So.. Maybe early, but Seadoo Switch Pontoon..

[Dust N' U]

All the '22 allotments from the dealers around here had deposits on them by 9/7/21. We are still waiting for ours. last word was 8/31/22 but I'm not holding my breath. I figure October.

[rx4pain]

All the '22 allotments from the dealers around here had deposits on them by 9/7/21. We are still waiting for ours. last word was 8/31/22 but I'm not holding my breath. I figure October.

Damn! I had no idea they were that delayed. I put a deposit down on one about the same time you did and during the process we decided to wait another year, but the one we ordered came in beginning of July (about 2 months later than first told at order). Dealer said they were able to place orders this week following the announcement of the ‘23 lineup, which he had ours ready to go. It’ll be interesting to see the reality of the delivery next year.

As for the naysayers, during the time of canceling and before placing another order, I looked at every other pontoon brand. I’m a lifelong PWC owner and the thought of a pontoon never crossed my mind until SeaDoo announced the Switch. We have a Lab, and want to include the family (and dog) while tubing and cruising. We initially placed an order for a 19’ Scarab 300hp. But thankfully canceled because those delays were insane. It would have been close to $75K and the thought of a Lab messing up the gel coat, upholstery, etc. So the Switch looked real good for durability. Looking at other brands, to get a similar set up (tri-toon and power) you’re more than double the cost and no other brand includes a trailer so tack on another $4K. The Switch is a great deal, good power in the 230, and maneuverability is unmatched with the jet, braking, etc. Sure it would be great to hook up a MapTuner and get an extra 50hp if that were possible.

[Dust N' U]

I got a call yesterday that mine was completed and now it just needs to be transported to the dealer. I figure it should be a couple of weeks before I see it. Ordered it on 9/7/21. The dealer has mine and one other done which would be the 4th & 5th out of their 16 boat allocation that were preordered.

[steve45]

My wife saw one of these today on the water. She got some video of it, it was the orange & white model. She asked me what it was and I had to look it up. Looks like an interesting idea. She's kind of getting the bug for a pontoon boat.

[martymoe]

Finally did get it!

Marty - did you get your Switch? I ended up passing on it this year and first in line at my local dealer for 2023. Curious which one you got, your thoughts about power and any mods.

finally got it last thursday.. took it out for about 2 hours on friday, but the wind was blowing like crazy over the weekend, so i mostly just installed accessories and mods..

its definately not my speedster.. but it is cool.. its kind of like a fast school bus..
one of the things i really liked about the speedster was the slow speed maneuverability.. it took a bit of learning to get it where i could drive it like i want, but was to the point that i could put it wherever i wanted.. i mean sream up to a dock, spin around and back it up to within a few inches and hold it there (wife didnt like climbing over the bow)
it did it very well but there was certainly a learning curve..
this boat is as maneuverable, but requires virtually no learning.. its just easy as hell to drive..

going fast(ish) its kind of a turd.. its not super fast, but wasnt supposed to be.. when you grab a big handful of handlebar and turn it.. it turns like a jumbo jet..
you do that on a speedster at 55+ and you're throwing everybody out of the boat..

so very predictible, i do like it.. (but am still shopping for another sportster/speedster to go with it.. )

as far as fees.. my dealer held true to their promise.. msrp + 500 surcharge + 1600 freight + 100 doc, i ordered a ton of accessories too (double bimini, both bags, cooler, ski pole, mirror, inflatable holder, both trandsucers, cup holders, and some other odds and ends.. (something like 4k in accessories) they gave discounts on the accessories and the boat was abut 42k out the door (not counting tax)

i like it.. i've already taken it all apart and put it back together, its gonna be really fun when it warms up..

its fun to take all the seats out and have a landing craft ..

watching for aftermarket impellors for switches.. i miss the crispness of a good solas..

rxplain, i'd also like to add that i agree with you on the pontoon boat thing.. wife has wanted one for a while, but i've never been onboard for a pontoon until this one.. overall i have 0 experience with it other than taking it apart.. but i'm glad i got it, and am looking forward to using it fo ryears to come..

[rx4pain]

That's awesome Marty and congrats! It will take some adjustment for sure. And by that I mean this not being a sports car (or sports boat). But I just remind myself that when I would tow tubes on the PWC I rarely got above 30 mph and that was the majority of our family time spent on the PWC. Sure, I could take another person or go solo and blast up and down the lake at 70+, but this is apples and oranges. You don't do a road trip with the family and dog in a 2-door and that's why we're getting a Suburban (Switch).

