21 replies to this topic

[Vinny]

I am looking at the 210 challenger and I have the option to buy either a 430 hp or 310 hp. Other than the obvious of more hp, does anyone that has driven both have a preference to one over the other. I'm not particularly interested in higher speed but I don't want to lose pulling power either. Is it worth a $5000 difference? Any advice would be helpful.

[Kevin Leclair]

Honestly it is hard for someone to recommend which one would be better for your needs because everyone's opinions differ. I would say your best bet would be to test drive both of them -- if the 310 meets your needs then save the 5 grand otherwise spring for the 430. Keep us posted on your decision and good luck!

[Vinny]

I purchased the 310 hp and couldn't be happier. There are a couple of issues that the seller and BRP are working on. The maintenance required light on both the port and starboard engines are on when turning the ignition even though it is brand new. Also the water temperature isn't showing up. An altitude reading does show up which I'm not quite sure the purpose but I guess BRP should be able to figure out. If anyone else has had this issue I would love to know. Overall the boat is great, easy to handle and has plenty of power.

[Kevin Leclair]

Congrats on the new doo! Keep us posted on getting the issues resolved.

[rookie101]

Did you water test the 430hp? I would be interested in hearing what the 210 felt like with the two different power options.

[Vinny]

I only tested the 310 but it was fine. I'm still working on the other issues though. BRP hasn't been much help. I called them and the person I spoke with really didn't have any answers. They just gave me a reference number and told me to call my seller. I'm getting a little frustrated.

[seadooofpanama]

I am looking at the 210 challenger and I have the option to buy either a 430 hp or 310 hp. Other than the obvious of more hp, does anyone that has driven both have a preference to one over the other. I'm not particularly interested in higher speed but I don't want to lose pulling power either. Is it worth a $5000 difference? Any advice would be helpful.

What part of the Gulf of mexico are you located? I sell Seadoo boats and have both models in stock. I have test riden the 430 model and it performed similarly to the Yamaha 212SS. About 53 mph top speed. Acceleration is much faster than the 310 model. Top speed on the 310 hp model should be about 45.

[guerro]

I purchased the 310 hp and couldn't be happier. There are a couple of issues that the seller and BRP are working on. The maintenance required light on both the port and starboard engines are on when turning the ignition even though it is brand new. Also the water temperature isn't showing up. An altitude reading does show up which I'm not quite sure the purpose but I guess BRP should be able to figure out. If anyone else has had this issue I would love to know. Overall the boat is great, easy to handle and has plenty of power.

Hi Vinny,

I recently purchased a 210 challenger se and have been having the same problems. I was wondering if you were ever able to get the glitches resolved?

-bill

[k9webster]

Vinny,
when we picked up our 210 SE - dealer told us maintenance was required at 10 hours, like clock work the lights came on. have put an additional 12 hours on it, as we try to squeeze every little bit of summer out of it. Dealer said not to worry if we wanted to wait till we winterize it, I just dont think they thought we would use it as much as we are.
Elkin

[Pete Z]

Yeah, my 150 Speedster "service engine" nag showed up on the next re-start after I rolled past 10 engine hours, which is the first scheduled service. It should be a simple matter for any dealer to clear or re-set the service counter. Not sure about the altimeter, that wierd. I know these boats fly, but that's pushing it! J/K - I'm sure the fuel injection will have a sensor for altitude to compensate for changes in elevation, interesting that it would show up on your MFD. Maybe it is some parameter that the dealer should've set up during the PDI?

[Fluidtech]

I am looking at the 210 challenger and I have the option to buy either a 430 hp or 310 hp. Other than the obvious of more hp, does anyone that has driven both have a preference to one over the other. I'm not particularly interested in higher speed but I don't want to lose pulling power either. Is it worth a $5000 difference? Any advice would be helpful.

Hi
i am new to the jet powered world
i just bought a new challenger se with the 430HP i did not get a chance to try the 310Hp' but i can comment on the 430Hp.
so far i can tell you that the accelleration is incredible and handling is insane.
a little hard on the wallet if your leaning on it lots as far as fuel economy goes but i didnt buy it for fuel consumpsion.
have 6 hrs on it and the check engine light has come on several times and immediatley went out' spoke with the dealership they claim no big deal and wait for my ten hr service to read the codes.
one thing that puzzles me is that our first outing with it i could have swore the stering wheel was straight when the boat is straight' however i notice that i have the steering wheel 180degrees one way to steer straight?
unsure if its the wind current or what/ any body has any tips please chime in.
overall pretty happy with it.

[Route1Motorsports]

I purchased the 310 hp and couldn't be happier. There are a couple of issues that the seller and BRP are working on. The maintenance required light on both the port and starboard engines are on when turning the ignition even though it is brand new. Also the water temperature isn't showing up. An altitude reading does show up which I'm not quite sure the purpose but I guess BRP should be able to figure out. If anyone else has had this issue I would love to know. Overall the boat is great, easy to handle and has plenty of power.

Hello all,
The maintenance light issue is a quick fix that your local dealer should be able to fix by simply resetting the service meter on BUDS. Some units did not get the initial reset from the factory before they were shipped.

[Brento]

My First Blog ever! And there isn’t a better topic than the 210 Challenger SE 430 HP ....

I am still thrilled to drop her in the lake, it’s been 4 weeks now and I am still not sleeping properly because I am looking forward to getting out for another day. Work is really getting in the way, as we hope that an Indian summer will bless us here in Vancouver. My brother and I had our 5 kids with my wife in the boat for an entire day and there was plenty of space and room to move around. Eat lunch go tubing and plenty of power to go skiing, just a great pleasure craft.

