New 08 Islandia found a home.

[CTdoo]

It took a bit but we finally tracked down a leftover 08 Islandia at a dealer who was willing to work to get the boat out of their showroom. It was quite a haul to pick it up about 1200 miles round trip but I think it was worth it.

I can't say enough good things about the dealership Travers Bay Marine we bought it from up in Traverse City Mi. I made the deal on the phone with them and there were no surprises when we went to pick it up. All the paperwork was done with only a few things for us to sign, they had a tech assigned to go over everything on the boat with us and answer any questions that I had. He was very knowledgeable about sea doo's and didn't give me any of those "what are you talking about" looks when I asked him tech questions about the boat. There were a few very minor things I found with the boat and they were more than willing to take care of them for me. John was our sales guy and again there were no surprises what so ever.

Here is a link to their web site and I would definitely recommend these guys if you are looking for a new Sea Doo and or need parts. Traverse Bay Marine

Here are a few pics of our new Islandia.

The only downside so far to the Islandia is that the Dodge only got 9.5 Mpg while hauling this beast home.

Also if anyone is looking for a good used 98 Sportster 1800 we have one for sale. You can see it in the background in the first picture.

Thanks.
Chadd

 

[seadoosnipe]

Nice....

Nice boat!!!

If I had another choice of boat, it'd be the Islandia or Utopia.:cheers:

 

[02RxDiRunner]

sweet boat bro sounds like you had a nice gas bill at the end there lol well have a good summer with your new toy

 

[RFoster130]

Very nice. What did you pay for it?

 

[CTdoo]

Very nice. What did you pay for it?

Right at 37k out the door, taxes and all.

 

[cheappc]

beautiful! congrats

 

[Jetboater02]

Nice ride and as a fellow Islandia owner, welcome to the club.

 

[Dr Honda]

I will have one next summer. I told the wife... if she wanted a second kid... I needed a bigger boat.

Congrats.

 

[CTdoo]

I will have one next summer. I told the wife... if she wanted a second kid... I needed a bigger boat.

Congrats.

Thanks for all the Congrats guys.

We took it out on the lake for a few hours this evening and I tell you what, all the worries I had about the 430 hp setup and the superchargers went out the window when I opened it up for a short burst. No GPS numbers yet but it was knocking on 70mph on the dream-o-meter, this was full of fuel and a full fresh water tank with the 4 of us on it. If the speedo is similar to our sportster I would say it is an honest 65mph. I think it is the perfect motor setup for the behemoth.

We really like it so far. I don't see how these boats are flying out of the show rooms for people with families. It has several great amenities for a family, has plenty of room, looks good, rides good and you don't feel like you have been neutered when you drive it :rofl:

We did find a few things that we need to contact the dealer about, the short posts for the bimini top are MIA, one of the snaps on the carpet lost it's back and we noticed a small cut in one of the seat cushions. It is invisible until someone sits down on the seat, then it opens up.

I also need to adjust the reverse gates on it because it doesn't have a true neutral right now. It almost ended up in disaster, my wife was going to pull away from the dock while I parked the truck, she started it up and it lurched forward. It took her for quite a surprise luckily she got it shut down and there happen to be another guy standing there that helped me wrestle it to keep it from hitting the dock. Anyone happen to have a picture of measurement of properly adjusted gates?

Thanks,
Chadd

 

[Dr Honda]

Thanks for all the Congrats guys.


We really like it so far. I don't see how these boats are flying out of the show rooms for people with families. It has several great amenities for a family, has plenty of room, looks good, rides good and you don't feel like you have been neutered when you drive it :rofl:

Thanks,
Chadd

It's because most people can't pay for a +$40k toy.

But you are right. It's the best mix for a family.

1) It's a deck boat, so the wife can get a tan, or you can just sit out in the water, and have lunch.

2) It's got good HP to pull a tube, ski, or board.

3) still small enough to be able to trailer for a day trip.

4) has the potty, changing room, and sink, so you can stay out on the water for extended periods of time.

5) it has to fresh water, and the little kiddy pool to keep the little-ones' entertained.


Yup... I want one in a bad way !!! My search will start as soon as the weather turns cold.

 

[RFoster130]

Reading posts like this really makes me want a bigger boat. That is awesome it still moves like that being so big. I really a 23 ft wake, but I think I would be happy with just a 20 ft speedster. Wife already said when she graduates college next year and gets a full time job i can get one.

