# Tracker Seadoo Jet Jon Build



## bdeemo (Apr 23, 2015)

Hey Guys, so I didn't realize how many jet jonners there was on here. I thought it would be cool to post my build. I started in July last year, but then had to go to college for my last semester, and got busy with other stuff. Last week, though, I picked up my project again and I'm getting really near the test run. I've done a lot of work on this thing, and now its not that its not going to work, I'm going to MAKE it work one way or another. Wayyy too far in it now, but its crazy I haven't ran the thing yet. 

I'll post some pics up and keep you guys content to view.


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## bdeemo (Apr 23, 2015)

Here is my boat, a 2005 1448 tracker grizzly... I use it to go bowfishing, hence the front deck



And work begins ripping out the guts of the boat






I was able to sell that 25 horse evinrude long shaft for $800 with the controls


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## bdeemo (Apr 23, 2015)

The donor ski: a 1995 seadoo xp. I picked it up on craigslist for $250. (Ran the numbers and surprisingly it wasn't hot) but it had no title, which was no big deal to me. For those of you who are not familiar... this year make model has the 720 rotax engine, a beast of a two stroke two cylinder, which makes a mean 85hp at only 85 lbs! This is crazy when comparing to my outboard, 115 lbs at 25hp.

I took the ski to the lake the day I bought it, and was happily scooting around at 55 mph. It ran FLAWLESSLY. Man did I get a steal. The guy was really hurting for money and had it up on craigslist for $550 and I was able to chew him down to $250. This was the entire reason I started this build.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Apr 23, 2015)

How did you get those tools to hang upside down like that - JK!


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## Capt1972 (Apr 23, 2015)

Are you from Australia?


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## bdeemo (Apr 23, 2015)

CedarRiverScooter said:


> How did you get those tools to hang upside down like that - JK!


Haha!!! So frustrating. They actually come up like this because apparently my iphone was upside down when I took them


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## bdeemo (Apr 23, 2015)

Capt1972 said:


> Are you from Australia?


Northern California


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## bnt5 (Apr 23, 2015)

I thought the Orient was upside down....ya know if you dig deep enough a Chinese person will come out of the hole ...so much for that reasoning! 

I will watch this build since I want to build another based on the tracker grizzly hull, they seem to ride nicely and are reasonably priced.


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## bdeemo (Apr 24, 2015)

Guys, I'm sorry about the upside down pics but don't have a way to change them right now with my pc situation. I took them all a long time ago before I realized they were upside down haha

Oh man.... that back bench was a real PITA to get out!!!! I remember it taking me hours.



All cleaned up, pressure washed and ready for transformation. This was a really cool experience for me, having a "blank slate" for which I could completely customize my boat. Doing everything and having everything exactly where I wanted it. I've used this boat long enough to know exactly where it handles weight the best. Having my boat for bowfishing, my weight distribution needs to be much different than most boats. When we bowfish, its usually my brother and I standing on the front deck trolling around... this is 90% of what we are doing. First of all, my front deck is all aluminum for weight, so it weighs about 80 lbs. Put that, and my brother and I on the front of the boat and thats about 450 lbs on the nose of the boat. In order to counterbalance the weight, we needed to have everything as far back as possible. Batteries and gas tank were in the VERY rear, and that was the best setup that I found. It wasn't only the way that we fished, but the design of the hull. There is much more surface area touching the water in the rear, so the front naturally sits low. 




Hacked the ski in half, mostly using a sawzall, but a grinder in some places. I had to be careful to not cut any wires/fuel lines etc.






The intake/motor mount I was able to cut out a little large, and I trimmed as needed later


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## bdeemo (Apr 24, 2015)

Some more background: Sorry that I'm jumping all over the place, just trying to get this posted so you guys can see it. In bowfishing, all we chase here in nor cal is carp. Carp like to hang out in shallow areas, such as sloughs, swampy rivers etc. These places are really hard to get to, and we were not able to make it to a lot of them with our 25 horse outboard. The 25 horse outboard would plane out my brother and i with all of our gear at about 25mph. That felt really fast in a little boat, kind of scared of what might happen now!!! haha. 

So I decided to use this method: cutting a hole in the boat, dropping in the existing jetski hull, sealing up with 3m 5200 and 1/4" ss bolts. 
Of course after reading a lot of threads of jet ski jons such as psg's and ranchero's. 

The most helpful thread I found was Ride_Klein's as it was the most similar application to my method of installation. Thanks man your thread helped so much!

Onto the build: Placed the cutout for the jet pump housing / motor mounts in the boat about where it would sit.







Cut the hole in the boat, started smaller than I needed then worked my way out. Measure 3 times, cut twice. haha. Scarrry



Transom from the inside. Had to hack up the bracing, for those of you considering doing this on a tracker grizzly, prepare for a PITA with the transom, those things are STRONG


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## CedarRiverScooter (Apr 24, 2015)

Looks good, your MV will perform much better than a straight flat bottom.


