General Jet Boat Questions
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“I have a 2 part question regarding ethanol fuel for Mercury engines, 1) is the fuel safe to use, and 2) will it degrade any components of the fuel system?” - Jim from Virginia

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Question:

“I have a 2 part question regarding ethanol fuel for Mercury engines, 1) is the fuel safe to use, and 2) will it degrade any components of the fuel system?” - Jim from Virginia

Answer:

Jim, according to Mercury the use of E-10 (10 % ethanol, 90% gasoline) fuel is perfectly acceptable for 1991 and later Mercury jet powered sport boats with plastic tanks made after 1991. There are some precautions to observe when you first start using the ethanol blended fuel known as “summer blend”;

•  Your first fill up should be done with about one quarter tank of fuel still remaining.

•  If you suspect there is water in the fuel tank the water must be removed. We would like to tell you that it is a simple test however after exhaustive research we can't find anyone that sells a testing kit for water in the fuel! Water can build up in a fuel tank if it was stored with less than a full tank over several months, you have purchased fuel from a questionable supply location, or you didn't change the fuel filter on a regular basis.

•  It is a good idea to replace the fuel filter and to have a spare on the boat initially just in case! The filter can be purchased from any Mercury Marine dealer.

At the end of the season either drain the fuel tank completely OR make sure it is COMPLETELY full AND has gasoline stabilizer added. Adding the stabilizer is a normal part of the Kingsland Marine “end of season annual maintenance”. Use good judgment when buying the fuel, keeping the tank filled, and storage procedures and your Mercury power plant will reward you with years of dependable service.

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General Personal Watercraft Questions
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“I'd like to get a key made for my 2003 GTX. My local dealer told me I had to bring the machine to the dealer to have a key made!” - Nick from Texas

“What type of oil should I use in my 1997 GTX?” - Don from Virginia

“A passenger on my PWC suggested I tie up to another boat close to the “port side of his transom”. What the heck does that kind of pirate talk mean?” - Sam from Illinois

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Question:

“I'd like to get a key made for my 2003 GTX. My local dealer told me I had to bring the machine to the dealer to have a key made!” - Nick from Texas

Answer:

Nick, your dealer is correct, all Sea Doo models except the Mercury powered sport boats use the D.E.S.S. ignition. The computer on board the boat is “taught” to accept the key. It's a good idea to make sure YOUR name is programmed into the computer. That way identification is much easier should the machine be stolen. This system was initially used starting in the mid 90s and is still used on Sea Doo personal watercraft and jet boats for 2006.

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Question:

“What type of oil should I use in my 1997 GTX?” - Don from Virginia

Answer:

Don, we recommend using Sea Doo oil only so here goes; all carbureted Sea Doo engines are deigned to run on either Sea Doo XP-S mineral oil or XP-S synthetic oil. The RFI and DI engines MUST use Sea Doo XP-S synthetic oil ONLY. For Mercury powered sport boats use Quicksilver Premium Plus in the 210 HP carbureted or 240 HP EFI engines. The 200 HP or 250 HP Optimax engines MUST use Quicksilver Optimax DI oil. For four stroke engines the 130 HP or 155 HP engines can use either 10W-40 mineral oil or 5W-40 synthetic oil. The 185 HP supercharged and 215 HP supercharged intercooled engines require 10W-40 mineral oil ONLY. DO NOT use synthetic oil in any supercharged or supercharged intercooled engines. Remember to follow the directions in the owner's manual for checking oil in your four stroke engine.

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_____________________________________________________

Question:

“A passenger on my PWC suggested I tie up to another boat close to the “port side of his transom”. What the heck does that kind of pirate talk mean?” ” - Sam from Illinois

Answer:

Well me laddie, feast your eyes at de pretty pitchure below, HAR!

As you can see the transom is the rear, the bow is the front (also known as the pointy end), the port side is the left side, and lastly the starboard side is the right side. Your specific example would have had you tie up to the left rear part of the other boat. By the way, this is the EXACT type of information that almost every safe boating course offers as well as basic navigation and, last but not least, rules of the road.

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Operation and Performance Questions
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“A passenger on my PWC suggested I tie up to another boat close to the “port side of his transom”. What the heck does that kind of pirate talk mean?” - Sam from Illinois

“I remember what you told me about what to do when unloading and loading my Islandia SE onto a trailer …. sort of. Would you go over that again?” - Joe from Virginia

_____________________________________________________

Question:

“A passenger on my PWC suggested I tie up to another boat close to the “port side of his transom”. What the heck does that kind of pirate talk mean?” ” - Sam from Illinois

Answer:

Well me laddie, feast your eyes at de pretty pitchure below, HAR!

As you can see the transom is the rear, the bow is the front (also known as the pointy end), the port side is the left side, and lastly the starboard side is the right side. Your specific example would have had you tie up to the left rear part of the other boat. By the way, this is the EXACT type of information that almost every safe boating course offers as well as basic navigation and, last but not least, rules of the road.

