The majority of my Sea Doo posts are mechanical, but this one is purely cosmetic. I’ve got a couple of 2006 Sea Doo RXP boats, which I bought new, and I’ve loved them since they day they came home from the dealer. They’re fast, fun, and their looks have held up. I do my best to keep them running and looking good, but time, sun, and water invariably take their toll.

Last week, when I went to put them on their launches for the summer, I noticed some cracking in the grey vent hoses on the front hood. These hoses seem to be primarily cosmetic, although it appears they may help vent some air from the front of the boat into the engine bay. But regardless of what they do, the cracks look ugly:

Cracked Sea Doo RXP front hood hoses

I went online to find the part number for the OEM replacement, which is part #291001646. But they’re no longer available from BRP in the silver — the replacement parts are black only. And here’s the kicker: from the dealer they’re $20… each! And they’re no cheaper on eBay (I found a set of 2 for $40). Since I have two boats, with four hoses, I’d need to replace all four at a grand total of $80! That’s silly for some plastic hose. It was all I could do when the dealer told me that over the phone, to not yell out something inappropriate in reply, just as “Why your hose be so expensive?” or even:

Hose be Trippin’

I knew I could find a longer-lasting replacement that look just as good (if not better) than the OEM pieces at a much lower price. So I yanked out one of the hoses (very carefully… they’re super brittle) and took it to a local irrigation supply warehouse.

The original tube is approximately 1 7/8″ OD (outside diameter) and approximately 17.5″ long. At the irrigation store, we matched it to some 1.25 ID (inside diameter) black rubberized pond pump hose, which ended up being an exact match for the outside diameter. I had the store cut me four pieces at just a smidge over 17.5″ (better to have a bit too much) at a price of $2.00 per foot, meaning all four cost me a total of $12. Here’s what the new pieces look like before installation:

$2 per foot rubberized pond pump hose pieces

Putting the new pieces in was a snap. I had already removed one of the old hard plastic tubes (and cleaned up the tiny pieces of plastic that crumbled during the removal process) to take to the store, so I put one of the new rubberized pieces in to test. It’s easiest to wiggle the bow end in first, then slide the rear end in second. There’s a small plastic retaining pin in the middle of the channel that holds the hose, and I though I might need to puncture a hold in the bottom of the new hose to fit, but I didn’t. The hard rubberized hose pushed it down just fine.

There was already a natural curve to the new hose, since it had been stored in a roll. This hose also had some grey writing along the side (stating the size and pressure rating), but I got lucky and it was on the bottom of the curve, and was completely covered when installed. But even if the writing was on the top part of the curve, you can easily reshape the hose and install it with the writing facing down so it can’t be seen.

Here’s what the first piece looks like installed next to the original:

Old hood vent hose and new hood vent hose, side by side

I was happy with the result, so I went ahead and replaced all the others on both boats:

Both upgraded hood vent hoses installed

And here’s the view that really counts (and a little bit wet after a test ride):

Driver’s view of upgraded hood vent hoses

So if your hood vent hoses are brittle and cracking, or you just want to update the look, pull out one of your old hoses, take it to an irrigation supply store (or even a big box hardware store that has irrigation hose), and buy something else that’s 1 7/8″ outside diameter and 17.5″ long. It’s so inexpensive, you could even try experimenting with a few different colors and textures!

I welcome your questions, comments, and feedback below! And I invite you to check out my other Sea Doo related posts while you’re here!

Other Material Suggestions:

• TheGunMan on the GreenHulk forums reports using rubberized grey professional vacuum cleaner hose on his 2006 RXP with good results.