You're getting an expensive lesson in why you do not want to rely on a boat dealer to do maintenance! Most of the stuff you need to do on a boat and engine isn't that complex or difficult. This is a good example of that.
You need to check the jetdrive yourself. Put it on the trailer. Climb under the boat and use a flashlight to look up into the jetdrive intake. You should see nothing but an impeller and shaft. If there's anything in there (weeds, paper, plastic, fishing line, rope, anything) it will behave exactly as you're describing.
Next, try to look up the back end of the jetdrive. It won't be as easy because the steering nozzle and stator will be in the way, but you can get a pretty good idea.
If no obvious answers reveal themselves, get a set of socket and Torx wrenches, and what is known as a set of "feeler gauges" (available at any NAPA or other auto parts store). Remove the intake grate on the bottom of the hull (it protects the impeller) by removing its four bolts. Use the feeler gauges to determine how much space exists between the outer edges of the impeller blades and the wear ring (the cylinder in which the impeller spins). You want that distance to be as small as possible all the way around. Anything above 0.050 inches on both sides means they should have replaced the impeller when they replaced the wear ring.
Also visually inspect the impeller for any sort of imperfections on its blades. Nicks, scratches, gouges, anything... all will cause cavitation and/or turbulence and cause a loss of efficiency. Visually inspect the supposedly new wear ring for any signs of imperfections too. They SAY they installed a new wear ring, but it wouldn't be the first time a "mistake" was made.
Report back!
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