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## bnt5 (Apr 25, 2015)

please let us know how the boat performs, very interested in this hull design.


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## bdeemo (Apr 25, 2015)

Had to do a lot of trimming, both on the fiberglass ski hull, and on the aluminum jon hull. 

This is how it looked from underneath





My man Rory from work. helping out with the trimming and fitment




Now that we had the ski fitting in the hole how we liked it, it was time to make a flange. Layed down some tape on the boat hull


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## bdeemo (Apr 25, 2015)

Lots of tape and shims, getting it RIGHT to where we wanted it. I made the entire ski hull a tiny bit lower than the boat. This allowed me to easily make a more natural spoon to help with cavitation. I'll show that later.






Once it was set, we used the tape to act as a barrier to stop our bondo glass from going any further(like a dam) We made this dam on the inside of the boat all the way around the fiberglass insert, then just shoved bondo glass into the hole from beneath the boat, letting it dam up on the tape and create a flange. We also put down a flat piece of aluminum and glassed over the top of it later, and used bolts.

Flipped the boat over the next day and filled the bottom side with bondo glass


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## bdeemo (Apr 25, 2015)

As you can see from above^ those of you who are thinking of using this hull for a jet jon, the hull seems to be the perfect hull. No center keel is a big advantage. I don't expect my boat to cavitate. It seems to have been MADE for this!!!


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## bdeemo (Apr 25, 2015)

Now that I had the shape I wanted... it was time to sand the whole thing a little low to make room for the fiberglass to go over it for strength.





Now time to fiberglass... one side here:


other side:



I did a couple of coats of glass.


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## bdeemo (Apr 25, 2015)

Next up: I cleaned up the fiberglass piece, (Got too messy with the resin ill admit) had to scrape a bunch of resin off and sand down the whole thing so it was ready to adhere. Then cleaned the whole thing with wax and grease remover, and ground down the boat real well / cleaned very good. Next we just layed a thick bead of 5200 around the whole thing(went through 6 tubes of the stuff) and set the fiberglass in / tightened our 1/4" stainless bolts/nylocs. The bolts squeezed out the caulking really well so we knew we had a good seal. I found that the cheapest place to buy 5200 was at lowes for like $12 a tube.






Forgot to show a pic of this: I also took some aluminum angle, cut one side of it in two places, and bent it / welded it around the hole in the transom for a flange to work with bolting/glueing on the jet pump housing. Heres how it turned out:


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## bdeemo (Apr 25, 2015)

Water test time! About a week later i threw it in the pond, found two main leaks. 

On each corner of the jet pump housing. (Which means it was seadoo's fault, not mine!


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## bnt5 (Apr 25, 2015)

You might want to consider glassing the bottom of the jetski hull to the aluminum boat hull. I found that the amount of stress placed on the splice between both hulls is pretty tremendous and will want to separate with time. I used 3 layers of 20oz fabric epoxied to the bottom of both hulls to strengthen the joint and give an extra thick layer of protection in case of bottom collisions. Just a suggestion, and you might be perfectly fine with the 5200 and carriage bolts but the fiberglassing is always an option down the road.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Apr 25, 2015)

looking great!

I'm in the camp that fiberglassing to aluminum won't hold up, at least up in the north woods. The thermal expansion rates of Al & plastic are drastically different. The best plan is to have an elastic joint that can handle the resultant shear forces (such as 5200).

I was going to use 'Marine Tex' to bond my ski insert to the alum hull but the guy at Marine Tex said it would crack eventually.


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## bnt5 (Apr 25, 2015)

I fiberglassed my jetski hull to the aluminum on my jetjon and it is incredibly strong. I tried removing the epoxy from a section of aluminum that was not prepped and ended up using a grinding wheel and 15 minutes of labor to get it off, needless to say I was sufficiently impressed. If the aluminum is prepped correctly ie.. sanded with 80 grit sandpaper then cleaned with acetone the bond using epoxy is permanent. I would not utilize a fiberglass bond as my only means of jetski attachment, but used in conjunction with adhesive caulking and mechanical fasteners it just becomes another safety layer in the build....and its really easy to do.

In all honesty my next build will be welded in, no mechanical failure, no sticky caulk covered fingers...all I need is a $1200 tig welder!!


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## bdeemo (Apr 26, 2015)

bnt: I have no doubt that fiberglass adheres to aluminum very good, almost too good.. but I agree with Cedar that the expansion rates are wayy different. I think that no matter how good it adheres to the aluminum, the bond will always be broke over time of expanding and contracting. I just didnt want to have to redo anything, so I left the structural bond to 5200. I did fiberglass to aluminum in a lot of places though.


