2000 Challenger Twin Rotax 718 Advice

[lkennett]

Looking for some advice from people who are more familiar than I on these boats. My wife and I are looking for a boat this summer, the lake we are on is one of the most shallow lakes in Canada so a jet boat makes sense.

We responded to an advertisement, somebody selling their 2000 Challenger privately. This is the model that is only 15ft long and has the twin rotax 85hp engines (718cc). I was told it was in excellent shape, drove an hour to see it and was a little dissapointed in the condition. Asking price is $5700.00 Canadian.

Here are some details, should I run?

-When I arrived, the boat was out of the water and no battery in it. battery was on the charger. fuel and oil tanks were both half full. Owner claims boat was winterized properly but has not been run in 2 years.

-Owner says he had the dealer do a compression test and it was perfect. I asked why the test? he said for his peace of mind. I asked what the numbers were (PSI). He does not know. He says engine was never rebuilt, but he is also not the original owner. Hours are not tracked on this model so its an unknown.

-Upholstry is in fair condition for the age. There are no rips but lots of wear and cracks. Its obvious that somebody used this boat alot before it was parked. The rub rail has alot of nicks and gouges, but what can you expect from a 15 year old boat. It could use some work. The latch on the rear storage compartment is broken but no big deal. Like I said it shows at one time this was a well used boat.

-Hull has a (1.5") circular chip in the front below the waterline, it did not feel soft but I could feel the fiberglass underneath it. looks like they may have hit something on the water like a piece of wood. I assume this needs to be repaired or its going to get worse.

At the end of the day I told the guy im kind of interested but will not buy something I can not at least see run. He said he is going to try and get the battery back in it, which I think may be toast if its been sitting for 2 years. He just keeps saying it was perfect 2 years ago. I have my own opinion on it sitting for so long but ill keep that to myself for now.

I did confirm he always uses the injection system and does not premix. Honestly these 2 stroke engines scare me (for reliablility & longevity).

Looking forward to hearing any comments.

Lawrence

 

[MLars]

Hi Lawrence. While I'm no expert I think I can help you out with some of your concerns. The price seems high, but then again everything is more expensive in Canada.

I would think it's a good sign that the battery was out of the boat being charged, rather than charging in it hooked up to the delicate computer system.

I do compression tests on mine too just for peace of mind. It's an easy indicator of the condition of an engine, and just helps you look at how healthy the engine is.

The hours CAN be read, but you need to find someone with a special Seadoo program to hook it up and find out for you.

And on the reliability of the 2 strokes, they will be fine as long as you do the maintenance. And if something breaks They are about the most simple engine ever to work on. Four strokes scare me haha!

 

[racerxxx]

I might take a different view than Mlars. If the owner had the dealer do a comp test he should know the numbers, I mean you might have paid to have that done. I usually don't forget something i paid to have done? If you could borrow a compression tester it's very easy to do, but it still makes me wonder why other than he had it done 2 years ago. As far as the hours go, they might not be able to be read off the MPEM (computer), not all jet boats have the ability. As far as charging the battery, not a big deal since it's the beginning of the season, or he's just trying to top it off so it starts real easy without him having to buy a new one. It is good that he's not doing it while hooked up to the boat. You're not too far out of the way from New York, you might want to broaden your search. As far as papers to get back into Canada [MENTION=59978]kicker[/MENTION] might be able to point you in the right direction to make it easier. He bought a fair amount of skis from the US. Plenty of fish in the sea, you just have to be willing to wait/drive for the big one!

 

[lkennett]

I did not ask too much about the battery, from the way he was talking he had to take it out because it was in storage for 2 years and so the battery was right dead so I would probably need a new one in the near future.

Other concern I had from it sitting so long was maybe it would require the carbs rebuilt? He said the fuel was stabilized but 2 years is a long time. I had stabilized fuel go bad in my motorcycle sitting for just one year.

How big of a deal do you think the chip in the hull is? I know it can be repaired but not sure what a repair like that is worth. Like I said the gelcoat at that spot is gone so its a deep chip, going to have to be built up to fix properly. I would expect that if I don't fix it then it will get larger.

He seems somewhat knowledgeable (he owns another boat at his waterfront property - 16 foot Aluminum 75hp merc, side console), I just found it odd he claims it has excellent compression but did not know the numbers. He paid for the dealer to do the test. If I paid, I would know the numbers but would only ask for that test if I suspected I had a problem. I may do my own compression test for piece of mind with my own tester, but probably not going to pay for it just because it makes me feel good.

As for the price, I have see these boats advertise in this area from 5k up to 7k. So his asking price is not crazy if it runs well. The Canadian dollar is not as strong as it was a year or two ago so I may not save much by going across the border.

I am trying to be cautious as I don't want to buy somebody's headaches. I owned snowmobiles years ago and never had great luck with the engines, always one thing after the other. I did own a zodiac with a 2 stroke outboard at one time and no problems, but I bought the whole thing brand new so you are right, maintenance is key.

Right now I need to decide if I call him back and ask him to put it in the water or move on to the next one. I have a couple calls out to some boat dealers in the area.

 

[racerxxx]

As far as the dollar not being as strong----that wasn't my point. My point was getting a better boat with better appearance and maintenance history. But you have to be willing to travel