RESTO My Challenger Experience

[dkwkid]

I am curious on what other owners have gone thru during the course of ownership. I bought a 97 787 single Challenger in 2002 from the original owner. some of the things I dealt with:
Cavitation-replaced everything in the driveline until I looked on this forum for the carbon seal wear. I thought it was only to keep water out!
Carbs- every year it ran a little different. some years it ran flawless-other years it would "hang" at 5K RPM until I goosed the throttle. I rebuilt the carbs and cleaned the rave valves.
One year the gas gauge quit(Float sunk) next the speedometer broke (replaced) plastic hinges on storage hatches broke.
I usually run the engine after I pull it out of the water at the end of the day. A few times it dieseled wide open on me. Surprised that it kept running after I pulled the lanyard.
My experience has been that these Seadoo boats require LOTS of attention to keep them running right. My kids are grown now so I will sell it-I will not sell it to anyone I know(not because it has problems-I just do not want to train the next person on how to keep it running.

 

[Guest_User]

yes, these type of boats are not for everyone. They are a true labor of love and need constant attention. But when they are sound and running right you can have a great time and enjoy the boat...

every season I see more and more new boat owners with issues and a very troubled boat on this forum. If I were a guest and reading the forum I`d say RUN with all the problems people are having.

But the boat is only as good as your knowledge of them, your deep pockets, and the willingness to keep them running.

 

[JamesHBCA]

Dkwkid, may I ask how many boats you have owned?
I do agree these boats have unique maintenance issues, but mostly they can be self serviced by an owner who has moderate mechanical ability. I think I could replace the engine or rebuild the pumps my self if I needed to. If I had a V8 with an out drive, not sure I would want to tackle that. Plus they are an easy upgrade from a PWC which has the same service issues.

All boats need regular service. We have all heard what B.O.A.T. Stands for. A general rule of thumb is the annual service cost of a boat is $100 per foot of boat length. Some years may be more, some less. How much have you spent?

 

[dbracela]

I'm pretty sure everyone on here has felt this way at one point or another. I know I did last year. But now that everything has been replaced and it's running right, I want to keep it. I guess I don't see the sense in buying another boat and starting all over again. I was thinking of buying new last year, but didn't want to make payments 12 months a year for a boat I can only use four months a year. Anyway, I feel your pain, hope it works out in the end.

 

[Guest_User]

I can say with clarity that I never felt this way about any vehicle weather it`s a vessel or car/truck/van... Sure I`ve worked on some real junk for customers before but it was their junk... I always tried to make shyt shine!:lols:

but I could never fault the boat or auto for it`s past life and the past bafoons who owned them...

the number one problem I see is people buying boats that start off not knowing anything about that particular brand/drive then getting way over their head and blaming the POS boat for their lack of skills or the deep pockets to repair it properly... and you don`t need deep pockets to move forward with an educated decision. you can either do it, or not...

and plenty of threads asking the same old same old when all of this has been answered many times before.

number one rule when working on your craft is to have the proper shop/service manuals and tools.
2 having the ability to at least maintain it
3 finding a few great places that can get you the parts when you need them...

OR finding a competent shop and giving them cart blanche to repair, but those shops are hard to come by. bc no on wants to work on the older 2 strokes, they are just to time consuming to make a fast buck...

when I`ve called my seadoo seapoo`s it`s bc I`ve earned that right, and educated/worked thru the models I have owned. and it is said in jest anyways!:lols:

IMHO I`m tired of reading all these failure threads, tired of seeing leaking fuel, improper repair, no or wrong equipment on board, etc etc from these older jetboats. It`s the owners responsibility to KNOW what they need and how to operate these vessels...
I`m sure there is a large share of people who don`t even have a safety cert to operate a blow up raft!

your boats leaking fuel, fuel in the bilge, fuel in the water and you are adrift, sure keep cranking the piss out of it trying to start it and stick your head between your legs and kiss your azz good bye!:facepalm::lols:

your the type that do not deserve to own or look at a boat... stick to the dirt/pavement if that is a lesser challenge.

 

[dbracela]

Andy, you may remember that last season I started thinking about getting a more conventional boat. I started researching known issues and maintenance costs, what could be done at home vs dealer, etc. I have to say that the maintenance and repair on a seadoo looks easy in comparison. Changing a gimbal? Makes changing the entire driveline on the challenger look simple.
Some people don't like working on toys. I do, but needed a boost to get me out of that low I was in.

 

[Guest_User]

Andy, you may remember that last season I started thinking about getting a more conventional boat. I started researching known issues and maintenance costs, what could be done at home vs dealer, etc. I have to say that the maintenance and repair on a seadoo looks easy in comparison. Changing a gimbal? Makes changing the entire driveline on the challenger look simple.
Some people don't like working on toys. I do, but needed a boost to get me out of that low I was in.

one of my buddies up in NY was involved with USAUXCG etc etc he mentions your either are into it or your not.
been there with assisting replacing a 302 with a 351 and the owner later found out the hard way when the outdrive popped. so yeah the gimble, risers, Y pipe, trim pump, freaking starter, or even a simple oil change can be challenging if your not prepared. The thing is you have to want to do it and not cheap out and cut corners.

if you (people who want to get into boating) or your family`s safety is a concern, choose wisely, educate yourself, bring someone with you if you don`t know what your looking at, or just walk away and wake up from the dream of owning a boat, it`ll pass... I hear bumper cars are pretty cheap these days... :lols:
buying something cheap that you can work on is one thing, buying someone`s headache and not knowing or learning from the net waiting for every answer is not the way to do it. I hear that`s what youtube is for :lols::lols::lols::lols::lols::lols::lols::lols::lols::lols:

sort of like crapping on a nice toilet VS a porto potty :lols:

the garage/shop is the best medicine! :lols:

one of these days I`ll get something more traditional if not a pontoon to troll around on...

