3 replies to this topic

[Scarface]

I am going to look at a 96 Speedster tomorrow with twin 85 motors. A retired couple has owned it for the past 4 years, and have used it as "their dingy" as they call it to go back and forth to their houseboat. The wife says they have never abused it etc. She said about a year ago a oil tank had a leaking seal and they had to have that fixed but other than that it has been great to them, and they change the battery every year etc.... I don't know much about these boats, so what do I need to look at etc? They want $5800 for the boat, I figure I can go in and offer them $5,000 cash for it and probably get it. Thanks for any help!

[tiggerman]

Welcome to the board, Scarface!
It's likely that the seal she speaks of did leak, mine does when I fill the oil tank.
I wonder if the boat was left in the water all the time, left in the weather, or was it kept in a garage or boat house on a lift. The average low retail on that boat is about $5100......with a trailer.
First, see if you can get a test drive in it. Let the man drive it if you have never driven a jetboat. If he goes for that, get him to "stand on it" out of the hole... If the driveline is tight it ought to jump up and run like a ..... bat outta hell......listen to the sound of it. If it acts as though the engines are screaming and the boat isn't going anywhere fast, it has problems. They are easily corrected, and that wouldn't keep me from buying it.
Watch when he cranks the engines. Look for excessive smoke. It will smoke some, because it is a 2 stroke.
How does it look cosmetically? If it looks really well maintained, it probably is.
Open the engine compartment and inspect that area. Pay attention to cleanliness. Look at rubber components. If the engine looks like it has a mist of oil on it, it should. IF the bottom of the bilge is oily, sludgy- it could have a different problem than the oil sender gasket leaking.Crawl under the rear if it's on a trailer or on a lift. Look up in the jet intakes, at the impellers. They shouldn't be bent or gouged out. There should be a grate in front of each intake- with all it's tines intact.
Find out what kind of injection oil he used all the time.
There is no way to tell how many hours are on it unless you take it to a dealer and have them look at it. The MPEM has a built in hourmeter, though it doesn't have a gauge you can see.
I could go on all night about what to look for. A jetboat is a totally different animal than a prop driven boat. Personally, I wouldn't buy it without taking it out first, but that's me.

[Scarface]

Thanks alot for the help, yes the wife says that it has been garaged in a heated garage every winter since they have owned it, etc. I have a feeling it is in good shape, but I haven't seen it yet. It is in the water now so I will be able to take it for a test drive. I am very excited about it! At first we were looking for a pair of jet ski's but it seems for our price range $5,000-6,000 everything is too old. I like the jet boat idea because we can fit more people in, bring the dog along, cruise down the river, etc...I will keep you posted! Thanks again!

[tiggerman]

Very nice! We got ours last year and I haven't regretted it yet! You're gonna love it....