Seadoo, or Seadon't.....?

[Supersoaker240]

Hey people,
Just a quick question. Am happy with our sugar sand tango, but, due to it's size, it ain't real family friendly, (so the wife reckons)
Have come across a Seadoo 2012 230SP, for what seems a reasonable (here in Aus anyway) price. It has 35 hours on the engines
What's the general consensus of these boats?
Comes with the twin 1.5l twin rotax, supercharged engines.
Friends I know that have the supercharged rotax in jetski's, they seem to have a fair few problems with them.
Does anyone have any experience with wakeboarding behind these things?
I am pretty sure they stopped manufacturing these things, so parts availability is affected by that?
Pro's, con's, any info would be great.
Boats here are EXPENSIVE, compared to the US. You folk should be greatful!!
Thanks and Cheers
Mark

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

My son has a SeaDoo ski with the 1.5 natural and we have read/heard numerous probems with the superchargers and their bearings going out. I would look into it further to see what the avg frequency is and if it is something you could tackle on your own etc. As far as the motor itself we have had no complaints. Good luck in your quest.

 

[Scottintexas]

how many hours a year do you think you will use it ?
I think they say the supercharger has to be rebuilt at 200 hours, we've have some people that really like them, parts shouldn't be an issue, the engine/pumps/ecu are still made for the skis so you'd just worry about the hull and fittings being hard to find if you ever needed them.

My personal opinion, I'm glad I have a yamaha, it may not be the greatest but for someone like me who wants to have fun with the minimum possible hassles and breakdowns I'd wait for a yamaha,

 

[Supersoaker240]

Thanks for the replies.
The common fault with the supercharged jetski's does seem to be the supercharger/water in the intercooler.
The yamaha does seem to be a better boat however, here in Aus they are over 80K for the top of the line models........ And that's Australian dollars.
It may be a case of letting this boat go through to the keeper?

 

[Scottintexas]

do you need a new boat or just a bigger boat ? I understand yamaha boats are not that common down under but if you just need bigger if you could find anything from an 2005 up that has the MR1 HO engine I think you would be good. They normally go many hundreds of hours without issue if maintained. They are a little louder (I don't know what the sound comparison would be vs. the sugar sand though) and may not have the bells and whistle of a new boat but it would be a lot less money.

 

[Supersoaker240]

If I was going to the expense, it would have to bigger & newer, at least 08, or 09. Most jet boats down here are harder to get. We don't have the volume of sales, that you have in the states, and the jet propulsion drives systems don't seem to have caught on. I have no idea why. We don't get much bang per buck with anything mechanical, cars, boats, bikes etc...
The sugar sand is fairly loud

 

[Scottintexas]

AR/SX 07-09 are the all the same, just a tower for the AR
the difference from 05-06 in the 23' is basically just the head compartment and a lower freeboard on the sides (although from a Sugar sands it may actually be taller)
they all have the MR1 HO (in 05-06 it's an option but common)

I would feel very comfortable to tell you to at least look at something as far back as an 05 AR/SX

If you look at this thread @Geoff Cooper boat is on 06 and still in great condition,

 

[Kennc]

Can only comment on my limited experience, but here it is; I bought a 2012 Seadoo Challenger 180SE right after they announced they were going to stop making them. BRB (seadoo) was throwing in 5 year warranty to ease peoples worries about ending production. Fall of 2012 I put 10 break-in hours on the boat per the manual. 2013 I added about 30 hours, 2014 I added another 30 hours. I just sold the boat to upgrade to a bigger boat.

I had zero issues with the engine (or anything else on the boat for that matter). We loved the boat it was just to small. Most of those 60 hours were pulling a 4 person tube with no issues. Also pulled slalom skiers, kneeboarders and wakeboarders without a hiccup. Obviously no wake to speak of for real wakeboarding, but my wife was just learning to get up.

No idea what would happen with the super charger at 100+ hours, but I wasn't worried. Perhaps I was naïve. As my skeptical, inboard/outboard biased brother said after a week at the lake, "that is one fun boat."

For what it is worth.

 

[PolarXJ]

I too had a 2012 Seadoo Challenger 180 SE. I never had any issues with mine. It was a great boat. If the price is right on the one you are looking at I would not hesitate. Parts for the engines are still readily available, and will be for a long time since BRP is selling engines to other manufacturers now. I only upgraded to what I have now for more room.

 

[veedubtek]

Ditto above, except mine was/is an 07. I did lots of preventive maintenance work, but really never had a failure (except a fuse once). Loved it, and only bought a new one for more room.

 

[kthrash]

What would it cost to import one from the states or eleswhere?

 

[MikeyL]

The BRP supercharger "ceramic washers" that caused all of the problems in the earlier BRP power plants were totally eliminated in about 2011, or at least by 2012. So the "SeaDoo supercharger blow outs" are really today a thing of the past.

If the boat appeals to you, and the price is right, I bet you'll get years of enjoyment out of it.

We LOVE our SeaDoo (BRP) jetskiis we own !!!!!!!! Never a single problem whatsoever !
Good luck and let us know what you decide !
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA