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My first set of Sea-doo's, what to do?

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msebastian787

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Hello everyone, I posted about getting my first set of Sea-doo's in the Meet and Greet. They are a 1996 GTX and a 1997 XP. Well after acquiring them I am at a loss of what to do with them. The engines run with no problems and start up on first push. I am looking to cosmetically bring them back to life. I have already ordered new start buttons for both and a new VTS button for the XP. New AGM sealed batteries for both. And newer style BRP badges for the front of both.

I have already stripped the decals off of the XP and have started using the JSG method of cleaning it up. Unfortunately it is not going so good for me. You can still see where it faded around the decals after doing the heavy cut compound. I have started wet sanding with 600 grit but it is taking a lot of effort. What can I do to make this a faster process. I already wet sanded through the hood so it is going to need re-painted now. I didn't know it was not gel coat.

The GTX is on hold because I believe it is going to be the hardest task of the 2.

I could really use some help in how to's and tips on how to make these things look newer or like new.

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First off welcome. Those are some pretty clean looking skis.

I can tell you that you won't always be able to get the old gelcoat perfect. Sometimes it is just faded by the sun all the way through but you can bring the gloss back. I personally wouldn't go any rougher than 800 grit and even that is pushing it. I typically go with 1,000 then 1500 the 2000. Even then you might still see the old registration stickers. If you take a look at my recent HX resto thread you can see my steps.

I am not sure what that pink knob is next to the fuel valve on the XP but it isn't stock.

You will need to change out all those grey fuel lines with automotive fuel line.
Rebuild all carbs with genuine Mikuni parts.
Change the oil filters.
I always replace the fuel valves and strainers.
Verify you are using API-TC full synthetic oil.
Change the small 3/32" oil injection lines.
Change the jet pump oil.
Grease the driveshafts/PTO.

I wouldn't think about starting a new used ski without doing all of these things.
 
Wet sanding is probably going to get the job done best, although it is time consuming.

On the XP, since you need to paint it, you might want to change the colour. IMO it would break up the yellow a bit (maybe black). I have the 99 xp and the hood is silver.

Mikidymac pretty much covers all the stuff to do, I would add to the list

Compression test (before anything).
Rave Valve clean.

If you are mechanically inclined or at least have enthusiasm for getting your hands dirty then working on these is definitely fun! Although they do seem to drain the old wallet.
 
mikidymac said:
First off welcome. Those are some pretty clean looking skis.

I can tell you that you won't always be able to get the old gelcoat perfect. Sometimes it is just faded by the sun all the way through but you can bring the gloss back. I personally wouldn't go any rougher than 800 grit and even that is pushing it. I typically go with 1,000 then 1500 the 2000. Even then you might still see the old registration stickers. If you take a look at my recent HX resto thread you can see my steps.

I am not sure what that pink knob is next to the fuel valve on the XP but it isn't stock.

You will need to change out all those grey fuel lines with automotive fuel line.
Rebuild all carbs with genuine Mikuni parts.
Change the oil filters.
I always replace the fuel valves and strainers.
Verify you are using API-TC full synthetic oil.
Change the small 3/32" oil injection lines.
Change the jet pump oil.
Grease the driveshafts/PTO.

I wouldn't think about starting a new used ski without doing all of these things.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. The XP has the grey fuel lines only and they are on the list. The pink knob is a bilge pump on/off switch.

Someone also took off the OEM choke and instead of replacing it with a new OEM one in its correct position they drilled a hole on the opposite side and stuck it there in the same place as the pink knob.

I no longer see the registration numbers after the 600 and I am working my way up to 2000. I see other people's results and that is what I want.

I will look into some of the things you mentioned and see what needs taken care of.

Thanks
 
Marky_Marc said:
Wet sanding is probably going to get the job done best, although it is time consuming.

On the XP, since you need to paint it, you might want to change the colour. IMO it would break up the yellow a bit (maybe black). I have the 99 xp and the hood is silver.

Mikidymac pretty much covers all the stuff to do, I would add to the list

Compression test (before anything).
Rave Valve clean.

If you are mechanically inclined or at least have enthusiasm for getting your hands dirty then working on these is definitely fun! Although they do seem to drain the old wallet.
Click to expand...

I would say I am very mechanically inclined and I want to make sure these skis are 100% ready to go. I want to enjoy them this summer and not have then sitting in the garage.

Thanks
 
A heat gun is a good tool to have for removing old decals and restoring faded plastic. The are relatively inexpensive at Harbor Freight. I was able to restore the handle bar cover on my GTX from what yours looks like to this with the heat gun. Decals come right off too
Handlebar.JPG
 
jjsinaz said:
A heat gun is a good tool to have for removing old decals and restoring faded plastic. The are relatively inexpensive at Harbor Freight. I was able to restore the handle bar cover on my GTX from what yours looks like to this with the heat gun. Decals come right off too
View attachment 39255
Click to expand...

One of the first things I picked up when I got the ski's. It really came in handy getting the old decals and registration numbers off. I plan on painting the handle bar covers on both. I will try it on the grab bars though. Having a hard time finding the Krylon Fusion paint everyone uses for their plastic parts.

Thanks
 
For the XP I am planning on doing the lower hood, upper hood, and rear hatch in Black. Adding black decals and registration numbers and painting as much plastic pieces as I can black. I tried carbon fiber wrap on the upper hood and the rear hatch but I could not get it to turn out right. Probably just cheap material, I bought it from eBay and it was pretty inexpensive for a 4ft x 6ft roll. I might get the 3M 1080 wrap and try it.

For the GTX everything green is getting re-done in black and that includes the hull. All decals are getting removed and new black decals are going on. I am also planning on doing the same wet sand, polish, buff, wax job on the GTX as I am on the XP.

When I am done with the ski's the trailer is going to get some love. New LED lights, paint, boards, carpet, and other goodies. I have no plans on getting rid of the skis anytime soon so I want them to look and run as good as possible.
 
Sounds like a fun project.
Just be careful with all the sanding. Gelcoat is thicker than paint but you could still burn through it.
 
Those look pretty clean so at least you've got a good starting point. I've got one of each of those skis as well.

There is no real trick to the process other than lots and lots of time and elbow grease. Once you are done wet sanding you can use a good power buffer which is a life saver. HF has a good knockoff random orbit buffer for around $65 on sale that most of us use.

I think I spent a total of 13 hours on my SPX to get it looking like new and that was with the rub rails removed to make it easier. It's definitely my least favorite part of any resto.

I think I remember those skis on CL a while back, I'm not too far from you.
 
Welcome!
Go to the resto thread area. Sounds like you may done that already. LOTs of reading, but fun looking at the other projects and gets you motivation. My Shamu thread has a lot on buffing and color change and most other things you will be doing on the GTX. If you are doing a color change, then I would consider spraying gelcote on the bottom if you are comfortable with it. But good epoxy paint looks good. You will just have to touch it up every season especially if you beach it a lot. The wrap films are fun to work with if you want to try something totally different. Lots of choices of colors and textures. Just have fun with it. I know that you will spot every little blemish, but remember--- you can's see it at sixty! (or 53 for these skis ;) )
 
The vts boot on your xp is known to let water in to the vts box and mess it up. OEM OEM OEM on the carb kits. I believe that is the perfect pair of skis, nice find :cheers:
 
Ankeneyou said:
Those look pretty clean so at least you've got a good starting point. I've got one of each of those skis as well.

There is no real trick to the process other than lots and lots of time and elbow grease. Once you are done wet sanding you can use a good power buffer which is a life saver. HF has a good knockoff random orbit buffer for around $65 on sale that most of us use.

I think I spent a total of 13 hours on my SPX to get it looking like new and that was with the rub rails removed to make it easier. It's definitely my least favorite part of any resto.

I think I remember those skis on CL a while back, I'm not too far from you.
Click to expand...

