Who's into Sea Doos?

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

I picked up some mid 90s Sea Doo models, 2 strokes....before they went to 4 stroke. They tend to be easier to wrench on then the later models.....seems that there was a threat from the water quality people to ban them due to oil in the water cooled exhaust.

Anyone on the board who's knowledgeable? Looking to get a little more HP and not step on my winkie in the process.....

HardDrive · 07-05-2009, 02:34 PM

I drove a Honda Aquatrax 1200 turbo yesterday. Holy schit! The power was insane. 60 mph came up quick.

LakeCleElum · 07-05-2009, 02:58 PM

Pretty much the same as snowmobile engines. Some even put a Sea-Doo engine in their sleds.

For "reliable power", change the to aftermarket reed valves and exhaust. Can pick up an easy 10-14 hp. spending about $500.

Next, high compression heads. This is tricky on a snowmobile as your compression varies with altitude and temp. - both can vary a lot. On the water, it should be less of an issue.

Just like the 911, too much compression = detonation. Then, the long paddle back....

After that, find a shop that specializes in these for big bore kits, porting, etc....

Tim Hancock · 07-05-2009, 03:05 PM

Mike, a couple years ago I picked up these mid 90's 750's. They both do about 50 mph solo. Unless trying to travel long distance on smooth water, I really don't feel the need personally to make them any faster. Both have enough power to have fun in 2-4 foot waves on the great lakes. Other than jumping waves, I personally get bored real quick when running on smooth inland lakes and rivers. 10-20 mph additional speed would not make it any more fun long term IMO.

LakeCleElum · 07-05-2009, 03:49 PM

Tim - What kind of Snowmobiles you have. The windshield in the photo sez Polaris, the green stripe sez Artic Cat?

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

I bought them mainly for my teenagers....

Tim Hancock · 07-05-2009, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LakeCleElum

Tim - What kind of Snowmobiles you have. The windshield in the photo sez Polaris, the green stripe sez Artic Cat?

It is an old '88 Arctic Cat Wildcat 650 that I bought about 8 years ago for the rare occasion when we get a decent snowfall. Fast, but very HEAVY... My kids have gotten it stuck in drifts several times.

Pretty much all my toys are older machines bought for cheap then fixed up for occasional use.... A man cannot have too many toys or hobbies.

I always had an old clunker snowmobile as a kid.... Now as an adult, I can at least afford to fix them up correctly.

johnco · 07-05-2009, 04:17 PM

my seadoo isn't very fast, but you can drive to the station when you're getting low on fuel

LakeCleElum · 07-05-2009, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

It is an old '88 Arctic Cat Wildcat 650 that I bought about 8 years ago for the rare occasion when we get a decent snowfall. Fast, but very HEAVY... My kids have gotten it stuck in drifts several times.

Pretty much all my toys are older machines bought for cheap then fixed up for occasional use.... A man cannot have too many toys or hobbies.

I always had an old clunker snowmobile as a kid.... Now as an adult, I can at least afford to fix them up correctly.

Yep, Fast and Heavy, should work for your area...Very clean!

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

They have these things called "gas cans".....but whatever "floats" yer boat....

911boost · 911boost's Garage

I agree with Tim. There is nothing wrong with buying older.

With that being said, the left rear suspension on my 1996 Polaris Sportsman 4x4 will be coming apart tomorrow as I broke a u joint, which resulted in the axle litterally pummeling the bearing housing. It didn't help that I was 5 miles from where we were camping when it happened.

I will take some pictures and post em, its not a pretty sight.

Bill

sammyg2 · 07-06-2009, 07:36 AM

I have a couple of old waverunners: a waverunner III GP for the wife, it's got all the typical hipo mods. Mild porting, aftermarket head, pipe, flame arrestor, impeller, ride plate and intake grate.
Mines a 94 waveraider (purple bottom, one of the very first ones). it has a hand-laid fiberglass hull that is significatnly lighter than the SMC versions.
The hulls for this model were late being shipped so they contracted the maker of the yamaha racing hulls to make some until the heavier SMC hulls were ready. The bottom is also a lot more agressive than the later hulls.
It only weights about 375 pounds and can outrun almost any PWC from 0-50. When new it was the fastest PWC made but that was a long time ago.

It's also 100% trouble-free. A couple batteries, gas and oil. That's all it's ever needed. Never had the head off, it's never even fouled a plug in a whole bunch hours over the past decade and a half.
I picked it up when it was 1 year old for $1600. best money I ever spent and one of the most reliable machines I've ever had. I like the old stuff.

sammyg2 · 07-06-2009, 07:50 AM

The wife's motor last time it was out

Bill Douglas · 07-06-2009, 12:31 PM

Yikes, those nuts and bolts look hard to undo

sammyg2 · 07-06-2009, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Yikes, those nuts and bolts look hard to undo

With the engine out of the ski they're easy. Trynig to pull that exhaust while the engine is tucked deep down in the boat is almost impossible.

I rebuilt the top end in about 3 hours last time (including driving to buy the parts), but no way could I do it in the boat.