Jet Ski Recommendations?!

[bushway9172]

Just a consideration... Possibly interested in looking at a jet ski to purchase for next summer. I'm not interested if you are selling yours... just looking for some insight. Pictures of yours? Top speeds? Good quality brands? I like Sea Doo's new lineup.. but does anyone have opinions as to the best quality?

Potential criteria:
- Large (Possibly 2 seater, but preferably 3)
- Fast!
- Not too expensive
- Sick looking! :thumbsup:
- Should have reverse
- Must be able to strap it to the swim platform of my 270 SLX... just kidding - hmm.. but thats a good idea :lol:
Anyway, this is just a very new idea for us... so let me know what you guys think! Thanks :smt038

 

[comsnark]

I REALLY like my skis.

I am a huge fan of the concept of buying these things used. Main reason:

If used right. . .you beat the *iss out of them. You want to do that to a $14K machine?

Of course, this is the best argument to buy one new as well. .but if you are careful about who you buy from, you will be fine. In other words, don't buy a ski from someone under 25. Don't buy one where the serial numbers are illegible (yup, passed on one of these). Do buy one from someone over 30, who has an immaculate yard and drives a really nice car. I bought two used. The more expensive one, I was able to ride for 15 minutes. It was a blast. No new dealer let me ride a ski without purchasing.

PWC are becoming more like boats. . they are getting big, getting funky features and can do lots of stuff. I use my ski's in NJ, where you get a fair amount of weekend chop. The chop is tiring sometimes, but you can get lot's of air. . . which is cool. When running flat out and tooling around, you don't need "features". My 1997 GTX has mirrors. . .never use them. The gas guage is bust. . .don't need it. Just look at the gas tank after every ride and I am good. I rarely go out for more than an hour, and the thing holds 1 1/2- 2 hours of fuel.

I have a friend who takes his 2005-2007 seadoos (I forget which) all over the place. He will take two-thee hour rides on his skis.

I was looking at the 2009 ski-doos (nice rebates right now). Some of the features are crazy stupid. The "stabilization system" on the top line models sounds like a kludgy, heavy, system that will be a maintenance nightmare. I would avoid these. The
"brakes" they offer on the 2009/2010's is simply STOOPID. You take the gas off. . .the thing will stop quick enough. If you need to stop on a dime. . then you probably did something stooopid.

SeaDoos use water jets. If you are not moving, you have no steering. I think the new models advertise a true "neutral". Bah. Don't need it. Even my old style with a simple thrust reverser for reverse works fine. I can maneuver in tight quarters with my old '97.

Any decent ski today will have a "reverse" (simple thrust reverser). Any decent ski will have a boarding bar in the back. . you want one of those -> Getting on a ski when the water is 6'+ deep isn't always easy unless you got good upper body strength.

In 2009. . .you want to buy a ski with a 4-stroke engine. (all new ski's are 4-strokes). Much quieter and cleaner than older 2-strokes. The new SeaDoos appear to have a closed loop (!) cooling system. Good gads!! Looks really cool. Not sure you need that feature. . . but it looks nice. I flush my engine at the end of every weekend with fresh water -> and I have no problems (I bought my '97 back in 2002)

I have been looking at the leftover 2009 seadoos. My pick is the 215hp GTX. The difference between the 155hp and the 215hp is the supercharger, which basically gives you the ability to break your wrists when you step on the throttle. (nice!). The 155hp should be more than adequate for almost anything, but for the extra $1K. . get the supercharger. Top speed on my '97 110hp GTX is about 58mph. The new ski's are heavier. I would expect the 155hp should be similar to my '97. The 215hp will be faster . . probably on the '60's. You go in the 60's. . you gotta think about what kind of medical insurance you have. BTW: (Liability) Insurance is non-trivial on high power jet skis.

The 2009 GTX is blue. If you like Yellow better, get the RXT. I have not deep drilled, but I am not sure how much "different" the ski really is aside from a few exterior features. They have the same engines. The 2010 GTX is red, and the stabilization is standard on the 215hp. That rules out the 2010 GTX.

How big are your riders? A three seater will not seat three American adults. Three teenagers maybe. One 225+male and a 135+ female is not a good formula for a two seater. Awesome on a three seater. You can FIT three adults. . but the ski will tend to get top heavy and the performance hit will be dramatic.

Anyhow. . that's it for now. Need to pour another drink!

Bottom line: You want one. You need to think about how you use it. If you plan to TOW wakeboarders, tubers, that will really influence your decision.
Do you need TWO? In my area, they do come in pairs.

 

[Groucho]

Nice writeup and accurate.
I had a SeaDoo GTX 3 seater (really for 2).
Great dealer network too.

 

[missnmountains]

Yamaha VX110. Great waverunner. We ski and wake board behind it in the gulf. It is light enough to put on our swim platform and we haul her everywhere we go. The price is pretty reasonable.

