dburgess56

I have a 1996 Speedster 15 footer than I bought used in 2001. The boat has the stock twin 85hp Rotax engines.

The boat is primarily used by my grown children to pull tubers. It has been a great boat for our needs these past few years, but now I'm having mechanical problems with it: impellers are nicked from sucking rocks, and the left engine overheats. I'm not the kind of guy to wrench it myself.

I'm thinking of bringing it to a dealer to trade in for a newer Speedster. Listed below are the things I like and dislike about this model. I would appreciate it if forum members could tell me how the newer models compare with my 96 Speedster.

Things I like about the 96 Speedster:
- The size. It's easy to tow and move around
- The power. Fast as hell when it's running well
- Safety - no prop. This is a big plus with lots of little kids getting on and off tubes near the stern
- Low draft - The water level in my lake varies throughout the year. When it gets shallow, this is a big plus.

Things I dislike about the 96 Speedster:
- NOISE - the twin two stroke Rotax engines are unbearably loud. Before I bought the boat, I wondered why it had no stereo. Now I know - it's pointless with the 96.
- Pollution - Every time I see those two huge clouds of blue two stroke smoke when I start up, I wonder what I'm doing to my lake
-Battery placement - I don't think the Sea Doo engineers could have made it more difficult to pull the batteries from this thing

How has Sea Doo addressed my dislikes in the last 15 years?