 

[Jims5543]

Pale Rider has never owned a classic Mini.... ask me how I know.


My Sea Doo Challenger is like a Honda Accord compared to my Mini.


Carry on, this is entertaining to say the least.

 

[Guest_User]

Pale Rider has never owned a classic Mini.... ask me how I know.


My Sea Doo Challenger is like a Honda Accord compared to my Mini.


Carry one, this is entertaining to say the least.

mini pooper do tell?

ok asking you how you know...

 

[Jims5543]

mini pooper do tell?

ok asking you how you know...

This is my Mini Poopers favorite way to move around town. Every time I say, what else can go wrong, it surprises me with something I never though of.

Like brand new rockers that are breaking in half (my latest failure)

Before that? It seems the fuel jet is fed by a plastic line from underneath the carb, 4" away from the exhaust headers. Guess what plastic does when it is hit with extreme radiating heat? I am in the process of fabricating a heat shield for it. I can go on and on.

My Challenger has been a delight, yes it has had some issues due to neglect from previous owners but for the most part, it has been a solid boat. I expect to spend a decent amount of money on it making it right, it is 15 years old after all.

By next summer it will be tops. The mini will be another story........

 

[Guest_User]

This is my Mini Poopers favorite way to move around town. Every time I say, what else can go wrong, it surprises me with something I never though of.

Like brand new rockers that are breaking in half (my latest failure)

Before that? It seems the fuel jet is fed by a plastic line from underneath the carb, 4" away from the exhaust headers. Guess what plastic does when it is hit with extreme radiating heat? I am in the process of fabricating a heat shield for it. I can go on and on.

My Challenger has been a delight, yes it has had some issues due to neglect from previous owners but for the most part, it has been a solid boat. I expect to spend a decent amount of money on it making it right, it is 15 years old after all.

By next summer it will be tops. The mini will be another story........

awesome! well not the plastic tube tho! what`s causing the rocker failure? rocker adjusted to tight, over rev?, bent valve?

this was my 466 in my last project resto mod...

oh our challenger has been a ton of fun even tho I don`t operate it like it should be.
after all the work had been done, then the custom stuff to my liking, I have zero regrets...
it was a fun build...

 

[Jims5543]

If there was ever a polar opposite to my Mini Truck, you have it there. I think that may be 3X longer than the Mini, at least 2X. LOL!!

This happened when I was snugging down the adjustment screw, not tight yet, it broke way too easy. A friend of mine that is an aviation mechanic yelled, "Abort!" do not install. If you look at the screw you can see the metal is crap. Now look at the bad rocker.

I should have listened to my friend.

 

[dkwkid]

Dkwkid, may I ask how many boats you have owned?
I do agree these boats have unique maintenance issues, but mostly they can be self serviced by an owner who has moderate mechanical ability. I think I could replace the engine or rebuild the pumps my self if I needed to. If I had a V8 with an out drive, not sure I would want to tackle that. Plus they are an easy upgrade from a PWC which has the same service issues.

All boats need regular service. We have all heard what B.O.A.T. Stands for. A general rule of thumb is the annual service cost of a boat is $100 per foot of boat length. Some years may be more, some less. How much have you spent?

Don't get me wrong- I DID have lots of fun with the boat. I race Desert here in California and once I set up my bike it pretty much runs the same every time I take it out. I don't understand why the Rotax cannot do the same. Maybe I was a bit harsh on the old girl. Someone is going to get a really nice boat(I have maintained it religiously).

 

[Guest_User]

I`ll agree, they are always a lot of work. I`d bet stock untouched back in the day there were less issues with a normal maint schedule. But as they age, mounts shift, alignment gets out of spec, water leaks, hoses fail etc etc. You learn quickly to constantly check under the hatch and in the shaft tunnels. Seems a lot more pre and post inspections on these types of boats. but that has become a normal practice since I`ve always looked things over before and after and should be a part of everyones practices.
Since I run premix even using a top tier 2 stroke oil, the RAVE`s get dirty quicker, so more frequent cleanings. all the small parts cost time and money. what really stinks is a lot of serviceable items are becoming unavailable or obsolete. and I can`t even speak these words without quivering, the unobtainable MPEM...
I would have loved to drop in 2 4tecs and wire it all up, but cost VS it`s still a jet boat with tiny 140`s means another custom drive set up and more money = new boat for much less...

I also agree that when the time comes to sell trade even if the boat is tired or needs something, these engines are the cheapest repower in the industry and someone will still be way ahead of the game...