Challenger 1800 Rotax vs Mercury decision

[alainm]

Ok hear goes I am considering buying a Challenger 1800, boats I am considerations are a 1999 twin Rotax 787 or a 2002 Mercury M2 240 EFI.

What big difference would there be in fuel consumption, maintenance cost and labour, driving speed and fun factor, parts available...

Lets get the ball rolling with these questions, probably more will follow in the thread.

I know this is the 2-Stroke sub-section but it seems I can not post in a more general Sea-Doo Boat section and the Mercury section does not have as many posts, this section seems to be more viewed and I did not what the double post my question.

 

[alainm]

Nobody have any recommendations on either boat, at this point I will take any pro's or con's on one of these boats in general.

 

[Seadoo20]

I recently shopped for a used jet boat, now, for spring next year. I liked the idea of having a back up engine in case something happens to the other, so twin Rotax engines sounded good. But alot of the ads I came across from sellers said – One engine rebuilt totally new, the other one fine; or one of the engines needs a tune up. For example – that sort of thing. Still I was leaning toward the dual engine Rotax’s. yeah they require more maintenance, but they are simpler and easier to work on I thought from forums and videos I watched. Then a Seadoo Challenger 2000 Jet Boat (mercury powered) came available close to me. I went to see it and bought it.
I like that the Mercury Optimax motor in the Challenger 2000 I bought is a straight outboard powerhead placed inside the Jet Boat hooked up to the Jet drive. – I am very familiar with outboards. It was an interesting relationship Bombardier/Mercury that created this combo. The relationship only lasted a few years so not as many boats around like this.
I like that the motor is not as high revving as the Rotax engines.
I like that the motor is self draining of water, like all outboards. Water still needs to be displaced from the exhaust for winterizing.
I find a way to mount my Minnkota wireless powerdrive on all my boats for backup, anchoring, fishing with the kids ... anyway.
The Spring launch will tell me if it was a good choice.
If a "deal" had come across on Twin Rotax model close to me. - would I have bought it - probably 8^)

 

[alainm]

I was thinking almost the same as you and have also found the same information from the classified adds, but when I try to compare the M2 with the Optimax engine as to cross reference parts like the ECU that is very expensive to replace and seems it will hev to be at some point in time, is that the Optimax is a 3l V6 and the M2 is a 2.5l V6 so not the same engine block.

I have two boats in my area that need TLC a 1999 and a 2002 the 2002 has the ruff non consistent idle problem and water leaks into the hull issues, I would pull both engine and jet drive during the winter and sort those out.
The other 1999 has hull damage it looks like a rock ripped a 1-1.5 foot narrow gouge in it, so I would need to do fibreglass repair and all upholstery needs to be replaced with some painting on the trim parts, but it seems both engines are strong, but I have not personally taken a compression test on them yet.

If I what to I have several good looking boats I could chose from but are out of my price range 6-8k can, these two boats are listed at 1500-2000can, I will be doing all work myself.

 

[Seadoo20]

I have gone through a lot of boats. With this Challenger 2000 with the Merc Optimax DFI 250 I have 4 boats. The other two boats also older have a same 115 Hp Yamaha 2 stroke. and the third has a 50 hp 4 Stroke Honda. All fishing boats. With a bowrider the deciding factor for me is usually the upholstery for two reasons. 1) I will tackle anything mechanically, but I am not doing upholstery, needs a pro, and it costs a lot to replace. 2) upholstery condition on a bowrider especially if its original on a 20 year old boat, tells me how well the boat was cared for as it got passed between owners.

 

[alainm]

Upholstery would not be a problem a good stapler with stainless staples and a kit from Seadoo Boat Seat covers is very doable.
You are right but I also look at the condition or more importantly the colour of the hull and interior, if it has not been taken of properly it will be discoloured badly, the problem with bad upholstery is that the boat could have been stored outside two years and be all chewed up if it was not covered, I also look at the cleanliness of the engine bay.
But if the price is right it is mostly elbow grease that is needed to bring all this back to life, if a engine needs a new crank that is a whole other story, you need a long block and that could get expensive in a M2 especially if you need to replace most electronics to get it running you could be looking at 5-6k easily.

Have you been able to cross-reference the Optimax outboard engine that the M2 uses in the boat?

 

[Seadoo20]

Have you been able to cross-reference the Optimax outboard engine that the M2 uses in the boat?

I have not had a lot of time with these jet boats and motors. But I need a boat for shallow water areas so I am back to them. Some of my research brought me to this PDF download. Remove the quotes to download.

“https://dmna.ny.gov/nynm/manuals/Mercury_250_OptiMax_Manual.pdf”

This facebook link.
5.7K views · 49 reactions | 2013 Mercury ProXS Optimax 250 HP 6-Cyl DFI 2-Stroke 20"(L) Outboard Motor | $10,995 This listing is for a good used 2013 Mercury ProXS Optimax 250 HP 6-Cylinder DFI 2-Stroke 20" (L) Outboard Motor. Model number: 250PXST2. Serial... | By Marine Parts Warehouse Inc. | Facebook

PRO – it’s a straight outboard power head mounted in the stern of the Challenger 2000 boat.
CON – you really got to stretch over to access anything. There is no way I am climbing into there. Needs a small person. Although if something happens…I may need to attempt it. Imagine these fat marine mechanics ….I can hear them - "no way man I am not working on that". So access is one reason I'm pretty sure some marinas dropped servicing them on Seadoo boats.

The Rotax engines seem built simpler, break a lot, but can be fixed by a DIY person.
The Mercury engine has a lot of protection / fail safe design to keep you from destroying it. Unfortunately these electronics – sensors that are needed as part of this, are triggered by old fuel/oil lines that leak, are plugged, or other reasons. They shut you down. That’s what happened to the seller of my boat. He needed to be towed in. He was fed up with it. Got it for a good price. I managed to get the beeping in my driveway. So far I am wondering if a sticky magnetic float in the engine mounted tank that the sensor reads caused it. I stuck a wire in to move it and no horns or beeps since - running in driveway anyway.