Too many people seem disappointed or scoff at the Switch like it's an abomination of SeaDoo or whatever. I'm all about having the right tool for the job and this is a pretty good best of both. I was also thinking about the freight charge a little more and when you think about it, the trailer is included in the price and you'd spend close to the freight and surcharge to buy it separately so I'm not going to perseverate over it any more.

I anticipate ours coming early Spring, but want to hear more about what you think of the transducers and other mods. I looked all over and thought there'd be some easy Stage kit for the 230 in this craft to bump it closer to 300, but nothing. I still can't believe there is not much out there for these - yet.

[tiderider]

If I were to buy garbage similar to THAT I would only buy something without jet propulsion for long life and reliability.

[rx4pain]

If I were to buy garbage similar to THAT I would only buy something without jet propulsion for long life and reliability.

cool

[Outboardjohn]

If I were to buy garbage similar to THAT I would only buy something without jet propulsion for long life and reliability.

What outdrive do you think is more reliable than a jet? I'm an air entrapment hull outboard kind of guy as boats go, but I can't imagine a drive that is going to be more reliable than a jet.

[tiderider]

Anything that spins much slower will last a lot longer then jet propulsion. Spinning 5000rpms + to plane and cruise with jet just won't last. Or 8000+ rpm to obtain a higher speed with jet just doesn't last that long.

[rx4pain]

Yeah, PWC is stupid. This industry has gone on for too long making money, resulting in forums for idiots that keep getting duped into not only buying them but pouring more money into them.

[tiderider]

Yeah, PWC is stupid. This industry has gone on for too long making money, resulting in forums for idiots that keep getting duped into not only buying them but pouring more money into them.

I'm referring to propulsion type on the BIG, Heavy, expensive, plastic smelling switch. I'd rather buy a boat that sits 8 with an 8 cylinder or diesel engine for reliability.

[steve45]

Our local SeaDoo dealer got a Switch in last week and I had a chance to go look at it today. My thoughts--

First, I am NOT a SeaDoo fan. I'll give them credit for being the most innovative PWC company, but to me it seems that they do a lousy job of testing their new designs before rushing them to market. That said, here's my impression of the Switch:

It's HUGE! They had the 21 foot version on display. Not only is it long (when inside a PWC/motorcycle dealership), it's very tall. The trailer has a ladder in the front so you can board it while on the trailer. At 6 feet tall, I had no trouble walking under the top, in fact I'm sure that it's at least 7 feet above the boat floor. On the trailer, the floor is about 5 feet above the ground. The boat I looked at had the optional rear deck, which probably adds 2 feet to the length.

The next thing I noticed is the segmented hull. Yes, it IS plastic, lots of it. The sides of the hull consist of various panels. The salesman told me that if you damaged a panel, you just installed a replacement panel. I don't know what is underneath the outer panels. Plastic looks cheap, however, it's corrosion proof. I would be concerned about exposure to UV and would be sure to store the boat indoors or have a cover for it.

The floor of the boat is made up of a series of large plastic squares (about 2 feet square). The floor squares, seats, etc. can be moved around to suite your needs. There are other options such as tables, ice chests, and I believe live wells. There is optional covering (HydroTurf???) for the flooring, but it wasn't installed on the boat I saw. I don't know if each square has it's own covering or how that works. The floor felt very solid. There are 4 panels that can be removed to give access to the engine. It's a loooong way down there to change spark plugs or oil... Perhaps you can climb down in there and stand up next to the engine, don't know.

I sat in the driver's seat and tried the dorky handlebar setup. At least I thought it looked dorky to have handlebars in a boat, but I felt perfectly at home with it. You don't have to take your hands off the bars to shift gears or use the throttle. Much better than a steering wheel! The helm was also equipped with optional stereo system controls and optional GPS/fish finder.

I was really impressed with the top. No flimsy aluminum or stainless tubing, this thing had a very stout framework that appeared to have been forged or cast of aluminum. Solid as a rock! And you could slide it fore & aft to cover the seats in use. You can get a second top, too.

The stern looked pretty characteristic of a SeaDoo. Jet drive with reverse bucket, drains, and a flush port (I don't know, does the flush port clean the heat exchanger or spray water on the carbon seal? I don't know).