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_____________________________________________________

Question:

“I remember what you told me about what to do when unloading and loading my Islandia SE onto a trailer …. sort of. Would you go over that again?” - Joe from Virginia

Answer:

Joe, it is not surprising that some of the delivery information gets lost in the excitement of the moment! After all, we do go over a lot! Here are some pointers:

1 •  Before you leave home open the engine compartment and look around! Look for fluids in the bilge that don't belong. Depending upon the boat and how it is powered look for coolant, oil, gasoline, or excessive water. If you smell gasoline DO NOT PLAN ON STARTING THE BOAT UNTIL THE CAUSE IS DETERMINED AND REPAIRED.

2 •  ALWAYS make sure the drain plugs are in and the rear tie downs are removed. Disconnect the electrical connection between the trailer and the tow vehicle. Turn the battery switch on if so equipped.

3 •  Back the trailer into the water until the fenders are barely below water. NOTE this applies to average launching ramps. Depending upon how steep or shallow the ramp is you may have to vary how much of the trailer goes into the water.

4 •  Operate the blower for at least 4 minutes prior to starting.

5 •  BEFORE starting the engine turn the steering wheel to center and insure that the throttle is at idle position and the shifter in neutral. For single lever controls the lever should be pointing straight up. For Mercury equipped boats place the safety lanyard on the kill switch located near the shifter.

6 •  Start the engine and back the boat safely off the trailer.

7 •  GO HAVE FUN!

At the end of the day remember to check the oil levels in both 2 stroke and 4 stroke engines and refill as necessary before reloading onto the trailer. Take your time when loading the boat, you can either winch it onto the trailer or drive it on. Make sure the tie downs and safety chain is reinstalled and the battery switch is turned off if so equipped. This is a good time to open the drain plugs and check for any fluids that don't belong! Don't forget to fill up with fuel on your way home, condensation will form in a partially filled fuel tank.

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Cleaning and Cosmetic Questions
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“What should I use to clean the seats on my brand new Speedster 200?” - Michelle from Ohio

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Question:

“What should I use to clean the seats on my brand new Speedster 200?” - Michelle from Ohio

Answer:

Michelle, you should use Vinyl Finish Vinyl Cleaner, Dawn or Ivory Dish Soap, Fantastik, 3M Citrus Cleaner, or 303 Protectant. You should NOT use 409, Murphy's Soap, Simple Green, Armor All, Top Kote Sealant, Clorox Clean Up, bleach or baking soda, Orange 88 degreaser, or Turtle Wax/Tar Remover. Apply one of the approved cleaners in the shade, let sit for ten minutes then scrub with a soft bristle brush. For specific stains refer to the chart below.

The best treatment of all is to keep the boat dry while the cover is on. If a boat is dry when the cover is placed on it then mildew won't be a problem.

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Service and Technical Question
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“My husband wants to know what we have to do to get our Sugar Sand Oasis ready for the 2006 season. Our local dealer told us we need to bring it in for what call “de-winterization”. What is that?” - Joan from North Carolina

“I used my 2005 Sea Doo Challenger 180 a few weekends ago. The battery was very low by the next weekend. What caused the battery to go down?” - Mark from Virginia

“What precautions if any do we need to take with the new Ethanol blend fuel?” - Pam from Virginia

“I'd like to get a key made for my 2003 GTX. My local dealer told me I had to bring the machine to the dealer to have a key made!” - Nick from Texas

“What type of oil should I use in my 1997 GTX?” - Don from Virginia

“I have a 2 part question regarding ethanol fuel for Mercury engines, 1) is the fuel safe to use, and 2) will it degrade any components of the fuel system?” - Jim from Virginia

_____________________________________________________

Question:

“My husband wants to know what we have to do to get our Sugar Sand Oasis ready for the 2006 season. Our local dealer told us we need to bring it in for what they called “de-winterization”. What is that?” - Joan from North Carolina

Answer:

Joan, since you had your boat winterized with us all you have to do is charge the battery, reconnect the positive battery lead and go have fun! We made sure your oil reservoir and fuel tank were full. We also added gasoline stabilizer and changed the final drive oil as well as added environmentally safe anti-freeze to the engine or engine exhaust and intercooler. If you didn't see us last fall then check your fuel, oil, final drive oil, and the battery. Make sure all are full or fully charged. Remember that you use Quicksilver DI oil specially formulated for the Optimax engine. The other Mercury engines use Quicksilver Premium Plus. For Sea Doo owners all of the same rules apply except that the DI and RFI two stroke engines require XP-S synthetic oil whereas the non fuel injected engines require XP-S mineral oil. The four stroke Sea Doo engines use 10W-40 mineral oil for the 185 HP supercharged or the 215 HP supercharged intercooled engines. The 130 HP and 155 HP engines can use either 10W-40 mineral or 5W-40 synthetic oils. Sea Doo PWC or jet boat owners that didn't have us winterize the boat should change either the jet pump oil (two strokes) or the final drive grease (four strokes) as well. If we did your annual maintenance then all that would have been done! At the risk of offending other dealers there is no need to de-winterize a boat IF it was properly prepared for winter storage.

