New member, Buying a 2007 speedster 150 today. Help!

[charmz]

This is my very first boat, so forgive me.

When it comes to cars I know "what to look for" but with boats not so much....

The boat:
2007 Seadoo Speedster 150 - 155hp
14 Hours
1 owner bought brand new from canadian dealership (with reciepts to prove)

Now, right away, the hours seem VERY low, almost TOO low to me...
My first question is, is there a way to "roll back" the actual useage?

The boat comes with oem cover and trailer and the seller is including the safety equiptment that is required by canadian law and 4 life jackets.
What do you think is a fair price?

Aside from the obvious like damage to the hull and major things easy to see, what else should i be looking at?

Thanks!

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Hi & Welcome to the forum.

Ask what oil he used, grade of gas, check the condition of wear ring & Impeller, make sure it starts, check compression...a 951 should be around 130psi, inside of hull clean??????.


If it has 4-tec someone else will need to answer the compression ratio

Good Luck

 

[El Toro 33809]

I believe this boat has a 4-stroke engine, not the 951. That would change the items to look at in SDB's post.

In regards to hours, some people buy toys and really don't use them, so 14 hours is not out of the question. Does it look brand new still? Does the engine oil look clean on the dipstick? Does it start easily, idle smoothly and run well? What did the owner say when asked about the hours?

I don't have any suggestions about a price. Just check something like Kelly Blue Book. If it has only 14 hours and is cherry, it may be going for the higher end of the range.

 

[charmz]

I believe this boat has a 4-stroke engine, not the 951. That would change the items to look at in SDB's post.

In regards to hours, some people buy toys and really don't use them, so 14 hours is not out of the question. Does it look brand new still? Does the engine oil look clean on the dipstick? Does it start easily, idle smoothly and run well? What did the owner say when asked about the hours?

I don't have any suggestions about a price. Just check something like Kelly Blue Book. If it has only 14 hours and is cherry, it may be going for the higher end of the range.

its the red colour yes. if thats what you mean by cherry.
and yes it is a 4 stroke.
the boat is not in the water, but the owner started it for me and fired up right away with zero hesitation even after sitting through the entire winter.
he told me its not good to run the boat out of the water for more then 5 or 10 seconds so i dont know how it idles.
he told me it was used to bring the kids to a popular nearby beach and mostly just sat anchored for kids to swim then actually out powering around... the reason for sale was to upgrade, i seen the bigger boat first hand while looking at the one im supposed to buy, so he seems like a pretty legit family man.

i got him down to 11,500... remember, things in canada are more expensive then the us.. what do you guys think of this price?

 

[johnathanrn]

The guy can start up the engines for about 15-20 seconds. The only reason why it's bad is because there's no water getting in so it can cause damage. As far as checking compression etc...I'm not sure about that stuff. Have him start each engine separately. Listen to it make sure it sounds kosher then have him shut that one off and start the other one. All the while have your head in the engine compartment and look for any leaks or smells. If the engine compartment is very clean then the boat prob does only have 14 hours on it. Pull the trigger and buy it...Sounds like a good buy

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Can you lake water test it? That's the best way.

 

[devonte007]

I would say that the price sounds fair for a 2007 with very few hours.

I agree with everyone else that you should water test it before taking delivery. There is only so much you can really determine on the trailer. The biggest thing to look at is the jet pump, assuming the engine runs fine. Try to look into the jet pump from the rear of the boat and then also under the boat through the intake grate. Make sure you have a bright flashlight and see what it looks like in there. The wear ring should be in very good shape, since only 14 hrs, and the impeller should look like new (no dings or deep scratches).

If that all passes inspection, take it for a ride on the water and check for cavitation. From idle the boat should jump out of the water when the throttle is opened all the way. If there is any cavitation (engine revs high but boat doesn't feel like it is going anywhere) it indicates a problem with the propulsion system.

Hope it all works out. Let us know if you get the boat and post some pics!

