Sea Doo Switch 21 Cruise purchase dilemma

[FSH 210 Sport]

From this thread this morning…

Thread 'Show us what you see!!!'

Feb 6, 2015

Show us what you see in pictures. Post your pics of daily life, the kids baseball game, the exotic sports car at the red light.....anything goes. No back story needed if you don't want to type out an explanation. Feel free to hijack and discuss what others post or what you post.

Let's SEE it!

<Gentle suggestion....please reduce the size of images you post here to something like <500kb, otherwise image loading time is long.>

• Murf'n'surf
• Replies: 17,861
• Forum: General Off Topic

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[FSH 210 Sport]

 

[Bluewater272]

 

[WiskyDan]

I hope that SeaDoo gets this resolved - I think the concept is pretty cool and there is a market for it at the right price point.

 

[Neutron]

I hope that SeaDoo gets this resolved - I think the concept is pretty cool and there is a market for it at the right price point.

The reason the price point is so good is because they are not in high demand and they are selling below msrp at most dealers. Which makes them very attractive. Now it seams they didn't do extensive testing for instability

 

[steelhorse454]

View attachment 240546

We all tried to warn him !!!!!

 

[steelhorse454]

The reason the price point is so good is because they are not in high demand and they are selling below msrp at most dealers. Which makes them very attractive. Now it seams they didn't do extensive testing for instability

Have you ever seen one of these and done a comprehensive walk thru? I have and they are junk. Plain and simple.

 

[Bluewater272]

Definitely a cheap boat, been on a couple at shows. Nothing wrong with that, price point for everyone and its a welcome change compared to the rest of the industry... but not if it its gonna flip itself over.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

We all tried to warn him !!!!!

I wonder if his dealer made him aware of the recall that has been in place since February of 2025?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

That there is pretty telling.

 

[steelhorse454]

Definitely a cheap boat, been on a couple at shows. Nothing wrong with that, price point for everyone and its a welcome change compared to the rest of the industry... but not if it its gonna flip itself over.

Understood, but when these are so cheaply made, and apparently not enough research and development has been done, you end up with a bad product. Price point means nothing if the boat stays in the shop or lacks safety.
Old saying used to be, You get what you pay for, but these days, even the more expensive stuff lacks quality.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

This has the potential to put sea doo out of business….

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Again… Wow…

Sea-Doo Switch owners react to recall, after BRP says risk of serious injuries or even death

This article was updated on 5 March 2025 to include statements received from BRP regarding the notice to owners, the procedures being undertaken in the

marineindustrynews.co.uk

 

[Exciter 220]

We were looking at the Switch lineup two months ago. Talked to a couple of dealers and found out that they were sending all new Switch boats back to SeaDoo because they've had so many engine problems with them (mostly broken rods). One dealer said he didn't have any for sale and when I pointed out that there were five in their back lot, he said that they were all there for repairs.

The Switch has some interesting features, but like so many other SeaDoo products, they are not thoroughly tested and proven before they are put on the market.

 

[rockdoc]

I will report back after I have some more hours on it next year. Have some basic mods to do as well to improve reliability- typical ones for any supercharged motor. It is actually one of the more simple dog houses in terms of engine access and the jet drive is so easy to service - let’s hope I don’t need to test that out though. Winterizing was also refreshingly easy - took less than 30 minutes.

As for the capsizing risk I have read the reports and not concerned - the root cause is pretty obvious. Time at the helm will tell the real story.

It was a hard decision between an older bowrider or this Switch. Buying any of the other newer boats being suggested wasn’t in the budget unfortunately.

Now time to move on and get the snowmobile ready. Running a Stage 3 tune with 280hp so maintenance is the key to reliability. It is a bit of prep work each as season for miles and smiles. See ya’s in 2026!

 

[Sherwood]

Sad to see the switch have so many issues.
I love the idea of moving around the seats.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

As for the capsizing risk I have read the reports and not concerned - the root cause is pretty obvious. Time at the helm will tell the real story.