Ken

 

[jmunro123]

we got a ski this past december. Its a 155 hp Sea Doo. I bought it to pull skiiers and tubes etc for the kids. However, I really think its a blast. A buddy and I took off two weekends ago for the day traveling up a some rivers, just a blast.
I like the learning key on the Sea Doo's. It great for less experienced riders.

 

[Nacho Boat]

I have a set of 2005 Kawasaki STX-12F's - great ski's at a super price. Unbelievable reliability (I won't go into the other name brands that I have had to tow in before). Got over 100 hours on each of my ski's.

Mine are three seaters that we have used for tubing and wakeboarding. They will run all day long on a single tank of gas.

There are some great ski's out there. Just need to figure what you want, and how you want it to look. I don't think they are many "bad" choices.

Good Luck!!!

 

[comsnark]

Ok. . .I have a fresh drink.

Having a blowboat, a SeaRay, and two jetskis: Think a second about logistics. How do you use your boats? If you are in a marina. . cool. If you trailer. . not cool. How many trailers can you tow at once? You are NOT lifting an 800lb+ 4stroke 215hp PWC into the back of a pickup.

I live close to a good jet ski area. I often take out the SeaRay and the PWCs simultaneously. On my skis, you need to clamp water intakes if you tow above idle speed. This is a pain; so we almost always send riders out with the ski's. Then we anchor the SeaRay and use it as a hangout spot while people ride around. It's cool!

Personally, I REALLY like my SeaDoo. My older ski is '93 Kawi. The Kawi is bulletproof, but it doesn't see much use for a variety of reasons (it is only a two seater)

Kawi, Honda, and Yamaha all make really good skis. The SeaDoo has a lower rep, but mine has done fairly well. No (real) complaints. My SeaDoo and the SeaRay DO NOT compete for attention. You really are in a different mood using these craft. My weekend is not complete unless I use the SeaDoo and the SeaRay. Nothing better than jumping wakes and catching air on a hot August Sunday! Blasting along at the high 50's with your cheeks starting to puff out in the breeze is AWESOME! Then, when the day is winding down. . we take the SeaRay out to dinner. . .

Unfortunately, you are much more in the elements with a PWC. In my area, it really is a June-September hobby. Late May and Early October requires wetsuits. On my 280SS, I can wear a sweater and jacket. If desperate for a fix, I can put up canvas. There is no canvas on a PWC.

ok. . rambling now. Blood Alcohol wandering in the 0.08 range.

 

[Larry&Leisa]

Yamaha 110's like missnmoutains said. We use 'em for tubing and cruisin'. No issues and on our 4th season. (the pair was under $15K back then new, w/trailer) These are 4 stroke, 3 seaters that run around 50mph. Fast..? I guess it's relative. Fast enough for me. Large rear boarding platform and I personally like the water spout (it at least makes me think someone can see me a little sooner) We've got one with reverse and on w/o and yeah, reverse comes in handy at times. Mirrors are required in our area if you are pulling anyone.

Lots of choices out there and I like the criteria comshark listed for buying used if that's the route you want to go.

 

[Smile Maker]

Had my Yamaha since '04, about 200 hours on it. Very reliable - no issues at all. I put a new battery and plugs (2) in every year and thats it. Had friends with Sea Doos and Honda's who had reliability issues. I will buy Yamaha again.

 

[fc3]

I bought a new Sea Doo RXT-X last year. Very nice machine. The only maintenance I've done is normal oil changes, lubes, etc. I don't ride it particularly hard, but I do know how fast she goes, which is an indicated 70, (See avatar) which really is more like 67-68 from what I've heard. Don't have a hand held GPS, so I don't know exactly.

It's very fast. Zero to fifty is supposed to be under 2.9 seconds. I do believe that. If you're not holding on when you grab a handful of throttle, you're off the stern. If you don't trim down, she'll try to stand up, that is, until the jet pump's intake comes out of the water. Speaking of throttle, the RXT-X has a finger throttle not a thumb throttle. Everyone I know who has a PWC with a thumb throttle hates it. After a couple of hours of riding, even the finger throttle gets tiring, though. I typically ride for an hour or two and that's fine.

On relatively calm water it's easy to cruise and maintain about 50 or so with just a little throttle and no drama. Have to slow down when it gets rough until you want to get beaten up. The RXT-X has electric variable trim with two memory position. You can set the trim for speed, handling, or ride and you can memorize two of those settings. A double tap of a trim button recalls the setting.

Of the three I've owned, the 97 Kawasaki STS was pretty reliable, required minimal maintenance, but had an miserable wet ride and was very stinky and smokey because it was a two stroke. Despite having variable trim, the only useful setting was fully bow up. The ride was intolerable otherwise. It also was a pig on fuel. The Sea Doo actually does not burn any more fuel despite having three times the horsepower. The 2004 Polaris MSX rode and handled very well. It was extremely light, too. However, the mechanicals and German Weber engine were complete crap. Lots of problems with that machine. Final straw was that the factory in Germany built the engines and plated the cylinders wrong causing the nicasil plating to crumble. No warranty. Nice.