 

[CTdoo]

I don't see how these boats are flying out of the show rooms for people with families.

This should have read aren't not are

 

[CypherAZ]

Beautiful looking boat, i'm sure you guys are going to enjoy it very much. Congrats!

 

[CTdoo]

Thanks again guys.

I put our Sportster 1800 on Craigs list last night and sold it today. I had 6 people inquire about it, one drove 1.5 hours for a test ride said he wanted it but had to talk to the bank and the guy who bought it called, made me an offer we negotiated a bit and I hooked it up to the truck and delivered it to him. It was in really good shape and always stored inside so I guess I either had it priced just right or too cheap one of the two.

It went to a good family and I think they will enjoy it as much as we did. I hope it will be as reliable for them as it was for us.

The only problem with the boat was that it has always smoked on startup after sitting for a while between uses. I researched fixing it when we first got the boat but just about everyone I talked to who had fixed it said theirs started doing it again with in a few months. So I figured it wasn't worth messing with and it seemed like the only permanent fix was to convert it to premix and I didn't want anything to do with premixing. I thought this may hamper my selling it because I put it in the add and made sure to tell everyone about it, but it didn't seem to bother anyone.


So now I am back down to one Sea Doo. I really did hate to see our sportster go, it had been part of the family for close to 10 years now. Strange how you get attached to something like a boat.

Chadd

 

[ForHogan]

That Islandia looks really nice. I considered one, but bought a used Utopia because it had a full windshield. We take plenty of salt spray, and a fair amount of water over the bow when we're out on the bay in a head sea. I suppose on a lake it's a non-issue, although the few lakes around here get a decent chop with weekend traffic. What are your experiences/opinion on the lack of a full windshield on the Islandia for wind/spray protection?

Mike

 

[CTdoo]

That Islandia looks really nice. I considered one, but bought a used Utopia because it had a full windshield. We take plenty of salt spray, and a fair amount of water over the bow when we're out on the bay in a head sea. I suppose on a lake it's a non-issue, although the few lakes around here get a decent chop with weekend traffic. What are your experiences/opinion on the lack of a full windshield on the Islandia for wind/spray protection?

Mike

We have only had it out on the lake once so far. I am not really sure how it compares to a utopia but I don't think water spray is going to be an issue for us because of the height off of the water. The lake we boat on does get pretty choppy when it is windy or there are a lot of boats on the lake we used to get wet on occasion when we didn't want to in our older sportster 1800.

The drivers seat in the Islandia is large enough for two people along with the bench behind the driver I think you could fit 4-5 people in areas that would have some wind protection. Even the seat directly across from the driver has fair wind protection from the cooler,drawer,sink unit. All in all it feels like it is a deeper hull than any of the other sea doo's I have sat in so it feels like you have more protection from that alone. If you look at this picture you can see what I am talking about.

Chadd

 

[madbare]

Congrats on the islandia! I got a leftover 08 earlier this year and absolutely love it. I am sad to see Sea-Doo discontinue this boat. I have had mine up to 60mph up here at altitude. I could not believe how fast this thing is and is the perfect family boat and handles the rough just fine. The kiddos LOVE the kiddie pool and fountain. It is a very unique boat and turns heads everywhere we go. Enjoy!

 

[CTdoo]

Congrats on the islandia! I got a leftover 08 earlier this year and absolutely love it. I am sad to see Sea-Doo discontinue this boat. I have had mine up to 60mph up here at altitude. I could not believe how fast this thing is and is the perfect family boat and handles the rough just fine. The kiddos LOVE the kiddie pool and fountain. It is a very unique boat and turns heads everywhere we go. Enjoy!

I didn't realize they were discontinuing the Islandia. It figures though as soon as I buy something it becomes a black sheep. Do you know of any place that lists available accessories for the Islandia? I have seen some with a wake tower and also some with front and rear Bimini tops that zip together to form a full top.

Thanks,
Chadd

 

[madbare]

Yes, the boat is only available as an 09 model because they had a lot left over. It will be interesting to see if they come out with a new one to replace it or what. I have not found anything for accessories, and I have looked high and low. If you find anything, let us know or post a link. I even called the company that makes the Bimini for it and that said they did not make the enclosure kit for it.