery, trailer, is in good condition then 500 is a good deal. Just go into it knowing you will need to rebuild/replace the engines and factor that cost in. The main difference is you will know you have a good boat with a fresh rebuild, versus paying $4,000 for another used boat that may have hidden problems that you discover shortly after you purchase it.
Let us know how it turns out!
Don't forget your starter was submerged as well as the bendix and they may be rusting internally. If you take the engine out to examine it, then replace them while you are there.
Does your challenger have one engine or two? Check the prices at SBT on replacement engines for a rough idea.
A good mechanic can open up the engine, clean everything and tell you if its salvagable. You would be looking at a new gasket set ($100), and their labor, to clean everything and rebuild the carbs. figure 4-500 total.
If the rest of the boat... hull, upholstery, trailer, is in good condition then 500 is a good deal. Just go into it knowing you will need to rebuild/replace the engines and factor that cost in. The main difference is you will know you have a good boat with a fresh rebuild, versus paying $4,000 for another used boat that may have hidden problems that you discover shortly after you purchase it.
Let us know how it turns out!
Don't forget your starter was submerged as well as the bendix and they may be rusting internally. If you take the engine out to examine it, then replace them while you are there.
Does your challenger have one engine or two? Check the prices at SBT on replacement engines for a rough idea.
Either way if the rest of the boat is in good shape it's a good buy. You could for sure part the thing out for more than $500. You could get $500 just for the working MPEM.
I would look over the drive line and stuff like that to make sure you won't need impellers or cables for the boat. All of that adds up on your end. I doubt the person will sell it for less than $500. You can get almost everything yet for the Challenger 1800 and there is a lot of used parts out there. If the interior is trashed I would still buy but just to part out it since you could use the money to help buy a working one.
I would look over the drive line and stuff like that to make sure you won't need impellers or cables for the boat. All of that adds up on your end. I doubt the person will sell it for less than $500. You can get almost everything yet for the Challenger 1800 and there is a lot of used parts out there. If the interior is trashed I would still buy but just to part out it since you could use the money to help buy a working one.
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
its still a good buy, don't see how you can get beat up on that....
you might get lucky, maybe one engine is salvagable, or out of the two, you can get one good one, and replace the other.
my 96 challenger (single engine) was a good buy at $600, and it needed a complete engine, and new seats, battery, turf, gauges.
in the end i'll have just under 2K invested for a boat that's worth almost twice that to the right buyer.
but,, i had access to free labor, and I had a short block already put together, so it really was just a top end and a new head for the engine, and the electronics worked fine.
when i bought it my primary concern was "do the electronics work?", i had no way to tell, i knew the engine was shot, completely, it took me all of 3 minutes to decide to pay the man and drive it home.
I took a gamble, figured the worst that happens is that i'll part it out and break even.
ps.. its a pain in the azz to work on, but a lot of fun
you might get lucky, maybe one engine is salvagable, or out of the two, you can get one good one, and replace the other.
my 96 challenger (single engine) was a good buy at $600, and it needed a complete engine, and new seats, battery, turf, gauges.
in the end i'll have just under 2K invested for a boat that's worth almost twice that to the right buyer.
but,, i had access to free labor, and I had a short block already put together, so it really was just a top end and a new head for the engine, and the electronics worked fine.
when i bought it my primary concern was "do the electronics work?", i had no way to tell, i knew the engine was shot, completely, it took me all of 3 minutes to decide to pay the man and drive it home.
I took a gamble, figured the worst that happens is that i'll part it out and break even.
ps.. its a pain in the azz to work on, but a lot of fun
Well spoke to the seller today and he stated he took it to a boat mechanic here and they said it would cost $8,000 to make the repairs. I have been to theis boat dealer/service and they are always high and rude. Any ways does this sound possible with parts and labor? I'm going to pick it up today and take to a mechanic out in my neighborhood. What should I specically ask them to look for and report back to me with.
