Pwc's

tobias · April 25, 2009

So... I'm looking to buy a PWC for this boating season. My pontoon is great but every once in a while I want to go fast and have a little fun.

I'm only looking to spend between $1500-$2500 for a ski and trailer combo. I realize that will most likely put me into the late 1990's/early 2000's models but that's fine by me.

My questions are these:

What brands are the best in this age range?
What should I be looking for when judging value and sea worthiness?
What repairs are common and expected?
What am I not asking that I should be?

Thanks in advance!

BTW, I realize it'll probably look like shit considering the age so I've already talked to a guy I know who's gonna paint it up for me with some nice bass boat metal flake paint. Should be the titties. I'll have the seat recovered too most likely. All of this without badging, of course.

svensk · April 25, 2009

No.

Jet Ski user's piss me off just like people on crotch rockets. It must be too irresistible to be an idiot when you own one of those. I can't fish 50ft from shore on a 10,000 acre lake without some nitwit blowing by me less than 200ft.

Just say no Tobias.

LawmanSS · April 25, 2009

I don't know alot about them since I've never owned one, but my brother has had two. He had very good luck with his Yamaha, but had nothing but trouble out of his Polaris. The Yamaha was of late 90's vintage, the Polaris was early 2K.

takevin · April 25, 2009

Or instead of painting it, you could do a real wicked body wrap on it instead. Wrapped in vinyl graphics.

Thanks in advance!

BTW, I realize it'll probably look like shit considering the age so I've already talked to a guy I know who's gonna paint it up for me with some nice bass boat metal flake paint. Should be the titties. I'll have the seat recovered too most likely. All of this without badging, of course.

punmax · April 25, 2009

The main manufacturers of the most popular jet skis are Honda, Polaris, Kawasaki, Sea Doo, and Yamaha.

Try researching those brands!

PhilB · April 25, 2009

I have never owned a jet ski but have friends that do. I did look into getting a couple of used jet skis but then ended up getting a used Cobalt 262.

What brands are the best in this age range?

IMHO - I would say that your best brands would be Yamaha and SeeDoo. Polaris made jet skis in the 90s but got out of that business around 2000. Polaris parts should be available.

What should I be looking for when judging value and sea worthiness?

Check the gel coat for any signs of damage, especially the bottom side. Check the hour meter if it has one. Check the engine compartment to see if it's clean. If it's oily or has water in it, there could be problems.

What repairs are common and expected?

Water impeller replacements and battery replacement are the biggest things I hear about. If it has a carb on it, that could cause issues. Getting bad gas (has water in it) from somewhere means taking it to dealer to drain all of the fuel, rebuild the carb, etc.

What am I not asking that I should be?

Ask yourself what you purpose is, just to go fast from point A to point B? Go site seeing? Go out and create havoc on the lake? lol I have found that when I go out on a jet ski by myself, I get bored after about 5-10 minutes. It is more fun if you have someone on another jet ski or just with you.

If you buy from an individual, ask them about the history of the jet ski. Make sure you take it for a test drive before you buy it. I have heard a horror story about someone buying a used jet ski from an individual, not test driving it, took it home, put it the water and it sank. If you buy from a dealer, you might be able to get a warranty with it. Of course you will pay more at a dealer too.

Good Luck with your search.

nick44 · April 25, 2009

The wife and i owned 2 Seadoo's before we sold them to get a boat. Its always to go out on them but only when you have friends going with a boat so you can get off of them for a bit and let your ass gain feeling. I really loved our 04 Seadoo's. We went with them bc they also make ski boats so I figured they did a little more research on them than the other brands. Like Kevin said I would go with a vinal wrap over painting it... Unlike svensk said get one! They are like croch rockets and I love my 'busa and miss the Seadoo's just be respectful to fishers!

geektoad · April 25, 2009

No.

Jet Ski user's piss me off just like people on crotch rockets. It must be too irresistible to be an idiot when you own one of those. I can't fish 50ft from shore on a 10,000 acre lake without some nitwit blowing by me less than 200ft.

Just say no Tobias.

Interesting logic there....

