Richmond, VA. 23231
Phone: 804 795-1213
FAX: 804 795-5801
©Kingsland Reach Marina 2010
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| General Boat Questions: |
Step one is to decide how many people you want to accommodate, once you decide your needs in that area then you can narrow it down; 5 to 8 people would put you in a 180 Challenger or 200 Speedster. Select between them based on performance and budget. If you will be going out with over 8 people then the 210 and 230 Challenger are the 2 to choose from. Both of those perform the same assuming you opt for the 430 HP or 510 HP package in the 230. For skiing and wakeboarding the 210 WAKE is easier to use because of the tower and walk through transom. One consideration is to decide whether you want to "be in the wind" or sit behind a windshield. Many people don't give that the thought it deserves, lots of cruising calls for a windshield, short distance travel for local skiing or boarding may aim you at a 150 or 200 Speedster for example. If skiing or boarding is not important then the 180 Challenger might be choices as it does not have a pop up ski pole as all of the other models do. Save room in the budget for toys and maintenance, total seasonal maintenance for a twin engine is under $400 and for a single engine under $300. Good luck and safe boating! Back to General Jet Boat Questions What are the 2010 boats like? I drove both the new 210 Challenger (430 HP) as well as the 200 Speedster with the 510 HP package and redesigned hull. The 210 is so impressive that we decided not to entertain becoming a Yamaha dealer any more even though the Yamaha has the 1.8 liter engines new for 2010. We believe the features and relatively massive cockpit of the 210 make it a "no brainer" to buy. The control center with the fly by wire throttle control make the boat a dream to operate regardless of which mode you are in. There is now a key and analog gauges bringing back the "big boat" feel while sitting at the helm. I believe the 310 HP will be perfectly acceptable for most users however the 430 HP package adds an incredible holeshot experience not normally felt in boats of this size. Speaking of incredible holeshot the 200 Speedster with the 510 HP package was amazing. There was a minor hull redesign with some stronger laminate that removes any tendency to porpoise and gives the new engines a stable platform. Top speed is still under 70 however the boat feels more like an RXP-X in straight line acceleration. There is an improved feel too as the new boats have rack and pinion steering. It is no longer 270 degree steering, it is now just over one turn lock to lock which allows more control at higher speeds and gets rid of the "dead zone" that the Teleflex system had. Innovation aside Sea Doo is obviously concentrating on the small things that keep the boat working well long into the future. It won't get much press but it certainly makes a better product for all of us to use and maintain. Back to General Jet Boat Questions We are considering buying a 230 Challenger with the small engines. Should we? Here is some input from both our customers and personal observation. The 230 Challenger works better all around with the 430 HP package. According to one customer who owned a 2007 with the 310 HP package and just picked up his 2009 SP with the 430 HP package the fuel economy at cruise is very nearly identical. The reason is that the 430 powerplant combo is turning just over 1200 RPM less at cruise not to mention the final drive is bigger offering more efficiency of thrust. I know this is contrary to what is published but I tend to believe what I see for myself and also what I hear from trustworthy people who have no agenda. If you run your boat at 3/4 throttle or above a lot then the SCIC or HO engines will consume more fuel that the NA version. Of course you will be doing it 15 to 20 MPH faster than the NA version! With respect to fuel we recommend mid grade for all engines especially if you are using ethanol blend which most are. You can run any Seadoo engine on 87 regular grade fuel, there will be a loss of top RPM on the HO engines however the engine is not hurt nor does it affect warranty. The same program that runs for the first 7 hours on the SCIC or HO engines which increases fuel flow and retards timing cuts in any time the spark knock sensors detect detonation. The bottom line is for runability and future resale value we recommend the 430 HP package. Back to General Jet Boat Questions I’m looking at a 1996 Speedster but the price seems high! It had a bunch of options listed that seemed they should have been standard equipment. The owner is simply listing the options that can be selected on www.nadaguides.com. Don't fall for it, as a dealer I must tell you that there is a very good chance that a lot of the parts are obsolete. For example Seadoo no longer has both steering cables for a 1996 Speedster, just one! I strongly recommend you hold out for a 2003 or later Sportster 4-TEC or 150 Speedster (both are the same hull). You will enjoy it more, run more efficiently, and spend less on maintenance as well. Back to General Jet Boat Questions I have a Seadoo bimini top and the plastic connector broke. The dealer had to replace the whole bimini. Why did they do that? The reason the plastic insert can't be replaced by itself is because it is crimped at the bimini top factory. The reason the bimini broke in the first place is because the dealer probably didn't