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## PSG-1 (Apr 27, 2015)

Nice work so far! You're right, the lack of a center V will probably cut down on cavitation. 

Knowing what I know now, I would have repaired my hull with a 3" or 4" wide piece of 1/4" flat aluminum stock, instead of using 
2 1/2" angle.


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## bdeemo (Apr 28, 2015)

Just did my first test run, so I need to continue updating this so you guys can hear about it

Mounted the engine


Mounted the jet pump


I puttied / smoothed the front of the jet pump intake, with about three feet of perfectly smooth flat primered surface before the intake I don't expect cavitation.


I purchased some beavertail float pods for $200 from cabelas, they were the medium size... prepped to weld them on:


welded em on


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## bdeemo (Apr 28, 2015)

PSG-1 said:


> Nice work so far! You're right, the lack of a center V will probably cut down on cavitation.
> 
> Knowing what I know now, I would have repaired my hull with a 3" or 4" wide piece of 1/4" flat aluminum stock, instead of using
> 2 1/2" angle.



Thanks PSG, I'm glad you replied to my thread! You seem to be like a walking encyclopedia on jet ski jons!


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## PSG-1 (Apr 28, 2015)

It's a labor of love, for sure. But in the end, it's well worth the effort! 

While you're at this point, you might want to go ahead and route the exhaust into the jet tunnel, then put rubber skirting around it. You'll be amazed at how much this will reduce your sound signature.


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## bdeemo (Apr 28, 2015)

Boxed the engine in for strength


Created a little steering box with 5/8" stainless rod, welded to itself in a T at the bottom, and a couple of bolt on needle bearings, which mounted to a 1/8"(2x6x12) aluminum rectangular tubing. I cut a channel in the top for the rod to slide freely in, and I drilled a hole in the stainless rod and bolted the jetski steer cable on it. (when I test ran the ski this worked great) Luckily my boat had sliding rail system for bolts, so I adjusted the slack really easily as I could move the entire box as I wanted forward and back and tightened it down.



This is the first version of a deck I tried, with a refurbished road sign. It didn't work out. it was too thin and when I welded it, got all warped to heck.


Ok, I totally ran out of pictures!!! I need to take more, I've done so much more work to this thing, and as I said did my test run two days ago. I'll update soon. Try to take some pics after work


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## bdeemo (Apr 28, 2015)

PSG-1 said:


> It's a labor of love, for sure. But in the end, it's well worth the effort!
> 
> While you're at this point, you might want to go ahead and route the exhaust into the jet tunnel, then put rubber skirting around it. You'll be amazed at how much this will reduce your sound signature.



Ah I already routed that to the side, pointing at the water using the jetski's original exhaust port. Honestly it's not that loud! Way quieter than my outboard, I love the sound.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Apr 28, 2015)

Wow that engine bracing looks great! I hope you got that metal wholesale. I was having to get my angle at big box retail price, ouch.


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## amk (Apr 29, 2015)

I think the pods are a good addition. I know I'm glad I have them.


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## PSG-1 (Apr 29, 2015)

bdeemo said:


> PSG-1 said:
> 
> 
> > It's a labor of love, for sure. But in the end, it's well worth the effort!
> ...



I thought the same thing when I built mine. It sounded pretty wicked. But, trust me, after a while, you won't like it so much. You'll be wanting to make it quieter.

Good news is that it's still not too late to do a little modifying to make it quieter. Where the exhaust exits the boat, you could fabricate a small box/tunnel to fit around the exhaust hole. Basically 4 sides, with the front side attaching to the boat, (create a flange, and rivet it to the boat) and the back end open. Make it about 4-6" longer than the transom, but don't have it sticking out any farther than the steering nozzle of your jet pump.

Make a flange around the rear opening of the box, using some aluminum angle, and rivet it in place. Then, take some thick rubber, and make some skirting to fit the opening of that box. Since it's a little different that routing it through the jet unit tunnel, I would make it where the bottom edge of the skirting is the flexible part. Attach the rubber skirting using SS bolts with washers.

This will work almost as effectively as routing it into the jet tunnel.


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## bnt5 (Apr 29, 2015)

So how does she run? Inquiring minds want to know...

Did you get a chance to test the boat without pods first to see what difference they made?

Looking good!


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## Ranchero50 (May 3, 2015)

Looks good. Just remember to not bury the motor under covers. Doing a starter replacement on these motors sucks on a good day and the armatures corrode fast.


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## bdeemo (May 4, 2015)

bnt5 said:


> So how does she run? Inquiring minds want to know...
> 
> Did you get a chance to test the boat without pods first to see what difference they made?
> 
> Looking good!



