4 replies to this topic

[rtiz]

Hi All - 

 

New member, but longtime lurker. Great information in the forums.

 

Finally pulling the trigger and buying a Seadoo jet boat.

I have a few questions.

 

Which boat? The price difference is about $2000. more for the 2011.

 

2009 180 SE 255 with tower - 50 hours  - $18K

 

2011 180 SE 215 with tower - 20 hours  - $20K

 

Will I be disappointed in the 215 performance? I have a family of four (kids 9& 7) and we will be tubing, wake boarding and sky-skiing mainly.

 

How much maintenance?

 

Is there a difference in upkeep between the two engines?

Are they both supercharged?

 

Do you have to rebuild the supercharger at 100 hours?

How much does that cost?

 

Just sold a Honda aquatrax, never one problem,  bit nervous about a supercharged engine?

 

Any and all input would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

 

T

 

 

 

 

 

[darguello]

I just recently bought a  05 Challenger 180 it has the same supercharged engine and it is plenty fast to pull a wakeboard and tube. This boat is fun and very agile I have had to smooth my impeller and replace my wear ring because I ran some rocks through and lost speed because of that. I also have had the fortunate experience in meeting another local Sea Doo owner and learning about their experiences. They have a speedster and that is a very fast boat I am glad to have bought my boat and would definitely do it again. I have had no engine problems or any other problems with my Sea Doo and have taken it out almost every weekend since I got it a few months ago.

[rtiz]

Thanks so much for the input, just to be clear, you have the 215?

[darguello]

Yes it is the supercharged intercooled engine just took it out yesterday and pulled our kids and my wife on the tube and had no problems.

[sandman98]

i have an '07 180 (no tower) with the 215hp supercharged engine. we pull a tube no problem with 4 full sized adults on board.

 

just removed my supercharger this spring and sent to a fellow in louisiana for a rebuild--i only have 46 hours on the boat, but the '07s were still using the ceramic washers on the sc ('08 and beyond were built stock with metal washers, i believe). i did the preventative maintenance just for the peace of mind. parts were about $340, and he charges $75 to rebuild it. should be good for 200 hours after that. it took me about an hour to remove it, only about 30 minutes to replace. not real difficult if you have basic mechanical skills. 

 

winterizing was the only other maintenance i've needed. did it myself in about 2 hours (but will probably be shorter this year now that i know where everything is on the engine). oil and filter change, spark plug change, fog the cylinders, lube throttle body, and flush the exhaust manifold with antifreeze following the maintenance manual. remove the battery and pop it on a trickle charger in the basement for the winter. for the spring, put battery back in. start it up and go!

 

good luck with your decision.