Looking to jump into a jet boat: need to convince the wife

[Gizzygone]

Long story short: my father is looking to sell his 2009 SeaDoo challenger 180 SE. He's about as anal as they come when it comes to maintenance and keeping things as new as the day he bought them... And he's offering the boat to me at a huge family discount.

I'm having a difficult time saying no, but my wife is rightfully concerned about how much we'll use it.

We live in Southern MA, right on the RI boarder. Narraganset bay is 40 minutes away from us, along with a few other lakes within an hour's drive.

Aside from water sports: what does boating offer to you guys? Just cruising around? Catching some rays? We aren't much into fishing...


And how reliable are these sea-doos fairing? I know the maintenance history, but are they reliable if maintained?

How durable is the hull? Can it take a good beating if we get caught up in sudden bad weather?


Thanks for any input!

 

[RiverRat]

Welcome Aboard @Gizzygone . I can't speak for the reliability of the Sea Doo, but I'm sure you'll get some insight on that here shortly. As for what boating offers me besides watersports, here's a few things...

 

[Scuba_ref]

Well said @RiverRat ! That right there is thousands of words worth of pictures and hard to argue with. I'll add to the conversation while staying away from watersports and fishing :

 

[robert843]

You will get as much use out of it as you choose to. For me it's my time to relax even if work calls there isn't much I can do from the water. I plan 1-2 trips per year the are completely revolved around boating and being on the water. I do not really do any water sports except jet ski nor do I really fish anymore yet still I have 2 boats and 2 skis and love them all. I usually only get 1 day off a week but from May to September that one day is always spent on the water weather permitting and I spend the rest of the days of the year wishing I was on the water lol. Here is a great video that shows boating life.

 

[gthh]

My blood pressure drops when I get out on the water so I go as often as I can for health reasons! Same thing happens when I look at a gorgeous woman but for some reason I can get away with getting out on the water more often than the former!

 

[RightStuff]

My blood pressure drops when I get out on the water so I go as often as I can for health reasons! Same thing happens when I look at a gorgeous woman but for some reason I can get away with getting out on the water more often than the former!

Completely agree with this. A 2 day weekend on the lake feels like taking 4-5 days off...

 

[Gym]

I boat strictly from Cape Cod (East Falmouth) get out to Martha's Vineyard, Elizabeth Islands and Chappaquiddick island quite often in our SX230. I would suggest an 18 foot anything may be a little uncomfortable for those waters as it can be choppy at times. Your boat would be ideal for lake boating though. I think you'll find boating will add a new dimension to your lives with new places, experiences and friends. I don't know what your current boating experience is but if you have none you and your wife may want to consider one of the free or low cost boating courses as a starting point. Oh, I forgot one more great thing you get free of charge...US.

 

[veedubtek]

My favorite thing about boating is not even boating at all. Go out to a remote beach. Sit there. Drink beer. Grill food. Relax as the waves come in. No place I'd rather be.

As for the Doo, no worries. If it's a 215, get the charger rebuilt if it hasnt' been already, and you'll be fine. If you can pull the charger yourself (not hard), it'll cost ya about $400 to send it off and have it done with OEM parts (and improved stainless washer). If it cavitates hard on take off, worst case is a wear ring and impeller. I did a Solas on mine and wear ring and didn't have $3oo in both I don't think.

 

[Bruce]

Here are some of my suggestions

 

[Gizzygone]

I boat strictly from Cape Cod (East Falmouth) get out to Martha's Vineyard, Elizabeth Islands and Chappaquiddick island quite often in our SX230. I would suggest an 18 foot anything may be a little uncomfortable for those waters as it can be choppy at times. Your boat would be ideal for lake boating though. I think you'll find boating will add a new dimension to your lives with new places, experiences and friends. I don't know what your current boating experience is but if you have none you and your wife may want to consider one of the free or low cost boating courses as a starting point. Oh, I forgot one more great thing you get free of charge...US.

I don't think I'd take it into the open water, so much as the closed off bay ( near Bristol). I'm sure it may get choppy, but if it's safe enough for kayaking, I should be okay, no?

My favorite thing about boating is not even boating at all. Go out to a remote beach. Sit there. Drink beer. Grill food. Relax as the waves come in. No place I'd rather be.

As for the Doo, no worries. If it's a 215, get the charger rebuilt if it hasnt' been already, and you'll be fine. If you can pull the charger yourself (not hard), it'll cost ya about $400 to send it off and have it done with OEM parts (and improved stainless washer). If it cavitates hard on take off, worst case is a wear ring and impeller. I did a Solas on mine and wear ring and didn't have $3oo in both I don't think.

Interesting; so the supercharger requires servicing too? Is it a maintenance thing?

How do the motors hold up?

 

[Gym]

I agree @Gizzygone. You'll be fine in the bays. Open water will be ok too if you pick your days. If we plan to go to the Vineyard and find it's too choppy we just go to Waquoit Bay where it's always pretty calm.

 

[Matt Phillips]

Since you know the history and get a family discount, my thought would be why not try it for a year? See how much you use it and enjoy it and if you don't, then sell it and likely not loose much money on it.

You'll get a lot of different answers on here about what else you can use your boat for. For me, I traded out of a motorcycle into a boat (my partner isn't comfortable with motorcycling) as it was a way to spend our recreational time together, with friends and with family. For us, there are days that are strictly built around water sports, others where it's a nice anchorage over lunch and napping the afternoon away, and others when it's a boat load of people watching fireworks over the water.

All of the above add to quality memories...which for me is the point...and makes the maintenance and costs associated with owning a boat worth every penny.

 

[njmr2fan]

We're new boaters ourselves, July 4th will be our 1 year anniversary. We got a boat to spend time with our young boys. We believe that experiences and memories do last a lifetime and with a lake within minutes of our home it seemed like a good fit. We got quite a bit of use out of it for 2 months, then our weather turned.... Sept started school and then the holidays ran through us. I'm quite disappointed that we were never able to get back on the water again from the last week in August. I'm still excited about being a boat owner, and I still believe it was a good choice for us. I would suggest like others have that you take advantage of the "family discount" and try boating out. I've never fished before, but i'm starting to take an interest in it because my kids and wife enjoy it. try it, you might love it!

 

[tdonoughue]

I am a relatively new boater as well. This one you see to the port is my first boat. So a bit of different perspective, perhaps, from that above...

First, let's face some facts: you will probably use it more the first year than the second year, and so on. That is not a hard and fast rule. But probably. That is how it goes with lots of folks. So, to be fair, whatever use you have in the first year will probably be a bit lower the second and then you will probably settle into normal usage.

Second: it will cost more than you think for the maintenance and the inevitable upgrades you will want to do. BUT! If you decide to do some/all of it yourself, it could cost less than you think. Except then you will be more hooked and spend more on the upgrades... BUT! You will have more fun, especially if you like that kind of thing.

Third (and here is the neat thing): it is really up to you. We don't fish much either. But sometimes I take the kids and we tow them all around the lake. Other times it is me and my wife and another couple and we swim a bit and float some. Sometimes it is just me and I go out and anchor up and read because it is too cold to swim. Sometimes (about once a year), I go out with the men's group at the church and we whoop it up for a weekend with lots of floating and towing. All of these are completely different types of outings--and there could be many, many more. The boat gives you another platform on which to entertain or escape on a lake or bay or open water.

We definitely bought a boat before we were really financially completely ready to do so. But it was a 'now or never' thing because of our kids' ages. Have never regretted it. So I do recommend it, all things considered. It is a great experience. There is so much to learn. So much to do. So many options. A great hobby.