SeaDoo Explorer Problem

I took a new SeaDoo Explorer to 95' Saturday. It's rated to 160'. The unit kept cutting off. The captain thought the battery might be loose. He recommended putting some foam in the nose to keep it tight. Another diver on his boat had the same problem last week with the same unit.

When I got home I turned it on to run the battery down. I noticed it was in alarm mode. In the alarm mode it shuts off intermittently and sounds an audible alarm that I hadn't noticed underwater. I opened it up and there was a very small (i.e one ounce or less) amount of water in the battery compartment. I think the sensor only saw the water when the scooter was in a certain position.

My problem is that new, clean, lubricated O rings leaked at less than 2/3 of the depth rating. Does anyone have any experience with this problem? The four latches are either open or closed. The user can't control how tight they are, and there are two O rings in a series. The latches do seem like they could open easily under water if they snag on something. If I can resolve the leakage issue I am going to cut an inner tube to cover the latches so they can't open accidently.

The captain and mate thought the problem with both Explorers was a loose battery that lost contact in certain positions. They recommended putting some foam in the nose cone.

The battery has a handle molded into the top. If I remove the nose cone I can carry the whole unit by the handle. The body never falls down off the battery in spite of gravity. That's why I'm not sure the problem is a loose battery. However, I will concede that it is possible. I only heard the alarm when I stood the scooter upright at home. That would have made the small amount of water fall to the bottom onto the sensor. Maybe when the scooter was horizontal the few drops of water wasn't a problem.

I am thinking of using maxi pads in the nose cone instead of foam. It seems to me they would solve both problems. They will eliminate any room for battery movement and also absorb any trickles of water. I will be waiting for all the McGyver comments.

Curious? Did you check the sealing edges where the plastic meets the O ring with a magnifying lens? Is there a possibility that there is a very, very fine nick, or line which might allow for the intrusion of water at greater depths? I knew a few guys who would leave their Gavin scooter bodies (empty) on concrete and the action between plastic and the abrasive left microscopic lines on the sealing edge of the body which allowed tiny bits of water to enter the compartment. Most of them tolerated the water because it never amounted to more than a 1/2 a Dixie cup worth, plus the cost of getting it CNC milled again! $$$.

Keep us informed. I do like the maxi pad idea!!!

X

No, I did not check that, but I will. The mating surface is the inside of the nose cone. If there are any nicks they came from the factory. If so, what do you do about them?

If this unit gets half a dixie cup of water insided the anti-flooding technology will kick in and it will run 10 seconds, shut off, run again 10 seconds etc. It's very annoying.

I'll be calling the factory today. The floor of the battery compartment is installed with some screws. I assume there's an O ring underneath. The screws weren't that tight so I snugged them up slightly. I mention this because the manual says that if it leaks repeatedly with clean O rings the leakage is coming from the motor side and it must be returned to the factory (with me paying the shipping, of course)

Your machines not right-it shouldn't get any water in the battery compartment. I've heard some of the early models had a factory defect which allowed water into the engine compartment causing problems. It sounds like this may be the case with yours as the water would leak into the battery compartment from the bottom as I doubt any water would get in through the nose cone seals. Here are some service options if the place you bought it won't help: Seascooter Repair Center: 1-800-361-2781, Sea-Doo Seascooter Parts, or just replace the main unit: Seadoo Explorer Main Body

Really liked the performance specifications of the Explorer and the price was excellent as well. Unfortunately, after going through FOUR units I concluded there was insufficient quality control to risk owning one of these DPVs. At the time I heard that some major national dive retailers had returned all their units for similar reasons. This was about a year ago. So, the claims are impressive but the delivery well below par in my experience. Have things changed a year later? Doesn't sound like it but I could be wrong. Invested in an Apollo AV-2 which has been worthwhile so far.

I called the repair center. It seems to be a third party in Irvine CA. I sent the unit back under warranty, but they only pay return shipping.

They may keep it up to two weeks and the warranty is just six months. I guess we'll see what happens next, because as soon as it comes back I'm taking it down 100'.

It is supposedly rated to 160' so I think it should at least perform at 100' or I'll ask for a refund.

Yesterday the service center called me. Since my complaint is the DPV flooded at 95' they have a problem. They have no way to simulate this depth. Therefore, they want to send me a new unit. However, it won't be delivered until October 31. Two and a half months.

These units are made overseas for Seadoo by another company, and then serviced in Irvine CA by yet another company. How can anyone sell scuba gear rated to 160' and have no way to leak test them?

These things really are shallow water toys and are not suited for depth.

Seadoo Explorer - My personal opinion is there expensive JUNK! Bought one, it leaked sent it out, came back still leaked. It cuts out when it leaks.
Waste of my $$$$$$$

I have a no name version of the SeaDoo Sea Scooter, also sold by X-treme called the x-treme 151. I have gone through 4 of these units. I have had the same problems you described. I have only taken them to 50 feet when they failed. Each time I have disassembled them to find water in the motor and control board areas. I have also found that the flooding was caused by bad assembly from the factory. The screws where to tight damaging the plastic.
In 2 cases the unit would not turn off. We keep the units tied to us. My son (age 15) was using one of the scooters when if first failed, on at full speed. He was smart enough to hold the unit to his side and go around in a circle until he was able to get it to stop. I was right next to him ready to cut it loose if needed. This was smart of him to hold it to his side. It allowed me to stay with him and not have to chase him around. It also keep him at the same depth preventing any injury. Please keep this in mind should anyone have one fail in the on position.
I am going to try and use silicone grease called CHEMPLEX 710. This will protect the electronics from the water. I will also use silicone between the motor housing and the electronics housing. This is where I have found the leaking.
Good Luck
David