Advice on buying a 2008 challenger 180

[letournc]

Hi everyone,

I have a deposit on a 2008 challenger 180 with 215 hp. I was drawn to the jet boat due to having an 8 and 4 year old and due to it being well suited for some of the small lakes in my area. I have always respected BRP in regards to technology, however I am a bit concerned with some of the issues I have read on the forums with the superchargers. I have requested the services records for the boat to see if the supercharger has been rebuilt, or if they know whether or not the ceramic washers have been changed.

The boat only has ~180 hours on it, however with the recommendation that superchargers should be rebuilt every 100-200 hours this is also a bit of a concern. Looking for some owners of these boats to chime in on whether they have regretted or not purchasing these boats.

Cheers!

 

[timeman]

I have an 06 Challenger, bought it in 07, when it had 12 hours, enjoyed the heck out of it ever since, ABSOLUTELY NO REGRETS.
It's been a great boat, less problems than I had with other in/outboards like Bayliner. Only failure I've had was with the neutral switch. otherwise just routine stuff like s/c rebuild, change oil / plugs every year, new wear ring / flush coolant etc. I'm an old timer so I may not drive it as hard as some, but the Challenger has proven itself to be a quality product. Should be some visible clues as to how the seller took care of her over the first 180 hrs?...Good Luck,

 

[letournc]

Thanks for the feedback, good to hear. They are pretty sweet boats. I love the layout and how functional they are to just go out and have a good time. I am certainly not afraid of routine maintenance and will likely do it myself anyways.

Yeah I am going to go crawl round it tomorrow and check for the visible clues. The good news is the boat is owned by a very reputable marina, and they want to do a full sea trial and everything before delivering the boat later this spring.

Now I will have to keep myself in check on upgrades!

 

[timeman]

My boat's never been in salt, and is always garage kept, I'm sure that's saved a lot of issues....My only complaint with the Challenger is, by design, she carries her bow pretty low. You'll need to be careful when heading into chop at low speeds,(motoring out in a no wake, or circling around your own wake to p/up a downed skier) especially if you have someone in the bow seats, or you'll take some incoming over the bow. I've had my boat 11 years, used it on larger lakes like Powell and this has only happened once or twice, because I'm aware, and blip the engine enough to lift the bow over incoming. Again good luck!

 

[letournc]

Good to know in regards to keeping the bow up. Also good to know I can purposely get a few people wet in the bow if necessary!

thanks for the info...

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

They seem like good, reliable boats. I saw a video where two couples took one out all the way from Miami to the middle of the Bahamas

 

[wrench2ride]

you would want to make sure the supercharger doesn't have the ceramic washers on it, if it does it is the original slip clutch and it should be replaced right away, don't wait till it fails, the new rebuild kit will be good for 200 hours and don't typically have any issues as long as it is done right. otherwise they are a pretty reliable boat, do your regular maintenance (oil changes, and inspections) and it should treat you ok

 

[Coastiejoe]

Fresh water boats with SC’s have the lowest failure rate there is regardless of ceramic washers or not. In most cases, you just can’t get a boat engine to take the same abuse as a ski engine. Skis are floored MANY times a day and then let off the throttle instantly, such as jumping waves. You’ll never have the same sequence in a boat. So I’d not be afraid of it at all. But I would rebuild it for sure based on age and hours if it can’t be proven to have been done. N

 

[JPass]

+1 on rebuilding the SCer if the history is uncertain.