1998 SPX rebuild, part out, or?

[jimmaki]

I have what I think is a 1998 SPX (white deck, black hull, yellow seat and hood) 787 engine. A few years ago the front counter balance shaft bearing came apart and it or the shaft poked a hole through both halves of the case. I got a new case but parts from the bearing or case went up through the top end scoring the pistons, sleeves and dinging the head. Basically the engine is totaled.

I was going to get an SBT rebuilt for about $1K since I can get over to Tampa in about an hour from Orlando. But I decided to go through the rest of the ski to see what it needed first to get an idea of what the total bill will run. So far, the VTS is working in one direction only (maybe a relay?), Both Mikunis need to be rebuilt, the driveshaft carbon seal needs replacing, the seat needs rebuilding (vinyl shot and foam deteriorating), the footpads are shot, wear ring is worn, battery shot, fuel sender works, mpem was working when the engine blew, no holes in the exhaust. The RAVE valves need replacing. The hull is in good shape, the deck, seat, hood are badly faded and need to be painted or seriously reworked plus the gelcoat is badly oxidized.

Last I looked just the mpems were going used for around $1k. Maybe less nowadays. I have the Mikuni rebuild kits already, I can get them in good new shape but no idea what they are worth.

Between the hull, trailer, hard to get electrical parts, harnesses, rebuilt OEM carbs, fuel sender, exhaust parts, jet pump (have a new spare wear ring), I'm guessing I can get somewhere in the neighborhood of $1500-$2000 parting it out. I think it will cost about the same to get it running, maybe more if I get carried away with aftermarket bling. I love the way the 98 SPX hull performs. I'm over just going fast in a straight line. I like the steep turns, tail stands, and nose dives.

I have the engine alignment tool so I think I can get it back together and running (with a new engine) … I recall Dr. Honda doing a really nice resto on his XP only to end up parting it out later. If my assumptions are correct I'm tempted to rebuild it. Or am I being niave? Are used X hulls with 787s available and for how much? Am I kidding myself that rebuilding mine can be done for a couple grand if I do the work? Is there much market for SPX parts? What is one in running condition worth?

 

[emspjay]

I highly doubt you will get $1500-2000 parting it out. Good MPEM with keys go for $100-200 now. The market is flooded with parts for these Doo's now. And what somebody is asking for something on Ebay and what it actually sells for is something else. I have parted a few over the years and I even have a hard time finding somebody to pick up a FREE bare hull with current title and registration. And it's a PITA selling stuff on Craigslist and Ebay. If you like it then you should rebuild it. If not part it out and try to get some of your money back.

 

[jimmaki]

Wow … you are so right! I searched on "used 1998 SeaDoo SPX parts" and gave up after looking at 52 pages of eBay offerings. The MPEMs I found ran from $298 - $495 but none anywhere near $1k. I shuddah sold mine a few years ago. So anyway, I'm over any desire of parting out as an option for so little return on all the disassembling, cleaning up, picture taking, testing, shipping, dealing with free support "You didn't send any instructions and I installed it with a hammer as best I could but now it dosn't work"' etc. etc. etc.

I might just put all the parts in the hull on the trailer and put it out by the road. It will probably disappear within five minutes.

With the thought in mind of possibly doing a rebuild, a couple things I looked for but didn't see available are the tilt mechanism that is between the tilt motor and the nozzle. Plenty of tilt motors for sale but not the worm geared mechanism it drives with the limit switches. My tilt motor is fine. The other thing I couldn't find was used seat assemblies. All I found were seat covers. My seat has been sitting out on the Doo protecting the electronics inside in the hot Florida sun for so long the vinyl has dried out and split, exposing the foam which has also dried out and split. The seat base is fine, all I really need is the foam. I guess I could get some block foam and shape it with an electric carving knife or maybe take it to an upholstery shop.

I dunno, I really like the Doo, it's a lot of fun. What's not fun is working down inside that hull and paying for used parts that I don't know will work until I wrench them in. Hmmmm ..... I guess another option is looking at used SeaDoos with x hulls. Of course, same applies to paying for something that may not work .....

 

[emspjay]

Yep and those are "asking prices" how often do they sell at those prices? The last MPEM and keys I sold was a good one with the whole grey box and two keys and I sold it for $125.00 plus shipping on Ebay. And it sat for over a week before someone purchased it.

Whats wrong with your trim mechanism? You maybe can use the "Seadoo Trim Fix" (google that many people have used that with success)

Look on Craigslist for seats, anything that is big and hard to ship I sell on Craigslist. All smaller stuff I would sell on Ebay.

The 1998 SPX is one of the best looking X4 hulls, I would restore it. Once done it's a blast to ride and looks great! If the decals are worn you can get replacements from PWCGraphics and he will also do custom ones if you don't want to go back to stock looks.

If the hood is really bad the John Deere yellow sold in spray cans from Lowes I hear is almost a perfect match for Seadoo yellow.

