New Owner: Sea Doo 210 Wake | New York City / Nantucket

[Hugh S.]

Hello,

Very nice to meet everyone! I am about to close on a 2010 17-hour Sea-Doo 210 Wake (430hp) that was kept on a ball in salt water (yes I know, not the perfect way to dock a jet boat!). I will be trailering it from Nantucket and putting it in a boat slip at the 79th street boat basin in Manhattan's Upper West Side. The boat is currently in Nantucket, Mass.

A few questions upfront:
1) The best place for fair-priced repairs on Sea-Doo Jet Boats between Hyannis to NYC. I believe the boat needs 1) new bottom paint 2) Summer-ized 3) cleaned impellers / general tlc on the intakes. This boat was last operated in 2019. Because I am inexperienced, I don't want to go into the shop and get destroyed on price by saying 'find everything wrong with the boat'. In an ideal world, that is what I would like to do (audio system, ballast bag system, etc).

2) What should I look out for in terms of pricing for various jobs / what should I specifically request off the bat? Again, do not want to get murdered on overpriced repairs.

3) Best boat launch ramps near manhattan / west side? I know I will be challenged for options, but such is life in NYC.

4) Does anyone else here boat in Manhattan?

Thank you!!
-Hugh S.

 

[Sidarousmg]

Welcome aboard. that is really low hours. were the engines rebuilt at some point? 430hp means you have supercharged engines. I would start with rebuilding the SC's unless seller has documentation that it has been done recently (you didn't mention what year the boat was). I would also pull/inspect/recondition the pumps/impellers and check the the grease in the cones. of course, change oil and filters. Have you driven the boat? any issues with cavitation or alarms? Edit: I can't confirm pricing as I've done all these things myself (not very difficult) but if you are paying someone for supercharger rebuild, I would guess around $1k per charger parts and labor (about $500 to pull and reinstall each). no idea on labor for removing the pumps, but it's about a 20-30 minute job (longer your first time around and if anything is rusted).

 

[Hugh S.]

Welcome aboard. that is really low hours. were the engines rebuilt at some point? 430hp means you have supercharged engines. I would start with rebuilding the SC's unless seller has documentation that it has been done recently (you didn't mention what year the boat was). I would also pull/inspect/recondition the pumps/impellers and check the the grease in the cones. of course, change oil and filters. Have you driven the boat? any issues with cavitation or alarms? Edit: I can't confirm pricing as I've done all these things myself (not very difficult) but if you are paying someone for supercharger rebuild, I would guess around $1k per charger parts and labor (about $500 to pull and reinstall each). no idea on labor for removing the pumps, but it's about a 20-30 minute job (longer your first time around and if anything is rusted).

Hey Sidarousmh, thank you for the advice! It a 2010 (just edited the post to include the year, great point). Definitely supercharged. I read that you only need to do a rebuild every 200 hours on the superchargers. They have not been rebuilt. Do you think it is necessary? I have driven the boat in 2019 but not since then (owned by a friend) so I cannot confirm nor deny any alarms etc. I do remember a small amount of white smoke/steam (don't know which) coming out from the exhaust. I do not know exactly why but I believe it was due to a clogged jet (I am far from certain, however).

It's very difficult for me to do my own repairs living in a new york city apartment, so will have to pay someone for sure.

 

[Sidarousmg]

@Hugh S. unlike the new Scarab boats (I think but I may be wrong), seadoo superchargers after 2008 with metal washers have a 2 year or 200 hour replacement recommendation. I happen to think the 2 year requirement is a bit much, especially on boats that are not used as aggressively as jet skis, but it's a risk reward situation. if they have never been done, they are 11 years old now. there are some plastic parts that simply age and become brittle. if they break apart under load, there is a risk of the charger "grenading" and parts being sucked into the engine. so may be cheap insurance to rebuild. My challenger was last rebuilt in 2012 (before i did it this winter) and was running fine. but again, risk/reward. $500 supercharger rebuild/$10k engine if it breaks. personally, i think i will go about 5 years or so before i rebuild again (i put about 20 hours per season). my recommendation, start the engines, run the boat, see how she does. best of luck, i love the 210. wish I could find one with the dual NA engines for a decent price, but then again, nothing is a decent price this year....

 

[Hugh S.]

Thank you! And understood; that makes sense. Curious, why NA over SC? And yeah, there seems to be no 210 Wake’s on the market at all!

 

[Sidarousmg]

just for simplicity. 210 is ideal boat size for me and 300+hp would be enough for my usage, without having to maintain superchargers and intercoolers. I think reliability between the two engines is probably comparable, the NA engines will also get better fuel economy without using high octane, but if we were just looking to save money, we wouldn't have boats...

