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RESTO 1996 Challenger 800 Resto-Refresh

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Looking good!
I bought the '96 Challenger full kit from Blacktip and see that you have additional mats on yours that weren't in the kit. Did you buy the kit, then an additional sheet to custom cut the extra pieces? I'd really like to add extra mats in several places, including replacing the bow seat (which is missing on mine anyway) with matching traction mat.
 
rjcress said:
Looking good!
I bought the '96 Challenger full kit from Blacktip and see that you have additional mats on yours that weren't in the kit. Did you buy the kit, then an additional sheet to custom cut the extra pieces? I'd really like to add extra mats in several places, including replacing the bow seat (which is missing on mine anyway) with matching traction mat.
Click to expand...

I got the standard 96 challenger Black Tip Set and ordered an additional sheet, maybe 3'x7'? I really wanted to cover the rear as much as possible then add where the standard kit did not cover. It worked out well and I have a few more small spots to hit with what was left over.

Bow seat with Black Tip, sure... That sounds like a great idea and I imagine it will look cool too!
 
I have managed to get the cleats and handles back on the boat and will get the seats in this weekend if they are done in time.

Question... how does one get the black mold of the purple handles? I've tried soap, scrubbing, soaking, lighter fluid, goo gone.... Nothing seems to work. What is the secret?

Also, does anyone have the direct replacement bilge pump part#? I want a plug and play type, ready to go.

EFFEN trailer bunks... Sucks to have to replace them but I must. Got some bunk mates to put on top, to get that slick slide....!

Thanks in advance!
 
CLAYMORE said:
Question... how does one get the black mold of the purple handles? I've tried soap, scrubbing, soaking, lighter fluid, goo gone.... Nothing seems to work. What is the secret?
Click to expand...

If it's the same soft material that jet ski handlebar pads are made of I've heard its impossible to get out.

CLAYMORE said:
EFFEN trailer bunks... Sucks to have to replace them but I must. Got some bunk mates to put on top, to get that slick slide....!
Click to expand...

If you get everything cut, predrilled, and mats on you can swap them quick at the boat ramp parking lot. Have the tools ready, launch the wife and kids, then swap them while they are beached or putting around. It's usually just 4 or 8 bolts.
 
Uh-oh...

Aw crap man...! Just found oil in the bilge!!! Geeeeeeeeezzzz!

On top of that, while inspecting the forward exhaust rave valve I found that the top nut was worn off on one side and the bellow is "wallered" out. So off to the parts house...
image.jpg
But what about the oil? I do not see anything obvious and need a direction to look, please offer me your advice or experiences....help a brutha out here get the boat on the water this weekend.
image.jpg
What I know...
Oil, the Oil sits on the bottom of the bilge, both sides
Was not noticed when winterizing
Nothing is visually obvious
DOES Not smell like 2 cycle oil...! Uh oh
Tank is ok
Lines to tank are ok
Can't see line termination from filter to where it terminates
Lines are not brittle and do not crack when pinched
Can't see where the two little lines ? Come from ?
Amount is about 4 to 8 OZ Per side (hard to tell)
Is it my bottom end oil? Did my block bust this winter? WTF?
 
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Ok, so not so worried.... The amount of oil was minimal. I apparently had some water seep in thru the cover over the winter, lots of rain here in Oklahoma. So, the oil sat on top of the water making it look like all oil and also making it not smell full strength. 10% oil and 90% water I have a small drip somewhere but still can't seem to locate it....

I rebuilt the rave valve that was leaking. New Bellow and new "nut" which is not really a nut at all but a plastic cap... weird but it works.

I will fire it up this evening in hopes that we can make it on the water on Saturday, we'll see. I will shoot some pics to show the restoration in its full glory and post them up for all to see.
 
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rjcress said:
Well?
Did you get it on the water?
Where are the pics? :)
Click to expand...

:facepalm:

Well.... No.

It would not start, pressing the start button to go into diagnostic mode gave me the proper one short and one long beep, good to go right? No, wrong.... I read that the next thing to do is to press the start button to start the motor... Nothing happens when that was done and I never got the two regular beeps once the key was put on the post! Bad Post? Bad Relay? Bad Starter?

I also noticed that the bilge pump fuse was blown and every time I replaced it the damn thing would blow again...

Remember that I had the oil leak as well? Um yea... I could never locate it. Pinched every bit of hose and it was all pliable and never cracked or looked hardened.

So, to sum up my story... I threw in the towel, Literally! I DO NOT LIKE the ELECTRICAL SIDE OF MOTORS, Really!!! I took it last night to a local (non corporate) shop called QuickJets here in Tulsa. I gave him a list of things to finish, we chatted a bunch while he put the SBC MEPM reader on the boat. It did not read nor connect to the boat...It had a BAD DESS Post, that problem solved.

Side Note, He noticed I had a R&D Head and Air Filter / Arrestor along with a rebuilt top end and had a bunch of questions for me like Octane levels used, any noticeable stumbling, Proper Jetting sizes with pop off's and such for the Higher compression and Skat Trak Prop pitch.... After a lengthy discussion I showed him a video of the boat from standstill to full WOT. He said the boat ran perfect as far as it sounded, how quickly it got out of the hole, RPM Level at WOT and GPS indicated Speed... A picture can tell 1000 words but a video can be studied for all sorts of issues, and this boat had none of the apparent issues he expected.

I gave up, Had the boat 95% there doing all the work myself but did not want to risk a funky electrical problem on the water nor starving it of the oil of life and seizing the engine. Looking back, the DESS has always given me fits... never worked like it was supposed to and was dying the entire time...

