Are the SeaDoo Boats worth it???

[CLENewBoatGuy]

Greetings,

I'm a new boat guy who is in the market for a new boat. I like the SeaDoo's for their speed and open space on the deck (i.e. no cabin). I live in Cleveland, Ohio and will primarily be enjoying Lake Erie. So here is some feedback I'd love if you'd like to share:

- How do the boats handle a place like Lake Erie?

- How much will I really notice a difference between the SP and SE?

- Is the extra money worth the extra horsepower? Meaning is it worth it to upgrade to the 510 or the 430?

- What is the cruising and max speed of the 310 hp?

- Are there any extra mantainince expenses for a SeaDoo versus a more "traditional" boat?

Any and all help will be appreciated and welcome.

Thanks everyone

 

[05GTXSC]

Go with a "real" boat. Lower horsepower, same speed which means you burn less fuel. There is a lot more to the Rotax engines then there are to say a Volvo Inboard/Outboard. If you go with the 430 the superchargers have to be rebuilt every 100 hours and they suck fuel. They are much more family friendly boats and I would recommend looking at Glastron, Four Winns and Sea Ray. You will be happy you did when it comes time to maintenance and fuel.

Being that you are on a lake that big I recommend a 23' minimum length because if a storm comes up your sunk. Glastron's GLS 235 and the 255 would be a good choice in you situation. Four Winns H240 or any of there SL models would be a good choice. If you go with Sea Ray I would look into the 230 and 250 Select models.

 

[whiskeyxp2]

hey CLE

I am new to seadoo this year. I just bought a holdover 07 challenger 230 SE and love it. I may not be the best for adviceas i've only had the boat a month or so but here's my input.

- Handling Lake Erie. I agree with 05 in regards to size. Anything less then a 23' and your going to be hurting. Used to live on Lake Superior and yeah even with a 23 I would be careful for really big wave days.

-not sure on the difference on SP vs. SE. Mainly just a seating and trim package from what I understand. The standard wakeboard tower is nice. I have a tower on my SE and definetly recommend whatever you go with getting the tower.

-as far as power. Mine has the 310HP N/A engines. I went with the 310 due to simpler design. I didn't want to deal with superchargers. I've heard bad things about the wear rings, but then again I've heard people that have no complaints about them. I can say that the 310HP has plenty of power for me. I haven't run into a situation where I've needed that extra horsepower yet..... knock on wood.

- I cruise around 28 to 30. , I max out around 52 with mine. most of my time is spent towing so I don't hit the max too often.

- Maintenance, I can't really give any advice on that one as I have yet to have any major problems yet.... again knock on wood. Whatever you end up buying, know the service department first! One of the main reasons I went with seadoo was the dealer in my town and my interactions with the service department, which have been great with all my snowmobiles and now with the boat so make sure you can stand the service department and they treat you like a human being and not a dollar sign.

We really like the open space and bigger storage spaces as well. and the handling is awesome. We also live on a river so having jets opens up so much more of the river to us.

- either way you go, good luck and have fun!

 

[unclejay]

Yamaha

Sea Doo has only one advantage: power. Yamaha has the following advantages over Sea Doo:
- Much better build quality
- Even supercharged engines use regula gas
- 4 Cylinder engines 1800cc bulletproof
- Clean out ports for the impellers, no more jams requiring tow back to trailer
- Same price or lower model for model
- Much better trailer w/ 2 axles and disc brakes standard
- Bimini, carpets, retractable cleats, many other features all standard

I switched to a Speedster only because of size and speed. My Yamaha was a great boat.

 

[timhood]

I can't answer about what boating would be like on lake Erie, but regardless of whether you go with a jet or prop boat, a heavier, bigger boat will handle the chop better. If Erie is choppy more than not, make boat length a big part of your decision. Jet boats are about equivalent to prop boats that are about 2' longer due to the "wasted space" in an inboard/outboard.

As far as power is concerned, that depends on whether you are into flat-out top speed, super-fast 0-30 times, or just want good response and decent speed. I have a 180 Challenger SE with the 215hp motor. It gets on plane quickly and I can do 45mph at my altitude, though it may take longer than boats with a lot more power. I had 4 adults on board pulling two teens and one kid in a tube. If you're not looking for flat-out speed, the 310hp package will do the job fine, you'll get better fuel economy (which is a bit of an oxy-moron when talking about any boat), and you're maintenance at 100-hour intervals will be easier/cheaper.

As for Yamaha vs. Sea-Doo, both have their advantages and draw-backs. Having a clean-out port on the Yamaha sounds good at first, but you won't need it if you aren't running in water with debris (like reeds and weeds and such). Go to the Yamaha forums and see that they've got their problems, too, like the caps blowing off those ports, various motor issues, etc. The Yammies make less horsepower at higher RPMs. When I was searching, I considered both Sea-Doo and Yamaha as essentially equal choices. For me, it came down to the great deal I found on my Sea-Doo.

If you're thinking of buying new, some of the '10 Sea-Doos have features not found on the Yammies. For example, the 210 Wake model I really like has nice transom lounge seating and a nice electronic throttle that creates the perfect launch and sets the optimum speed whether you're pulling a tube, skier or wake-boarder.

And don't forget that jet boats don't have any of the inboard/outboard, outdrive or prop issues (maintenance, safety, etc.).

 

[jorgealarcon]

Great Questions

I think you have asked very good questions that will help you determine which boat to finally buy.