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1997 seadoo challenger 1800 advice!!!!

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masonf24

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i am debating on buying one this coming weekend and was wondering if all you think if it is a good buy. all of the upholstery has been replaced two years ago and one of the engine were also replaced last year. he says it runs great but i will test it on saturday. everything seems good but he did say the speakers needed to be replaced so i would like to know what the dimensions on those are and what are some good ones that yall would recommend. i really hope i get some info soon thanks!!:)
 
oh yea the price i am going to pay is 7,200 i guess you need that to see if it is a good deal or not:stupid:
 
Welcome to the seadoo forum masonf24. I checked the used price of the seadoo 1800 with a trailer, on www.nada.com. The price was listed at $5820.00 used retail. It didn't take into consideration of the new interior or the engine. I didn't know what other equipment was included either, like a Bimini or a full cover. This was just the boat and trailer. The speakers are probably 5 1/4" speakers but you 'll have to measure to be sure. Clarion are good marine speakers. I would search the INTERNET for any other similar jet boats for sale and compare before you think about buying this one.
 
Nada retail....

And that NADA retail is if the boat is in excellent conditon. For every blemish, problem or other malfunction, you continue to expect the price to drop even further.........
 
the boat comes with a bimini top and a fold down wake tower. comes with covers and how much does it cost to get all new upholstery because they just got that done too. the boat sounds really solid just the speakers are the only problem. thanks again
 
Price.....

You know, just in my opinion, it doesn't sound to far out of wack.....I might try to bargain to $7000, just to feel good. All owners selling a vehicle, boat or motorcycle....always ask a little more than they will actually take, so you could probably bargain a little.
I paid $4500 for my 97 Challenger, It was garage kept, but I have had to go over the carbs, now this year, I'm doing a bit more restoration work. So just keep in mind, just because it looks great and they took good care of it, doesn't mean your not going to get a "free" ride. It doesn't matter if they put it in their living room of their hose while they own it. Over a period of time, the boats use, will lead to the tiime, replacements are necessary. I had a boat that ran really hot, now, I'm breaking bolts trying to repair a rotary plate and then one in the exhaust. I've put on a new impeller and wearing ring......and sure by next year, I'll be rebuilding something else.
With age, comes restorative work...........:cheers:
 
ok i just have a good feeling about this boat cause it seems like he has put a lot of money in it over the years to restore it the way it is now. he says it was suppose to be for his son but his son is leaving the country and he wants a bigger boat for his family and friends. i have been looking around and this is the best deal i have came across. i am just really nervous cause it is my first boat and don't want to make a stupid mistake. it started off selling for 7500 but he said he would take 7200. but thanks for the help i am going to go look and drive it this saturday on a lake. do you have any advice on what to look and listen for while i am driving it. and should i like take off really fast to see how it handles. just write me back and tell me how i should drive it and what to look out for. thanks
 
Number one test!

The best test you can give this boat, is a compression test. If the one selling it has complete confidence in the boat, then he won't mind you checking the compression. It should be upwards of 130 to 150.....anything below 120 is saying the motors haven't got much more. 100 and below, engine rebuild.........
But check out the handling......look inside for oil leaks, condition of the inside hull around the engines....that will say alot. Looking for water leaks and oil leaks....but do a compression test. If you dont have a gage, you can buy one at any auto parts store for about 20 bucks.........best investment you'll ever make when it comes to checking engine health.........:cheers:
 
i know absolutely nothing about compression or how to check for it i will go buy one but can you tell me exactly how to check that???? thanks a lot
 
one more question sorry. i was just wondering the power behind these two 110hp jets. if i have four people in the boat can i still pull a tube. can you tell me the max loads and what this boat can handle. it is a 18' which seems pretty big and can hold a lot of people but will it still be fun????
 
Compression....

To do a compression test, on one engine, take out both plugs, put the plug wires on the grounding lug, that, if your inside the boat looking back, should be on the right hand side. Then, thread the gage into the plug hole (there are adapters that you need to look at and choose the size that best compares to your spark plug). After you thread it in, turn the motor over several times. Then, look at the pressure. There is a little tit on the side that will allow you to bleed that pressure off. Do it again. Do it about 3 times to give you an average of the pressure. Then do the same procedure to all the plugs.
The ideal pressure is between 130 and 150. If you have 135 on the back cylinder and 145 on the front, that's o.k, but you don't want to have much more variance than ten pounds. Ideally, they'll both be within a few pounds of each other.
If the other motor has 120 and 125, that's fine too. The comparison between the tow motors isn't necessary. It may tell you which motor has the most wear and need to be watched. But as long as both motors are over 100 to 110 pounds....you should get a few more years out of them, if you take care of them.
The Challenger 1800, with the twin 787's is a really nice and powerful boat. You should be able to put at least 4 more people in, not counting you, and still go out and have fun. With some people, their combined weight may be so much that you can only put in 3. What I mean by that is total weight and how that weight is displaced in the boat is what you have to kinda figure out for yourself. But under normal conditions with normal size adults, you should be able to fill each seat with a person and still have fun. Now, by yourself, you'll see what kind of power it generates and how the performance is greatly affected by the amount of people you put in.
Good luck
 
thanks i will go to look and drive this saturday and hapefully have a boat and some pics up on monday so you can see this boat. it really looks nice i jsut hope it performs the way it looks. i really appreciate all of your help thanks!!!
 
G'day masonf24, welcome.
I have this boat, paid $6500US Great condition with bimini, Love it. Monster fold up wake tower is worth $1300US
63mph on dreamometer, 53mph GPS. I think it can do better with a bit of work.
7 seater or 800kg, but i find any more than 4 or 350kg and she loses some zing.150 kgs of fuel.
I tow 2 x biscuit or one skier so far, no prob's.
As Louis said, check compression.
Great storage and like having 2 motors, come in on one, twice, would have been towed if not for 2 engines.
Easy to work on. Twice the maintanance.
Jumps waves great.
Hope this helps.
 
thanks gun that even makes me more excited. it has the fold up wake tower also. i can't wait to test drive it saturday. i was just wondering what happens if when i am running it the rpms on the two gages are diffferent????? like what does that mean???
 
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