1994-1997 Sea-Doo Speedster Specs and Review [Video]

Marketed from 1994 through 1997, the 14-foot Sea-Doo Speedster was the first high-performance jet boat in BRP’s fleet. She featured a sporty top deck with ultra bolstered seats and twin-Rotax 657X or 717X engine packages depending on the year.

In 1998, this model was phased out by the more advanced Speedster 1600.

But in this post, we’ll review the legendary 14-foot Sea-Doo Speedster and its factory specifications.

1994-1997 Sea-Doo Speedster Review

Hull and Capacities

It’s safe to say that the vintage 14-foot Sea-Doo Speedster created its own class.

Introduced in 1994, this exciting vessel was a unique hybrid of a traditional jet boat with an extremely agile jet ski.

This was no surprise since her high-performance power sources had been derived from Sea-Doo’s PWC division.

In addition to her powerful engines, the boat was built on a tiny deep-V fiberglass hull.

She measured in with an overall length of 14.5 feet with a beam of just over 7 feet.

Its tiny hull was sealed with a sporty top deck, featuring an asymmetrical, fairly open layout.

Covered with two-tone upholstery, the cozy bench seat provided comfortable seating for the captain and two passengers.

It’s well-contoured cushions and high bolsters effectively kept the crew in place during tight turns and spins.

The starboard side of the cockpit lacked a console and any seating.

This layout offered a minimalist look and plenty of free deck space.

Fitted with the same high-quality upholstery, the bow had a smaller curved aft-facing bench seat.

Despite its simplicity, the top deck came standard with a lot of necessary features like a small swim platform, ski tow eye, grab handles, plastic mooring cleats, navigation lights, and eyelets.

Its fiberglass-lined floor lacked any carpets or deck mats, but in return, it had a deck drain system.

Storage units included a deck storage (ski locker), an engine storage tray, and a storage bucket inside the helm console.

Covered by a tiny windshield, the latter housed three watertight holders for a fire extinguisher and other small pieces of gear.

Simple yet practical, the helm had integrated dual mirrors, shift/throttle levers, a cup holder, a switch panel, and a tiny dashboard.

Instrumentation included two tachometers, a speedometer, and a fuel gauge with a low-oil level pivot lamp.

Sea-Doo marketed the 14-foot Speedster with the same features and deck layout from 1994 through 1995.

In 1996, the boat was not only upgraded with a more powerful engine package but its top deck was also revamped.

Key novelties included a bright white-yellow color scheme, a newly designed bow seating arrangement, curved mooring cleats, and some tweaks on the dashboard.

For the 1997 season, the top deck was upgraded once more with a port aft-facing spotter seat with backrest storage.

This seating configuration came standard on the Challenger and carried over to the Speedster without any significant changes.

Due to these design changes, the dry weight of the first-generation Speedster increased from 1,200 to 1,375 pounds over the years.

Filled with the necessary liquids and some basic gear, her curb weight averaged between 1,500-1,700 pounds.

Sitting on a tiny trailer, the estimated trailering weight of the complete rig remained as low as 1,900-2,200 pounds.

Thanks to its lightweight construction and small dimensions, it was very easy to tow or move around by hand, and it even fit in the smallest garages with ease.

Engines and Performance

The 14-foot Sea-Doo Speedster was powered by twin Rotax engine packages rated at 160-170hp. In the ’94-’95 seasons you could find two Rotax 657Xs under the hood, upgraded with two Rotax 717Xs in 1996.

Borrowed from the Sea-Doo XP 657X PWC, the Rotax 657Xs were 2-stroke, 650cc twins with dual carburetors and an oil injection system.

This setup delivered a combined 160hp and paired with two Bombardier Formula Jet propulsions.

These axial-flow, single-stage jet pumps produced plenty of thrust and came with a manual reverse system.

The latter featured two foldable reverse gates behind the jet nozzles, intended to reverse the direction of the water jet.

This system could be used for either reversing, decelerating, or even performing the “submarine” trick during which the boat was submerged into the water:

Besides this thrilling stunt, the boat was capable of extremely sharp turns, slides, and even spins.

She also benefited from her small, lightweight body and high engine power, which ensured an outstanding power-to-weight ratio of .12 – .13 hp/lb.

This translated to an unbeatable hole-shot acceleration, amazing top speed, and unique “jet ski-like” handling.

