jet ski question

hip in white salmon · Since 11 Jul 2007 149 Posts Stoked

My wife and son told me today that they want to get a jet ski!! Very Happy

Sounds like a great way to improve our board skills on those light days!!

Anybody have advice on brands and sizes? (We will be looking for a used one.)

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

yamaha waverunner--3 seater--4 -stroke--reverse is nice.
VX Deluxe. Pulls a skier/wakeboarder easily with two adults on the ski. Good mpg too. Love mine.

Eric

HRnico · Since 22 Mar 2008 262 Posts Da Hood Obsessed

Yamaha, mine is 1994 still going strong

Nak · Sat May 02, 09 9:44 pm

Depends... How much do you want to spend?

Blue · Since 03 Jul 2007 469 Posts I used to be Obsessed

surfboy1968 · Since 17 Jun 2008 224 Posts south padre island Stoked

SeaDoo GTI.....rocks with 155 horses..... Very Happy

EdG · Since 19 Dec 2005 425 Posts Just a Kook that's Obsessed

search this site for jetski info. Too early for me Confused

Good info on that thread.

splaterwin · Since 17 Nov 2005 165 Posts Vancouver Stoked

You can find older 2 strokes cheap but you will find yourself wrenching more then riding. Newer 4 strokes are the way to go, much better fuel mileage, less smoke. I have 2006 Yamaha HO (high output) model and it kicks butt. Built a board rack that saves wear and tear on hull. We had it out yesterday playing around with skim board on Lackamas Lake. It's a nice toy and we used it quite a bit when my son and I started kitting, now not so much. Yamaha makes a great 4 stroke but setup not the best for hauling stuff. Newer Seadoo has a nice hull setup and closed loop cooling design. Perfect for surf, no need to flush seawater out of engine. Board rack option and other upgrades for pulling. Most newer high power models come with turbo but that means premium fuel. I find mine has plenty of power without turbo and burns regular gas to boot.

Bonetti · Since 29 Apr 2007 411 Posts So. Cal./Oregon Obsessed

I'd get a Honda. They have a model that comes turbocharged completely stock!!!!!! Blow all of those Yamaha's out of the water. Laughing

splaterwin · Since 17 Nov 2005 165 Posts Vancouver Stoked

Bonetti wrote:

EdG · Since 19 Dec 2005 425 Posts Just a Kook that's Obsessed

Brand vs Brand? I thought that was not allowed here Laughing

Nak · Sun May 03, 09 7:18 am

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

I like Nak's list and 100 agree with the "must."

As for want, I would not use a rack if you plan on doing more kite teaching, than basic support. Having said that, you scratch and chip your hull pretty quick without a rack. It's all cosmetic, but it happens fast and frequently. Some friends of mine took their ski to a truck liner place and had that done on the wear zones of the upper hull. I wish my vx had a bit larger dry storage, but other than that it has been great. I love reverse.

If you plan to teach with it, it would be worth your while to find a really experienced instructor in the area and pay them on the side for an hour to show you the ropes on a ski with respect to helping kiters.

I don't have any mechanical know how, so I ended up feeling better about getting a new ski on closeout. It was for teaching my two kids--young--and I needed to know that when I pushed the start button it would do that every time. Thus far I have had 85 hours of carefree running.

Eric

scottman · Since 08 Jun 2007 150 Posts hillsboro Stoked

I got a seadoo supercharged GTX 185hp. It tends to cavitate a bit more than the lower HP models.

A jet ski is not the best platform for pulling a skier. When the skier cuts it pulls the back of the jetski around allot. It is hard to maintain constant speed. You have to hit the throttle on every cut. A boat with prop. would be a better way to go if your goal is to pull a skier. A jetski is good for rescue and transporting your kite gear to a better location. I can fit about two to three kites in the front of mine.

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

<<A jet ski is not the best platform for pulling a skier.>>

Very true--nothing like a real boat for that. The ski is more fun when you use wakeskates, or strapless surfboards, or skimboards, or anything where there is a bit more challenge in the ride, which takes your mind off of the fact that the wake from the ski is small.

This shot is from a wake boat. A ski wake will be half of that at best--maybe more like 1/3'rd.

Nak · Sun May 03, 09 8:53 am

Bettyboarder · Sun May 03, 09 9:27 am

Dont hate the 2 strokes...I have a 98 Seadoo GTX bought it about 4 years ago and haven't had to do anything to it but the annual maintenance....winterized, new batt, ect.

Check out this site it's awesome it has tons of videos about getting a ski, what too look for in used skis, how to maintain it ect.

http://server1.sbtontheweb.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=abd106f3a9a8dacbb76d326163154652&f=23

It really depends on what you want and how much you want to spend. I have spent a lot of time on Yamaha and Seadoo...really not alot of difference performance wise....I did notice on the new Yamaha's you get sprayed a ton when it's windy and they have no storage. Honda's are pretty sweet too but they are hard to find used for a good $

Our Seadoo has a huge removable storage bin in the front that you can put a kite or two in. I also have it dialed now to carry a full size cooler on the back. Avoid the rack if you want to do any rescuing...kite lines wrap on it and can cause major problems. The foot wells hold boards just fine...you can rhino line them but then your feet get trashed. I like to just put my board in a bag in the foot well.

It's a great purchase you will enjoy it. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions about them.