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_____________________________________________________

Question:

“I used my 2005 Sea Doo Challenger 180 a few weekends ago. The battery was very low by the next weekend. What caused the battery to go down?” - Mark from Virginia

Answer:

Mark, we have to be careful not to diagnose problems without seeing the boat first however there are two things that seem to occur most often. The reason that happens the most often is that you forgot to turn the battery switch to the off position. Your boat has a Clarion radio, it draws two tenths amphours even with the radio off! For ANY radio equipped 2005 or 2006 Sea Doo jet boat you MUST turn the battery switch to the OFF position. For 2004 or earlier Sea Doo jet boats with the JBL or Seaworthy radios the radio does not draw that amperage. It is still a good idea to turn the battery switch to the off position. For Sugar Sand owners the same thing applies, get into the habit of turning the battery switch to the off position if your boat is so equipped.

The second usual cause is the bilge pump is working because rain water is somehow getting into the bilge. Remember that the bilge pump is automatic and will operate even if the battery switch is off in either Sea Doo or Sugar Sand jet boats. Remove the drain plugs after the boat is on the trailer to prevent excessive operation of the bilge pump. Don't forget to put them back in before the next launching!

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_____________________________________________________

Question:

“What precautions if any do we need to take with the new Ethanol blend fuel?” - Pam from Virginia

Answer:

Pam, the fuel you are mentioning is sometimes called “summer blend”. Although the owner's manual specifically mentions NOT using alcohol, methanol, or naphtha blended fuels there is no mention of the 10% ethanol blend being forbidden. As with any fuel make sure the fuel tank is free of water, dirt, or any other foreign substances. Also be sure to use the recommended fuels for your engine. For the USA Sea Doo recommends 87 octane regular unleaded fuel for the normally aspirated engines and 93 octane premium unleaded fuel for the supercharged or supercharged intercooled engines.

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_____________________________________________________

Question:

“I'd like to get a key made for my 2003 GTX. My local dealer told me I had to bring the machine to the dealer to have a key made!” - Nick from Texas

Answer:

Nick, your dealer is correct, all Sea Doo models except the Mercury powered sport boats use the D.E.S.S. ignition. The computer on board the boat is “taught” to accept the key. It's a good idea to make sure YOUR name is programmed into the computer. That way identification is much easier should the machine be stolen. This system was initially used starting in the mid 90s and is still used on Sea Doo personal watercraft and jet boats for 2006.

Return to Service and Technical Questions
Return to Mr. JetBoat Home

_____________________________________________________

Question:

“What type of oil should I use in my 1997 GTX?” - Don from Virginia

Answer:

Don, we recommend using Sea Doo oil only so here goes; all carbureted Sea Doo engines are deigned to run on either Sea Doo XP-S mineral oil or XP-S synthetic oil. The RFI and DI engines MUST use Sea Doo XP-S synthetic oil ONLY. For Mercury powered sport boats use Quicksilver Premium Plus in the 210 HP carbureted or 240 HP EFI engines. The 200 HP or 250 HP Optimax engines MUST use Quicksilver Optimax DI oil. For four stroke engines the 130 HP or 155 HP engines can use either 10W-40 mineral oil or 5W-40 synthetic oil. The 185 HP supercharged and 215 HP supercharged intercooled engines require 10W-40 mineral oil ONLY. DO NOT use synthetic oil in any supercharged or supercharged intercooled engines. Remember to follow the directions in the owner's manual for checking oil in your four stroke engine.

Return to Service and Technical Questions
Return to Mr. JetBoat Home

_____________________________________________________

Question:

“I have a 2 part question regarding ethanol fuel for Mercury engines, 1) is the fuel safe to use, and 2) will it degrade any components of the fuel system?” - Jim from Virginia

Answer:

Jim, according to Mercury the use of E-10 (10 % ethanol, 90% gasoline) fuel is perfectly acceptable for 1991 and later Mercury jet powered sport boats with plastic tanks made after 1991. There are some precautions to observe when you first start using the ethanol blended fuel known as “summer blend”;

•  Your first fill up should be done with about one quarter tank of fuel still remaining.

•  If you suspect there is water in the fuel tank the water must be removed. We would like to tell you that it is a simple test however after exhaustive research we can't find anyone that sells a testing kit for water in the fuel! Water can build up in a fuel tank if it was stored with less than a full tank over several months, you have purchased fuel from a questionable supply location, or you didn't change the fuel filter on a regular basis.

•  It is a good idea to replace the fuel filter and to have a spare on the boat initially just in case! The filter can be purchased from any Mercury Marine dealer.

At the end of the season either drain the fuel tank completely OR make sure it is COMPLETELY full AND has gasoline stabilizer added. Adding the stabilizer is a normal part of the Kingsland Marine “end of season annual maintenance”. Use good judgment when buying the fuel, keeping the tank filled, and storage procedures and your Mercury power plant will reward you with years of dependable service.

Return to Service and Technical Questions
Return to Mr. JetBoat Home

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