Hello all. I am about the buy my first jet boat ever and am looking at a few 1995 Speedsters with dual 85's. It is the end of the season here in Canada and I am trying to take advantage of it. There is a good possibility I won't be able to try it in water before I buy. What kind of things can I look for on land? Can I get a look at the impeller and wear rings easily? I understand there should be no more than 1 mm clearance. What about with the motors? Compression test ... is 150 what im looking for? What can I look for when I run it? Is it easy to hook up water to the motor so I can run it on land? Also I heard the 95 is one of the only years where a single pump input was used between both pumps. How bad is that? Thanks Allot!
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buying first jet boat ever - 95 speedster
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Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
Dual 85’s??
If you are talking about 85 HP… then you will need to go up to 96. That was the first year with the 720 engine. 95’ got the smaller engines. They are interchangeable… but someone would have had to do the upgrade. Also… even if someone swapped the 720 engine in… they would have needed to upgrade the rev limiter too, since the 720’s top rpm is 7000 rpm, and the smaller engine is 6500 rpm.
As far as what to look for… yes… look at the pumps. Make sure they are in good shape, and do a compression check. 150 psi is good… but anything over 140 is ok. The big thing is, you don’t want to see a big difference between the cylinders.
With that said… you could still be getting a boat that needs work. The pumps can look perfect… but the seals can be gone, and the bearings could be on their way out. (Especially if they have a little water in them, and they sit all winter) Also, unless the pumps were recently rebuilt… the rings and impellers will have wear. It’s normal… but it shouldn’t be excessive. Staying on the drive… the drive shaft seals could be bad… and they are dam near impossible to tell, if you don’t put the boat in the water. Here again… 96 is a break off year. 95 will have a seal pack, and 96 will have a carbon seal.
On the engine. You can’t tell how well it runs on the trailer. You can start it on the trailer… but it won’t tell you anything other than “it starts.” Look around the board, and you will find threads saying… “runs great on the trailer, and dies in the water.” A compression check will tell you a lot about the engine… but it can still have bad crank seals, which can lead to a lean run, and a blown engine. You could have bad rotary seals, and it will drip oil into the crank case, making it hard to start, and fouls out plugs. Or… the carbs can be crap, and they won’t support the engine running past 3000 rpm. (in the water)
OK… I’m not trying to say don’t buy a boat… but if you buy one without taking it on a water run… buy it cheap enough that you won’t get mad when you have to drop a ton of $$$ to make it run right. Even if it’s a good boat… sitting all winter can make problems come out.
Good luck
If you are talking about 85 HP… then you will need to go up to 96. That was the first year with the 720 engine. 95’ got the smaller engines. They are interchangeable… but someone would have had to do the upgrade. Also… even if someone swapped the 720 engine in… they would have needed to upgrade the rev limiter too, since the 720’s top rpm is 7000 rpm, and the smaller engine is 6500 rpm.
As far as what to look for… yes… look at the pumps. Make sure they are in good shape, and do a compression check. 150 psi is good… but anything over 140 is ok. The big thing is, you don’t want to see a big difference between the cylinders.
With that said… you could still be getting a boat that needs work. The pumps can look perfect… but the seals can be gone, and the bearings could be on their way out. (Especially if they have a little water in them, and they sit all winter) Also, unless the pumps were recently rebuilt… the rings and impellers will have wear. It’s normal… but it shouldn’t be excessive. Staying on the drive… the drive shaft seals could be bad… and they are dam near impossible to tell, if you don’t put the boat in the water. Here again… 96 is a break off year. 95 will have a seal pack, and 96 will have a carbon seal.