Did not get a chance to test the pods before the jet conversion! 
Ok.. I'll just tell ya guys. I need to take more pictures but heres how the test run went:
My brother and I took it down to the local lake, after some trouble starting it(hadn't ran in a year) I finally got it started with some starter fluid to the air box. Then it was really purring, running great. We took it to the buoys at idle, and tried to hammer the throttle from there. With just me, my bro, and his 120 lb wife, we couldn't plane it. It was really lugging. I'm gonna totally blame the impeller. It really is a heavy boat with all the batteries and stuff. I could tell it couldn't get into high rpms(I took off all my gauges including the tach) Anyway after about a minute of lugging it, the motor finally died, and seized. (wouldnt even turn over with plugs out)I was able to get it unseized with some marvel mystery oil in the cylinders overnight... I then flushed out that oil and checked compression: 120 and 125. I figured I might as well just hone the cylinders and put in new rings. I took the engine apart and the cylinders look pretty good! It's the stock cylinders which is good. I'll do a quick hone and rings, new gaskets and just mostly a top end clean up. One of the pistons has two pretty noticeable gouges in one side, but I think they'll be alright. Engine work is waiting on parts. I had a small leak on the fiberglass portion of my hull that I need to seal up now while I have the engine out. I also ordered a skat-trak 15-20 swirl impeller to replace my stock 17-25

pics coming soon!


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## bdeemo (May 4, 2015)

Ranchero50 said:


> Looks good. Just remember to not bury the motor under covers. Doing a starter replacement on these motors sucks on a good day and the armatures corrode fast.



Yep just burnt one up! Haha, I was able to replace it fine with the engine in there(blindly ill admit for the bottom bolt)


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## bdeemo (May 12, 2015)

Here is the back deck/engine cowling I made. Broke the front and sides to fit over with a lip and welded a piece of 3/16" angle aluminum on the back. for the hinges to weld to.

.100 aluminum. 



For the hinges, took aluminum pipe 1/8" and cut into three pieces. one welded to boat in middle, and other two to deck on sides. then put stainless rod though the three pieces. made two hinges.


Fuel selector, choke, throttle, kill switch, vts


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## bdeemo (May 12, 2015)

Also made this hasp latch. The swivel piece I just bought at the hardware store, but just took some extra 1.00 plate I had and bent it and cut a hole in it and riveted on for the latch. worked great!!


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## bdeemo (May 12, 2015)

Top end is finished. I took it apart, everything looked great. honed cylinders and put new rings in. Sorry I forgot to take pictures. It looked almost brand NEW in there. I think the reason it seized was because the back end was too far out of the water to pump the coolant. Anyway, STILL waiting on impeller from Skat-trak. Called Glenn and apparently it got lost on the assembly line. He quickly straightened it out and got it shipped that day, friday. Should be here today, tuesday. While I was waiting over the weekend I decided to paint the boat while the motor was out.


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## bdeemo (May 12, 2015)




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## CedarRiverScooter (May 12, 2015)

Looking good! What kind of paint are you going to use?


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## bdeemo (May 14, 2015)

CedarRiverScooter said:


> Looking good! What kind of paint are you going to use?


Used automotive paint. Urethane primer / dry base silver / multi panel clear coat

Question: Do I need to vent my engine compartment for fuel fumes? How should I do that if so? A Blower?


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## PSG-1 (May 14, 2015)

bdeemo said:


> Question: Do I need to vent my engine compartment for fuel fumes? How should I do that if so? A Blower?




Inboard engines are required to have a blower and compartment ventilation as per USCG regs. I installed mine by cutting a hole with a hole saw just small enough that the blower fits very tight from underneath. Also, I welded an aluminum angle bracket to the underside of the deck for an attachment point of the blower bracket.

Then I fabricated a cowl to fit over it, with a small slot for the opening, elevated off the deck about 2 inches to keep water from running in there. The slot faces forward, so that air is forced in there as the boat is underway. 

For the vent that lets air escape, I have a small ramp-shaped duct about 2 inches high, that faces rearward. Because of the height of the fuel tank and fuel pump, and the wire hookup, I didn't have enough clearance to set it under the deck. Hence, the dual-purpose vent/clearance modification.

Here's a picture, for visual reference. Vents are to the port side (right side of the photo) The larger one at the rear is the blower, and the smaller ramped one at the front is the vent. Pay no attention to the faked-down coil of black dock line, LOL


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## bdeemo (May 26, 2015)

Thanks PSG. I might do a blower soon. Do you think I run the risk of overheating with my engine compartment? or overpressurizing?

