What are your thoughts on the Sea-Doo Switch Pontoon Jet Boat?

[Beachbummer]

Pretty cool to see it in action. Engine access doesn't look too bad. Also, you can hear the engine only for a few seconds while he is loading it on the trailer. Sounded well for what it is.

I wonder if these will see rental fleet use.

 

[k1b8sn1]

I'm new to jet boats and I have an odd question about the new Switch and you all may be able to enlighten me....

What have they done to enable it to handle the weight? You're not supposed to tow with a PWC for long periods but isn't the Switch essentially full time "towing"?

 

[Beachbummer]

I had never heard that limitation. Engine is rated for a Max RPM, and you can run it at that RPM at your leisure within reason. regardless of the PWC being empty or loaded to it's max capacity or up hill in big waves. Doesn't much matter. I imagine they might have optimized the impeller to match the weight of the boat and reach the max RPM, but total speculation on my part.

 

[k1b8sn1]

Thanks for your reply. Another question since I have someone here.

We are reading that the avg PWC motor life is 300ish hrs.
1. Is that accurate?
2. If so, is that what we should also expect from the Switch?

 

[Beachbummer]

Not sure where you got that number, Maybe that's true for the old 2 strokes. I think any engine blowing up at less than 500 hours sucks, and anything under 1000 hours ought to have plenty of life left.

It's lack of use that is also a factor.

If you think of boats running at 100 MPH always as compared to a car (in terms of engine load), it takes 1000 hours to reach 100,000 miles, which is a reasonable *short* engine life in my opinion.

 

[k1b8sn1]

Our info must be a result of our poor google skills.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

@k1b8s1, being new into jetboating, I also had a concern about engine life. Most jetboats that I see for sale have very low engine hours (especially compared to many prop boats used for fishing). This was a concern, because as I move into retirement I would love to put 150 hours a year on my future boat. Folks here, tell me that Yamaha's and BRP Rotax engines are very reliable engines. Maybe some engines in jetskis have shorter live spans because of how they are typically used?

Jim

 

[Beachbummer]

Frequency of use is a huge factor. Rental machines have thousands of hours. Most folks with a winter season struggle to hit 50 hours per year, and many give up the use for a few years before they sell, so it's not uncommon for boats around 10 years to only have 300 hours or less of use. I have found if anything the more you use them, the longer they last.

 

[BlkGS]

One of my neighbors seems to have bought one of these. Pretty slick I have to say.

Pricing is pretty good, they look great, are probably the right boat for most families, the only thing holding them back IMO is the handlebars vs a conventional wheel. I get why they did it, but I think a conventional wheel and throttle setup would be easier to sell.... Unless your goal is to Co vert existing ski owners, vs compete with normal pontoons.

I think dual 150 motors in this would be a brilliant idea and they should do that.

 

[KCAR250]

One of my neighbors seems to have bought one of these. Pretty slick I have to say.

Pricing is pretty good, they look great, are probably the right boat for most families, the only thing holding them back IMO is the handlebars vs a conventional wheel. I get why they did it, but I think a conventional wheel and throttle setup would be easier to sell.... Unless your goal is to Co vert existing ski owners, vs compete with normal pontoons.

I think dual 150 motors in this would be a brilliant idea and they should do that.

With a tune you should be able to get close to 300HP out of the 230.

 

[BlkGS]

With a tune you should be able to get close to 300HP out of the 230.

Probably, but for me it's more about the lack of a super charger and the redundant power. Not a big issue on a small lake, but it's always nice to know you've got a backup plan.

 

[wet2ward]

Watch it throw a mean Wake for surfing with some light mods

There are no Jetboats that Surf well, too many tiny bubbles to create a clean wake.

 

[HangOutdoors]

There are no Jetboats that Surf well, too many tiny bubbles to create a clean wake.

I was being sarcastic

 

[wet2ward]

Probably, but for me it's more about the lack of a super charger and the redundant power. Not a big issue on a small lake, but it's always nice to know you've got a backup plan.

The 230 is Supercharged.

 

[wet2ward]

I was being sarcastic

Oh, you funny...

 

[BlkGS]

The 230 is Supercharged.

I know, that's why I wanted dual 150s, lol.

 

[Switchboatguy]

Just picked up my 21’ cruise with 230 last weekend. So far no complaints. Has actually performed better than I expected and some of the features are just flat out cool.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Just picked up my 21’ cruise with 230 last weekend. So far no complaints. Has actually performed better than I expected and some of the features are just flat out cool.

Would love to see a review about what you like and dislike about the new boat, as well as some additional pictures!

Jim

 

[Switchboatguy]

I will get some additional water pictures this weekend. I have a little over 7 hours on the boat and basically 3 days of time on it so I am still getting used to everything but I’ll give my best rundown thus far.

 

[Switchboatguy]

I agree with what everyone says about the steering wheel being a set of handlebars. It was never a deal breaker for me obviously but once I was driving the boat I found myself forgetting about it. During the break in period you are supposed to vary rpm so not using the cruise control gets old but that could be said with any boat. All in all the handlebars are not my favorite but not a big deal either. The fit and finish of the boat met my expectations with everything flowing nicely like I would expect from one of SeaDoo pwc. The modular deck system is extremely cool and the seats/tables move around even easier than I expected. While I doubt I will ever reconfigure the layout of the boat, I have the cruise with ample seating, it will make cleaning the boat easy.