 

[charmz]

I would say that the price sounds fair for a 2007 with very few hours.

I agree with everyone else that you should water test it before taking delivery. There is only so much you can really determine on the trailer. The biggest thing to look at is the jet pump, assuming the engine runs fine. Try to look into the jet pump from the rear of the boat and then also under the boat through the intake grate. Make sure you have a bright flashlight and see what it looks like in there. The wear ring should be in very good shape, since only 14 hrs, and the impeller should look like new (no dings or deep scratches).

If that all passes inspection, take it for a ride on the water and check for cavitation. From idle the boat should jump out of the water when the throttle is opened all the way. If there is any cavitation (engine revs high but boat doesn't feel like it is going anywhere) it indicates a problem with the propulsion system.

Hope it all works out. Let us know if you get the boat and post some pics!

I got the boat and already have some major concerns while on the trailer....

#1
The engine coolant reservoir is completly empty
- this makes me very nervous, i checked the oil and it looks brand new

#2
The bezel around the gages has a broken tab
- could this mean the engine hours have been tampered with? will replacing a new guage clock back your hours?

I need some major advice please, it was pouring rain today and was unable to test the boat, I also think it needs a new battery as it was started fine yesterday when i saw it for the first time but didnt start today as the battery was dead it turned over a sec then wouldnt go and the lights wouldnt even turn on. the battery isnt really my major concern though, the coolant is!

also, i closed the engine hood latch/storage compartment and cant seem to be able to get it back open!???

 

[BMANN06]

K don't stress or get buyers remorse first of all you got a good deal. Now these 4 tecs have sensors all over the place and it will illuminate a dummy light if she's getting too hot and an audible alarm will trigger. Get some coolant, and slowly poor it in until the reservoir is half full, hook up the garden hose to your pump and start it up. Keeping an eye on the resevoir. And also look for a coolant leak, it should be pretty obvious if there's coolant in the bottom of the bilge. If not the you have nothing to worry about.

Regarding the engine hours, did he tell you the hours? You need scanning tool to read the hours (unless you have hour meter which I don't think you have), I guess my question is how do you know theres 14hrs on it?

Get the wifey to pull up on the hood cable, while you lift the hood. Once it's up, theres a little adjustment nut try tighting it about an 1/8th turn at a time till you get it workin'.

Hope this helps and post back any further questions. Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the forum!!!

 

[charmz]

K don't stress or get buyers remorse first of all you got a good deal. Now these 4 tecs have sensors all over the place and it will illuminate a dummy light if she's getting too hot and an audible alarm will trigger. Get some coolant, and slowly poor it in until the reservoir is half full, hook up the garden hose to your pump and start it up. Keeping an eye on the resevoir. And also look for a coolant leak, it should be pretty obvious if there's coolant in the bottom of the bilge. If not the you have nothing to worry about.

Regarding the engine hours, did he tell you the hours? You need scanning tool to read the hours (unless you have hour meter which I don't think you have), I guess my question is how do you know theres 14hrs on it?

Get the wifey to pull up on the hood cable, while you lift the hood. Once it's up, theres a little adjustment nut try tighting it about an 1/8th turn at a time till you get it workin'.

Hope this helps and post back any further questions. Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the forum!!!

it has a hour displayed on the speedometer and states 14.

also i looked again, and underneath the swim deck kind of behind the ladder i see red/pinkish fluid which i assume is the coolant splattered around a bit.

i had a look in the jetpump as well as the intake grate and looked clean to me, tomorrow i am going to take pictures and you guys can be the judge...

i just easily fixed the bezel with some super glue to attach the broken clip, my main concern is this coolant level being empty and now this what seems like leak. is there anyway that the owner/maint person flushed the coolant out to be winterized?

any recommendation on a specific battery?

 

[charmz]

hook up the garden hose to your pump and start it up. Hope this helps and post back any further questions. Congrats on the purchase and welcome to the forum!!!