More pix of paint:


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## bdeemo (May 26, 2015)

New impeller finally came from Skat-trak. It got lost on the assembly line, so I called Glenn and he cleared it right up and got it shipped the same day I called him. I went with a 15/20 stainless swirl impeller to replace the 17/25 stock impeller. It ran me around $300. It came with the rubber boot seal for the impeller and the splined removal tool. I bought a wear ring off of ebay for $20. Make sure to get a wear ring with the lip on the end, the other ones don't seal very well if you get the really cheap ones. (Or so i was told) 

Impeller install was fairly easy... hardest part being the removal of the wear ring. For those who want to replace a wear ring, the white/clear part of the jet pump surround is actually part of the wear ring too. I had a hell of a time trying to take just the black off, and was kicking myself in the head after I realized it was all one piece. (duh)

Heres the new impeller compared to the old


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## Ranchero50 (May 26, 2015)

You really need to be vented and should be using forced air. Mine vents from the front edge of the deck at three places and out the back of the dog house. I've never smelled gas under the covers and always check before firing the engine.

Without good venting any fuel vapor will build up in the bilges and will light off at the worse possible time. I parted out a old glass jet boat that blew apart (literally). The fire extinguisher was useless and it was a total loss.


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## bdeemo (May 26, 2015)

Didn't like the way trimming around the tracker decals came out, so I took them off and repainted the sides. Then got the boat registered and put the CF numbers on



Decided to bedliner the interior, here are floor and side kits prepped for paint


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## bdeemo (May 26, 2015)

Did a gray base bedliner, then sprayed a speckle of white over it.


Came out good!!!
Then did decals on side, and hydro turf on back deck.


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## bdeemo (May 26, 2015)

Now that the interior is done, I decided to take it to the lake. Unfortunately I couldn't get it running in the driveway first. So I've got some questions, since no one on PWCToday can seem to help.

I rebuilt top end, ran nicely. I blipped throttle with water hose hooked up for cooling, and it died. I tried to quickly disconnect hose before it filled up, but im afraid I got some water in there. I'm aware of how to get water out of a PWC so I took plugs out, turned over alternating my thumb in each plug hole, and sprayed plugs off with carb cleaner and put back in starting with choke on full and throttle on full. Repeated this process like 30 times. Still wouldn't start. Somewhere along the way something happened, because now what happens is this:

Doesn't seem to want to fire.
I have spark on both plugs
If I pour a capfull of gas in each cylinder, no change. Same with starter fluid. I feel like theres some water residue dirtying the plugs or something. I also heard that this ski, 717 rotax, is known for weak spark. I'm thinking of replacing my spark plug wires.

I just rebuilt both carbs and still same problem. One of the carbs had a bit of rust inside.

Ideas?


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## CedarRiverScooter (May 26, 2015)

How is the compression?


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## bdeemo (May 26, 2015)

CedarRiverScooter said:


> How is the compression?


135 in both, thats with new rings and a hone


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## brianb2247 (May 26, 2015)

do you have a mikuni sb or sbn carb, if so remove it with all hoses still hooked up . turn over the engine is fuel dripping from bottom of carb while trying to start it


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## brianb2247 (May 26, 2015)

if so its a engine issue, if it isnt it is a carb problem


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## brianb2247 (May 26, 2015)

if its a carb issue your carb is dirty or your pop off pressure is too high


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## brianb2247 (May 26, 2015)

if its engine make sure you have spark, you already say you have comp. good luck


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## windvision (May 26, 2015)

Hmmmm. I would check the flywheel to make sure you have not sheared the key. If you have spark and have introduced gasoline into the cylinders, it should fire, given you have compression. Just my 2 cents.


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## bdeemo (May 26, 2015)

Thanks guys! What is the key? That's a good idea to check carbs with them out


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## amk (May 27, 2015)

I have a thread on pwctoday in yamaha it's called yamaha 64x rebuild attempt. Mine did something similar. Pulled flywheel to find key sheared.


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## amk (May 27, 2015)

Here are a couple pics. Also don't order a pwc flywheel fuller just go to oreilys and rent a harmonic balancer puller much easier. There are you tube vids and a good one on the sbt website in the forum tech videos to pull it if you haven't done so before.


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## bdeemo (May 27, 2015)

I'll try and rule some things out before I suspect the key being sheared. How do you know if its sheared? Only by taking it apart and looking? What does a sheared key actually do to the engine?


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## amk (May 27, 2015)

it connects the flywheel to crank and magneto stator times the flywheel so if key is sheared it will just spin flywheel and cant really turn over engine well or timed. Its really easy to check It would take you about 15 minutes to find out if keys shear'd


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## brianb2247 (May 27, 2015)

if the key is sheared it will throw off the timing to run rough or not at all


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## Ranchero50 (May 28, 2015)

Ditto. Mine washed out the keyway slot and took some ingenuity to repair. I used a cut off wheel the cut a straight key way slot. The shaft is tapered so it looks funny in the second pic but lasted until I got the rebuilt one.