 

[Miitch]

Congrats on the purchase!! by far one of the best looking boats on the market. They have aged amazingly! I would have picked up the same one had my budget allowed it last year LOL

Sidarousmg pretty much nailed it. Big things you want to look for are superchargers first. I agree with the two year mark being a little early. every 200 hours is what sea doo recommends. But better safe then sorry. If a SC fails while under way, you can say goodbye to those sweet engines! As for the cost, ~$500 seems right to me. Im paying $630 here in Canada. Try joining a local NY or Manhattan Sea Doo group on facebook or something. Thankfully, even though Sea Doo no longer makes boats, a lot of the parts/maintenance on their new skis are basically the same as the boats. My local group has saved me a lot of money with how-to tips and local guys that are well reviewed and more than capable of doing dealer work. Also, quick tip: most dealers will charge you ~$200 less /supercharger if you take them out yourself and bring them to the dealer. Super easy to do, just a little dirty. That way, when the dealer takes their sweet time working on your SCs, you can do some work on the boat!

Some other things to consider: spark plugs, super easy to replace. Once a season is common. Oil, as Sidarousmg said. Cheap pump on amazon will suck out your oil via dip stick tube. engines hold 3L each. coolant replacement - again, super easy with a quick youtube video. And possibly a wear ring and/or carbon seal replacement.

 

[Hugh S.]

Congrats on the purchase!! by far one of the best looking boats on the market. They have aged amazingly! I would have picked up the same one had my budget allowed it last year LOL

Sidarousmg pretty much nailed it. Big things you want to look for are superchargers first. I agree with the two year mark being a little early. every 200 hours is what sea doo recommends. But better safe then sorry. If a SC fails while under way, you can say goodbye to those sweet engines! As for the cost, ~$500 seems right to me. Im paying $630 here in Canada. Try joining a local NY or Manhattan Sea Doo group on facebook or something. Thankfully, even though Sea Doo no longer makes boats, a lot of the parts/maintenance on their new skis are basically the same as the boats. My local group has saved me a lot of money with how-to tips and local guys that are well reviewed and more than capable of doing dealer work. Also, quick tip: most dealers will charge you ~$200 less /supercharger if you take them out yourself and bring them to the dealer. Super easy to do, just a little dirty. That way, when the dealer takes their sweet time working on your SCs, you can do some work on the boat!

Some other things to consider: spark plugs, super easy to replace. Once a season is common. Oil, as Sidarousmg said. Cheap pump on amazon will suck out your oil via dip stick tube. engines hold 3L each. coolant replacement - again, super easy with a quick youtube video. And possibly a wear ring and/or carbon seal replacement.

Wow, thanks guys! Quick question. When you say $500, does that include labor? I see the supercharger kit is 400 dollars for each supercharger OEM Sea-Doo 215/255/260 Supercharger Rebuild Kit.
I was quoted the following by a Sea Doo repair shop:
If we assume labor at $100 an hour which is what:
If all goes well, it's an hour or two to get it out, an hour or so on the bench to rebuild if it just needs washers and bearings, the kit runs around $400 and another couple hours to reinstall and test. So perhaps $100 removal+$100 rebuild time+$400 kit+$200 instal and test= $800. Does that seem right?

 

[Miitch]

Wow, thanks guys! Quick question. When you say $500, does that include labor? I see the supercharger kit is 400 dollars for each supercharger OEM Sea-Doo 215/255/260 Supercharger Rebuild Kit.
I was quoted the following by a Sea Doo repair shop:
If we assume labor at $100 an hour which is what:
If all goes well, it's an hour or two to get it out, an hour or so on the bench to rebuild if it just needs washers and bearings, the kit runs around $400 and another couple hours to reinstall and test. So perhaps $100 removal+$100 rebuild time+$400 kit+$200 instal and test= $800. Does that seem right?

Yes sorry. You are correct. I checked my emails again. They quoted me ~800CAD if i brought my boat to them and ~600CAD if i brought them just the supercharger. My Dealer charges $120CAD / hour (i think im in the wrong business...) so they basically charge 200$ for removal/install. Makes sense as it took me just over an hour to get it out myself.

 

[Sidarousmg]

I removed mine and sent it to PWCMuscle for the rebuild. I believe it was $480 parts and labor, plus $20 to ship it there.

 

[Hugh S.]

I removed mine and sent it to PWCMuscle for the rebuild. I believe it was $480 parts and labor, plus $20 to ship it there.

Thank you again! I am hopefully going to get the boat next week (real debacle regarding the trailer)

If anyone has anybody they know near NYC for repairs, I am still searching. I found a guy who seemed great but he has suddenly gone AWOL. over text. Thank you!