 

[GGuillot]

It's one of the best looking X4 hulls, if I had room for a 3rd ski exactly the model I'd look for. Yeah, you'll be in for some work and probably for about $2K to really do it right. You'll recoup most when you sell it, brand new skis aren't getting any cheaper, a Spark starts at $5499 without a trailer. And there's no comparison, I'd restore it to pristine condition, break it in and enjoy it for a couple seasons then decide to sell it or not.

 

[andy.262]

For the yellow plastic hood you could try using a heat gun on it. There is some debate around this method, but for me it had amazing results. Here is mine about halfway through, just to showcase the difference. On the left side there that gross white-looking sun damage was still there even after hours of scrubbing with various cleaning products. On the right of the hood is after about 5 minutes with the heat gun. Seems to have held up pretty well, I did it at the start of last season and it still looks good today. Just don't hold the heat gun on the same spot for too long.

 

[jimmaki]

Yep and those are "asking prices" how often do they sell at those prices? The last MPEM and keys I sold was a good one with the whole grey box and two keys and I sold it for $125.00 plus shipping on Ebay. And it sat for over a week before someone purchased it.

Whats wrong with your trim mechanism? You maybe can use the "Seadoo Trim Fix" (google that many people have used that with success)

Look on Craigslist for seats, anything that is big and hard to ship I sell on Craigslist. All smaller stuff I would sell on Ebay.

The 1998 SPX is one of the best looking X4 hulls, I would restore it. Once done it's a blast to ride and looks great! If the decals are worn you can get replacements from PWCGraphics and he will also do custom ones if you don't want to go back to stock looks.

If the hood is really bad the John Deere yellow sold in spray cans from Lowes I hear is almost a perfect match for Seadoo yellow.

Well my MPEM was working when the engine blew up, but who knows? With electronics they can go just sitting in storage … like half my Christmas lights used to every year before I switched to all LEDs. But I digress ...

It's been so long since I gave up on fixing the SPX that I don't remember exactly what was wrong with the VTS other than the motor worked fine and the problem was causing it to only work the actual tilting part in one direction. It was something in the worm gear plastic assembly that sticks out of the back of the trim motor. I think one of the limit switches wasn't working. Either the switches or the magnets that actuate them are "hidden" (maybe molded in the plastic?) so at the time I didn't go any further trying to fix it and figured I'd just get a new part. But I don't see them for sale separately at the moment. Mostly just motors for $60 or the whole tilt assembly for $140.

Just looked and didn't find any seats on Craigs list within 50 miles. I was amazed at the number of Spark parts available. Are those things falling apart already or is it buyers' remorse?

Yes I had an all yellow XP and prefer the SPX. It doesn't look like an overgrown lemon and handles better. I think the SPX has the lightest X hull.

Appreciate the lead to the graphics place. Not sure yet if I can save the originals. Haven't even washed the beast yet but they look ok. I might have to wet sand around them.

 

[jimmaki]

It's one of the best looking X4 hulls, if I had room for a 3rd ski exactly the model I'd look for. Yeah, you'll be in for some work and probably for about $2K to really do it right. You'll recoup most when you sell it, brand new skis aren't getting any cheaper, a Spark starts at $5499 without a trailer. And there's no comparison, I'd restore it to pristine condition, break it in and enjoy it for a couple seasons then decide to sell it or not.

Wow … you're inspiring me to dive into rebuilding it. Yeah, I've looked at Sparks and I think I'd want the 2up Trixx so I'm looking at over 7 grand. If I can get the SPX in good shape for 2 grand, that is tempting. I'm still working on getting my 24' Hurricane deck boat with a 200HP Merc back up to snuff. Amazing how fast boat stuff deteriorates. I've got cars/trucks older than the boat and Sea Doo that run and look better than both. The engines have orders of magnitude more time on them that the marine engines and the factory paint is still shiney which is more than I can say for the boat and Sea Doo gelcoats. And of course, anything for anything that floats is ten times more expensive than car/truck parts and fifty time harder to locate.

Fortunately, it looks like there are plenty of SPX parts out there, at least used or ONS ones. I just have to learn to wait out the sellers for better prices.

 

[jimmaki]

For the yellow plastic hood you could try using a heat gun on it. There is some debate around this method, but for me it had amazing results. Here is mine about halfway through, just to showcase the difference. On the left side there that gross white-looking sun damage was still there even after hours of scrubbing with various cleaning products. On the right of the hood is after about 5 minutes with the heat gun. Seems to have held up pretty well, I did it at the start of last season and it still looks good today. Just don't hold the heat gun on the same spot for too long.

View attachment 48218

Great tip! My whole hood looks very similar to your "before" side. The side you finished looks great! What prompted you to only do half of it? I know you said to show the difference, but weren't you concerned doing it that way might result in a line showing down the middle if the two sides were done almost a season apart?

 

[andy.262]

I did the whole hood at once, the pic was taken while I was working on it so I could show people the difference it made. Here is a pic taken after the whole hood was done. I could go get another one of what it looks like today, but it's all covered up and I'm especially lazy . It looks pretty much the same as in this pic.

