Which boat to buy for skiing?

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copter

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Hey all. I'm new here and currently in the market for a reasonably priced boat solely for the purpose of skiing and tubing. I weigh 250lbs and want to be able to ski (incl. slalom) behind it with my wife and 2 kids on board (total weight for them is about 375 lbs).

I've done a fair bit of searching on the forums here to try and figure out which model bests suits my needs (and budget). I don't want to spend more than $4k. From the reasearch I've done, these models seem to be available locally and within my budget. Will any of them do the job I want them to?

1995-97 Speedster (twin 717 rotax for a total of 170hp) - I've talked to other owners of these and they seem to think it will be enough

1998-99 Speedster (twin 787 rotax for a total of 220hp) - I'm sure this is enough but starting to bust the budget a bit

2004 Sportster LE (single 947 rotax for 130hp) - I'd like to get this one but don't think it will have nearly enough juice for my fat butt

various model Challenger 1800s with the Merc V6 (I think it's about 220 hp)


Any help would be appreciated. Obviously I'd prefer to go with the larger dual engine configurations, but prices climb significantly on those. I don't envision this to be a long term purchase. I'm just looking to get my feet wet into boating and these seem like good starter options. Thanks.
 
Of those options, you will need the 98-99 Speedster I think. The 95-97 may work power wise, but I think the extra room and power of the 98-99 would suit you better. the weight rating of the 98-99 is 850 lbs including all people and gear. Sounds like you will be around 700. I am not sure what the earlier models are rated at. Plus the 98-99 has the pop up ski pole and 4 individual seats. Perfect boat for a family actually.
 
RFoster130 said:
Of those options, you will need the 98-99 Speedster I think. The 95-97 may work power wise, but I think the extra room and power of the 98-99 would suit you better. the weight rating of the 98-99 is 850 lbs including all people and gear. Sounds like you will be around 700. I am not sure what the earlier models are rated at. Plus the 98-99 has the pop up ski pole and 4 individual seats. Perfect boat for a family actually.
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Thanks. I'm not sure I can land one under $4k though. These are much harder to find as people generally hold on to these models a bit longer.
 
I have found a couple 2000 Speedsters within my budget. Which setup is better for my purpose? - the twin rotax 787s or the Merc V6 engine?
 
copter said:
I have found a couple 2000 Speedsters within my budget. Which setup is better for my purpose? - the twin rotax 787s or the Merc V6 engine?
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Power wise they are probably really close. The rotax might me slightly better. You will see conflicting opinions here, but for the most part, members tend to shy away from the Mercury powered boats. They are very costly to replace and repair engines. It can cost upwards of $5,000 for an engine where as a new rotax with a 2 year warranty is like 1200.
 
I'm willing to go anywhere within 500 miles. Obviously I'd prefer locally but the options are very limited here. Detroit seems to be my best market. The one you have linked has problems and being a first time boat owner, I'm not sure I want immediate problems (I know I'll create some of my own soon enough).

I'm going to look into this one:
http://detroit.craigslist.org/mcb/boa/1830637729.html

There's also this one:
http://boats.oodle.com/view/sea-doo-speedster-210-hp-mercury-v-6/2017984165-fairview-heights-il/

Just trying to research a bit to see which engine configuration is preferred (I see you've just given your opinion on it).
 
Even though its a Mercury motor, thats a good deal on the 2000. If you have a decent Mercury shop around, try calling them and see if they can handle working on it. Or read up here because the members who know those motors are very knowlegable.
 
Hey copter, im from hamilton too, I live up in pembroke area now but all my family is back in hamilton. Ive looked around ottawa area for seadoo boats and havent had alot of luck. Is there a good selection of used seadoos in the hamilton area? Im in the hammer once a month just wondering what sites your using? I checked out kjiji for that area and didnt have much luck. Do you know of any marinas that are selling new and used seadoos? I'll be in hamilton in a couple weeks for about a week and id love to be able to check some out.

anyhow, good lucky with your search,
 
Do you think the 2000 is better than the 98 though (assuming same price)? Like you said, the 98 seems to be the preferred option by most on the forums. I don't mind making minor repairs ($1000 or less) but if I get into a big repair early, it'll likely end my boating days in a hurry.

Buying online is such a PITA (and I do it all the time). The slow responses and lack of proper information from sellers is very discouraging.

I've not been able to make contact with either seller as of yet. I'll certainly let you know how I make out as things progress.
 
