In the market for a ski, new vs. used, SeaDoo vs. Yamaha, etc. etc. EDIT-Found it!!!

[VitaminSea]

The only VXs with the 1.8 are the VX Cruiser HO or VXR/S. the EX and balance for the VX line have the TR1. the FX class has the 1.8L as standard, and then the SVHO version of it.

 

[captainhook]

Thanks, appreciate the info. That’s helpful.

 

[captainhook]

I think I’m gonna throw in the towel on this for now, finding a clean ski is damn near impossible right now for any reasonable price and the two I’ve messaged were apparently not interested in selling at all because they didn’t bother to respond. Likely sold but why keep the ad up, especially after people are still messaging you? I’ve cast the net pretty far including out of state and on the way to vacation 600 miles and have found very little worth considering.

Stopped by a dealer today and no skis to be seen so the new route seems to be out too. Not sure if 2021s are around the corner like boats but I’m sure those are gonna be way too expensive for me anyway if they’re gonna try to charge freight and setup and whatever else they think they can cram in.

Bummer, sure wanted one this year.

 

[TimW451]

How about this?

https://www.pwctrader.com/listing/2014-Yamaha-VXR-5013348413

 

[captainhook]

Thanks, looks like that one just popped up. Interestingly I’ll be driving right back through there in a few days. I’ve been trying to stick to 2016+ as there seems to have been a redesign around then but that’s worth consideration. Nice find.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I have been looking for a couple of new FX ho cruisers, I have over 800 hours on both of my skies, problem is one local dealer posts some available on line but that was a big lie so I will never buy another item from those guys and Barneys the other local dealer tells me that they have no idea what will be available when they are available . So I would suspect the p w c market will be interesting this year. I personally prefer the f x h o cruiser with the 1800 NA engine. had my check book in my pocket just can't get them around here.

 

[captainhook]

FX HO or a higher end VX 2016+ I think is my target at this point. The problem with FX is that they are priced so high right now that it makes zero sense to buy used. For example I messaged one yesterday I’ve been eyeing with a $14k price tag (the hope was that he came down to reality) but he didn’t bother to even reply to my message.

Regarding new, yes there seems to be none to be found anywhere. I am not sure how things will shake up next year. A lot of people think these payments will come due and people will be firesale-ing them but with a lot of jobs becoming remote, the “quarantine” not seeming to end any time soon, and the run on boats, I’m not sure I see it going that way.

 

[Ronnie]

I was at my local power sports shop (Hayward Power Sports) buying oil a few weeks ago and was surprised to see that they had at least 15 new pwcs in stock, mostly VXRs.

 

[I_squared_r]

I am a little biased, but a yamaha superjet is a ton of fun and are relatively cheap. They are incredibly bulletproof and the only maintenance is changing 2 spark plugs. Here is my heavily modified 1996 it has every bolt-on mod, paint, and custom fiberglass for heavy surf use.

I see new skis delaminating at the bottom. It won't happen to a Superjet. I beach my ski all the time. I don't carry ropes for the boat ramp - I just drag it up the concrete ramp so it doesn't float away. And it's easy to transport. No trailer required.

 

[captainhook]

I am a little biased, but a yamaha superjet is a ton of fun and are relatively cheap. They are incredibly bulletproof and the only maintenance is changing 2 spark plugs. Here is my heavily modified 1996 it has every bolt-on mod, paint, and custom fiberglass for heavy surf use.

I see new skis delaminating at the bottom. It won't happen to a Superjet. I beach my ski all the time. I don't carry ropes for the boat ramp - I just drag it up the concrete ramp so it doesn't float away. And it's easy to transport. No trailer required.

View attachment 127771

I would love one of those as a second or third ski. Unfortunately I’m probably past the prime of my life for one of those as I don’t see any of my three kids hanging on as we jump wakes though. The look on my wife’s face if I rolled into the driveway with one of those in the bed of my truck might be worth it though. ? ?

 

[I_squared_r]

I would love one of those as a second or third ski. Unfortunately I’m probably past the prime of my life for one of those as I don’t see any of my three kids hanging on as we jump wakes though. The look on my wife’s face if I rolled into the driveway with one of those in the bed of my truck might be worth it though. ? ?

Past the prime? Nonsense! 2 guys I ride with are in their mid 50's and have carbon fiber skis set up for the surf. The girlfriend of 1 also rides surf and throws down a little more than him.

 

[Ronnie]

Superjets can’t be sold new here in CA, they don’t meet current emissions standards. The same is true for the 195, FSH and new 27 footer. However a few years ago I saw how Hayward power sports got around this. They would buy a very lightly used one from out of state and sell it at a premium to CA customers. The one I saw was selling for $8,500, I don’t know the list price at the time but do remember it being a lot less than $8,500 (maybe it was $6k). I also remember it was sold within the week that I saw it.