Forgive me, I have no idea how this is done or where i connect the garden hose to?

And thanks for the forum welcome everyone!

 

[BMANN06]

it has a hour displayed on the speedometer and states 14.

also i looked again, and underneath the swim deck kind of behind the ladder i see red/pinkish fluid which i assume is the coolant splattered around a bit.

any recommendation on a specific battery?

K, don't worry about the pink stuff, that is likely just RV antifreeze to prevent your bilge pump from freezing (I personally just remove the pump for the winter. Get some coolant and fill up the reservoir to half full, it will fluctuate a bit if its bone dry, but you want that reservoir to be half full.

Re: Battery ... get an Interstate Marine battery. I've found them reliable, easy to source and reasonably priced with a good warranty and reputation.

Forgive me, I have no idea how this is done or where i connect the garden hose to?

You've got some reading to do ... I recommend you read the user manual and become very familar with all the features and basic maintaince on your new rig. Your boat has a closed loop cooling system for the engine, but the exhaust system sucks up water and cools the exhaust manifold and basically entire exhaust system. On the pump at the back, up near the hull, on the top left hand side is your garden hose connector. You need to run the boat on the hose if your going to be running the motor on the trailer for anything longer than a15/30 seconds.

 

[charmz]

i have been reading, and the manual states if your boat "frequently requires coolant" it is a indication of a leak or engine problem.

for it to be completly empty, something has to be wrong...

as for the battery, i just want to get whatever canadian tire has that is best fit for my boat as i want to get this running asap to try and figure out if there is a problem so i can contact the seller before too much time passes.

which would be my best selection out of these...
http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/3/Batteries/MarineBatteries.jsp

 

[charmz]

im really start to wonder about this 14 hours stuff...and its keeping me up tonight thinking about it.

the boat is in good condition but there are a few wear items combined with this coolant (maybe) problem and broken gauge bezel that have me skeptical.... i just cant understand how it can be completly bone dry if there isnt something seriously wrong?!

the plastic cones that hold the seats in place are all bent out of shape and leave 2 of 4 seats loose. also the cabin shock that is supposed to hold the cap up does not seem to which indicates alot of use.

what are my rights in regards to this purchase? i really love the boat, just dont want to get scammed

is it possible to swap the gauge cluster by say buying one off ebay with lower hours? or maybe unplug it while the boat is running so the hours do not get clocked?

 

[BMANN06]

Hey Charmz

1. The hour meter is read from the ECU in these boats (very difficult to roll back), not the gauge cluster. But to be sure you could have the ecu read at a brp dealership.
2. Get some coolant in it and get it running to determine if it is leaking, its not likely that there is no coolant in the engine at all. Top it up and post back if its leaking. Should take all of about 10 minutes after coolant is topped up.
3. The plastic clips in the seats are (from my expereince) are a 1 shot deal. If you remove the seats its probably best to just replace the plastic retaining clips. They aren't expensive.
4. Sorry man not a lawyer, for the most part you own it espcially if the bill of sale states "as is"

I think your stressin' a bit too much,

 

[devonte007]

I agree with Bmann, the boat is probably fine and don't stress about this little things.

The pink stuff coming out of the rear of the boat is probably RV antifreeze and this is good, it means that it was properly winterized last fall.

The hour meter is probably correct, as they are difficult to roll back or change without the dealer computer system that is only available at authorized Seadoo dealers.

As far as the engine coolant reservoir being empty, I would not worry until you take it out and run it in the water. Part of the winterization process is to change the engine oil and coolant. Similar to replacing coolant in a car engine, even after you fill it up there will still be air pockets trapped all over the coolant system that won't work their way out until the engine reaches operating temperature and the thermostat opens. Then you always need to top it off because the water level will drop. In a boat, the only way to get the engine up to temperature would be to run it in the water. If the coolant was changed as part of the winterization process, it is doubtful they took it back out on the water to get all the air out. So... the air may have just worked its way out during the winter storage months and left the reservoir empty. Just fill the reservoir back up with a 50/50 mix of coolant and water, then keep any eye on it the first couple of times out in the water and top it off as necessary. If it turns out to be a problem we can cross that bridge when we come to it.

