Jet Ski recommendations

[ENC boater]

Thinking of adding a ski to family. Currently have 2014 AR 240 and have been very happy. Kawasaki, Yamaha , or Sea Do. Pros and cons of each. I know with the collective wisdom on here I won't be steered wrong. We will be anchoring boat and running around river with 1or 2 people on ski. Want something with some kick, but not a racing setup.

 

[2nazt]

Here is a lot of good info. And as I state in the link I recommend a FXHO or the cruiser model Plus same motor you already have in the boat so you know all the maintenance.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/who-wants-to-give-me-a-set-of-brains.9562/

 

[2nazt]

You may want to lend some insight into type of riding you plan on. I think a couple other guys are up that way that ride a lot also but can chime in.

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

I buy and sell jet ski's as a side hobby. #1 Yamaha, # 2 Kawasaki, # 3 Sea Doo. Yamaha's are the most reliable ski's made, followed by Kawasaki, then Sea Doo from my experience. I have friends that build race ski's for both Sit Down and Stand Up Ski's and work on all types of ski's, they say the same thing.

 

[0627Devildog]

@Cobra Jet Steering LLC surely has some wisdom to add here. . . .

 

[Just1more]

We have a 2008 Kawasaki stf1500. Has been a great machine. Just this year have had to do any real repairs.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Well I never pull punches KAWASUCKI SUCKS I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER, I HATED MINE I laugh when I see someone on one of the supercharged skies in salt water, they usually end up on the trailer with the alarms going off.
I purchased mine new, it spent more time in the shop than in the water. I had to build a trailer to transfer it from my double trailer to a single trailer with a special tower to let me do it easily So I could bring it to the dealer for repairs, my 1100 dollar extended warranty was worthless. I practically gave it away. I have never even moved that special service trailer since getting that piece of junk out of my yard, Yamaha FXHO 1800 non supercharged or nothing for me. I ride a ski I have over 300 hours on both of my 2014's I had 650 hours on my supercharged s h o when I sold it, that Kawasaki had thousands of hours on it IN THE SHOP!! but barely 300 on the water when I got rid of it. Now to be fare the nano hulls are weak and I have never owned one that did not split or crack but I fix those easily and the big seats are crap the stitches keep tearing so stay away from those big seats. Sea doo I avoid only because I had a few and found them to be electronic nightmares and the pumps never were good to me I always carried a spare I still have a spare I would often have to put the ski on the trailer and change out the pump out at the beach. Doo hulls are very strong though, In any event I need reliability and for my money it's a Yamaha 1800 with the Yamaha pump that delivers that reliability I ride them hard and put em away wet.

 

[captras]

I just bought 2 Yamaha VX Deluxe Jetskis. My opinion....best bang for the buck. Not the fastest or the biggest engines, but they ride 3, do about 54MPH, get decent gas consumption, and have some great options. They have the new TR-1 engine that replaced the MR-1. 3 cylinder instead of 4, something like 40% lighter, but 13% more horsepower! Ski has throttle by wire, wake mode, and cruise assist (cruise control). Seats are of a synthetic fabric, stitched and contoured, not just vinyl, and quite comfortable. There is plenty of storage in the front, water bottle cup holders in the front console, and a waterproof container under the seat for wallets, cell phones, whatever. The new smaller engine makes everything accessible and easy to work on yourself. They are literally maintenance free...change the oil and the spark plugs. There are no gearboxes or reduction gears. The dealer I purchased them from was the same dealer I bought the Polaris. They quit making jetskis, and I asked him why he went with Yamaha. He said he did a lot of research and found them to be the most reliable. He said MOST of the rental places have Yamahas for that reason. He told me that if his business relied on doing repairs/maintenance in the Yamaha ski, he would be out of business. I looked at all 3 brands....and none of them were bad.....but features, reliability, bang for the buck, the Yamaha seemed to have it hands down. The Yamaha VX sells more skis than any other model. We have had them about 2 months, and it is difficult to say which is more fun....they new jetskis...or the new 242 Limited SE. Damn it is tough to have to make choices

 

[2nazt]

Thanks @captras for a little insight into real world TR-1 reviews I don't think we had much

 

[captras]

Go to Boattest.com and search for the 2016 VX deluxe/TR-1

 

[captras]

BTW....price...about 23K for 2 with trailer, TTL, and an additional year warranty.

