Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

[sailsmanship]

I am looking at buying a 2000 Seadoo GTX. Do you consider this a good machine? I thought I had read in a post somewhere in this forum that the 951cc motor was junk.

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

they have a reputation for grenading and usually smashing a rod through the cases, it seems to be the water ingestion problem due to the air intake setup,it is a wild engine when it runs I personally don't trust them but others may have a different opinion

 

[MrBill]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

I have a 1999 GTX RFI with 200 hours and several friends with ones both newer and older. None have experienced any horific problems, they've all been great. The 1999 (maybe 2000 too) tend to have an electrical problem which blows the regulator, newer models have the upgrade which costs about $400. The part is located right under the rear most seat and is easy to replace. It will cause the 12V charging system indicator to come on. Other than that no problems, except don't skimp on the 2-cycle oil, trust me...use the Bombardier synthetic for trouble free operation. The GTX model in my opinion is a great ski.

 

[fordworker]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

Are you only considering seadoos? what about kawasaki? I have had both the last two summers, and am liking the kawasakis more and more.

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

I just looked at a 951 di with low hours from an rx sea doo, it nearley cut the engine in 2 pieces the rod beat the front jug enough to cause the jug to crack. they scare me.

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

Jeff, the pic under your name appears to be a GTX, if it is why do you dislike them so much?

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

What kind of Kaws do you have? I own three Kawasaki MX'ers and love em. Maybe I should expand my horizons past Seadoo.

 

[msd58]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

I have 1998 GTX w/951 engine. Its seems fine to me I only have one season with it.

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

well it is 12 engines and 11 pumps is why, love the hull hate the drive train, I put 3 days a week on the water and it seems like all I do is try to figure out what the heck is wrong with the piece of junk when I use it it has ruined a ton of my riding time and I want to find a 99 gti with the 720 in it just because I hate this powertrain totally, and it is a huge gas hog, my wife has a 720 gti and it runs almoast as fast as mine with very few problems and uses half the fuel as mine, I burn hundreds of dollars worth of gas every month, I don't trust that ski as far as I can throw it. even now it is running real weak and there is no explination. A friend of mine has an identical ski he has the same opinion and same dislike for the engine etc, but the hull design is good just a little front heavy , I am currently looking for a non turbo honda aquatrax as the turbos fail in salt water use and even the mechanics warned me to steer clear of the turbos here in salt water, but the hull handles pretty well accept for the steering void in the first inches of turning, since I own a few patents for steering I have no issue with that I can make a honda respond instantly so Either I find a gti with the same hull I have now or I get a honda but this piece of garbage is DONE, plain and simple, I hate it!!!

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

Also on the 951 I spend all my time with jet skis I have a friend with a jet ski used parts company, I see the 951 engines grenaded all the time worse than the 787 engines, there is one there from a rx with direct fuel injection, it is almoast new, the front piston hatched so violently that the rod split the jug and the cases, he has a huge warehouse full of engines he has NOT A SINGLE 951 in one piece. all are destroyed . they love to ingest water. It seems a shame as they are a rock and roll engine when they run. My opinion of a 951 is you are flirting with disaster if you have one.

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

WoW!! Tell me how you really feel. I thank you for your imput. Well I am a stubborn S.O.B. but I will never! ever! look at a Honda 4-Stroke ever. Not because they are reliable and easy to maintain, but, because of emmisions, mfg's are being forced to put all their effort on 4-strokes. I don't know sh*#@*t about jet skis', but I know a whole lot about motocross bikes and what I see is the same. (tell me if I'm wrong).<br />All R/D is being put into 4/strk's because of future gov't regs' and 2/strk is becoming obsolete. 4-strokes are fine and require less maintenence than a two stroke but they are alot heavier(sometimes almost twice) and they have to resort to turbo to even think of keeping up. Alot of people in the motocross racing world are switching to 4/strk's<br />because the engineering behind them was starting to blow away the 2/strks. Not because they were more powerfull, but because a stupid rule that still stands in AMA that lets a 250cc 4-stroke compete in the 125cc class and a 450cc compete in the 250 class because in the 70's when the rule was made, technology on a 4-stroke was very primitive. With all that boring stuff said, one thing that is being found in the motocross world is that, yes, the 4-stroke is more dependable but when you wipe out a piston and crank in a 2-stroke it costs about 300.00 to get you back in business. If you wipe out a crank in a 4-stroke with up to 5 valves per cylinder, it will cost you about 3000.00 to get you back. Again with all that stuff that you don't care about said, and you don't like the 951, what ski would you reccomend. It doesn't have to be a Seadoo. But it has to be fast and nimble, and yes! 2-STROKE!

 

[Jeff Walkowiak]

Re: Any Good? Sea-Doo Gtx

well a 951 di rebuilt with a core exchange costs1400 plus shipping and gaskets etc, but I have seen no engine cases that did not get destroyed when the 951 comes apart,this price is a 1 year warr from sbt 2 year warr is 1650,,a 4 stroke sea doo 1600 plus core or 1850 with a 2 year warr same for a yamaha the sea doo intercooled sc is 2100 or 2350 with the ext warranty, so cost is not that big of a difference in that respect, fuel consumption is less on the 4 stroke, bottom end torque is a lot better with a 4 stroke, I would consider the 4 tec but not the sc or scic models they require premium fuel and have more reliability issues, plus some had a big problem with the pumps but that was corrected.My main fear with a 4 stroke is water getting on the exhaust valves if it is tipped or sunk, I have seen both things happen. I agree that a 2 stroke is easier to fix and I would rather stick with a 2 stroke, I don't really care about going fast 45 to 50 is fine for me. I look for hull design the gtx hull is one of my favorites the gs hull is my favorite 2 seater but the 720 sea doo engine with a couple of mods for the known weak spots in the design is all I really need, I also look for parts availability and there are millions of those around. I am really trying to find a 99 gti because it has the gtx hull with the 720 in it. not a race ski and a bit under powered but simple and reliable plus inexpensive on fuel and repair parts, a person could keep one of those running for a long time with little problems, isues are exhaust flange bolts are too small, easy fix there, motor mount problems still an easy fix there, carbon seal on the drive shaft, another easy fix for that, and an occasional problem with the rotary valve seals leaking oil in the engine, no real easy fix for that but a new crank with new seals will last for a long time at a price of 250 dollars. I like the rx hull but it has the 951 di engine and that engine scares me to death, just not reliable, and not inexpensive to fix .