On the engine. You can’t tell how well it runs on the trailer. You can start it on the trailer… but it won’t tell you anything other than “it starts.” Look around the board, and you will find threads saying… “runs great on the trailer, and dies in the water.” A compression check will tell you a lot about the engine… but it can still have bad crank seals, which can lead to a lean run, and a blown engine. You could have bad rotary seals, and it will drip oil into the crank case, making it hard to start, and fouls out plugs. Or… the carbs can be crap, and they won’t support the engine running past 3000 rpm. (in the water)
OK… I’m not trying to say don’t buy a boat… but if you buy one without taking it on a water run… buy it cheap enough that you won’t get mad when you have to drop a ton of $$$ to make it run right. Even if it’s a good boat… sitting all winter can make problems come out.
Good luck
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
It’s fine… but you need to know what you are getting. From the outside… the 657, and the 717 (known as the 720) engines look the same. If you look at the picture… the closest engine to you… right in front for that orange plug… you can see a black metal tag. That has the engine size on it. Just ask the guy to take a clear picture of that. The 720 engine is the 85hp motor.
BTW… what are you paying for it?
BTW… what are you paying for it?
bought! but differnt impellors???
OK I bought it and just got it home and have a few questions. The first thing I am buying for it is the service manual, but first how do I confirm that this is a 1995 boat? The S/N on the back of the boat ends in the digits "95". Is that my answer or is that just a coincidence? On the motors it says 649.9 cc. not 657?? Other question is about the impellers. From me looking up at them they do not at all look like both of them are the same. I attached 2 pictures. One is much more curvy and the other seems much more flat. How can this be? I assume this would be a problem and they both need to be the same??
Thanks.
OK I bought it and just got it home and have a few questions. The first thing I am buying for it is the service manual, but first how do I confirm that this is a 1995 boat? The S/N on the back of the boat ends in the digits "95". Is that my answer or is that just a coincidence? On the motors it says 649.9 cc. not 657?? Other question is about the impellers. From me looking up at them they do not at all look like both of them are the same. I attached 2 pictures. One is much more curvy and the other seems much more flat. How can this be? I assume this would be a problem and they both need to be the same??
Thanks.
Attachments
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
The curved one is a Solis, and the other is stock. It will load the engines differently. I would pull both, and replace the stock prop with the matching Solis.
No big deal on the engine tag. That is the right engine for that year… and yes… the 2 last digits in the HIN are the year.
No big deal on the engine tag. That is the right engine for that year… and yes… the 2 last digits in the HIN are the year.
OK
Thanks Tony. Would it be best to order a Solis online? Would I expect to gain more top end or quicker acceleration by replacing it? How hard is it to do the change? This is my very first boat, but do ALL my own automotive repair. The service manual said something about one step was very hard and needed special tools etc. Thanks.
Thanks Tony. Would it be best to order a Solis online? Would I expect to gain more top end or quicker acceleration by replacing it? How hard is it to do the change? This is my very first boat, but do ALL my own automotive repair. The service manual said something about one step was very hard and needed special tools etc. Thanks.
Dr Honda
Well-Known Member
No Prob….
I misspelled it… they are Solas impellers. Order it where ever you get a good price. There are vendors linked to this site who will help you out with a good price. Before you buy… check what you have now. Solas will cast numbers in the fat end of the hub.
As far as what will it do… Solas impellers are known to be very efficient. They will give a good top end, and very good fuel economy. If you are looking for a good out of the hole impeller… replace both with a Skat-Trak “Swirl” impeller. But… with 2 engines, and 2 good impellers… you should have no problems with a good hole shot.
Changing an impeller is easy. You take off the steering cable… remove the 4 bolts that hold the nozzle on the pump… then pull off the 4 nuts that hold the pump to the hull. Once the pump is off, remove the 3 screws on the tail cone, and you will see the pump shaft. (it has a flat on it) you can clamp the shaft in a vice, and un-thread the impeller. (takes a special tool. eBay for less than $20) That’s it. Put it back together the opposite way. You will need some synthetic gear oil or Sea-Doo pump oil to put back in the cone… and you may need a new ring gasket that goes between the hull and the pump. You can get it at your local Sea-Doo dealer for about $5.
Good luck
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