Also my brother rebuilds boat motors(mostly small engines) on the side, but has not worked on jet engines. Is this something he could possibly work on. He was hesitant when i asked him about them. Or are they so different?
Also my brother rebuilds boat motors(mostly small engines) on the side, but has not worked on jet engines. Is this something he could possibly work on. He was hesitant when i asked him about them. Or are they so different?
Spimothy Leary
Well-Known Member
first of all,,,
OMFG !!! 8,000 ??? that's insane !!! :willy_nilly:
now we know why he's selling it fast and cheap !!! for 8K he can buy himself a really nice solid boat that is much nicer than a 97 challenger (no offense to the boat, just a fact), its not worth close to 8K even if its running perfect and has lots of mods !
never ever go to that dealer for anything except to throw rocks
the engines i think are twin 720's, your hesitant brother can probably rebuild the engines, but if he's hesitant, its for a reason, and its probably cuz he knows from experience that there is more to a rebuild than just slipping in some engines and firing it up, perhaps he can help you find an experienced pwc mechanic that will do this at a small shop or under a nice tree in the back yard (shadetree mechanics
)i still think its impossible to lose money in this deal, but w/o the proper help (we can only do so much from our keyboards) you might never get it running.
in addition to the engines, you are just as likely to have pump issues (and no alignment tool) electronic's issues, etc., the engines are only part of the process.
Serriously you can get 2 premium 720's for $1800 with cores that have 2 or 3 year warranty depending on where you buy them from. 2 carbs kits for under $100 and some new hoses, RTV, & misc for another $200 and you are good to go. You can even find people here on the site to rebuild the carbs. Just go to the dealer and offer the mechanic like $500 or so to swap them for you if you don't want. Now a days I don't know who wouldn't do the work or the side.
8K is nuts pay for 2-720's installed. MAybe for 4 tecs, but not that.
8K is nuts pay for 2-720's installed. MAybe for 4 tecs, but not that.
bigtexan99
Active Member
If your brother works on boat engines, he should do okay on these. These are not jet engines. They are 2-stroke engines that power a jet pump.
So Classy is my little brother. I do work on 2 stroke outboards on a frequent basis as I do this as a side gig. I typically work on suzukis and yamaha 3 cylinder 2 strokes. How far off are these motors from what I am used to. I have no problem rebuilding these motors but have never even turned a wrench on what he is looking at buying. Please feel free to give me a call if you can to help me understand if these are something that I may be able to work on. I would love to save him the money on the labor and also it gives me the right to use it when he is not!!:thumbsup: Any help would be great.
501-606-6599
Shaun
501-606-6599
Shaun
purple_people_eater
New Member
717's are not that difficult. the only thing that the 717 rotex motors have the yammis and kawi's dont have is the rotary valve. get yourselves a shop manual, it breaks it all down for you, and will be your best friend.
First I will confess I have never done a complete rebuild on a 700 series motor, but I have done a top end. If you do a top end rebuild I would suggest getting a company like full bore to do the mechanical work, they will bore your sleeves and fit new pistons, and also provide all necessary gaskets and parts. It really takes all of the aggravation out of the project.
If your engines require a full rebuild I would just get a rebuilt engine, again because of the aggravation factor, it's just a lot easier plus you'll get a warranty. You can check out SBT website for details.
Lou
Added: If you decide to go into this project do so with your eyes open, don't buy it with the idea of fixing the boat up and making money on the project, it ain't gonna happen. If you want a nice boat and you plan on using it, by all means buy it and have fun.
If your engines require a full rebuild I would just get a rebuilt engine, again because of the aggravation factor, it's just a lot easier plus you'll get a warranty. You can check out SBT website for details.
Lou
Added: If you decide to go into this project do so with your eyes open, don't buy it with the idea of fixing the boat up and making money on the project, it ain't gonna happen. If you want a nice boat and you plan on using it, by all means buy it and have fun.
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