Because muscle cars are too tempting to idiots to drive like ***holes, NOONE should drive them. even if they'd drive them reasonably. Hell, we might as well outlaw them all together.

tobias · April 25, 2009

The main manufacturers of the most popular jet skis are Honda, Polaris, Kawasaki, Sea Doo, and Yamaha.

Try researching those brands!

That's what I am doing, looking for accounts of real world experience. Reasearching them for specs only yields so much and manufacturers lie in their marketing materials so real world accounts are important to me.

So, on that note, what brand did your daddy buy you and did you like it?

tobias · April 25, 2009

The wife and i owned 2 Seadoo's before we sold them to get a boat. Its always to go out on them but only when you have friends going with a boat so you can get off of them for a bit and let your ass gain feeling. I really loved our 04 Seadoo's. We went with them bc they also make ski boats so I figured they did a little more research on them than the other brands. Like Kevin said I would go with a vinal wrap over painting it... Unlike svensk said get one! They are like croch rockets and I love my 'busa and miss the Seadoo's just be respectful to fishers!

Thanks, Nick! I have a 24' Pontoon that this will accompany. I'd never buy just a jet ski, that'd get old real fast.

The body wrap is a real possibility as I have a very good friend who runs his own sign shop. I just really like the thought of some over-the-top guady-ass metal flake!

ryan_hermanutz · April 25, 2009

I never owend one, but I spent a summer renting them out. All the had were Sea Doo, and I never had a problem with one.

VMax2007 · April 25, 2009

So... I'm looking to buy a PWC for this boating season. My pontoon is great but every once in a while I want to go fast and have a little fun.

I'm only looking to spend between $1500-$2500 for a ski and trailer combo. I realize that will most likely put me into the late 1990's/early 2000's models but that's fine by me.

My questions are these:

What brands are the best in this age range?

What should I be looking for when judging value and sea worthiness?

What repairs are common and expected?

What am I not asking that I should be?

Thanks in advance!

BTW, I realize it'll probably look like shit considering the age so I've already talked to a guy I know who's gonna paint it up for me with some nice bass boat metal flake paint. Should be the titties. I'll have the seat recovered too most likely. All of this without badging, of course.

You should be asking yourself: "WTF would I ever want a gay paint job like that?"

I am truly disappointed in you daddy, and I really hope that was a joke.

VMax2007 · April 25, 2009

No.

Jet Ski user's piss me off just like people on crotch rockets. It must be too irresistible to be an idiot when you own one of those. I can't fish 50ft from shore on a 10,000 acre lake without some nitwit blowing by me less than 200ft.

Just say no Tobias.

Screw you! Fish in the early morning, after noon, the water is OURS!!!

Wingnut · April 25, 2009

Yeah...When I had my boat....The PWC guys would piss me off every time.

I'd be cruising across the lake and they'd come straight at me at 40-50 mph so they could jump my wake. You know how nervous that makes a dude driving a 28' boat when you aim RIGHT AT HIM and go balls to the wall? Not to mention the fact that I can't maneuver if there's a problem in front of me and 3 guys on jet skis messing around off my beams.

FadedSierra · April 25, 2009

Alright well along with AR's I am also an obsessive jetskier. If you're only looking to spend between $15-2500 for a ski/trailer combo I'm afraid you're not going to have much of a jetski at all. They generally run down faster than a smoker in a 5K so at 2 grand you might have to spend more fixing it than you think. I solid choice if you are going to stick with the lower price range is a stand-up ski, they're smaller, lighter and more for sport than rec. and there's not a lot to them, so they tend to be quite a bit cheaper. (think of a motorcycle compared to a sports-car) The stand-up ski will tip, they do require you to get wet but they are super fun! If you're looking into sit-down ski I would recommend a used Yamaha. I have always owned Sea-Doo's, I currently have an RXP-X which FLIES but I do not recommend a used Sea-Doo because it was only up until 2-ish years ago that the company who makes the body and engine merged to make one company. The years previous had more problems than I would ever recommend for any one else to deal with. But the Yamaha's are a good choice for quality at any year. If you do decide to up the budget I HIGHLY recommend the Sea-Doo RXP-X, it is deadly fast with its 255hp, supercharged, intercooled engine. Here's a link, this is an RXT-X (3 seater which is heavier) but same thing basically. RXT-X vs Ferrari

Hope I helped!