I bought the service manual for the Sea Doo and picked it up from the dealer Saturday. Interesting reading. Looks like they did a good job with the design. You don't have to haul the engine out to do maintenance. There's enough room to work, too. Main problem I see is that there is not a boost bypass valve for when the throttle is suddenly closed when the supercharger is developing boost. There's third party kit to add one, a good idea. IMHO.

The newer supercharged Sea Doos use improved clutches in the supercharger. The orignals were ceramic. When they failed, they'd blow apart allowing pieces to enter the engine, which was a bad thing since the engine would have to be removed, and the oil pan removed to clean out the pieces. If it was really bad the engine would have to be disassembled to allow flushing of the oil passages. Newer models use titanium clutches that don't blow apart. Some people used third party stainless steel clutch packs to replace the ceramic ones. I've heard mixed stories about this.

The X package uses a larger intercooler, which is mounted aft in the hull. Take a lot of room but seems to be a superior design to the 215's intercooler, which is in the intake manifold. But that's my initial impression based solely upon my reading of the service manual. YMMV.

I like my 2008 Sea Doo RXT-X. The only disadvantage to the RXT vs the GTX is the RXT-X does not have a boarding step. None of my three PWCs had a boarding step and I never missed it. Don't think boarding in deep water is a problem, despite what some stupid butthead on this site who never met me claims about my upper body strength. In short, I don't think the boarding step is necessary. Even kids and girls can board from deep water without it.

Trying to decide if I want to change the intake grate and impeller. There's more speed in that engine. Those new parts will probably net 5-7 mph. Don't know if it's worth the bother. Not found anyone on the water who can pass me. But on the other hand, there are a lot of Sea Doos around here that I can't pass. Oh well.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[gerryb]

We have an 08 RXT purchased as a new leftover with full warranty for less than $9K this summer. I think FC3's write-up above is good but I didn't see the need for more horses on what is a very fast machine to begin with. I have had mine to 69MPH on flat water, sitting up. Number 1 reason I went with Sea Doo is the closed cooling system. Having BravoIIIs in saltwater is enough for any man to deal with. Didn't want more of my 'assets' exposed the same way.
They are great machines and are amazingly fast. The feeling of cruising at 45, hitting the throttle hard and almost getting SHOVED off the back is somewhat addicting.

 

[JimT]

We bought a 2009 Yamaha FX SHO Cruiser this summer for $11,500 (list is about $14k). 190 hp, 0-30 in less than 2 seconds, top speed 67-70mph. There is a setting that reduces the power to about 30% if you have kids. Seats 3 in a comfortable countoured seat, has cruise control, a rear boarding step, tows like a tug boat. We love having it at the marina along with our boat. There are many times when I want to get out on the water and don't feel like moving the boat off the dock or don't have a crew. The waverunner is perfect for this. We also bring it out on the lake with the boat and the kids take turns riding while at anchor. Highly recommend that you get one.

 

[ultratiger89]

Beware of speeds quoted via speedo, they are extremely inaccurate, always ask if it is GPS rated.

My choices would be, for 2 seaters would be the SeaDoo RXP or Yamaha FZR, for 3 seaters the Kawasakin Ultra 250 or Yamaha FX SHO. I've owned a SeaDoo GTXR and a Kawasaki Ultra 150, both were two seaters and at the time they came out were the fastest on the water.

 

[Vince_nj1]

- Not too expensive
- Sick looking! :thumbsup:
- Should have reverse
- Must be able to strap it to the swim platform of my 270

This might be just the thing!

 

[Float&Fly]

Has Sea Ray ever given a weight rating for the swim platform?

 

[fc3]

They are great machines and are amazingly fast. The feeling of cruising at 45, hitting the throttle hard and almost getting SHOVED off the back is somewhat addicting.

You should try it with the extra 40 horses. Yow! No "almost". If you're not holding on, you're in the drink. If a passenger is on the back and not paying attention, you'll be circling around to pick him up.

The hull tracks as if on rails. Throw the helm over and hit the throttle, she'll turn tightly enough that even if you are holding on tightly, the G force is too much and off you go. These new machines aren't like the old ones where in hard cornering the hull lets go and flips 180 degrees. These things just keep turning. The Polaris was especially good at that since she was so very light (660 lbs - pretty good for a 3 seat turbo 4 stroke). The Sea Doo is heavier about 800, but not porky pig like the Hondas which are over 900 lbs. Guy I know has the Honda. It's very wet and it's slower than my Polaris was. So it would also be much slower than the Sea Doo.

Best regards,
Frank

 

[330DA]

Last year we bought an '06 Yamaha FX SHO, 3 seater, with 45 hours from a dealer. The dealer hooked up the waverunner's computer and showed me all of the data that was stored. I saw the hours at each rpm range. That gave me proof that the motor was not abused from running at too high an rpm for long periods. In addition, we were still able to purchase a Yamaha extended warranty. It has been trouble-free for our 2 seasons with it being 4 model years old.