Mac4

I was wondering what other 10W-40 oil that people may be using other than the over priced Seadoo oil! What about the Syntec GTX oil?

Cheers,
KWS

Speedy,
I believe with the supercharger on your boat it is not recommended to use the Synthetic oil. I think the oil for your engine is a mineral base oil. The engine only uses 4 quarts so what your saving is not huge. My discussion with several people around this (because I wanted to do the same thing) was that you will lose performance if you use a different base oil.

If anyone out there know something different please let us know.

Thanks in advance!

There was no comparison shopping thread I found, so I am posting this here since it is semi-relevant and seems the most active forum.

I am shopping right now and I have 2 boats in the area I am looking at. One is a '99 Speedster SK and the other is an '05 Sportster SCIC.

Now the '99 is older, so it is about $4-6 thousand less. However the maintenance was done by the owner, so it is questionable. He says he hasn't used it much in the last couple of years. That could be good or bad. I plan on going out next week for a wet run and engine test, plus plan on a mechanic looking it over. I don't know the exact hours, other than "low".

The '05 has all maintenance documented, so that sounds good. Has about 90 hrs. on it.

Both have some usual scratches, not a big deal. The '99 has a broken fuel gauge, which seems quite common for this era. I am not aware of any other mechanical problems with either model.

Both seat exactly 4 people, so that is the same. However I do have some bigger people in the family (~250 lbs.), and I am not sure how comfortable the Sportster seating is, as opposed to the 4 separate buckets in the Speedster.

The Speedster has more storage space and twin 2-cycle engines. The Sportster has the single 4-cycle supercharged engine. Will the supercharger make the maintenance as much as the 2 engines in the '99? Will the $4000 difference cover the cost of one (or two) engine rebuilds on the older Speedster?

There is more length in the Speedster, although that is probably used up in the storage compartment. The Sportster has a stereo, which I would install in the Speedster myself if purchased.

Is there any other intangibles I am overlooking? Which one would you buy, and why?

I can provide more information if requested. Thanks.

When I was originally looking for a boat I also came across your simular position. I ended up going with the 4 stroke engine. Some of the reasons why:
- You do not have to worry about oil like you would in the 2 stroke. The oil is not cheap and if you use do not use the BRP 2 stroke oil you will notice some loss of power, or so I have been told by a few people. Price the oil, I think you'll find out that it is almost as expensive as your tank full of gas.
- One more engine means that many more possibilities for mechanical failure.
- More overall maintenance and parts to replace with the two engines. (drive train bearings, filters, ect.....)
- The newer engine will have parts more available than the old.
- The new Rotax engine requires very little maintenance and with the supercharger, you'll feel like your on a rocket.
- The new Rotax engine is much quieter than the older two 2 strokers.
- Less smoke and exhaust out of the 4-stroker
- The SCIC is a well made boat and you'll love the look of the analog gages on the 2005 model. My only issue with this boat is that the rotation you get when the boat is in nuetral. This makes it a bit of a pain when your first learning to drive it and docking.

I think you need to take both out on the water but I think you'll find that the extra four grand for the SCIC is well worth it. It is a fantastic little boat.

Good Luck and enjoy either one that you purchase. I love mine.

Hello,

Just purchased (not yet picked up) a 2006 sportster with the 215 HP Rotax and wake board tower.

I wanted to purchase the boat cover from the dealer but he wanted $650 for it. Does anyone know of an aftermarket cover that fits with the wakeboard tower?

Thanks
Dave

Just wanted to pass on this groups address to you. The cover fits my Sporster like glove and it looks great on the boat. I am super happy with the quality of the fit and how easy it is to take on and off. I hope this helps.
ahttp://www.commercialsewing.com/vacuhold.html