The seats on these boats are held in by those silly little clips and if you happen to pop one off (intentionally or by accident) they are a real pain to secure back down correctly. I made the mistake once of taking them off to clean underneath, and it tool lots of patience to get them back on correctly without breaking the plastic pins. Its nothing extraordinary, and just happens some times so don't worry about it. If you are mechanically inclined, you may want to take off the loose seats and try to re-anchor them properly.

You also mentioned that the gas struts that hold up the engine hatch and the storage compartment at the helm are not working. This is completely normal. I had to replace all the gas struts on my boat last year. They just wear out over time. I would say most of us have had to replace them at one time or another. Search the threads for 'gas strut' and you will find helpful info on where to buy them. It is not very expensive or difficult to do.

Just go get yourself a good name brand marine deep cycle battery, top off the fluids and hit the water for a test run. Let us know how it goes and we'll go from there. Post some pics too, good luck!

 

[murray5p]

Charmz;I have the 230 challenger and every spring the coolant is low from cold weather storage, the dealer said the hoses will seep a little at the connections from expansion contraction over the winter,there is antifreeze in the sump, BRP told my dealer this is not a problem with the clamps ( ya Right)so I top it up and no problem all summer. Now I believe there is a procedure to run it on the trailer with a garden hose.
#1 Start Engine
#2 Turn on water hose
To shut down
#3 Turn off water hose
#4 Turn off engine

This procedure is to stop flooding the engine with water, Now this is what I was told,and practice someone may want to chim in here to qualify this statement.
Now the lake test, maybe see if someone is around with and other boat that could come and tow you back if needed.
On these boats ,there is always little things to fix so don't sweat it and enjoy it.

 

[BMANN06]

Charmz;I have the 230 challenger and every spring the coolant is low from cold weather storage, the dealer said the hoses will seep a little at the connections from expansion contraction over the winter,there is antifreeze in the sump, BRP told my dealer this is not a problem with the clamps ( ya Right)so I top it up and no problem all summer. Now I believe there is a procedure to run it on the trailer with a garden hose.
#1 Start Engine
#2 Turn on water hose
To shut down
#3 Turn off water hose
#4 Turn off engine

This procedure is to stop flooding the engine with water, Now this is what I was told,and practice someone may want to chim in here to qualify this statement.
Now the lake test, maybe see if someone is around with and other boat that could come and tow you back if needed.
On these boats ,there is always little things to fix so don't sweat it and enjoy it.

Hi Murray,

Your procedure for running on hose is accurate, but this method is more tailored for the two strokes. As water actually goes through the cylinder head, and pressure in the engine can build up and seep through the rubber seals allowing water into the combustion chamber. With the 4tecs the water is limited to the exhaust manifold and water box. So technically excess pressure will just leak out the pump as there is no way of it actually entering the engine. But for what its worth no harm with either method on the 4tecs!! Two strokes be sure to turn on hose after engine running, then shut off hose first then shut down engine.

:cheers:

 

[murray5p]

Thanx BMANN06, good to know on the 4tec water will not intrude cylinders.So when being towing in the lake , its only the 2 stroke that needs the hose pinched off correct ? Sorry for the highjack charmz

 

[charmz]

So, big update....



I got a battery, installed today. Motomaster Nautilus.
I got new seat plastic plugs ($5 each), installed today. Huge difference.
I got the BRP premixed coolant, filled reservoir to half. Took 1L
Fixed the gauge bezel clip with some super glue. Reinstalled as oem.
Filled gas tank up. Used 94 octane gas.