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## bdeemo (May 29, 2015)

I cheated. I replaced spark plug wires, tried cutting bridges off of a couple of new spark plugs, tested spark some more, and I can't help but think it's the carburetors. The engine is turning over great so I don't think it's the key. I went out last night and drove an hour to buy another 1995 seadoo xp. I was able to pick one up running great for $900 so I can swap parts and troubleshoot. Reason being I have a fishing tournament I want to make it to next weekend and I'm cutting it real close. First thing I'll swap over is carbs, next thing is cdi box if that doesn't work. Finally I'll swap over engine if that doesn't work, and then I'll repair my engine when I have time and try to sell the jetski in running condition.

Ah it sucks to have to cheat but I didn't have time! I'll work on it tomorrow morning before work, and after work.


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## bdeemo (Jun 1, 2015)

Boy oh boy is this thing being a PITA!!!

First off, I bought another donor ski, which didn't seem to run well. Then I pulled the carbs on that and cleaned the jets and it ran good.

When I pulled the carbs off of the ski, I noticed that there is NO oil in the crank. Odd, I thought, because my boat had a ton of oil spewing out of the carb holes under the cylinders. Turns out that it was a bunch of leftover oil from when I broke the seized engine free before my top end. I filled the cylinders with marvel mystery oil, which I later realized was retarded as it probably just needed a little of the oil. Someone on one of these forums suggested that to another guy and I did it. I thought I had blown all of that out, but when I realized this donor ski didn't have any I knew it wasn't supposed to be there. 

To get the oil out I put a vaccuum on the PTO carb hole with the carbs out, and plugged the other hole with a rag. I turned over the engine with the spark plugs in. Then I poured gas down the spark plug holes and repeated process about 5 times. Then I put spark plug boots on, and burnt the excess gas up while still vacuuming. Surprisingly it started like running off of the gas in the cylinders, and I thought, oh wow, fixed!

Anyhow I got it all out, and then I put the GOOD carbs from the donor ski on the boat, and still can't get it to run. I'm getting fuel but it barely wants to fire. I'm not sure where to go from here, it's really weird that it was running with the vacuum on the one side.

Not gonna make that fishing tournament with my boat so I'm helping get my brothers boat ready for it.


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 1, 2015)

What's the whole story on the engine? Your thread is jumping around a lot and (honestly) is confusing me. 

Engine was stuck or? Oil running out? Flushing gas through a 2 stroke? Did you check and make sure the intake wheel was timed correctly and had the correct clearances?


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## amk (Jun 2, 2015)

When my key sheered it would turn over just fine too. Did you try spraying starter fluid in it if it won't start with that then something is wrong internally and not a carb issue


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## bdeemo (Jun 2, 2015)

Sorry I realize I'm jumpy. Heres the history of the motor in chronological order(in a nut shell)
Bought a used 95 seadoo xp for $250 in July last year
Took it to the lake, and it ran GREAT, probably over 50mph
Work ensued, and I let the engine sit until like April of this year

Got all the electrical and fuel lines hooked up, and it started up after a bunch of starter fluid, but seemed to be running flawlessly. Didn't have enough power to get on plane, which I suspect was impeller pitch and boat weight.
Took it around for a little while(2 mins) trying to adjust weight to get it on plane, and it died. I figured it died because it was lugging around and carbs got clogged, but it wouldn't turn over. Then I took plugs out, STILL wouldn't turn over. I don't know whether there was cylinder buildup or it got overheated, but the engine was slightly seized. 

Took it home, FILLED cylinders with marvel mystery oil(Mistake, should have just used a little) and broke it loose with the starter and plugs out.

I then blew out all of the oil(or so I thought from the cylinders, and still couldnt get it to start, so I figured it was time for a top end

Took it apart and to my surprise the cylinders and rings were stock and looked really good. I honed cylinders anyway, did new gaskets, and threw in new rings.

Put it back together and it started effortlessly. So I hooked up water to it and let it idle for a bit in the driveway. Then I went and tried to blip the throttle, and it died with the water running. I quickly tried to shut the water off. blew the water out of cylinders and I haven't gotten it to run right since.

Decided I would rebuild carbs to check another thing off the list..

Still wouldn't run. 

Then I got this other jetski, and took carbs I KNEW were working, and put them on the boat, still wouldn't really fire, This was at the point that I realized there was still marvel mystery oil in the crankcase. I siphoned that out with gas to dilute it. and yes I premixed the gas... and you know the rest.


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## bdeemo (Jun 2, 2015)

amk said:


> When my key sheered it would turn over just fine too. Did you try spraying starter fluid in it if it won't start with that then something is wrong internally and not a carb issue


Yes that's exactly what happens. Maybe I should check the key.


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 2, 2015)

If you filled the cylinders with water you may have sheared it. Old troubleshooting theory is 'last thing first'. What's the last thing that happened to it before it ran like poop?


