Jet Ski advice

Hey all

I've been thinking about getting a Jet Ski for some time now. I want a 2 person ski, and will ride in the gulf for the most part. Im looking on craigslist at used skis and have a few ?

1. Is there a difference between fresh water and salt water jet skis?
Or is that just stating what the seller uses it in?

2. How many hours are too many? 2004 with 60 hours is little use right?

3. Any specific brands that are troublesome?

4. Used? or save up for new one? 4K vs 10K

5. What type of maintance is necessary on a ski?

6. Any hidden costs besides registration for ski/trailer etc?

Example of what i found...

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/boa/2550720925.html

Also deciding between ski and used motorcycle, but I prefer the water more I think...



Any advice is appreciated
Thanks

 

Sea-doos are known to be "the best" brand of jet skis. Many, many people have them (including myself). There is no specific "fresh"(lake) or "salt"(ocean) water jetski.. MOST jet skis are only able to run in fresh water, because salt water is corrosive. Though some sea-doos are able to run in salt water, because it doesn't run the salt water through the system (I believe sea-doos are the only brand of jetskis that do this). So maybe this sea-doo is not able to be run in salt water. 60 hours seems generally low to me. And it seems to me like jetskis are generally easy to keep running. I've seen some reallllllyyyy old jetskis at my local lakes, with people just hammering on them. I think jetskis run for a long time. So I think it would probably be worth it to buy a used one. I doubt you'd regret this sea-doo. As for hidden costs, not that I know of.. You've gotta get the jet ski "winterized" once a year for winter, but that's about it.

 

Yamaha or SeaDoo. Run in it any kind of water....just run water through the engine.
Easy close 2 no maintenance (change oil/run fresh water thru engine/keep battery charged.
60 hours seems low for a 04.

 

Thanks guys!

 

If this is going to be your very first jetski, as it sounds like it is, you should definitely do a bit more learning before making a purchase, and before riding, especially in saltwater which is perfectly fine for any jetski but requires different care than running in freshwater. Check out this site www.greenhulk.net

You'll find all that you need to know there.

While I wouldn't necessarily say SeaDoo is the best, they are certainly the most expensive. I have a SeaDoo and a Yamaha and I dread when the SeaDoo breaks 10x more than the Yamaha.

The only other piece of advice I'd give is stay away from the 2 strokes. You'll find yourself doing a lot more riding and a lot less fixing and maintenance on a 4 stroke in the long run. I have two 2 strokes, so trust me on that.

 

Plus, some places now require 4 strokes IIRC.........

 

I haven't heard that, but I wouldn't be surprised as far as emissions go.

 

we just got a 1996 seadoo and it runs great. its still VERY fast. i would definitely recommend buying used just make sure like buying anything used you check it out.

also idk how florida is with licenses but i know here in virginia you must have a boating license. It was $30 i believe for an online course. it took about 6 hours.
boater-exam.com is the best if you do decide to take it

 

Buy a Yamaha.

I had a SeaDoo (02 GTX RFI) and it was IMO, like driving a BMW, Fun to drive, but always had issues and was expensive to work on.

The motor ended up popping in it. Coolant passage clogged, main bearing overheated and disentigrated, crank walked. Common problem with the 787 block design. It was gonna be $3g's to fix it. I couldn't justify the cost when it was only worth $4g's. I sold the hull for $1g last year.

Personally after owning a PWC, I would much rather have a boat. They're fun if you're by yourself...but other than that a boat is much more fun when you have more people to entertain (which is usually do)

 

It's actually the other way around, most jetski's "CAN" be used in salt water, you just have to perform the proper maintenence as stated previously, i.e. flushing the engine with fresh water after use.

 

I have a Honda Jetski with no problems and it is an 03'
You can run any jet ski in fresh or salt it doesn't matter. If you run it in salt water you obviously have to flush it and wash the ski. 4 strokes are better than 2 strokes they require less maintenance in the long run. My buddies have all had 2 strokes and if you dont run then constantly you'll have problems. Now 4k for 04' is a little pricy even with very low hours. Because that thing has done nothing but sit its whole life. Maybe 2500 or 3k tops is ok. Just be careful man people scam out there. You just have to check every nook and cranny of that thing. Good luck bud

 

It's funny you mention that model of SeaDoo, that's the same exact model and year that I have. It only had 63 hours when I got it. Let and inexperienced rider get on and he tried to sink it to the bottom of the lake. I've had electrical demons ever since, I might as well have replaced everything

 

Mine only had about 45 hours on it when the motor popped. My ex-girlfriend's jackass cousin ran it hard in shallow water and sucked all sorts of shit up in it. He was the same guy who ruined the Jet pump two years prior doing the same thing and never paid a dime to fix either incident. Worthless welfare government blood sucker.

 

My dad has 2 Yamaha gp760 2 seaters, 2000 model. They are 2 stroke and require a little more maintenance. The oil tank has to be refilled just like the gas. Winterizing requires removing the spark plugs and pouring a few drops of oil in the cylinders and replacing the plugs, pouring stabilizer in the gas tank, and keeping the battery on a trickle charger and adding distilled water if neccessary. We have had very little trouble out of them. A few parts have been replaced but nothing major. It seems like I am the only one who can get them started anymore though, with all the hours on them it takes some finesse with the choke and throttle while cranking and warming it up. I would say they have about 230 hours each but I'm not certain, and that is a pretty good amount of use.

Jet skis are getting bigger every year, so the older the model you buy, the smaller it will be and it will work the shit out of you in rough water. If you are going to ride mostly in rough water with 2 people, I personally would look at a 3 seater for a little smoother ride. However on smooth water a smaller jetski will be more agile and funner to ride.

Like others have said most jet skis can be used in salt water, but flushing the coolant system is very important and should be done after each salt water use. Flushing is done by hooking a garden hose to a connection somewhere on the vessel while it is running. I also like to spray out the impeller after salt water use. Flushing is not as important after fresh water use but its a good idea to do so.

I only have experience with the Yamahas so that is about all I can contribute
Good luck!

 

excellent info.

thanks

 

like i said. buy a yamaha. case-closed.