PointeAuB JetBoater
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 3
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 45
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
- Boat Make
- SeaDoo
- Year
- 2007
- Boat Model
- Challenger
- Boat Length
- 23
Sorry if there's a better section to post, but I'm looking for open and honest feedback from several brand owners at once. I'm a new member here, who after reading through a few hundred pages of threads has realized this place is a pretty awesome resource for all types of jet boat owners ![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
Until a few weeks ago, I owned a 2007 Challenger 230 SE, which I loved… and hated. The very short version is, after a year of research I purchased it used ~3-yrs ago, reconditioned and cleaned it up, installed hydro-turf, Fusion stereo, Garmin, etc, etc, then after a great summer and a half, found out the previous owner had the hull crack open on him, 5–feet on both sides, then had knowingly done a quicky patch job before selling it it to me. I found out by having both sides of the hull re-open. In the end, I sold it as is, with full disclosure of everything wrong with it, while going through the process of learning of a lot of other similar larger SeaDoo owner’s hull crack experiences.
Aside from the nightmare my boat turned into, I’m still completely sold on jet boats, as well as on the BRP bits (I love my BRP ATV as well), but I did loose a lot of confidence in SeaDoo boats, due to the numerous hull related stories I’ve been told since having my issues. I therefore have set my sights on Yamaha, Scarab, and possibly Chaparral for my next family toy.
Even though I’ve done a lot of reading in here, it seems that the kinds of opinions I’m looking for only come out when direct questions are asked, and when the perspective of the inquirer is understood…
So with no offence intended to any other owners, from MY perspective SO FAR;
- BRP probably has the better (more proven?) engine, and has the nozzle system that I think I would prefer (never driven a Yamaha boat, but I loved the way my SeaDoo handled).
- Yamaha has a fantastic dealer network, and is known for precision and quality control, but are not quite the “Mercedes” of boats (I also owned a few Yamaha supersport motorcycles that I loved!)
- Scarab seems to have the best design features, and looks, and if I hadn’t read nightmare stories about quality control, I wouldn’t need to write this…
- Chaparral seems like a slightly less edgy, but possibly more sophisticated version of Scarab?… but honestly I’m having a difficult time placing it into a hierarchy. Some aspects like the swim platform seem less modern, but other aspects seem “higher end”?
To be honest, my 23.5’ was a bit more boat than we needed. I went in with the “go big or go home” mentality, then decided to be more honest with myself as to what we really needed. From here I think a twin 300hp 21’ would be my dream boat, but a newer pre-owned 19’ single is probably the best option for my next venture.
For some further perspective, I’m a 41yr old father of 4, 8-13yrs old and about to become teenagers, I spend my boating time in the Parry Sound area of Ontario navigating through small islands and introducing the kids to watersports. I own a small business, am fairly mechanically inclined, have a practical 7-seater SUV for the family, but drive a tuned up Mustang myself - just for the fun of it… the Scarab seems like the perfect boat for the family guy who drives an immature car like a Mustang… if it didn’t have a horrible online record of design flaws, and quality control issues.
Anyone feel like sharing some of their perspective on where I should be aiming for next? Any input would be greatly appreciated![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
I've been to a few Toronto boat shows, and will be going this winter with the hopes of coming to a final decision for next spring.
![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
Until a few weeks ago, I owned a 2007 Challenger 230 SE, which I loved… and hated. The very short version is, after a year of research I purchased it used ~3-yrs ago, reconditioned and cleaned it up, installed hydro-turf, Fusion stereo, Garmin, etc, etc, then after a great summer and a half, found out the previous owner had the hull crack open on him, 5–feet on both sides, then had knowingly done a quicky patch job before selling it it to me. I found out by having both sides of the hull re-open. In the end, I sold it as is, with full disclosure of everything wrong with it, while going through the process of learning of a lot of other similar larger SeaDoo owner’s hull crack experiences.
Aside from the nightmare my boat turned into, I’m still completely sold on jet boats, as well as on the BRP bits (I love my BRP ATV as well), but I did loose a lot of confidence in SeaDoo boats, due to the numerous hull related stories I’ve been told since having my issues. I therefore have set my sights on Yamaha, Scarab, and possibly Chaparral for my next family toy.
Even though I’ve done a lot of reading in here, it seems that the kinds of opinions I’m looking for only come out when direct questions are asked, and when the perspective of the inquirer is understood…
So with no offence intended to any other owners, from MY perspective SO FAR;
- BRP probably has the better (more proven?) engine, and has the nozzle system that I think I would prefer (never driven a Yamaha boat, but I loved the way my SeaDoo handled).
- Yamaha has a fantastic dealer network, and is known for precision and quality control, but are not quite the “Mercedes” of boats (I also owned a few Yamaha supersport motorcycles that I loved!)
- Scarab seems to have the best design features, and looks, and if I hadn’t read nightmare stories about quality control, I wouldn’t need to write this…
- Chaparral seems like a slightly less edgy, but possibly more sophisticated version of Scarab?… but honestly I’m having a difficult time placing it into a hierarchy. Some aspects like the swim platform seem less modern, but other aspects seem “higher end”?
To be honest, my 23.5’ was a bit more boat than we needed. I went in with the “go big or go home” mentality, then decided to be more honest with myself as to what we really needed. From here I think a twin 300hp 21’ would be my dream boat, but a newer pre-owned 19’ single is probably the best option for my next venture.
For some further perspective, I’m a 41yr old father of 4, 8-13yrs old and about to become teenagers, I spend my boating time in the Parry Sound area of Ontario navigating through small islands and introducing the kids to watersports. I own a small business, am fairly mechanically inclined, have a practical 7-seater SUV for the family, but drive a tuned up Mustang myself - just for the fun of it… the Scarab seems like the perfect boat for the family guy who drives an immature car like a Mustang… if it didn’t have a horrible online record of design flaws, and quality control issues.
Anyone feel like sharing some of their perspective on where I should be aiming for next? Any input would be greatly appreciated
![Smile :) :)](https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png)
I've been to a few Toronto boat shows, and will be going this winter with the hopes of coming to a final decision for next spring.