To keep (and fix) or not to fix our 2003 SR230 Yamaha Jet Boat?

[mtnbike03]

My husband and I bought a 2003 SR230 last winter for $10k. The boat was in great shape with only 215 hours on both engines. We only took it out twice this year for less than an hour. The last time we were out, we got a low oil warning and one engine started acting up. A mechanic said one of the fuel injectors failed, flooding the engine, and the #1 cylinder is shot. He suggested a new SBT engine ($6750 installed) or an MR1 engine from eBay/jetski ($5k).

Things got shady when the mechanic insisted on pulling the engine right away, even though he hadn't received the replacement yet. He told us the replacement engine was "complete" but kept asking for more time and parts from our original engine. After researching, I found out he's a scammer and has ripped off other boat owners. We decided to walk away, but he still charged us $500 to pull the engine.

Now, we're stuck with a boat that has one engine out. We’ve already spent $13k (boat + repairs) and don’t have the funds to buy a new engine. Should we sell it at a loss or keep it and look into a rebuild? I’m not sure if the engine was even really damaged or if we were taken advantage of.

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Babin Farms]

I would find someone you can trust to check the engine out and see if it’s bad or not. If not, reinstall it and enjoy the boat. If it is bad, that’s where things get shady. Depending on how much you want to spend you can put a SBT engine in with a warranty, find a used engine to put in, part the boat out to recoup your $$ or just sell it as-is.

 

[Neutron]

Don't know why he pulled the engine without your approval. Did he give you all the parts he took apart

 

[mtnbike03]

Don't know why he pulled the engine without your approval. Did he give you all the parts he took apart

He pulled

Don't know why he pulled the engine without your approval. Did he give you all the parts he took apart

We did approve of him pulling the engine but then when we couldn't get proof that he bought the new engine from ebay and he said he needed to take parts off the existing engine, things didn't feel right. Then I read a bunch of reviews of him scamming others. I believe all of the parts are there but I'm no mechanic so can't be totally sure.

 

[Speedling]

What a rotten situation! So sorry you're dealing with this!i was hoping this was about to be a "bring boat back from neglect" story. A boat with one engine isn't really going to sell. Perhaps to someone with a similar situation.
SBT didn't have the greatest reputation on the 2 strokes back in the day. But a warranty ensures you don't get scammed too badly because you can bring it back to them.
If you can find a shop you trust and the rest of the boat is in decent condition then i would say the "new boat" is costing you that much. Unfortunately that sounds like it will nearly get you to the 10k mark again.
If not financially feasible then I would try first to sell the boat as is.
Then start parting it out.
It's sad but perhaps it would get you the 5k you lost and you are out a boat but not taking on debt or paying insurance.

 

[Beachbummer]

Where are you located?

Sometimes it's the head and sometimes it's the block...Any chance it's the head only? "Cylinder shot" can mean a few things. Usually when the injector is stuck on, the issue is the computer, not the injector...and the computer can cost another $1K or so. You will want to confirm your ECU before you try again with a new engine, it would be uncool to be dumping fuel on the new engine due to ECU issue.

How's the rest of the boat?

My humble opinion, You need Engine Compression test and Leak Down test, along with injector ECU check before you throw any money at this problem.

Best of Luck.

 

[mtnbike03]

Where are you located?

Sometimes it's the head and sometimes it's the block...Any chance it's the head only? "Cylinder shot" can mean a few things. Usually when the injector is stuck on, the issue is the computer, not the injector...and the computer can cost another $1K or so. You will want to confirm your ECU before you try again with a new engine, it would be uncool to be dumping fuel on the new engine due to ECU issue.

How's the rest of the boat?

My humble opinion, You need Engine Compression test and Leak Down test, along with injector ECU check before you throw any money at this problem.

Best of Luck.

I'm in Sacramento.

Here's the receipt of what the mechanic said on the issue. I was made aware of the potential of the ECU to be an issue after he had already pulled the engine and he wouldn't respond to our messages asking if he actually checked the ECU. I was told by another mechanic that they can't test the ECU unless a working engine is tied to it. I'm so lost on what to do. I'm tired of throwing money at this boat without having faith i really know the issue. I thought about buying a used jet ski to swap the engine but I could just be throwing money at yet another problem. The other shop I called wants $1500 to take the engine apart and diagnose it.