Anyone know anything about Jet Skis?

[BRPORSCHE]

If you can, try to keep away from jet skis that were used predominately in salt water. Just like our beloved Porsche's, jet ski's hate salt water.

[stomachmonkey]

You ever ride one?

You can get yourself in a lot of trouble real fast on that Honda.

It'll do 0-50 with 3 people on board faster than any of your other toys.

They are a hoot.

I'd get it but go rent one for a day 1st.

It's not like a boat.

Depending on where you take it you can get pretty beat up.

Start doing squats now, your thighs will thank you.

The question of buying one or two comes down to the level of thrill issues your family has.

My wife and son are happy to putter around at 25-30 and avoid getting air.

My daughter and I prefer wide open balls to the wall wake jumping.

Any other combo means someone is not having a good time.

[BRPORSCHE]

Yea SM is right on the money. These are the crotch rockets of the waterways. A powerful three person jet ski with a light weight adult is absolutely scary in choppy water.

You will soon be buying pfd's that has armour built into them after you fall off that thing going 60 mph.

[Tim Hancock]

I have a couple '96/'97 PWC's (Kaw 750 & SeaDoo 750). I bought them cheap with issues and got them running like new again. We rarely take them out as the nearest place to ride is the Maumee river which gets boring real quick. We have had them on Lake Superior and Lake Erie where they are a blast to horse around on, but these older models beat you up a bit more in rough water than the newer 4 stroke tanks if you plan on riding longer distances (which we do not). I don't mind two strokes and they really don't smoke that much.

I have ridden a couple newer supercharged 3 seaters, but after a few holeshots and speed runs, they get boring too and are not as much fun jumping waves with as the smaller lighter machines IMO.

I guess I am saying the older ones are plenty of "fun" jumping waves and doing donuts with. The newer ones are fast, but after the first couple rides 60mph is really not very thrilling for someone who has experienced other forms of motorsports. I feel much better getting bored with something I spent a grand or two on vs something I spent 10 grand on. YMMV

[gshase]

I have seen these SEA-DOO RXP'S 215 HP SUPERCHARGED. We have a Sea-doo 4 place boat with the 215 S.C. engine and I will say my wife loves it. If you go 2 stroke stay with the Good oil.

[gprsh924]

If you will always be going together, than two skis will be better than one. You can't go wrong with Yamaha or Sea Doo. I like the hulls better than the Honda. Stay away from the Yamaha vx line, thats the rental ski and is too slow to get out of its own way and the hill isn't any fun. Go within Yamaha fx or sea doo gtx. Step up to a sea doo rxt if you want something a little faster. Get he newest skis you can afford with as few hours as possible (less downtime and wrenching).

The two strokes don't smoke to much, but based on your comments/experience the 4-strokes are probably a little more reliable and user friendly.

If you enjoy jumping, spins, donuts, etc you may want to consider a slightly older, 2-seat model as they will be lighter and more nimble. My 2003 Yamaha GP1300R is a nice mix of comfort, speed, and handling. The downside is it likes to eat cylinders. And today at the lake something went wrong with the throttle position sensor, so it needs to come out of the water.

[gprsh924]

If you plan on using it in salt water, just be sure to flush it after each use and you should be fine.

You can get pretty beat up in the ocean. Unless you want a full work out each time out, 3-sweaters are probably your best bet.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Here's a pair of Hondas:

Honda Aquatrax F-12X JET SKI'S 2002

-Wayne

Those are AWESOME!!!! I've ridden one, and was blown away. HUGE 930 style turbo rush. Family fun, but baby will they move if you put the hammer down.

[rattlsnak]

SeaDoo is definitely the Porsches of the waterways. My brother has a pair of the newer supercharged ones and they are insanely fast. The hole shot never gets old. I have a pair of older GTX Seadoos that a blast also and are much more maneuverable than his as far as spins and such.

[sammyg2]

I started with a 550 kawy jet ski in the early 80's and progressed to Yamaha personal water craft.
IMO yamahas are the most reliable and bullet-proof but not always the highest performance.

I have a 94 yamaha purple-bottomed raider in my back yard (along with the wife's highly modified WRIII GP).
Seems the sheet molding compound hulls were not ready in time for production that year so yamaha contracted a company to make a hand full of copies of their previous year's raider racing hulls.
Hand laid fiberglass, very light and very aggressive.
It only weighs 380# and you have to dig your toes in when you hit it or you'll be horizontal at the hit of the throttle.
There are plenty of other skis out there as far as top end but very few that can beat me to 55 mph including those fancy, expensive, and extremely heavy sea-doos.
It is a bit "unstable" at full throttle and tends to switch ends if you aren't careful but its a blast.

