seafar96

I've been operating a 2003 Seadoo Sportster 4-Tech; approaching the fourth season. Each season has brought an operational disaster. Very first season (2003), I was stranded on the third trip out due to a failed air intake valve. When I was towed in, Safe Sea (of Rhode Island) towed me at 25 knots without clamping the necessary hose in the back of the engine compartment (they claim they had no knowledge of this but were certified to tow any watercraft) - result was salt water injection whose symptoms did not manifest themselves until the following season.

2004: towed in twice due to engine failure; first time was due to the oil pan screw loosening and falling out (could this be from vibration due to waves in open ocean?), second was due to the corrosive damage from the 2002 season improper tow which SafeSea never took responsibility for. Bombardier replaced the engine even though it was just out of warranty. Engine replacement took over 30 days; I missed one-third of the season.

2005: Radio has failed - backplate is completely rusted over.

Front right compartment cover just "came off" when opening while stationary - attribute to wave stress? Dealer said they could not repair - would require a fiberglass repair specialist. They could replace the cover for $550 (???!!!) - not an option. I repaired this myself with marine cement.

Operational error in shallow water; mud/rocks - rocks went into impeller damaging jet pump and impeller; repair was $750+ and dealer (Honda Suzuki World of Warwick RI) took 35 days to repair -- way too long. Additionally, their winterization cost had climbed from $149 in 2003 season to over $300 this season and they claimed this was due to cost of petroleum products. Component cost of oil was only $12 in 2003, so even if you doubled that it did not account for the price increase. Rhode Island only has one authorized Seadoo repair shop and that is them. This is terrible logistics for a company (Seadoo) that wants people to buy their boats in the Ocean State (Rhode Island). I now take my boat to Connecticut for repairs.

2006: TBD

Overall: When this boat is running, it is a dream - however, Narragansett Bay produces 2-4 foot seas in the afternoons and I believe the boat was not designed to take that kind of a pounding... reference stress damage to compartment cover. You can run the boat in 2-3 feet of water most of the time with no problem but if there's mud with rocks embedded, look out. The high speed tow cautionary is buried on page 73 of the manual but needs to be a separate handout with signature required -- also - the towing companies should have been notified. Prime concern with me is the lack of authorized repair shops in my area; in a place like Rhode Island, it is a major drawback to people buying this type of boat. The dealer is abyssmal in service (time to repair and cost). As a result, I would not buy from Seadoo again unless I was in an area with healthy business -- competition from other authorized dealers.