I just signed up for this forum although I visit it all the time. It has lots of useful info and has saved me time and money. I have a 97 Challenger single 787. I am the second owner. I had a 95 GTX prior to getting the boat so I was already familiar with Seadoo upkeep. On of the 1st things I bought was a Skat Trak impeller because the single engine boats need all the help they can get! For the 1st 3 seasons I had cavitation issues and I went through EVERYTHING in the pump to fix it to no avail. The carbon ring was worn but since it did not leak water in I thought it was O K. It never occurred to me that air was being sucked into the pump. I converted the seal to the carrier type and boy what a difference! A new carbon ring and boot most likely would have done the same but I just lube the carrier every time out. The gas float went bad a few years back so I replaced it. The speedometer broke and I just got around to replacing it this season. In 2008 I picked it up from storage(my sister in laws house) and when I got it home I opened the rear hatch and to my surprise it was full of water up to the carbs! When I put it in storage in 07 I kept the drain plugs in to keep wasps out-they stayed out but the water stayed in! I drained everything and got the engine to fire but since I did not know how long it sat in the water I disassembled the motor, Put a new crank and piston rings and resealed everything. Every 3 years I rebuild the carbs and clean the rave valves. I had to replace the grommet on the bottom of the oil tank this year.
one thing I do not see mentioned here is the practice of starting the engine,s on the launch ramp at the end of the day-this blows the water out of the header pipe. What can happen is that if there is water in the pipe it can bounce it's way into the cylinders on the trailer. Water in the jugs overnight can ruin the wrist pin bearings. I also unhook the battery each day after use.
These boats are maintenance intensive but can be a lot of fun.
one thing I do not see mentioned here is the practice of starting the engine,s on the launch ramp at the end of the day-this blows the water out of the header pipe. What can happen is that if there is water in the pipe it can bounce it's way into the cylinders on the trailer. Water in the jugs overnight can ruin the wrist pin bearings. I also unhook the battery each day after use.
These boats are maintenance intensive but can be a lot of fun.