Last note: Throwing in the towel on this one will not risk getting my man card taken away...LOL
It has been said and I realized as well that working on these from the condition I bought it in can be a second job...Now I have no time but will spend money as I just want to get on the water. Thanks for caring enough to inquire about me and the project.... There are a few questions that were never answered by this community in the posts above, not that it would help now cause I am tired of EFFEN with this boat, Run damnit, RUN!

:banghead:
 
hate to say this, but you'll probably have the same rave problem sooner than later. the reason your plunger melted is because your rave valve or the housing or more likely, both are worn out. The clearance is too large and too much exhaust gas is passing through into the bellows area. Unfortunately, the only way to fix that is to get a new rave or housing (or both). I would say to try and find an OE rave as I've had less than awesome experience with SBT raves.
 
I would say that "throwing in the towel" would mean selling it or abandoning it.
You just accepted that the cost of you keeping at it was exceeding the time available + savings + enjoyment that you got from doing it yourself. No shame in handing the project, and a pile of money to someone else to sort out while you do other things, IMHO.
Hope you get it on the water soon.
 
rjcress said:
I would say that "throwing in the towel" would mean selling it or abandoning it.
You just accepted that the cost of you keeping at it was exceeding the time available + savings + enjoyment that you got from doing it yourself. No shame in handing the project, and a pile of money to someone else to sort out while you do other things, IMHO.
Hope you get it on the water soon.
Click to expand...

Thanks Man, much appreciated.
 
Finally

It is....ALIVE...!

Quick Jets, one of our local shops finished out the project by replacing the DESS Post and Key, Bilge pump and new trailer lights. He also checked the jetting because he was concerned about the aftermarket R&D Head and Intake. He wanted to ensure it was jetted properly. Come to find out, it was after removing the carbs, cleaning and verifying operation. The compression test yielded a reading of 180 psi front and back, pretty high. After seeing how he got the reading I realized that I did not run the motor enough to pump it up properly (the gauge) with my initial test.... I saw it get close to 150 and told my friend to stop pushing the starter button, lesson learned. The boat has a total of 282 hours per the computer. The buzzer / beeper is intermittently going out so I will have to replace it.

Found the oil leak, its a small drip near the front of the pump. Quick Jets recommended that I change to pre-mix as this will give me the proper oil mix every time. He also recommended that I run a octane booster on top of premium gas. So the 92 octane with a booster that gives about 6 more points gets me up to about 98, where he said it should be for my setup. There is another $10 per fill up...LOL

Our last trip over the weekend I replaced the bunks with treated 2x4's with bunk mates attached to the top. These slick strips really make a difference when loading and unloading.

I am looking for a bow light replacement as the OEM's are no longer available, anyone got a good replacement?

The kids love the tube and the boat pulls it well, even the wife will go for a spin every now and then!

So, the rest of the summer we will be visiting the lake most every weekend to enjoy the now finished (never finished really) project. Its been fun and I feel that I have a good quality boat that will last a few years, at least.

Total Cost is about $5100 with about 100+ hours of my own labor and 5 hours of Quick Jets labor. Just about everything has been replaced or gone through during this restoration.

I like Black Tip traction Mats! They make the boat feel more comfortable and it cuts down the glare of the white gel coat immensely...

:hurray:
 

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Yaaay!! Good to hear! Congrats :) I really do believe this is the best boat in its class that seadoo has out there, as far as looks/size. I looked though their entire small boat lineup and can't find one I like more than this one. If only this had the 4-tec engine... My 787 is stock and running a bit shabby atm. Will be looking into the RV cover soon as I'm 90% sure it's my culprit, starving me of 500rpm and causing hard starts. Despite that, I've been on it pretty much every weekend this summer :) I forgot my cavitation woes after replacing my impeller with a skat 14.5/21.5. Now I just need my power back and I'll be a happy camper like you!
 
Gotta love it when these boats are working properly. They are a blast. :)
The whole point, IMHO, is to be able to get the happy family shots like in your previous post. Congrats!

I really like the look of the blue and grey on the seats. I might blatantly copy this myself.

Whats up with your rub rail? Is it covered in blue painter's tape?
I'm going to order a new rub rail insert to replace my missing one, and am thinking that I'll paint the part that is riveted on with krylon. Likely to paint the grab handles, green hood and associated parts as well so that it all matches.
 
Great news Claymore! Nothing beats the smiling faces. My 8 yo son tried knee boarding for the first time the other weekend. He lasted all of about 15 feet and went face first in the water. Then Dad had to show him how it's done, I figure this face plant set me back about 2 years. LOL. Enjoy the boating!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Blue Painters tape :facepalm: Yea, I left it on just in case I wanted to apply another coat of wax.... Peeled it off the other day and the beautiful (not) purple rail is there in all its glory. I wanted to find a blue one but they seem to be hard to locate. Any ideas?

Seat covers came from Seadooupholstery.com. Copy away man.... Copy away.
 
CLAYMORE said:
Blue Painters tape :facepalm: Yea, I left it on just in case I wanted to apply another coat of wax.... Peeled it off the other day and the beautiful (not) purple rail is there in all its glory. I wanted to find a blue one but they seem to be hard to locate. Any ideas?

Seat covers came from Seadooupholstery.com. Copy away man.... Copy away.
Click to expand...

Here you go on the blue.

http://bit.ly/15kO1Sq
 
very nice project you did !! i'm just a firm believer in oil injection, with new lines and a oil filter -- approx 20.00 , it would be a better thing than premix, after all, its not a weedeater ... lol .. guess i just believe in what brp's research and development accomplished when they designed it all , i wouldnt like all that oil going through my fuel system .. once again, nice job ..

its just simplicity what i look for, oil in 1 tank, fuel in other, and ice in cooler :cheers:
 
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