sugar sand tango purchase

[drdcardetailing]

Good evening everyone I have been searching for a few weeks for a used boat. My wife I both really like the option of a jet boat.. we have basically narrowed it down to the sugar sand tango for the size the look and seating. I have it narrowed down to two tangos. One is a 2004 4x2 very clean inside and out as well as the engine bay being 9/10 maybe 9.5 for how clean it looks. No dry rotting or anything. The owner seems very knowledgeable about everything I have asked and just from what he has told me. Some of the the the things recently done have been new gas hoses, rebuilt carbs, newer bilge pump. They did mention that in 2004
They switched to a metal style oil pump vs the older models not sure if that’s really the case maybe someone can confirm. They use PWC LOW SMOKE OIL, he did mention that these boats take 10-15 seconds to start from cold start. Seems like thats also normal but again all new to me. They estimate about 100 hours on the engine. But with no meter I have no idea.

the second tango is 2001 with 240efi. Mostly all services have been done at shop for regular maintenance. They have changed some sensors and filters. Outside of that not much more service history. It’s also super clean as the owner has multiple boats but like to take out his bigger ones.

which option would be best going EFI or sticking with carbs.. it sounds and looks like
Both are good choices but maybe some
Of the members can give me some helpful
Feedback. Thank you all In advance.

 

[Weeb]

Efi will get you better fuel usage and no carburetor rebuilds. More power is also better with a jetboat especially when you start piling people in. Use ethanol free fuel if you can.

 

[biffdotorg]

That 240efi is a rock solid motor. And if they changed out the Head Temp Sensors and maintained the pump/stator fluids, it should be good to go.

That being said, any of these boats with the Merc SportJets can be very expensive to fix if even possible to get parts if it were to fail. Parts and service techs are few and far between.

Any boat with one, I would recommend proceeding with caution. Unless you have a merc outboard dealer that is not afraid to assist. Some of the older SeaDoo dealers will service them, as the 240efi was used in a number of SeaDoo boats in the early 2000's.

Good luck,

 

[drdcardetailing]

That 240efi is a rock solid motor. And if they changed out the Head Temp Sensors and maintained the pump/stator fluids, it should be good to go.

That being said, any of these boats with the Merc SportJets can be very expensive to fix if even possible to get parts if it were to fail. Parts and service techs are few and far between.

Any boat with one, I would recommend proceeding with caution. Unless you have a merc outboard dealer that is not afraid to assist. Some of the older SeaDoo dealers will service them, as the 240efi was used in a number of SeaDoo boats in the early 2000's.

Good luck,

I’ve looked at the Seadoo sportster and speedster.. would one of those be a better option for cost of services motor wise… from what I understand some came with a 4 stroke. Not sure on what engine. I’m still very open to other model choices as long as it’s a jet boat.

 

[biffdotorg]

I’ve looked at the Seadoo sportster and speedster.. would one of those be a better option for cost of services motor wise… from what I understand some came with a 4 stroke. Not sure on what engine. I’m still very open to other model choices as long as it’s a jet boat.

For the same reason I would avoid, and same reason we sold ours. It wasn't the boat that I was worried about, it was the expensive potential repairs and lack of support. Buying a SeaDoo boat, puts you in the same category. Except, the amount of boats produced and amount of support folks is thousands of times greater than a SugarSand, as their distribution was just not as great.

That being said, the Four stroke seadoo boats used the same engines as their PWC, so getting parts and support for the motors is not hard.

Two strokes from the late 90's and older were single or twin rotax motors. Very common in SeaDoo PWC and tons of parts and support. Early 2000's two strokes used Merc SportJets. Limited parts availability, and support personel. Four strokes were all Rotax 4tec motors similar to those used today.

The hulls and fit and finish were never much of an issue. In fact, the molds were sold off and produced even after SeaDoo pulled the plug.

Buy what you are comfortable working on yourself when buying these out of production units. Good deals may be had. I know our SeaDoo X20 is still running well for their current owner. I sold it local.

 

[drdcardetailing]

Yea I was thinking since they make the 175 mercury motor parts can still be had for the tango. I just really like the layout of the 4x2 vs the speedster or sportster. But it would make sense to possibly go with something that has more support and availability for parts. Since it’s our first boat I don’t want to spend crazy money while learning/training. Maybe down the road in 3-4 years we will splurge on a new boat. I would like to keep things 10k but almost everyone is vague on details and pictures it’s almost concerning. Guess I just don’t want to buy an immediate money pit. Is there a shop near the fox river are northwest suburbs of Illinois that has knowledge of sugar sands? I think I read tangle wood used to sell them..

