6 replies to this topic

[Devin]

Hello everyone, My name is Charles and I am from Ormond Beach Fl. I have been trying to research and study to find the pros and cons of owning a sea-doo jet boat. I have also been trying to compare the differences of the rotax 4 brp engine and the standard motors of stern drive boats. I am looking for a bowrider style boat and I am interested in the sea-doo challenger 180 or 210. I go to the sea-doo dealerships and they say nothing but great things and that problems with these boats are rare, and are easy to maintain. I expect nothing less from the dealer to say this since this is the only type of boat he sells. I have also went to other boat dealers that sell boats like sea ray, bay liner, four winns ect. They tell me the exact opposite. That they are hard to control during low speeds, they are always in the shop with break downs and that they are very expensive to maintain. Again this is to be expected as this dealer doesnt sell sea-doo's at all.

So I am on the fence here since everyone is looking for a sale it is hard to get a straight answer out of them. I need everyones help on this board to help explain the cost and maintenance and also major and common problems that occur with the sea-doo boats.

I am not looking of differences in the sea-doo and stern drive motors. For example the shallow draft minimal bow rise ect. I am looking for things that only owners would know and that doesnt get advertised.

Thanks for your time and help.
Charles C.

[Kevin Leclair]

Charles it is tough for me to tell you the pros and cons about these boats because they will differ for ever individual based on their specific needs. I would highly recommend test driving all the boats that you are interested in and make the decision based on the one that best fits your needs and you are going to be happy with from a fit/finish perspective.

I will have to say from owning two SeaDoos so far, first a 2000 160 Speedster and now a 2008 180 Challenger SE, we have been very happy with their products. I would say with mostly anything it will treat you well if you treat it well, meaning if you keep up with the maintenance then it should last. You will find that is inevitable that something will happen unexpected and you will have to eat that expense but that is part of owning a boat. If you are lucky it will be something that your warranty will cover especially if you opt for the B.E.S.T. extended warranty. The extreme case would be if you bought a "lemon" but there are laws to protect you of this.

Mainly just take your time in your decision, weigh all the pros and cons based on your needs. If you feel that you are still stumped and want to know more about the SeaDoo products then I recommend giving Kevin Seeber a call over at Kingsland Marine, 1 (800) 348-5735. He is very knowledgeable about the SeaDoo lineup and should be able to address any specific questions you may have.

[Devin]

Thank you very much for your reply Kevin. We are mainly wanting to use this boat to cruise around get some sun but have a little fun with it at the same time. Best of both worlds I guess. I am wondering if you like the challenger 180? How long have you owned this boat and what troubles you may have had?

[Kevin Leclair]

The 180 Challenger would be a great boat for this. We have owned the boat since it was brand new, so we have had it a little over two years. We haven't had any problems thus far, but we did get the B.E.S.T. warranty just for piece of mind. The boat has been great for us, we primarily use it for wake skating and tubing.

[Devin]

Kevin, How does the 180 handle during docking and at low speeds? I have been told that the jet drive system will give you little to no control when going at low throttle. I guess I should just go out and test drive one. My dealer is about an hour away from me and I am at least a year away from a purchase. Thanks for all your help and answers.

[Kevin Leclair]

Docking is definitely a challenge, but this is true for all jet boats - it takes throttle to steer the boat. It is a little tough to get use to this concept at first, but after going through it a few times you will get the hang of it. Good luck, keep us posted.

[Devin]

Kevin, thanks for all your responses and help. I will keep everyone posted.