 

[jimmaki]

I did the whole hood at once, the pic was taken while I was working on it so I could show people the difference it made. Here is a pic taken after the whole hood was done. I could go get another one of what it looks like today, but it's all covered up and I'm especially lazy . It looks pretty much the same as in this pic.

Your hood looks very nice! Good job!
Mine may be too far gone to come back that good. Here's a pic of my basket case "before" doing anything to it. I haven't even washed it yet. It's been sitting out in the weather for about 4 years. I think the black stuff is mold and hopefully it will wash off. The gelcoat has no gloss but hopefully the graphics are ok.

 

[etemplet]

Here is my first 96 XP. I didn't use heat but used soft scrub and a blue scotch-brite pad. Or... uhhh.... my wife did. I am able to play on her sympathy and get her to do this kinda stuff for me. I tried the heat gun on other skis and it works but you have to clean the hell out of it first or the dirt will melt into the surface finish. I also find the upkeep after the scotch-brite is easier to maintain. For me the heated restoration did not last very long comparted to the scotch brite.

 

[etemplet]

As sort of an encouragement post I am going to share some plans... LOL I also have two skis I am going to restore. A 1996 XP and the 1997 SPX which is hideous I was going to give away or throw away but a few members here talked me out of it. I doubt either of them will be worth the effort and how much I spend but it isn't always about that. Giving them new life is pretty cool ! The skis will thank you.

 

[jimmaki]

Thanks for the scotch-brite tip, Gene. Worked great! Had to quit cleaning when the rain started, but so far so good. I'm encouraged! Anxious too see pics of your SPX when you get it cleaned up.





THIS WILL TAKE MORE THAN SCOTCH-BRITE TO FIX

 

[emspjay]

Looking good!! You will be so happy once you finish the restoration!! It's a process but a very worth the time and effort!!!

 

[jimmaki]

Thanks! I was surprised there was still a thing of beauty under all that crud.

 

[etemplet]

Not my scotch-brite tip... I got it on the forum. LOL Works great though. I"m just gonna bring my ski over to you. Great Job !!

 

[jimmaki]

Sure, Gene, bring your ski over if it's an SPX. There are probably some parts on it I can switch out for ones on mine that don't work . LOL. Thanks for the compliment! I think one of the biggest challenges will be fixing the seat where a lot of the foam was eaten up by the sun/weather. In other threads I've seen recommendations for a place called seadooupholsterly.com but the site doesn't appear to exist anymore. They were old threads so I'm guessing he went on to other things. (unless someone knows where it's located now)

 

[Arriva2001]

I have an idea for your seat repair. Mine was pretty bad from sitting out in the sun and the foam was rotted. I wanted to recover it myself rather than take to an upholstery shop or buy an aftermarket cover. So I just bought a length of marine vinyl in a color that matched the ski.



After removing the dried cracked vinyl, I took some of that spray foam insulation from the hardware store and filled all the holes and areas that needed to be built up (some of the foam came off with the vinyl. Then when it dried, I used a hacksaw blade/Xacto knife and trimmed it off so it was smooth.


The foam insulation is a little denser than the seat foam, so to mask this, when I recovered the seat with vinyl, I added a layer of polyester quilt batting (I got it at Joann fabric--the same place I bought the vinyl) between the seat core and the vinyl. Not perfect of course, but I was satisfied with the end result.

 

[jimmaki]

Thanks for the great suggestions. You did a great job on yours! I got a bid from an upholstery shop that does high end auto interiors and as expected the price was very high, but they didn't seem at all hesitant to explain how they planned to do the job. They take the same density foam in thin sheets and cut pieces to fill in the low spots, layering as they get close to the original height and then put a single full sheet on top. When they get what they want, they number all the pieces, take it apart and reassemble and glue all the pieces and cover with vinyl.

They were almost so helpful I started to wonder if that was their way of telling me they didn't want it and to do the job myself. LOL.

I had thought of doing the expanding foam method and they told me it comes in various densities from 2 to 8 pounds per cubic foot. But it's very pricey and most is closed cell so it will never match the original open cell foam for feel. Does the spray foam insulation can say what the density of the final product will be? Does it come in different densities for different applications, i.e. sealing window frames, filling large gaps, etc.

I'm wondering if for the large area I need to cover that it won't make the overall seat too hard. I more or less need to cover the full length of the seat almost full width about 1" deep.

 

[Arriva2001]

That’s a good point about it making the seat too hard. Yeah, if you are having to replace a large area, it could feel different using the spray foam. It does have a different density for sure. Mine had a bunch of small spots that needed to be filled in, and adding the thin padding over them masked the difference in feel, so I do not notice it on mine. But it might be too noticeable in a large area. I do know they sell the same open cell foam sheets you are talking about at the JoAnn stores also. In various thicknesses. maybe that would work best for your large repair. Maybe just putting a new layer on top of yours would cover up the problem beneath? Couldn’t hurt to try!

 

[emspjay]

Nice work and write up Arriva! If I ever get another really bad seat I will do what you did!