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

[jetboater4life]

Not bad for a 14 year-old ski, huh?

It's been a great ski, we've (mostly my son) has put 20 hours on it in the last couple of weeks.

 

[the MfM]

Well I found my new toy. 2018 Yamaha VX Cruiser HO with 30 hours on it. It is *almost* as mint as I would’ve kept it, one small scratch that’s barely visible and some fading on the sponsons and rear grab handle behind the seat. Hoping I can get those back to black, otherwise it’s in great shape. It was 3 hours there, 4.5 hours back (yay vacation traffic).

After I got the word on Saturday night it was mine and it didn’t have a trailer, I drove thirty minutes to a used trailer that I had kept an eye on in case this situation came up. The Waverunner seller had a place on the water and had no need for a trailer so I had to source my own and I had to get it Sunday or wait two weeks for them to be back to the vacation home, so that meant no time to search for a new one and I knew it would sell despite my $500 deposit sent via PayPal. I worked in the garage on a not-so-roadworthy trailer Saturday night I bought for five hundred bucks (was asking $800!) until 11 PM fixing bunks, rewiring and replacing all lights, etc. It has great bones but the wear items pretty much all need replacing. I need to figure out how far to go on this thing before just dumping it and getting a new one.

I set off Sunday morning for the 300 mile round trip around 7 AM and had to stop twice to fix the empty trailer I was towing. FYI industrial zip ties are very useful to keep rotten bunks with completely rusted out/falling-out-on-the-way lag screws. ? I had an entire bag of tools for just about any what if, two brand new wheels and tires just in case, ratchet straps, the works. Fortunately all I needed was one screwdriver and several zip ties.

I test drove it for a few minutes and had it out yesterday for about an hour before nearly running out of fuel since I was so excited I completely forgot to even check the fuel gauge. It is fast and I'm really glad I waited for one powered by the 1.8L motor. It's not *quite* as fast as my old supercharged SeaDoo but it's pretty close and I don't worry about supercharger maintenance or "chopping the throttle" and causing washer issues. It is also quite a bit more nimble than the SeaDoo was, being slightly narrower. I've only had it out twice, but I've found that you can remain fairly dry if you so desire but it is clearly light (ish) and can get bumpy in the chop and you can get as wet as you want as well. The handling is very impressive. Overall I think it's a happy medium between ride, power, reliability, handling, and just plain fun.

View attachment 131503

Nice couch!

 

[captainhook]

Very cool! Congrats on locating and procuring your new toy! Hope you have lots of fun an enjoyment out of it. Really like the color. When I first saw the pic, I though to myself, wow, that trailer looks rough for a 2018 ski with 30 hours...then I read your post. Glad it worked out for you. My handles behind the 3rd seat, as well as between the handlebars is faded. Looks like sunblock is the culprit in my case. Let us know if you figure out how to get them back to a “new” luster.

BTW - I had my “visibility spout” disconnect, as on breezy days it lead to frequently getting sprayed in the back...

I also wondered if it was sunblock as well. Another thing it could be is wax because that's what the black matte trim on my last two trucks looks like when you overdo it with waxing or don't tape it off. I'm thinking of trying Dawn since that strips wax and then maybe some 303 as that will at least make it darker even though it runs from my experience on the black trim of my truck. It looks GREAT until it gets wet though.

I'm not sure how I feel about the "visibility spout." As a former SeaDoo guy, I used to think it was unnecessary and sort of obnoxious. I think I'll leave it for now unless it really starts to annoy me. I went under a bridge several times riding the kids around and it was hitting the bottom of the bridge so I can see how you might get wet. Also as I was loading it on the trailer I think it sprayed my wife and kids too.

 

[captainhook]

Nice couch!

Thanks, I think it's more of a loveseat

I didn't think my wife cared much for it but immediately came outside to look at it and mentioned it was bigger than she thought it was going to be. A little while later I looked out the window to see her, my sister in law, and three kids all sitting on it. Given there is that much room for passengers, it is surprisingly nimble. I'll give it a good push next time I'm out alone "making sure it's okay" to see what it really can do. Back in the day on my 1992 SeaDoo SPi I used to love to be able to turn and try to dip my shoulder in the water. I don't think I'll quite be able to do that on this, but I am very impressed with its handling. I can see how you can easily throw yourself off in a hard turn if you're not careful as it digs in pretty good.

