2004 Seadoo Utopia 205

[smurph18]

I am just checking to see what information or pros/cons you have about a 2004 Seadoo Utopia 205. It has the 250 Optimax in it and roughly 100 hours. Any big pros or cons I should be aware about before I purchase it? I like the layout of this boat a lot but is there anything I should be concerned about? How is the mercury 250 optimax? It's fuel injection from what I understand but I can't find a lot of info about the boat or engine. Thank you in advance for any information. I appreciate it.

 

[biffdotorg]

The Mercury 250 Opti is a potent direct injection motor. Be sure to use the appropriate Mercury/Quicksilver oil for the Optimax as well. It's not the same as the 240EFI.

These motors are durable, when taken care of, but very expensive to fix if they do break down. If you are not handy with a wrench, I would strongly recommend looking for a local BRP dealer that has been well established for years. As the newer dealers will avoid a Merc powered Seadoo like the plague. Some Merc dealers will work on them, but they see a Seadoo logo and may walk away as well. Annual service is a must, and it will make it a solid boat for years.

It literally is a V6 outboard powerhead on a SportJet pump. With that in mind, read through the winterization procedures as there is gear and stator oil that should be changed annually. If you are in a cold climate, it's a must, as water in there will surely freeze and cost you tons to repair.

There is also a spring-loaded, hinged grate on the intake. Be sure there are no broken tines, or check to see if it was swapped out for a fixed grate. This is called a Hydro-Surge grate and it allowed weeds to pass through the pump. It did work, but the tines were prone to slam back down, break off and go through the pump. And if it is missing tine ends, they may have passed through and damaged the pump liner or impeller. Look for heavy gouges or scratches. As it's a stainless steel liner and expensive to replace. Repairs have been done with JBweld and sandpaper, but it is a bandaid fix.

If it is heavily gouged, you will experience cavitation upon take off. This boat at 20' should jump up on plane very easily, and top out at 50+ mph. The boat itself is pretty solid and one of the most solid 20ft hulls for it's vintage. It's a great layout for a non-tower bow rider.

Good luck.

 

[biffdotorg]

PWC Muscle offered up Pre-Cut HydroTurf kits for the Utopia and other SeaDoo models. Don't shy away from those kits, as the quality of that thickness HydroTurf cannot be compared to what was installed on the swimdecks of older Yamaha boats. We got many years out of our kit we installed in our 20' SeaDoo!

If you are a Seadoo Forum member, there is a Mercury section with tons of good infor. Not that this is a bad forum, it's just a high concentration of Merc owners. Where us red-headed stepchildren of the SeaDoo world hung out. PWC muscle also offered discount codes for their kits.

Good luck!