[patssle]

I picked up 2 mid-90s jet skis several years ago - I don't regret a thing. They are small, nimble, and very easy to work on. I've had them full throttle (all 55/75 horses) on a flat lake and I really wouldn't want to go much faster. I go through about 5-6 gallons TOTAL for a couple hours out on the lake. Using them a 3-4 times a summer - I have never put oil in them since I bought them - still 3/4s full.

I have no interest in owning a modern mammoth - they are huge, expensive, and complicated.

Edit: Oh, forgot to mention that I paid $3000 for 2 jet skis and a trailer. That's barely 1/3 of a modern jet ski. AND the guy gave my freelance gig some business!

[dentist90]

Wayne,
Check the hull near the bow to be sure it hasn't been beached hard. Check the seal at the impeller drive shaft inside the hull to be sure its good...no water in the hull. Check the impeller for nicks and damage from sucking up rocks in shallow water. Check the general condition of the engine compartment for cleanliness and corrosion... A good indicator of the POs maintenence. Of course, it should start easily and run well. When you test drive one it should accelerate very sharply without overrevving, which is a telltale sign of prop damage. Two strokes don't leave a blue haze like motorbikes as the exhaust is vented below the waterline,, but the newer four strokes are more environmentally friendly. It should come with a trailer and cover. Like others have said, be wary of craft that have been in salt water. They are MUCH more prone to corrosion and premature wear than lake driven craft. The engine/cooling systems must be flushed after every use to avoid internal corrosion, not many owners do this after a day at the beach. All watercraft i know of made after 1996 have enough power to pull a skier with a spotter no problem. I have a 95 SeaDoo XP, a 96 SeaDoo GTX and a 98 SeaDoo Sportster Jet Boat that all run great and can all pull a skier without issue. Check out a few to get an idea of the range of condition. Good luck!

[Zeke]

The ocean is a tough place for personal watercraft, Wayne. When you rented, did you rent locally or over in Catalina? If not, be prepared to get pretty cold and beat up.

Of course, these days I rent a Duffy.

[enzo1]

when that Honda came out I went to my Honda dealership buddy to buy 1, he wouldn't sell me the Honda, said it was crap that Honda put out just to get into the business, etc.... Seadoo is the best

[drcoastline]

Get a Sea Doo by Bombardier if you want a PWC, They are the Toyota of the PWC industry. Very rliable with a very large deal base for repairs and parts. Also there is no reason to be affraid to take a PWC in salt water so long as you do proper maintenance. Flush the engine at the end of the day wash it down with ivory liguid and CRC everything regularly and you wont have any problems. I am sure you will find that you will tire of the PWC very quickly. They are a lot of work, very wet and you pound constantly. There is no relaxing when riding a PWC it is very physical all of the time. Start to finish even when sitting still.

Do yourself a favor and buy a deck boat if you want to have family fun. They are very stable lots of room to stretch and relax, you can ski and tube behind them or fish if you like. You can run them up on a beach. Mount a Bar-B-Q to the rail and you can cook hot dogs and hamburgers.

[VINMAN]

I have to echo the guy's thought on the smaller ones being more fun. I have a Polaris 750 SLT. I ride 2-up with no problem and can pull a towable without a issue. Extremely quick and agile. I've done a ton of performance work on mine, so it is even better then it was originally( which was still very fast.) Mine has spent its whole life in saltwater, A LOT of ocean time. Still runs like new. But i'm also anal with cleaning and maintainance on it.

Ive rode newer, bigger, faster ones, but still enjoy mine more. One of my buds has a SeaDoo than can ride four people and pull a few barges, and a higher top speed, but to me it handles like crap.

[sammyg2]

The salt water will eventually attack your electrical connections, switches, and components. They are sealed pretty well but it will happen. Buy one that has not been in salt water so the clock starts at zero for you and then sell it so the next smuck gets stranded

Sea doos used to be the fastest and also most unreliable but that was 15 years ago. They got much better and are probably the best choice for at least the past 10 years.
I would not buy a kawasaki.
Dunno about the hondas.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

Do yourself a favor and buy a deck boat if you want to have family fun. They are very stable lots of room to stretch and relax, you can ski and tube behind them or fish if you like. You can run them up on a beach. Mount a Bar-B-Q to the rail and you can cook hot dogs and hamburgers.

This......

Get a canopy so you have some shade.

[craigster59]

Just an FYI, 2 strokes will be banned from Glen Canyon Recreation area (Lake Powell) on Jan 1st. Rumour is that there will be more waterways to follow in the future, which means many lakes in Kalifornia.

[BRPORSCHE]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Just an FYI, 2 strokes will be banned from Glen Canyon Recreation area (Lake Powell) on Jan 1st. Rumour is that there will be more waterways to follow in the future, which means many lakes in Kalifornia.

Great point craigster. Also, aren't two stroke motors banned on Lake Tahoe?