Jetski

[stevel3]

Hi all,
I have been thinking about buying a second hand jetski to have a bit of fun with. I only want to spend around $8k but might be able to stretch it up to $10k. I mainly want it for me to have a quick blast on around Morton Bay and the Broadwater, but occassionlly taking the wife also. What are the best most reliable ski's for that money. I have heard either a Honda or Yamaha would be a safe bet. I know there isnt much info on here about skis but I thought some of you might have one. I have looked on a jetski forum and it is like asking which outboard is better, everyone thinks theirs is best. I am in no hurry to buy one, more just researching and trying to find out which makes and models are tried and tested,
cheers Steve,

[eyeskeenas]

For those Dollars, I recon you cant go past the Yamaha VX delux, not a power house but it will be reliable and you be able to pick one up around 2008-2009 for 8-10K, should be able to sell it easy enough too when the time comes. failing that look at the Kawasaki STX or ultra LX great ski's. i have an ultra LX and i love it. im in the prossess of upgrading to buy another one now.

[oldie]

i did see a kwaka on this site in classifieds which looked a good rig, i have ridden the same ski and rate them for sure.

[hooknpull]

i would never buy a second hand jetski unless it was a yamaha gp1300r. its a 2stroke so very cheap to rebuild should you ever need to. 4strokes cost alot to rebuild if you get a lemon. jet ski's are flogged anyone that says they dont flog it is a liar. stick with yamaha and dont buy anything with more than 75hrs. i have had ski's for 5 years with mates who had shops for over 15.

[kizza1]

buy a four stroke. 2 stroke will end up costing you dollars. ask for service history, water test the ski before you buy it to check for ignition failure under load and prop wear.
steer clear of supercharged skis.
stick with seadoo, yamaha or kawasaki. steer clear of polaris or honda.
ask for service history, check the battery cables are still copper coloured not black (this indicates that there hasnt been any major salt water in the hull.)
check that theres no visible corosion on the engine.
ask the owner to show how they have flushed it out and how often they have done so. ask how old the battery is.
check steering, throttle and gear cables arnt siezed
also check the trailer wheel bearings and lights.

[stevel3]

thanks for the replies, it doesnt need to be super fast (but I dont want a slug either) more importantly it needs to be reliable and easy and cheap(ish) to maintain. It needs to have a bit of storage space for the wifes stuff, or if I want to throw in a hand line and some bait and drinks, you get the picture. From the bit of research I have done it looks like a non super charged ski would be more economical to buy and run. From what I have read online it looks like a Yamaha ski is the brand to own for what I am looking for, but still which model. Its harder to buy the right ski than the right boat, glad I'm not in a hurry.

[kizza1]

i wouldnt exactly say yamaha is the only way to go. all three of the brands i mentioned are great. you might find the seadoo gtx 155 worth a look as they have the only true waterproof storage.
go for a stx15f, ultra lx, gtx, gti, fx. the yammy vx tend to nose dive in choppy conditions.
if its going to be more of a cruiser then the three model to go for are gtx, fx or ultra lx.

[boatboy50]

Hey Mate,

I've owned and commercially run a few skis, and over the past few years have settled with Yamaha for my own gear.

The VX is a wet ski and lacks performance.

I currently own a 2006 FX160, because they are great on fuel, good power and performance, plenty of storage and capable to keep the family interested.

I did a run yesterday from Paradise Point to Tweed and back, and used around 30L.

I was thinking yesterday about selling and buying a new model FX1.8. I've done 106 hours, service history, trailer and LED lights, and i'll sell for $11500.

PM if interested.

Darren

[stevel3]

Thanks again fellas, I am a total novice and have never ridden one but have had big road bikes for a long time. It is getting to hard to have fun on them as the cops are full on at the moment. I saw on ebay a bloke who does repairs and pre inspections, he is at Ormeau and charges $60 per hour. Is there anyone on here that uses him or can you recomend anyone else, cheers Steve.

[Shagga]

Steve, I have a 2009 Yamaha VX Delux which I bought new. I bought it for a bit of family fun and for fishing. I have set it up with fishing rack, esky, GPS/Sounder and nav lights. I didnt buy it for wave jumping and it has never been out of smooth water. It is always garaged and serviced by the dealer where I bought it. After every outing it gets flushed, washed and polished before being put away. So not all ski's have been flogged. A couple of times a year we take it to one of the dams and give it a good run through the fresh.

I have been very happy with the Yamaha and find it has plenty of power for what we use it for. Like all things second hand you have to do your homework and get as many details about the history of the ski. I know when I get my ski serviced I receive a print out from the dealer detailing what rev's the ski has been doing over the hours from the last service. Useful information when it comes to working out if the ski has been flogged.

Good luck with it.

Gary.

[stevel3]

Darren
(boatboy) I tried to pm but your pm box is full, Steve.

[boatboy50]

All cleared. Thank you.

Darren

[eyeskeenas]

Steve, That Kawasaki on the classifieds is mine, if you want to take her for a run to see what you think of the kawasaki's send me a PM and i will be happy to let you have a ride.
Cheers Nathan

[stevel3]

Thanks Nathan, very kind offer, I will have to get my pwc license first though, cheers Steve.i