 

[TimW451]

Try one of the “back to black” products like this:

Amazon.com: Mothers 06141 Back-to-Black Heavy Duty Trim Cleaner Kit,12 fl. oz.: Automotive

Buy Mothers 06141 Back-to-Black Heavy Duty Trim Cleaner Kit, 12 fl. oz.: Cleaners - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Mothers 06110 Back-to-Black Trim & Plastic Restorer Aerosol, 10 oz.: Automotive

Buy Mothers 06110 Back-to-Black Trim & Plastic Restorer Aerosol, 10 oz.: Plastic Care - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

smile.amazon.com

 

[2nazt]

I think I’m going to part ways with my 2016 FX HO. I believe 29 hours. Aluminum continental trailer. Fresh oil change, AGM battery, new plugs. PM if you want.

 

[2nazt]

And I missed the page were you found your ski hit the wrong tab. I though the conversation was confusing. Congrats on the purchase.

 

[captainhook]

I think I’m going to part ways with my 2016 FX HO. I believe 29 hours. Aluminum continental trailer. Fresh oil change, AGM battery, new plugs. PM if you want.

You should list it. You can fetch a lot for an FX with 29 hours. My guess is it will fetch $12kish if you’re willing to wait a couple weeks, $11k if you want to be absolutely flooded with buyers wanting to come get it right this second. Those prices of course are up here, I have noticed some reduction in prices the last week or so but anything good sells quick unless it’s more than $12k.

 

[2nazt]

You should list it. You can fetch a lot for an FX with 29 hours. My guess is it will fetch $12kish if you’re willing to wait a couple weeks, $11k if you want to be absolutely flooded with buyers wanting to come get it right this second. Those prices of course are up here, I have noticed some reduction in prices the last week or so but anything good sells quick unless it’s more than $12k.

Thanks for the heads up. I’ll post on here in the next few days and boat trader. Anyone else reading feel free to PM me.

 

[thefortunes]

I also wondered if it was sunblock as well. Another thing it could be is wax because that's what the black matte trim on my last two trucks looks like when you overdo it with waxing or don't tape it off. I'm thinking of trying Dawn since that strips wax and then maybe some 303 as that will at least make it darker even though it runs from my experience on the black trim of my truck. It looks GREAT until it gets wet though.

I'm not sure how I feel about the "visibility spout." As a former SeaDoo guy, I used to think it was unnecessary and sort of obnoxious. I think I'll leave it for now unless it really starts to annoy me. I went under a bridge several times riding the kids around and it was hitting the bottom of the bridge so I can see how you might get wet. Also as I was loading it on the trailer I think it sprayed my wife and kids too.

Based on my (now jetboater4life's) 2006 fxho cruiser, it's neither, just sun and oxidation. If it was still mine I would consider trying various products, the heat gun or fine sandpaper methods.

I installed a shutoff valve for the rooster tail. Worked great when pulling a tube or skier.

 

[captainhook]

I swapped the bunks out on the trailer today and they were rotten and the bolts were completely rusted. It took longer than anticipated so I’m not looking forward to doing the boat trailer which also needs it, though not quite as bad yet.

I felt like some of the bolts were a little suspect so I decided to use my father in law’s lift instead of launch in the event I had to make a hardware store run. Fortunately I did not. A little scary watching it hang there at first but the $150 straps did the job, though they only seem sturdy enough for occasional use. I am planning on building a heavy duty cart out of wood to store it in the garage in the winter and allow easier access to trailer repairs.

 

[Ronnie]

My wife wants a new waverunner after seeing one on the water recently. I’d like to go used but am looking closely at these new ones as well. I like the price of the non supercharged fx but the improved acceleration and top speed of supercharged version is hard to resist.

 

[captainhook]

I was tempted by the supercharged versions as well, but yeah the cost was the showstopper. In addition, the extra high octane fuel burn was a consideration as well. Frankly my VX Cruiser HO is plenty fast as I spend the vast majority of the time below full throttle. I do think my supercharged SeaDoo was faster on acceleration and top end, but realistically the N/A 1.8 is more than enough and has plenty of power even at higher RPMs. It can drink gas if you really push it hard but if you're easy on it, it's easy on fuel too. A few weeks ago I took it to Ocean City and it turned out to be choppy and windy as hell so we primarily stayed at lower speeds, with several blasts of speed. We were out for a couple of hours and barely put a dent in the fuel gauge. Then my son and I took it out last Monday for about an hour and the fuel gauge still shows 3/4 of a tank.

So far we've put about 10 hours on it but I think only 3-4 of those hours are with me at the throttle--my nephews have been having lots of fun with it and it uses A LOT more fuel when they have it. If I had a supercharged version, I probably wouldn't let them have it out of L mode, and there is just something nice about not having to worry about a supercharger (been there, done that).

 

[captainhook]

Forgot to mention, I've been pulling wakeboarder and tubers with the Waverunner instead of the boat as it is SO MUCH easier and the 1.8L is a champ at that as well. The N/A version is by no means slow at all. I used to think my boat was slow before, but now it feels like I'm dragging an anchor.