tighten the set screws that hold the bow clamps in place. This allows the bimini to rotate just enough to break the mounting pieces off. The best thing to do is put the top up, rotate the plastic piece where the bows attach, and tighten everything in place. Make sure when it goes down it is not binding where it attaches to the boat. The top will work fine once it is adjusted and tightened correctly. Back to General Jet Boat Questions You guys seem to be the only dealer around who teach your customers how to drive in the boat! Anything strange ever happen on a delivery? A few years ago I took a customer out in a Speedster 160 with the 240 HP EFI engine. He wanted to use the boat primarily for fishing but he also said he wanted to see if the boat really had "brakes". Naturally I told him these boats were not designed for fishing but the "brakes" worked great. We went out into the channel after waiting for a tugboat to pass by. This was about 4 o'clock on a Saturday just after a bass fishing tournament ended next door. As luck would have it I misjudged the size of the rollers the tugboat had left behind. The nose of the boat buried itself under the next roller, there must have been 18" of water coming in over the bow along with 4 dead bass discarded after the tournament. The customer acted like nothing happened, looked over at me, looked down at the 4 floating fish and quietly said, "I thought you said this thing wasn't good for fishing. Hell, I don't even need to bring a pole"! Back to General Jet Boat Questions I am looking at a used 2005 Sportster LE DI at a dealer. The dealer told me it is superior to the newer version. What do you think? The model you are talking about has the direct fuel injected open loop cooled 2 stroke engine. 2003 and prior years had the same basic 947 block but the engines had carbs. 2005 was the last year for the Sportster series with that hull. Technology marches on...the 4 stroke Sportster 4-TEC as it was called in 2003 is a closed loop cooled 4 stroke engine mounted on a similar but superior riding hull. Fuel consumption is around 30% better than the DI engine and 40 to 50% better than the earlier carb models. The initial 2003 boat was only available in the 155 HP normally aspirated engine. The 215 HP SCIC model originally had a black hull compared to a yellow hull for the 155 HP version. The 215 HP engine is supercharged and has a 4mm larger diameter jet drive as well as a more durable jet pump housing. The current version called the 150 Speedster is the same hull with a few improvements in the dash board area as well as being equipped with digital gauges since 2007. Based on what is requested and what we sell most often you are better to get a Sportster 4-TEC or SCIC. The 4 stroke engines are quieter, more fuel efficient, less polluting, and offer superior ride, top speed, and out of the hole performance. Back to General Jet Boat Questions 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, 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:
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. Back to General Jet Boat Questions |
| General Personal Watercraft Questions: |
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, 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. Back to General Personal Watercraft Questions A passenger on my PWC suggested I tie up to another boat close to the “port side of his transom”. What does that mean?
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. Back to General Personal Watercraft Questions What type of oil should I use in my 1997 GTX? 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. Back to General Personal Watercraft Questions
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| Service and Technical Questions: |
The wear ring is a sacrificial piece of nylon/delrin which surrounds the impeller. Its function is to get torn up instead of the impeller. We charge around $185.00 including parts to replace a wear ring only assuming everything else is ok, the impeller cost alone is almost twice that. The symptoms you describe is cavitation, it literally means boiling of the water. In an older unit with the plastic housing allowing cavitation to continue may actually cause the wear ring to melt! The measurement to go by is .0013 (thirteen thousandths) between the wearing and impeller tip. Anything more than that after a new wear ring has been installed means the impeller will need to be replaced as well. Back to Service and Technical Questions How do I know if my Mercury boat and Seadoo XP-DI have enough power in the battery? One thing the DI engine and the 250 HP Mercury Optimax have in common is that they both need good voltage to run. The Mercury uses a belt driven alternator to charge the battery whereas a rectifier/regulator is used on the Seadoo. A neat trick is to keep a cheap voltmeter handy and check the charge rate at the battery on a DI. If it is dropping below 13.2 volts get back to shore before the battery gives out completely. Back to Service and Technical Questions I doubt you’ll answer this question but I would like to know why more and more Seadoo dealers won’t work on my older Seadoo but they will work on my new one! What gives? I will not try to second guess the business practices of another dealer but I can tell you that a lot of "highway dealers" have laid off their most experienced technicians and therefore got rid of the only people who even could work on your boat. Another issue