However not all is perfect when talking about the dream machine. I have 18 hours on her; she has had the 10-hour maintenance and inspection done. The list reads similar to the ones below. There was a recall on a switch that prevents the motor starting when she is in neutral, that hasn’t been sorted yet waiting for parts. The steering was also 180 d off and the shop recalibrated which has helped but I think the real issue is the starboard motor runs 150 rpm higher than the port side. This issue may be minor but I intend to have it looked in to. The ski ramp settings arent per the manual I will have the shop check that out. I don’t have a water temp gauge but I do have altitude reading (not sure why either). It did come in useful when we went to the interior. Top speed yesterday Aug 23rd was 53 mph. Serious Machine.

The dealer has been extremely helpful; the warranty I got with it is 4 years, bumper to bumper. So its just a matter of communicating the issues with the dealer during the off season and getting it sorted out.
310-vs-430HP - whats 5K when it comes to entertainment ??? go big!!
Sincerely,
Vancouver

[k9webster]

HI all
here is my update on our 2010 Callenger SE 310HP,
our service light came on like clock work at ten hours, dealer said it was ok to go over a bit.
Love everything about this boat, then again its our first boat and dont now any better,
only issues, and not real issues, Boat does pull to one side at higher speeds, dealer said its product of jet propulsion, weight distribution on boat helps correct this some, also noticed more on higher wind days,
Engine lights comes on for short period of times, usually when at real low idle and sometimes in neutral.
managed to get rope sucked in, able to pull rope out (Cut up) boat ran fine for two outings on third day began to have power issues - boat would not accelerate while pulling tube, engine light would come on and off. decided to finally get boat out of water to do our ten hour service with 28 hours. noticed about four inches of rope still around shaft just before impeller.
dealer did service - maintenance light went out - engine light out - boat runs better then before.
only problem now, summer is almost over.
anyone looking for new boat or ski - call Kari at Billerica Motor Sports, Billerica Ma - she was great honest and informative - everyone at dealer goes out of way to help you out.
Enjoy the rest of summer.
Elkin

[k9webster]

its the middle of March and the ice on the river has melted, the great people at Billerica Motor sports helped us out again, this time in giving us a great deal on a 2011 GTI SE 130 PWC. looking forward to ad it to our Sea Doo family and looking forward to getting out on the water.
thanks Kari and crew.....
have a great summer everyone. enjoy and be safe

Elkin

[davo]

Great thread. I'd be interested to hear from both 310 and 430 owners regarding speed and fuel consumption. I've heard it's significantly different for both models.
Cheers

[detour]

Any other feedback on the 310 versus the 430? We were pretty much decided on the 310 based on availability....until we found a 430 available. Since we haven't driven either, we won't necessarily know what we are missing if we go with the 310.

Thanks!

[thxone]

First post... I just purchased a zero hour 2010 210 SE with the 310HP motors. Happy with the boat, but unhappy with the transaction. I originally thought we were negoitiating the 430, but low and behold, when I go to pick it up it's a 310. They sweetened the deal, but I was a little angry. The anger subsided quickly on the water the next day.

Just to clarify, the boat was not on the showroom, rather in the warehouse wrapped, unpreped. Right color, wrong motors. Overall, I think, when you take into account the supercharger rebuild at 100 hours, 91 octane fuel, and greater fuel consumption, the 310 might make a better choice for some. For me, I would have preferred the 430hp, but with the lower sales price and other perks, I'm happy.

[kevin210]

I have a 210 challenger 430 se and o my god does it pull well worth the extra gas ..you only have the superchargers look at at 200 hours now . And they sound so good Under the hood !!!!!!!

[DDR]

I have a 2008 230 Challenger SE 430HP. The superchargers had to be rebuilt after 60 hours, almost 2 years and 2 oil changes by the dealer. The book says use natural oil. DO NOT USE SYNTHETIC OIL with the superchargers. The dealer used a BLEND that he said was OK. There was a problem with the ceramic thrust washers. One supercharger was not working and they decided to do both with the new titanium coated washers. BRP repaired them "under warranty." The book says they are to be checked every 2 years or 200 hours. We'll see.

When the port supercharger went, it went slowly. I noticed I had to keep increasing the force to steer toward starboard to go straight. At first I thought it was waves or wind. I then noticed the port engine was a bit lower RPM and thought an adjustment may be necessary. Then I thought something had gotten lodged in the pump tunnel. I tried full throttle to see if it would clear out. NG. I noticed that the port engine was doing 6500RPM while the starboard was doing 8000 RPM. After taking the boat out of the water and finding nothing wrong and checking the internet, I figured the port supercharger was broken. The key was the 6500 RPM max at full throttle.
I took the hoses off the superchargers. I could spin the port one by hand but the starboard one was still tight. Port one was gone.


The 310 would eliminate the supercharger problems and would run for years without that maintenance problem. (I am considering taking off the superchargers)
The 430 gets MAX 2 MPG@6000 RPM and about 30 MPH. It goes down from there in either direction.
I would probably try the 310 if I was to get another. Most places I boat have a 45MPH speed limit anyway.

You have to always be on the lookout for debris in the water with this boat. That in itself is annoying. (especially on the Hudson River) Yamaha has a very nice feature in the pump clean-out from the top of the boat. Wish SeaDoo had that.

I like most things about the boat (wish I had a 2012 model). Learning to control the thing was a trip. Especially after having an outboard for 25 years. I kind of like the way it handles though. I like the space and seating. I like the looks. The power is nice.
No neutral, no clean-outs, low MPG and supercharger problems make me not happy and probably will sadly force me to buy another kind of boat next time.
Dave