 

[biffdotorg]

Don't expect to find someone that has experience with Sugar Sand, look for the guy with experience with the Merc SportJet. You will have little to no issue with the boat itself. It's just a shell. And most components are very generic off the shelf fittings you can buy from West marine etc. (I come from Fargo, the home of Sugar Sand)

The problem with the SportJet, even though it shares many components with the outboards, many techs will shy away from them, as they are just not sure. The powerhead on the 240efi is shared with a number of other outboards. And the sportjet pumps were similar as well.

 

[diehard]

tanglewood marine in saint charles il. he is honest and works on sportjets

 

[drdcardetailing]

I’m looking to keep it on fox river marina so that would be a good option if I need anything serious completed. There’s is also an orange one in looking at that sugar sand used for the boat show.. but they are wanting a hefty mark up because of the boat being 1 of 1. But maybe it would come at with better resale? The boat is awesome looking compared to the white one I’m looking at. 2006 ss tango 4 + 2. Also should I be concerned about the areas that’s are pointed out look pretty deep.. I’m asking the owner about them

 

[drdcardetailing]

It’s doesn’t come through the bottom, but said it’s normal wear on these type of motors.

 

[diehard]

the glass over the stringer make sure the stringer is not soft

 

[drdcardetailing]

the glass over the stringer make sure the stringer is not soft

Sorry I’m really clueless on these terms is that in the photo or in another location on the boat

 

[drdcardetailing]

So we ended up pulling the trigger on a 2001 tango 240efi. Everything is extremely clean. On issue is we don’t have a working horn. Would that be one of the breakers underneath the dash? Does anyone have diagram for the breaker diagram for what everything powers? Thank you all in advance

 

[drdcardetailing]

Also this being our first boat and jet boat for that matter is it common for the steering and very low speed to become very difficult? Once its at speed its dead straight but when loading things get sketchy lol

 

[Weeb]

Jump wires to the horn directly to make sure it works. Then check if you have power coming into and out of the switch. Make sure all the contacts are clean. Jet boats have a learning curve. There is no true neutral when the engine is running. Go out on a quiet day and practice without a boat full of people.

 

[biffdotorg]

Also this being our first boat and jet boat for that matter is it common for the steering and very low speed to become very difficult? Once its at speed its dead straight but when loading things get sketchy lol

Welcome to the world of jetboat loading. Guide poles like VeVe Guides or CE Smith guide poles can save a marriage. Just get the boat between them, then use the engine to swing the stern in line, then forward on.

The rule is the same for all, "don't approach anything any faster than you care to hit it"

 

[AmesJainchill]

So we ended up pulling the trigger on a 2001 tango 240efi. Everything is extremely clean. On issue is we don’t have a working horn. Would that be one of the breakers underneath the dash? Does anyone have diagram for the breaker diagram for what everything powers? Thank you all in advance

Congrats on the boat! Have had a lot of fun in the past on a Sugar Sand at our friends' lakehouse! From my perspective, low speed handling was pretty easy if one is used to a jet ski and sometimes a little counter steering is needed when turning on plane (which was pretty fun, imho). Here's a clip of a friend rippin' around on it!

 

[drdcardetailing]

Congrats on the boat! Have had a lot of fun in the past on a Sugar Sand at our friends' lakehouse! From my perspective, low speed handling was pretty easy if one is used to a jet ski and sometimes a little counter steering is needed when turning on plane (which was pretty fun, imho). Here's a clip of a friend rippin' around on it!

Omg we my wife and I watched this video i few times!!! We were so cheesed out I think thats what sold us! We were out on the dock all day yesterday practicing loading and launching we got the hang Of loading 9/10 first try, but reversing out was nothing but issues every time the rear wanted to start swinging hard left or right as soon as it came off the trailer

 

[AmesJainchill]

Iirc (someone correct me if I'm off on this), the reverse steering should be like a jet ski in that if you steer left the nose goes left and the stern goes right. Steer right and nose goes right and stern goes left.

 

[drdcardetailing]

Iirc (someone correct me if I'm off on this), the reverse steering should be like a jet ski in that if you steer left the nose goes left and the stern goes right. Steer right and nose goes right and stern goes left.

Thats the feedback we got from a jet ski loader. Thats the one thing I wasn’t doing right.. I think