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## CedarRiverScooter (Jun 2, 2015)

Your gutsy, vacuuming up gas . . .


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## bdeemo (Jun 3, 2015)

Ranchero50 said:


> If you filled the cylinders with water you may have sheared it. Old troubleshooting theory is 'last thing first'. What's the last thing that happened to it before it ran like poop?


Last thing that happened to it before it ran like crap was when I blipped the throttle with the hose running and it died. I took the hose off asap, and took plugs out to spray all the water out. good theory.

Yeahhhh my pooor poor shop vacc. haha


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## bdeemo (Jun 3, 2015)

I guess I will have to check the woodruff key next week, after this fishing tournament I'm preparing for. Is the PTO easy to take off? I assume I have to take off the jet pump first-hand right?


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 3, 2015)

Mag is under the front cover. Pretty simple to access and remove if you made allowances on your build to get there. Mine has the engine electrical box sitting front of it. Remove the cover, block the flywheel and remove the nut. Pop the mag flywheel off and inspect the key etc.


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## bdeemo (Jun 3, 2015)

Aw man my build won't be very friendly for that. Got about 6" of room in front of the mag until I hit my firewall.


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 4, 2015)

Oh well, looks like it's a great time to add a maintenance hatch.


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## bdeemo (Jun 4, 2015)

PSG, I've read somewhere where you recommend egg crate foam for noise reduction. I'm sure that works well, but are you worried of it being flammable at all?


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## PSG-1 (Jun 4, 2015)

Not if you use the right type:


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## bdeemo (Jun 9, 2015)

Chased down another loose end... the woodruff key looks great. Maybe it could be the coil? One spark looks stronger than the other, though both are bright blue.

Heres the key.


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## bdeemo (Jun 9, 2015)




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## bdeemo (Jun 11, 2015)

What is this plate and why is it covering one of my cylinder holes. I assume it's normal but it doesn't open when i turn it over


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 11, 2015)

That is your intake timing wheel. It needs to be timed to your crank and rotate when you spin the crank over. If it doesn't, bad poop happened and possibly the gear train is sheared. Your 2 stroke oil lubes the worn gear that drives it.


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## bdeemo (Jun 11, 2015)

Yeah it definitely doesn't budge at all when I turn the PTO


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## bdeemo (Jun 11, 2015)

Ranchero50 said:


> That is your intake timing wheel. It needs to be timed to your crank and rotate when you spin the crank over. If it doesn't, bad poop happened and possibly the gear train is sheared. Your 2 stroke oil lubes the worn gear that drives it.


This ski has an oil pump block off kit installed on it... So I run premix. Is running premix sufficient to lubricate the gear train? Or do you need to leave the oil pump partially hooked up...?


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## PSG-1 (Jun 11, 2015)

If memory serves me correctly, don't those sea doo engines use some kind of rotary valve system that requires oil?


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## bdeemo (Jun 12, 2015)

Yeah so the guy who did my blockoff kit did it wrong. It fried the gear that runs my timing wheel. I'm stealing the motor from my other ski now, and switching over the oil block off kit. This time I will attach a power steering reservoir to lubricate the bottom end. Instead of running 2 stroke oil in the bottom end I will run GL4 gear oil since I'm just looping it in the oil bath anyway and not burning it.

I shouldn't have problems now, getting this boat running should go fast. I took the motor out of the ski after work today and plan to install it after work tomorrow.

Ranchero, what did you do with your cooling water outlet? I have a bilge fitting I want to run mine to so I can make sure it's getting water and see it spitting out the side of the boat... but im not sure which hose to use. Which hose is the OUT? Is there 2? Theres 2 lines going to the head, and one coming out of the exhaust.


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## bdeemo (Jun 12, 2015)

also need to know which water line to put my jabsco filter in line.


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 12, 2015)

Personally I'd run the Seadoo oil injection. All of my cooling water drains at the bottom of the hull so I don't have to worry about freezing.

Per the water fittings, download the manual for your ski and use it's diagrams.


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## brianb2247 (Jun 13, 2015)

Id check too see that the timing train oil isnt consumed through the engine some how, not really sure about seadoo but its worth a thought :!:


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 13, 2015)

It can be but he'd lose it through the crank seals which means he'd need to go into it anyways. Guys will loop the line from front to back once it's filled or plug the front and use the back as a stand pipe with oil in it. Of course Seadoo used several different sized tubing and they tend to leak over time. You have a feed and return to the crank section and a feed to the pump. From the pump you have two tiny hoses to the timing plate cover. I double zip tied mine and it still makes a blue wet spot in the bilge over winter.


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## bdeemo (Jun 13, 2015)

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THIS THING IS FAST..................................