I got every item on the list from the JSG thread about buffing and polishing the skis that method is just not doing enough for me so some wet sanding and then I will apply that method. The starting point is fairly good on the XP except where the stickers were removed, the GTX is going to be more work to get it shining again. It's not really yellowed but just faded or matte.

soccerdad said:
Welcome!
Go to the resto thread area. Sounds like you may done that already. LOTs of reading, but fun looking at the other projects and gets you motivation. My Shamu thread has a lot on buffing and color change and most other things you will be doing on the GTX. If you are doing a color change, then I would consider spraying gelcote on the bottom if you are comfortable with it. But good epoxy paint looks good. You will just have to touch it up every season especially if you beach it a lot. The wrap films are fun to work with if you want to try something totally different. Lots of choices of colors and textures. Just have fun with it. I know that you will spot every little blemish, but remember--- you can's see it at sixty! (or 53 for these skis ;) )
Click to expand...

Project Shamu is my biggest inspiration for the GTX. I am just not getting the vinyl to stick the way I want it. Can you maybe send me a PM of where and who you purchased your vinyl from. I don't think the skis will get pulled up on the beach since the 2 places where we will be riding that is not allowed. But like you did on Shamu all the green has to go in favor of black. I also got all new buttons (start/stop, mode/set). I hope I can make my GTX look as good as yours.
 
snikwad003 said:
The vts boot on your xp is known to let water in to the vts box and mess it up. OEM OEM OEM on the carb kits. I believe that is the perfect pair of skis, nice find :cheers:
Click to expand...

I think they are the perfect pair of skis as well. They will be perfect fore my wife and I and our 3 children to go have some summer fun. I will look into everything you guys are mentioning before they hit the water. But the VTS currently works perfectly.
 
The VTS is working but the boots go bad mostly from the old clamps cutting them. Seadoo changed to plastic clamps so get a new boot and updated clamps. Once water gets in the trim system goes bad and can take out the MPEM too.
 
msebastian787 said:
Project Shamu is my biggest inspiration for the GTX. I am just not getting the vinyl to stick the way I want it. Can you maybe send me a PM of where and who you purchased your vinyl from. I don't think the skis will get pulled up on the beach since the 2 places where we will be riding that is not allowed. But like you did on Shamu all the green has to go in favor of black. I also got all new buttons (start/stop, mode/set). I hope I can make my GTX look as good as yours.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the nice words. Two years later I am still very happy with her. The vinyl is 3M 1080, CF12 color (black carbon) I got it from a couple of places but only used that 3M product. Amazon has vendors that sell it. I did a light scuff sand to give it more to hold onto. Also, they do sell some stuff that is supposed to help hold it in the deepest draw areas. Heat and prestretching are the most important things. I watched a pile of youtube vids prior to starting. Today I only have a couple of areas were it has pulled away from the hood. They are along the area where the curves transition up to the gauge cover area. I could have prestreched it more, but the special adhesive may have helped there. Anyway, I am just going to inject a little superglue in that area and it should hold fine. The rest still looks perfect.
 
snikwad003 said:
Cant he heat gun the bar pads to bring them back?
Click to expand...
The GTX used the newer style bar pad which is all plastic with a small vinyl pad on the top. You can use a heat gun on the plastic part, but I still prefer to scrub and buff as it lasts longer.

These aren't the rubbery material you are thinking about on the X4s.
 
mikidymac said:
The VTS is working but the boots go bad mostly from the old clamps cutting them. Seadoo changed to plastic clamps so get a new boot and updated clamps. Once water gets in the trim system goes bad and can take out the MPEM too.
Click to expand...

Where is the boot located? I still have not gotten all of the terms and locations of parts down for the skis yet.
 
soccerdad said:
Thanks for the nice words. Two years later I am still very happy with her. The vinyl is 3M 1080, CF12 color (black carbon) I got it from a couple of places but only used that 3M product. Amazon has vendors that sell it. I did a light scuff sand to give it more to hold onto. Also, they do sell some stuff that is supposed to help hold it in the deepest draw areas. Heat and prestretching are the most important things. I watched a pile of youtube vids prior to starting. Today I only have a couple of areas were it has pulled away from the hood. They are along the area where the curves transition up to the gauge cover area. I could have prestreched it more, but the special adhesive may have helped there. Anyway, I am just going to inject a little superglue in that area and it should hold fine. The rest still looks perfect.
Click to expand...

Yeah I used some eBay 4D vinyl and it came with wrinkles already in the material. I will pick up some 3M 1080 vinyl and try that, I am sure it is 100% better than the stuff I have.
 
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