2 replies to this topic

[Ron K]

Hi - I have have jet ski's for years, but this is my first jet boat. So it's a totally different animal to me. Hoping to learn some tips, n tricks. Care and feeding.

I found a 2001 Speedster 160. Has Merc 240. I was torn on what to get. the local seadoo dealer said not to get this due to the Merc? (they don't work on them). but we have several merc repair shops around? Anyway - was mint except for one scratch in the dark (navy? or is it black) glass... I'll need to touch up (any good / easy way to do this? else it looked great. They used it once last year and twice the year before. Much much before that. He didn't know hours (is there a hours counter on it? )

I gave 500 down, and will pickup and pay balance when the ice thaws off the lake so I can see it power up and run. Paid 9500.00 which is a bit high, but I didn't mind for something in like new condition.

We'll use it a little on Lake Michigan... but primarily at home, we live on a small (about 75 acre) lake. VERY SHALLOW. At times - 10-12 inches - then under that - several feet of silt. (soft.... no rocks) the 1100 wave runner has been fine the past 6 years on it. Any thing to worry about on the boat that I don't know about? I had wished it had a closed cooling system. Is the intake at the jet pump? and is the cooling line at least ( hopefully bigger ) than a 3 Kawasaki 1100? We just want to pleasure boat with it and some skiing and boarding - or and tubing.

Ron in Grand Rapids, MI

[RFoster130]

Welcome!!!

The 16 ft speedsters are a blast. I have a 98. The mercury powered version is also a nice boat. The major downfall is finding someone to work on it. Most Sea Doo dealers wont work on it and most Mercury dealers dont wanna deal with it either. The mercury engine is very reliable except for a plastic oil pump gear. If that fails, you are looking at $5000 for an engine rebuild. In comparison, if my rotax motor fails I can get a new one for $850.

The gel cote is a very easy fix. You can goto gelcote.com and order the factory matched colors. The repair kit is enough to fix many small spots. It is very easy to do and you can find videos on youtube. The intake is on the bottom of the boat. They dont get clogged up nearly as much as you would think.

[Kevin Leclair]

Welcome to the site Ron, glad to have you!