It was a hard decision between an older bowrider or this Switch. Buying any of the other newer boats being suggested wasn’t in the budget unfortunately.

So, did your dealer tell you about the previous recall? The one where seadoo’s fix still resulted in more deaths?

I do not see how you cannot be concerned about the risk to your life and the lives of others are on the boat. The root cause is the water ballast in the hull rushing forward and burying the front of the boat causing it to literally endo when you come off the power. Do you think that the reason these other deaths were because these other people were stupid or careless?

 

[steelhorse454]

So, did your dealer tell you about the previous recall? The one where seadoo’s fix still resulted in more deaths?

I do not see how you cannot be concerned about the risk to your life and the lives of others are on the boat. The root cause is the water ballast in the hull rushing forward and burying the front of the boat causing it to literally endo when you come off the power. Do you think that the reason these other deaths were because these other people were stupid or careless?

Seems like his comment was based on the fact that he already purchased the Switch and is stuck with it!
I sure as hell would not take my family out on one.

 

[rockdoc]

The US coastguard used some confusing wording in the recall unfortunately.

"The Switch is designed such that its center hull allows water to enter the hull, and while operating on a plane, the entrained water empties."

This implies the designer intended the boat to use water for ballast in the center hull (like a controlled system), which is not true. In all the incidents I read the boats were also overloaded and there was operator error involved despite how the incidents are being summarized. In some they were under the passenger count but well over the cargo capacity and it seem like people don't understand that both limits apply. Not disputing that there is a manufacturing process defect that needs to be corrected. The underlying design basis holds (I searched and could find nothing stating an issue with the design basis for the Switch). There is some debate over whether the Switch meets the classification criteria to be called a tritoon. The sponsons are set slightely higher and designed to allow allow water ingress and egress (not the center pontoon) for the purpose of dynamic stability.

Here are some snippets from information I was able to find concering the incidents:
"....capacity According to the DNR, the manufacturer specified a limit of 705 pounds. The four adults weighed a total of 820 pounds, according to drivers license data.
However, an operators manual lists the max weight as 825 pounds.
The children had been towed in a tube on the way to the restaurant, during which speeds of up to 21 mph were recorded. Their return vovage was after dark, so the children had to be aboard and would have have added even more weight toward the stated capacity.
Hussain, like the father in the Florida case, was not an experienced boater. DNR officers learned that he had not taken an approved boater education course, but Hussain said he had taken private lessons from Belle Haven Marina in Alexandria.” (Both accidents in question involved the 13-foot, five-person model.)"

Anyway you get the idea - there was a lot more to the story in all the incidents I was able to track down - which is pretty common. The investigators did not seem account for the weight of the gear/coolers/etc. which often adds up quickly. Also remember the compact a 13' boat! Even the 18' boat only hs a 16' hull and our 21' is really only a 19' boat so people need to really pay attention to the nameplate capacities. Part of the problem is there is space for a lot of people to physically sit on these boats - more so than most other boats. No way should anyone put 10 adults on any of these boats plus gear.

I plan to operate our boat with an additional factor of safety, just like I do when we haul a trailer (need to be under the GCWR, GVWR, GAWR, and have atleast 10% tongue weight). The safety margin was reduced by this defect. In several cases, overloading the bow with weight—whether passengers or gear—exacerbated the issue, but this became deadly because of the underlying defect that trapped water inside the hull. These tragedies highlight why an official recall was necessary, even if operator actions also contributed. The sad part is this a tragic event for the families involved and my heart goes out to them for their loss. I'm sure the 400 people employed at the Sturtevant plant are worried too.

Anyway - just posting for those that are interested in the rationale behind what I stated and really don't want to argue. I did my homework, and until advised otherwise by the regulator, the mandatory gasket fix addresses the root cause of the contibuting factor in the boat itself. This issue is being broadly misrepresented within the media and on forums like this one. Here is the link to the TC recall which seems to be a little clearer but still confusing for me at least: Safety recall – Sea-Doo Switch

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Incredible