Even with the original twin Rotax 657x 160hp engines, the Speedster topped out at 55 mph under ideal conditions.

This engine package was upgraded to a twin Rotax 717x package in ’96, which was carried over to ’97 as well.

These 2-stroke, 782cc twin-cylinder engines produced a combined 170hp and were carried over to the ’98 Sportster 1800.

Problems

When they ran, the Speedster offered a lot of fun and a thrilling riding experience.

But let’s face it, high performance and low reliability come hand-in-hand, and it was no different with these Sea-Doo boats.

Her engines were not only tuned for performance rather than durability, they also had a less reliable 2-stroke architecture.

Their carburetors and oil systems required a lot of attention and maintenance, but they were prone to failure even with proper care.

Besides the frequent “carb work,” the broken or clogged oil hoses and deflective oil pumps could cause an engine seizure.

The twin-engine configuration not only doubled the chances of a malfunction it also halved the space in the engine compartment.

We also have to mention Sea-Doo’s awkward carbon ring seals on their driveshafts. These rings and their rubber bellows were prone to breaking, which often caused leaking issues.

Aside from being high maintenance, these 2-stroke marine engines were also known for poor fuel economy. As an example, the twin Rotax 717x burned around a combined 25 gph at WOT.

The Speedster was also known for its low comfort level due to the lack of convenience features like a wraparound windshield, reboarding step, radio, and cockpit carpets.

On top of that, its tiny hull was prone to heavy bumping even on the smallest chop.

Due to these issues and its high maintenance, this Sea-Doo jet boat was not for everyone.

Specs Charts

For your convenience, we’ve listed the key specs of the 1994-1997 Sea-Doo Speedster:

Dimensions and Capacities

Overall Length	14’ 6”
Beam	7’ 1”
Overall Length on Trailer	16’ 8”
Overall Height	42”
Overall Height on Trailer	59”
Draft	12”
Dead Rise	20°
Load limit	4 persons or 650 lb.
Main Oil Reservoir	3 gal.
Fuel Capacity	27 gal.

Weight

Dry Weight (1994)	1200 lb.
Dry Weight (1995)	1206 lb.
Dry Weight (1996)	1274 lb.
Dry Weight (1997)	1375 lb.

Engine and Pump

Years	’94-‘95	’96-‘97
Number of Engines	2	2
Type	2 x Rotax 657x	2 x Rotax 717x
Engine Stroke	2-stroke	2-stroke
Number of Cylinders	2 each engine	2 each engine
Displacement	650cc (each engine)	718cc (each engine)
Performance	160hp (combined)	170hp (combined)

These specifications are for informational purposes only. For further information, please refer to the operator’s manual.

Takeaways

Introduced in 1994, the first-generation Speedster was the first “real” Sea-Doo jet boat ever built.

(The very first Sea-Doo boat was the 1993 Explorer RIB, which was far less popular than her fiberglass siblings.)

This tiny jet boat measured only 14.5 feet in length and weighed 1,200-1,375 pounds depending on the model year.

Despite its extremely small body, she was powered by high-performance twin Rotax engine packages rated at 160-170hp.

These power mills had originally been developed for Sea-Doo PWCs, but they quickly found their way into BRP’s boat division.

Thanks to her outstanding power-to-weight ratio these twin engines offered extreme accelerations and could even achieve a top speed of 55 mph.

Let’s face it, this was more than enough speed in a 14-foot mini jet boat!

Its very agile deep-V hull turned on a dime and was also capable of various tricks like 180- or even 360-degree spins.

Due to its unbeatable riding experience and a jet ski’s DNA, the Speedster was often referred to as a jet ski-boat hybrid.

Her biggest competitors were the Yamaha Exciter 220 and the more powerful Exciter 270.

To the greatest regret of many fans, these high-performance 2-stroke jetboats are no longer being manufactured.

Therefore, if you want to own a boat like this, your only chance is to buy a used one.

Due to their popularity, iconic Sea-Doo Speedsters are rarely offered for sale, but if they are, their asking prices range from $1,000 up to a whopping $10,000.

Prices vary greatly depending on their condition, engine options, and features.

Before you make your purchase, take into account that these boats require a lot of maintenance, but most service shops refuse to work on them due to their age and how problematic they are.

Hence, only choose this model if you have mechanical skills and can work on 2-stroke engines.

If not, the best practice is to go with a younger 4-stroke alternative like a Speedster 150 or the larger 200.