Fired it up to make sure it ran, then head to the lake.
Got the boat in the water, started no problem and seemed to be running fine for 15 seconds.
Thats when a very rough/unstable/jumpy idle started to occur that ranged between 1600-2400 rpm.
I tried to wait it out a bit and give it some throttle with the same results, jerky poweless acceleration.

I decied to give it 10-15 mins on the water to see if somehow things would fix themselves for whatever reason with no luck!

Called the previous owner, who said he was going to find the reciept of the dealership that winterized the boat and meet me this weekend to try to figure this out. Said were going to try putting some new spark plugs in?

I also took some pics for you guys to be the judge...

 

[devonte007]

The rough idle you described can definitely be caused by bad spark plugs. I replace mine every year after the initial start up to burn off the fogging oil. Spark plugs are easy and cheap, let us know if this solves the rough idle. Did you ever give it any throttle while out there on the water? If so how did the engine perform at higher throttle ranges?

I also glad to hear that you fixed some of the other minor annoyances with no major problems. The pics of the jet pump look good and I can't see any problems, looks like new!

Keep us posted, good luck!

 

[charmz]

The rough idle you described can definitely be caused by bad spark plugs. I replace mine every year after the initial start up to burn off the fogging oil. Spark plugs are easy and cheap, let us know if this solves the rough idle. Did you ever give it any throttle while out there on the water? If so how did the engine perform at higher throttle ranges?

I also glad to hear that you fixed some of the other minor annoyances with no major problems. The pics of the jet pump look good and I can't see any problems, looks like new!

Keep us posted, good luck!

Yup i gave it throttle, and gave me the same jerky type unresponsivness like it was not getting power....
Something was clearly wrong! Im very dissapointed....
I watched the coolant level and it didnt move, but i was only out there for 10-15 mins so i dunno if it reached a hot enough temp...
No check engine lights or anything came up though?

Is there a DIY thread to change the spark plugs? Im mechincally inclined, just unfamiliar with the boating world.

ALSO... I cleaned the bilge area up wth a hot water pressure washer (no cleaners used), could maybe something of got wet (distributor) that wasnt supposed to? I do this on my cars every spring with no problems so i figured the boat should also not be a issue since its made to run in the water and the manual suggests washing with warm water every so often to remove engine fluids/gunk build up.... I never sprayed the engine directly just the surrounding hull area and a bit of the gas tank etc.

Honestly Im not the type of person to sit around and leave something alone when there is a problem. Buying this boat and not having it run correctly especially when its a very low hour machine is driving me crazy!

 

[El Toro 33809]

In regards to changing plugs, it would be just like any other engine. Get the right plugs, gap them properly, and install them. From the link of the jet drive photos, the boat has very low hours.

 

[cycleguy88]

my buddy's 2009 150 speedster did this same thing last summer. We don't even winterize anything here in Texas, but the plugs were still the problem. I think it's just part of annual service to just replace the plugs. Once we changed his plugs, which were extremely easy, it fired up and ran like new. You're not really describing anything out of the norm on your boat. It's a good boat, and you got a fair deal, so don't worry so much.

 

[seadooguynj]

im really start to wonder about this 14 hours stuff...and its keeping me up tonight thinking about it.

the boat is in good condition but there are a few wear items combined with this coolant (maybe) problem and broken gauge bezel that have me skeptical.... i just cant understand how it can be completly bone dry if there isnt something seriously wrong?!

the plastic cones that hold the seats in place are all bent out of shape and leave 2 of 4 seats loose. also the cabin shock that is supposed to hold the cap up does not seem to which indicates alot of use.

what are my rights in regards to this purchase? i really love the boat, just dont want to get scammed

is it possible to swap the gauge cluster by say buying one off ebay with lower hours? or maybe unplug it while the boat is running so the hours do not get clocked?

Where are you located at? I would be willing to go with you as an extra set of eyes and check out the coolant issue as well as the other stuff if you are somewhat near me?