wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a few options in front of me for a upcoming purchase. My
previous boat was a large tri-hull deck boat with a 235 Evinrude
outboard. I am looking at either a '92 Maxxim open bow runabout for
$8000 (4 cycle 4.3L i/o), a 2000 Yamaha LST 1200 for $10000 (2 cycle
twin engine jet drive), or a 2002 Seadoo Challenger 2000 for $15000 (2
cycle single engine jet drive). Hours condition of all is unknown,
although they all look well taken care of for their age. I will use it
in a fresh water river reserviour which is somewhat narrow (compared to
a big open lake), but can get choppy when its crowded. Its in a dock
during the summer if that makes any difference. I mostly ski, tube,
swim, and such. No fishing. I sometimes entertain big crowds, but its
usually 3-5 people. Fuel economy is obviously a factor nowadays
($2.86/gal last weekend).


The fuel economy issue alone should be enough to make you think twice about
the two-stroke squirt boats. I bought a 1997 Sea-Doo Challenger 1800 last
year as a toy companion to the bigger boat. Thought it would be a kick.
Sold it a year later. Always regretted not just buying a an I/O runabout
instead. The twin Bombardier two strokes were fussy, required significant
maintenance, and sucked fuel big-time, given that they only had to push
around a small 18 footer. To add insult to injury, the cost of the Sea-Doo
two-stroke oil ($40 per gallon) effectively added $1.00 per gallon to the
cost of fuel. I was always amazed that the 2,000 pound Sea-Doo got only
twice the fuel mileage as my 12,000 pound Sea Ray with twin 5.7 Merc I/O's.
About 2.5 mpg for the Sea-Doo vs. 1.3 mpg for the Sea Ray. Seemed pretty
lopsided to me, given that the Sea-Doo weighed in at one-sixth the weight of
the Sea Ray. The squirt was fun to fart around in, but on balance, it
turned out to be a poor choice for me. Fortunately, I bought it used and it
was an extraordinarily clean boat for its age, so I was able to sell it for
pretty close to what I paid for it. The advantages to the jet are 1.) no
chance to carve up a swimmer/skier/tuber due to negligent operation by the
skipper, and 2.) no appendage hanging down to strike submerged objects in
shallow water operation. If those issues are more important to you than
relatively low maintenance and relatively economical operation, then perhaps
you should consider either of the jet boats. Otherwise, look hard at the
Maxum or something equivalent.