Finally got it out on the water for a real test. How was the day? Freaking awesome! ABSOLUTELY NO CAVITATION. This thing shreds through peoples wakes and 1ft of chop without missing a beat. We had 3 people in the boat and I think we were doing close to 40!!!!! It felt like twice as fast as the boat used to go at 25mph. Holy smokes this thing is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

I used that other engine from the donor ski, and Ranchero, That's how the guy before me had the oil blockoff kit installed, but the guy I bought it from didn't know ANYTHING about it.. I guess whoever installed it was filling the oil line with oil. I should have researched the blockoff kit because I'm fairly certain I was the one who fried that engine. Now I have both lines looped together with a T fitting for adding oil. 

Gosh it feels so good for it to work. best day of my life


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## Ranchero50 (Jun 13, 2015)

That's very cool that it's running well again. The learning curve is pretty steep but once you get it down these things can be dead nuts reliable. Do you have a tach and know what it's turning? I ended up with a Seadoo one off eBay and was able to wire it in without too much fuss.


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## bdeemo (Jun 14, 2015)

I've got a working tach I can wire in no problems, I might do that.. but don't have/want a console


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## PSG-1 (Jun 15, 2015)

Awesome, man! Glad you got it running and it performed well. It's a rewarding feeling, for sure.


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## bdeemo (Jul 15, 2015)

Few updates, I need to take more pics soon, but heres where I'm at:
I've been running this boat everywhere. I got one pretty good sized dent on the bottom from running some rapids. This boat will do about 2.5" of water.

Me and my girlfriend topped out at 38.6 MPH on some glass, usually run around 28 just cruising for better mpg and smooth ride. I'm sure it could make it to 40 but 28 is fine for me.

I have some issues cavitating when the boat is loaded down too much (4 people and rough water), at about 15 mph. I'm going to try a scooped intake grate, thinking that the pump is running out of water to push at low speeds. I know I could prop down one more if I wanted to be loaded down a lot but I'm gonna try to retain my top speed as it feels like theres plenty of torque on the low end. 

I hope the new intake grate doesn't suck up too much junk but I'll test it out.


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## Ranchero50 (Jul 16, 2015)

You can't run heavy loaded up front or you'll have that problem. Get everyone towards the rear and it'll be OK, but not a screamer. You'll also have to ease into the throttle so you don't cavitate.

When I run three up I have the extra passenger sit next to me and the kid up front.


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## CedarRiverScooter (Jul 17, 2015)

I'm using a Solas 'top loader' grate & haven't had any problems other sucking up junk, except when I run aground!

Your boat's performance sounds much like mine. Fun they are!


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## PSG-1 (Jul 17, 2015)

I used to run a top loader grate on mine, and it definitely helped with cavitation. 
Unfortunately, the open design of the top loader grate also allowed too much debris, weeds, etc to pass through and foul the impeller, so, I had to do away with that intake, and fabricated a weedless type.


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## bdeemo (Jul 17, 2015)

Ranchero50 said:


> You can't run heavy loaded up front or you'll have that problem. Get everyone towards the rear and it'll be OK, but not a screamer. You'll also have to ease into the throttle so you don't cavitate.
> 
> When I run three up I have the extra passenger sit next to me and the kid up front.


Good tip! Thanks, I'll try that next time.

I'll see how the top loader grate performs, if it's not great I might be able to weld a couple of vertical flat bars in it with my tig I was thinking.

Last time I took the boat out I went to the feather river. man is is LOW LOW LOW this year.. I was able to run in just a couple inches of water at some points, but it was getting scary with stumps and shallows, so I was running at 1/2-3/4 throttle (low 30's downstream) at 3/4 throttle it would run great for about 15 seconds then bog down for 5, then run great for 20 seconds and bog down for like 5-10. When I went full throttle it ran fine... but was scary fast (over 40) Could have been a few things I reckon. When I got home I noticed two things:
Fuel filter was clogged up with soot
clamp on my waterbox was barely even on (Not tightened)

I'm thinking maybe the overload of exhaust in the engine compartment was not allowing the intake enough clean air to run properly, but when I went fast there was enough wind to blow it out, or perhaps the carbs were just getting dirty fuel. I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning whether I fixed it. Salmon season started here in CA yesterday, hitting up the feather river tomorrow, we were the only boat out on Monday because the water was so low, but we caught 6 striper and 2 catfish. Good day after work i'd say.

Also just replaced my solenoid because it wasn't wanting to always click hard. Now the thing starts up like a striped a** ape!


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## Blkrvrbart (Apr 23, 2020)

Now you got me thinking about finding a 99 Seadoo and beater Jon to converge. That actually looks like a fun project and more fun boat!


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## CedarRiverScooter (Apr 23, 2020)

Lots of good build info here on this site!


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