LTM501

I think Ghettoworks in Heber Springs, AR, near Greers Ferry Lake is still a dealer. I had thought that Bradford bought them out but their website still shows them as a dealer. I am also interested in dealer service experiences. I bought my Speedster in Texas in 2010 and haven't needed any dealer service so far. There is a Bradford location within minutes of my house but I have only bought parts there so far.

I have an 04 Sporster LE. I'm having some engine trouble out of it. The good folks at Bradford Marine in Hot Springs Arkansas were very rude, and not very knowledgable on my boat. I can't find anyone in Arkansas to give me any advice, much less work on it. It seems that Bradford Marine is the only place in Arkansas that works on Sea Doos. This can't be, can it?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

I didn't see which SeaDoo boat you have. I have a Speedster 150. We had a few problems with lining up on the trailer straight at first. Now, I leave about six inches of bunk out of the water when backing the trailer. I am normally at the front of the trailer holding the winch strap as my wife drives onto the trailer. When the bow is within about 18" from the bow roller she kills the motor. She then moves to the center seat while I operate the winch. The Speedster 150 is so light that if she stays in the driver's seat, the boat would sometimes end up un-centered on the trailer. And no, she isn't very heavy. This has worked every time. Sometimes when the boat wasn't centered on the trailer and I didn't notice it until I had pulled away from the ramp, I was able to shove the boat from the side and settle it. I didn't like doing that too much out of fear that I would knock the bunks out of alignment.

If you plan on having more than two people in the boat very often, you should get something bigger than the Speedster. I have a Speedster with the 255hp. Power is not a problem with four adults onboard but anytime I have an adult in the rear facing front seat, the boat is very prone to taking on water over the front when moving slowly. That is irritating as the berber carpet doesn't dry very quickly so I have to vaccum it when I get home. Also, that boat gets very crowded with more than two people if you need to move around. The Speedster is very practical for my wife and I as we trailer 150 miles round-trip every week, it fits in the garage, and will pull me on a slalom ski, but if we even took one more person very often, I would need an 18' boat.

My Speedster inhaled a piece of wood and lodged it upright so tightly against the impeller that it charred the wood even in the water. Like you, I didn't have any tools long enough to get enough leverage to pry the wood out. I put an 18" extension on a 1/4" drill bit and carefully drilled holes in the piece of wood until it finally fell apart and came back out through the grate. Now I carry a long 1/4" diameter aluminum rod, a waterproof flashlight, and a dive mask so I can pry items out while the boat is in the water.