The trailer was less than impressive. Only one axle, but the salesman said that the boat was actually very light. The trailer was made of steel tubing, which I consider a drawback. Tubing gets water trapped inside and rusts from the inside out.

Overall, I have to say that I didn't fall in love with the boat--but I like it a lot! I'd really like to spend a day on one and put it through it's paces. Hell, you can boat at night and even sleep on it! Would I buy one? Don't know, but I would like to try one. I suspect that it would be a nightmare to dock on a windy day.

[Dust N' U]

Our local SeaDoo dealer got a Switch in last week and I had a chance to go look at it today. My thoughts--

First, I am NOT a SeaDoo fan. I'll give them credit for being the most innovative PWC company, but to me it seems that they do a lousy job of testing their new designs before rushing them to market. That said, here's my impression of the Switch:

It's HUGE! They had the 21 foot version on display. Not only is it long (when inside a PWC/motorcycle dealership), it's very tall. The trailer has a ladder in the front so you can board it while on the trailer. At 6 feet tall, I had no trouble walking under the top, in fact I'm sure that it's at least 7 feet above the boat floor. On the trailer, the floor is about 5 feet above the ground. The boat I looked at had the optional rear deck, which probably adds 2 feet to the length.

The next thing I noticed is the segmented hull. Yes, it IS plastic, lots of it. The sides of the hull consist of various panels. The salesman told me that if you damaged a panel, you just installed a replacement panel. I don't know what is underneath the outer panels. Plastic looks cheap, however, it's corrosion proof. I would be concerned about exposure to UV and would be sure to store the boat indoors or have a cover for it.

The floor of the boat is made up of a series of large plastic squares (about 2 feet square). The floor squares, seats, etc. can be moved around to suite your needs. There are other options such as tables, ice chests, and I believe live wells. There is optional covering (HydroTurf???) for the flooring, but it wasn't installed on the boat I saw. I don't know if each square has it's own covering or how that works. The floor felt very solid. There are 4 panels that can be removed to give access to the engine. It's a loooong way down there to change spark plugs or oil... Perhaps you can climb down in there and stand up next to the engine, don't know.

I sat in the driver's seat and tried the dorky handlebar setup. At least I thought it looked dorky to have handlebars in a boat, but I felt perfectly at home with it. You don't have to take your hands off the bars to shift gears or use the throttle. Much better than a steering wheel! The helm was also equipped with optional stereo system controls and optional GPS/fish finder.

I was really impressed with the top. No flimsy aluminum or stainless tubing, this thing had a very stout framework that appeared to have been forged or cast of aluminum. Solid as a rock! And you could slide it fore & aft to cover the seats in use. You can get a second top, too.

The stern looked pretty characteristic of a SeaDoo. Jet drive with reverse bucket, drains, and a flush port (I don't know, does the flush port clean the heat exchanger or spray water on the carbon seal? I don't know).

The trailer was less than impressive. Only one axle, but the salesman said that the boat was actually very light. The trailer was made of steel tubing, which I consider a drawback. Tubing gets water trapped inside and rusts from the inside out.

Overall, I have to say that I didn't fall in love with the boat--but I like it a lot! I'd really like to spend a day on one and put it through it's paces. Hell, you can boat at night and even sleep on it! Would I buy one? Don't know, but I would like to try one. I suspect that it would be a nightmare to dock on a windy day.

Nice observations Steve, we put a deposit on ours 9/8/21 and received it on 9/23/22 and only got to take it out 4 times before the weather hit. I really like the handle bar setup, it makes it simple for the wife and it comes natural since I'm mainly on the FZS.

It will do a 360 in place and docking is so easy. We haven't got the full 10 hour break in done but we still hit 40 mph after 3 hours, the ecu controls the break in for the first 10 hours.

I agree on the trailer but we won't be using it much since it will be on a jet dock most of the year. The boat is light and no trouble on the single axle, the 21' has surge brakes.

So far I'm impressed with the boat and don't regret purchasing sight unseen. Only time will tell how it holds up.

[rx4pain]

I'm referring to propulsion type on the BIG, Heavy, expensive, plastic smelling switch. I'd rather buy a boat that sits 8 with an 8 cylinder or diesel engine for reliability.

Tell us how you really feel. LOL

FYI - trolling a product that gives you angst is not worth your time or your health.