 

[captainhook]

Past the prime? Nonsense! 2 guys I ride with are in their mid 50's and have carbon fiber skis set up for the surf. The girlfriend of 1 also rides surf and throws down a little more than him.

It was more the kids than me. Physically I’m probably as good as I was 20 years ago to ride one. ??

 

[I_squared_r]

Superjets can’t be sold new here in CA, they don’t meet current emissions standards. The same is true for the 195, FSH and new 27 footer. However a few years ago I saw how Hayward power sports got around this. They would buy a very lightly used one from out of state and sell it at a premium to CA customers. The one I saw was selling for $8,500, I don’t know the list price at the time but do remember it being a lot less than $8,500 (maybe it was $6k). I also remember it was sold within the week that I saw it.

Ah I didn't know that about CA. In other states you can register it, but you need to pay like $30 to join IBSA or some race league. because its "closed course only". Actually there are some solid rumors that Superjet is going 4-stroke this year and they'll put a TR-1 in it. They've been saying that forever but it's not a question "if" but "when". I probably won't buy it because I ride some nasty surf and sinking is inevitable. In a 2-stroke that is just drain the water, and run it good wide open throttle to get the salt out lol not so easy on a 4-stroke

 

[TimW451]

@captainhook AFAIK its only worth a dollar, but get some fun in this year:

Trailer included New winch, and new jack - boats - by owner - marine...

Up for sale Kawasaki Wave Runner Near perfect condition hull Super relaible motor Trailer included...

annapolis.craigslist.org

 

[captainhook]

Thanks, appears to be a scam though. 75% of the listings on CL have been scams lately.

 

[Ronnie]

Only semi relates because we are discussing availability but what I’ve noticed is that if yamaha does not offer a california variant of a model boat that model boat is not sold in california. This includes the 195 (previously the 192), all FSH models and the new 17 footers. See the attached screen shot.

 

[TimW451]

Thanks, appears to be a scam though. 75% of the listings on CL have been scams lately.

Spot on. I see a different pic of same waverunner posted in another geo and it’s been flagged for removal.

 

[captainhook]

Well the search continues and the budget keeps creeping up. My wife and father have mostly talked me into brand new with some excellent reasoning. I’m still leaning toward Yamaha at this point but here on vacation I’m on the lookout and saw a few in the water. The Yamaha bow seems to ride low in the water which I am not sure I like. I saw a late model VX, some older FXs, and a GP800 that seemed to ride pretty similarly like that with the bow pushing water over the hull frequently. I plan to take this on vacations so rough water rides are likely at least sometimes.

My wife says, “Just go with what you know” meaning SeaDoo when I mentioned that I’ve never ridden a Yamaha Waverunner before. I really like the Yamaha reliability and understand SeaDoo is better lately but I still feel like Yamaha is more reliable because they seem to make bigger power on naturally aspirated versions than SeaDoo. With SeaDoo I’d have to go with supercharged to get the power I want, Yamaha it doesn’t seem to be so. In addition, Yamaha resale seems to be higher, although everything used is very high this year.

I tried to rent a Waverunner yesterday but they were all sold out for the day and I’m sure I’m not gonna find an FX HO to rent anyway.

The other issue is that everybody seems to be out of stock in everything so I can’t even go look at them in a showroom. At this point I’ve mentally committed up to $15k OTD if I go new. ?

 

[VitaminSea]

The Yamaha bow seems to ride low in the water which I am not sure I like.

Yes, the VX bow plows through the water when you are at no wake speed, and can lead to a wet ride and water in the footwells until you are on plane.

My FIL has a SeaDoo RXT260 (2015 I believe). Yesterday we rode for about 3-3.5hrs, he went through a full tank, I burned through maybe 8 gallons. Yes, he’s quicker, but not football fields quicker.

Also due to the low riding nose, I try not to fill my tank (18.5 gallons) to more than 80%, and I had a pump wedge installed to “trim up” a bit.

Can’t speak to the FX, maybe Jeff @Cobra Jet Steering LLC, can provide some feedback between how the VX and FX ride/handle.

The new upper end Sea Doos do have a lot of nice features that VX line doesn’t have, hinged seat for engine access, the forward storage compartment can easily be accessed from the “drivers seat”, trim, the inter lock accessory system.

Between riding the two, I can share this:
VX HO, more linear throttle, nicer exhaust note (4 cylinders vs 3), more playful handling.
SeaDoo S3 Hull, drier heavier ride, faster acceleration, nicer display, and I like their security key over the Yamaha “car remote”.