Seadoo jet boats- anyone had any experience?
 

We spend quite a lot of time down in Anglesey, and have always fancied one of the Seadoo jet boats- either a Challenger or a Speedster.

They now seem cheap enough second hand to experiment with but I know bugger all about them. Are they suitable for fair weather sea use, and what should I look out for?

Thanks,
Simon :)

ask matteeboy, I bet a tenner that his "inlaws" have had owned one at one point or another and that he has plenty of experience in the subject because of it :lol1:

I've been interested in those too - so will look at the replies with interest.

What prices are they now?

I would guess that the same rules apply as apply to 2nd hand JetSkis?

I'm guessing that will be the case Pete. I've seen a couple of Speedsters for around £2800, and a challenger at £3500; if the usual rule of thumb applies though you probs get what you pay for- they do seem extremely cheap.

Extremly cheap and extremly dangerous....and STILL unregulated :eek:


People get killed REGULARLY in accidents involving these things. So id say at least get some training and dont drink and drive ....!

To the rest of the waterborne community these things are a menace.

My parents had a small jet boat in Florida for a bit. It was very small and a blast to throw around, however, it would frequently get clogged with seaweed and the only way to remove the seaweed was to blast the throttle into reverse to push out the weeds from the jets or physically go under and drag out the weeds by hand. The boat was plagued with issues and topped out around 35mph along with being gutless for being able to pull for waterskiing. They are also quite loud with a somewhat annoying buzz (only the small boats).

If you want something small to toss around I say get a jetski.

jet boat, not jetski, although I appreciate the principle is similar.

Waste of money buy something useful like a plasma tv! :hjtwofing

I've got a Speedster :) Had it for a few years, had a Sportster before that & a jet ski before that.

Up to about 2000 they were running twin jet ski engines, then for a few years they had Mercury engines then due to cost & emissions issues, they went back to Ski engines. IMHO the Mercury engines are way better, bigger & more reliable. 2 engines = twice the hassle, twice the servicing & (nearly) twice the fuel...

A bit like a car - you're looking for a documented main dealer history showing regular servicing & winterising every autumn. Batteries can be short lived if you forget to charge it over winter. Trailer bearings every 2-3 years.

Ideally you want one that's only been used in fresh water, but if it's got a good history, chances are it's been looked after and flushed through properly if it's been in the sea.

Budget for some extras too - Insurance, club or launch fees, bouyancy aids, skis, wakeboards, ropes, inflatables, wetsuits - it adds up very quickly !

Thanks Alistair

Brutal things - we tried a couple before settling for a boat. Dunno the make or engine, but 4 up 80 knots across Lough Neagh on a calm day felt like being strapped to the wheel of a Scoob on a track day... :D pure class, but wifey and kids couldn't appreciate it :(

What alistair said. Same as buying a scoob - the seller should talk about flushing it through if it has had sea use.

Regular servicing a must.

I had Kawasaki and Yamaha jet ski's (or personal watercraft for the PC folks) for a few years without any trouble, just looked after them.

Cracking fun just go careful, plenty of idiots out there.

I have used a Seadoo one some years ago that had twin 85 BHP engines fitted.

It handled much better than a normal out board engined boat but if abused you could spin it very easily.

I thought the fuel consumption wasnt that bad compared to my 115 BHP Mercury outboard motor.

It comes down to what you intend to use it for, for pleasure boating they are fun and easy to use and fix but dont go crossing the channel in one.

If the intention is to take the family to a nice beach set a barbie up and then do some Ski-ing behind the boat for fun then yes get one. As already mentioned full service history is essential you can tell if its been abused and not flushed after every salt water use common sense will tell you to walk away.