The worst thing you could do is buy any type of jet powered boat for skiing and tubing you will hate it. The spray is horrible while tubing to the point where it hurts just to ride and inside of the wake is so rough you will have a hard time to ski to the point where it is unenjoyable. Trust me your best bet is a older inboard ski boat or a stern drive try to stay away from the 4 cylinders for what you do a V6 would be a much better choice.
 
kosta24 said:
Hey copter, im from hamilton too, I live up in pembroke area now but all my family is back in hamilton. Ive looked around ottawa area for seadoo boats and havent had alot of luck. Is there a good selection of used seadoos in the hamilton area? Im in the hammer once a month just wondering what sites your using? I checked out kjiji for that area and didnt have much luck. Do you know of any marinas that are selling new and used seadoos? I'll be in hamilton in a couple weeks for about a week and id love to be able to check some out.

anyhow, good lucky with your search,
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There's very little in the area. I drove by this 2004 Sportster on the side of the road (I can't find it listed anywhere online). Prices are also a lot higher than in the US (about double actually).

What are you looking for specifically? Maybe I'll sell you this 2004 that I'll surely be done with in a couple of weeks. ;)
 
05GTXSC said:
The worst thing you could do is buy any type of jet powered boat for skiing and tubing you will hate it. The spray is horrible while tubing to the point where it hurts just to ride and inside of the wake is so rough you will have a hard time to ski to the point where it is unenjoyable. Trust me your best bet is a older inboard ski boat or a stern drive try to stay away from the 4 cylinders for what you do a V6 would be a much better choice.
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Hmm, I've obviously heard this before but I've also heard the opposite. I'm not sure if I want to spend the money that a non-jet boat will demand. I can't find anything under 15 years old in my area under about $9k.
 
I dont agree with the comment about tubing/skiing. I dont ski, but have a couple tubes. I have a huge 2 person tube and everyone loves it. I prefer the jet boat, no props around peoples feet when getting in and out.

They make a thing called a Booster ball made by Sportstuff. I just got one and it makes a huge difference. Best thing to use for towables. It keeps the rope up off the water.
 
copter said:
Hmm, I've obviously heard this before but I've also heard the opposite. I'm not sure if I want to spend the money that a non-jet boat will demand. I can't find anything under 15 years old in my area under about $9k.
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Craiglook.com
 
Be mentally prepared to spend a LOT of gaz in those twin engine. twin 787 are VERY fast but they are very thirsty. Merc would be a little better on gas but who knows?

I ski and tube with my speedster and it works perfectly. Just use a long enough rope to avoid the spray. But yes, it does not make a nice wake for skying, you'll have to rely on other boats for this. But the jetboat is very safe when it's time to retreive your skiier in water, you can't hurt him with the prop. There's also a nice ladder on the speedster and a good swim platform. an afternoon of ski/tubing will cost you about 100$ of gas if you're not too hard on it. But they are worth it in terms of fun. 4000$ for a decent 98 speedster is very cheap. I paid 8500$ for mine and it's in mint condition, 7000$ for good condition ones.
 
RFoster130 said:
I dont agree with the comment about tubing/skiing. I dont ski, but have a couple tubes. I have a huge 2 person tube and everyone loves it. I prefer the jet boat, no props around peoples feet when getting in and out.

They make a thing called a Booster ball made by Sportstuff. I just got one and it makes a huge difference. Best thing to use for towables. It keeps the rope up off the water.
Click to expand...

I use my challenger and speedster for tubing and skiing, with no issues, except it take a lot more effort to maintain speed and a striaight line with skiers, a good slolmem skier can really pull the boat side to side and faster/slower..

Oh and sucking up the rope with a jet boat sucks, but nothing about spray..
 
in my opinion, there's less chances to mess the rope with a jetdrive than a prop drive. since the intake is under the boat unlike being at the back, it's harder to hit the rope.
 
1998 Speedster

I have owned a 1998 Speedster with twin Rotax engines for 7 years! My grand children (up to the age of 25) have used it to pull 4 tubes with 4 or 5 people in the boat. It will pop a skier out of the water rapidly. There has never been any problem with spray nor wake, in fact you would have to do something to cause a suitable wake to wake board.
 
Watch out on craigslist

Hopefully, it goes without saying, but there are a lot of scammers on craigslist. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is. If you reply to any ad and get any story about the boat not being local, the seller with ship it to you with eBay invoicing or escrow services, move on. It's a scam. When looking for a boat, I can't count how many "local" ads I responded to like that. I'm amazed at how many people were being deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan and "didn't want the boat to sit"…yeah, save it, scammer.

If you find a boat going for much lower than the usual going prices, it's either got problems or the seller is a scammer. A motivated seller may lower the price some to get a quick sale, but nobody is going to cut the price in half (or further) when they don't need to.
 
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