is the fact that virtually no boat manufacturer can afford to stock parts for boats over ten years old. For instance, we tried to purchase a magneto cover for a 1998 GTX yesterday and the part is obsolete. There is no great conspiracy here, it is simple economics and all manufacturers are doing it. Keep in mind these are the worst economic times for boat manufacturers and dealers that have ever existed in our lifetimes. The good news is Seadoo appears to be well managed enough to stay in business during these times unlike every other jet boat manufacturer over the last 15 years except for Yamaha. As far as servicing we have no restrictions on age however we will not work on a Seadoo if it has an aftermarket short block such as SBT. We also do a preliminary diagnosis within 5 days of arrival and typically do not keep boats over 2 to 3 weeks depending on the work required. But thats just us! One other factor that has more of an effect on new boat owners is the warranty reimbursement policy which favors Platinum level dealers like us and penalizes non Platinum "highway dealers" like most are. The bottom line is desperation and lack of talent on the part of some dealers is causing you, the consumer, more inconvenience. The good news is that the marginal or bad dealers tend to go away in this type economic atmosphere. To sum up, bring your boat here, we'll fix it! Back to Service and Technical Questions We picked up our boat from our dealer, put it in the water (yes, the drain plugs were in), and discovered a lot of water in the engine area after only a few minutes. The dealer says they have no idea what is wrong. This is what makes me angry about "highway dealers" not putting boats in the water before a customer ever sees it! A simple water test would have prevented what could have been a catastrophe for you. The leak could be anywhere on the final drive however one thing we have found is the two siphon tubes normally used on a PWC sometimes pop off. Look at the tube locations inside the boat at the top of the drive. There should be a plastic tube connecting the two through hull fittings together. If that isn't it then it is probably on the final drive. Obviously the boat should not be used until it is fixed, bilge pumps may fail and then you are facing a real problem! Back to Service and Technical Questions When in neutral with the steering straight ahead the boat creeps ahead slightly. Should I adjust the idle RPM? Back to Service and Technical Questions I’ve been told to get rid of the oil injection system in my 1997 Doo personal watercraft. Should I? I'm sure there are those who will disagree BUT the oil pump on the 717, 787, and 947 2 stroke engines is a variable rate pump for a reason. At low speeds the typical 20, 25, 40 or 50 to 1 ratio premixed gas causes plugs to foul and at higher RPMs there is probably not enough oil resulting in seizures and burned pistons. Its not as bad in a personal watercraft as it is in a sport boat because sport boats typically idle more or spend more time in mid range. The oiling system is worth it primarily because over time it saves oil, and is cleaner for the environment. If you have a Rotax 2 stroke 717 or 787 engine and idle a lot you might want to switch to a NGK BR7ES plug instead of the BR8ES plug that is recommended for normal use. If you do a disproportionate amount of high speed driving then stick with the BR8ES plugs as they are colder. I am willing to bet that for every "success" story you have heard about switching to premix fuel we can give you 5 horror stories of either excessively fouled plugs or burned pistons. I'm just sayin' Back to Service and Technical Questions What is the normal position of the intake grate cleaning thingy on the 180 Challengers? The ICS system should be closed all of the way, i.e. flush with the bottom of the boat. There is a critical step to perform once you are very that the ICS is fully closed. Find the fuse to it and remove it from the boat! That is all there is to it, you will never have ICS problems again! Also, if the kids get bored, let them push the blue button for something to do without getting in trouble. I don't mean to trivialize the ICS system but Sea Doo stopped putting it on boats because of its unreliability and maintenance issues. Back to Service and Technical Questions 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, 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”;
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. Back to Service and Technical Questions 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, 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. Back to Service and Technical Questions 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, 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! Back to Service and Technical Questions What precautions if any do we need to take with the new Ethanol blend fuel? 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. Back to Service and Technical Questions What type of oil should I use in my 1997 GTX? 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. Back to Service and Technical Questions 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, 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. Back to Service and Technical Questions
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| Cleaning and Cosmetic Questions: |
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. Back to Cleaning and Cosmetic Questions |