 

[Twistedgrim]

New here but thought I could add some color. I got a 2014 VXR new after several friends of mine said Yamaha is the most reliable. Anything can break but, no superchargers, no closed loop coolers, only steel impeller shrouds... This went for me to the Yamaha. The 1812CC HO motor has been nothing but amazing. FXHO VXR series all have this same motor. That would be my recommendation. Get the Waverunner that matches the features you want, but my recommendation is any with that motor.

EDIT: I want to say also, that the 1.8 HO makes decent gas consumption as long as you arent flooring it. I can hit almost 70 (Governed of course) and very nice acceleration. From your first post it sounds like what I was looking for originally. Not a race ski, but not an entry economy ski. I am sure the TR-1 is a great motor but the 1.8HO is a beast with plenty of power that sips regular 87 cheapo gas all day long with that awesome 18GAL tank Love it.

 

[veedubtek]

I'd plan on buying 2

We started with riding a buddies spark. Then bought a '15 VXR. Now have 2 '16 FX HO Cruisers. Best things we ever bought.

 

[DJMattyT]

Only Yamaha I would buy is a FZR or FZS. I really like those 2 skis but I will say NOTHING rides like a seadoo. It is the best jetski out there although I've seen many people complain about the Carbon seal failing and the skis taking on water. The cause for this is running the ski out of the water on a hose for too long. But with that being a big concern for seadoo right now, I could see why people would lean towards Yamaha's

 

[craigm]

We just purchased two Sparks.
Half the weight and about 3/4 size they are just fun. Like a dirt bike on water.
You should try to ride one before buying if you are skeptical.
We have one two up and one three up with tow bar.
Really happy, kids love jumping them out of water with throttle input.

 

[ripler]

We just purchased two Sparks.
Half the weight and about 3/4 size they are just fun. Like a dirt bike on water.
You should try to ride one before buying if you are skeptical.
We have one two up and one three up with tow bar.
Really happy, kids love jumping them out of water with throttle input.

I also bought 2 Sparks, they are a blast to ride.

 

[Ronnie]

I have had many different makes and models of skis over the past 25+ years. Based on that my recommendation is to look for two Yamaha '06 to '08 FX, cruisers if possible, with the HO 160 hp 1,052 cc MR1 engines and a two place trailer. I see set ups like this often on crags list for $10K to $12K. They are not the fastest on the water but have strong (non nano hulls) and reliable with no super charger or turbo charger. Mine gets up to 53 mph and gets there quickly. Be forwarned, they have an 18 gallon fuel capacity and depending on how you ride you can burn through all 18 gallons in a single day. At the same time, if you are worried about the price of gas, you shouldnt be in the market for water jet propelled boats / pwcs. These skis don't have reverse braking or cruise control either but for the price of one ski, you can get two and a trailer. When we go on long cruises I simply put a wedge in the throttle that Jeff at Cobra Jet told me about, cost is nearly nothing but the relief on the throttle hand / fingers can't be measured in dollars.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

I also bought 2 Sparks, they are a blast to ride.

Are they the 60 or 90 horsepower versions? What's your top speed. I understand they're designed for play and not so much top end, but I was curious to know what they could cruise at for longer runs.

 

[haknslash]

I like the Sparks. They remind me of the ultra tossible X4 hulls. My 96 XP Limited 800 was a freakin blast to ride compared to today's behemoth skis. Don't get me wrong I like all the new tech in today's skis and they've certainly come a long ways but there's just something about being able to spin one around and place it exactly where you want within a dines length. The spark is the closest thing you can buy today to get back to what made PWC's so fun in the earlier days.

If I were looking for big water monster or something to shred the lake in I have always liked the Kawasaki Ultra 300 and 310's. They have a great hull and nice power with sleek lines. Yamaha will be your most reliable but not as flashy as a Doo nor as on the edge. I loved my Doo but they can have issues. Mine had the VTS fail on me and caused a massive leak in my hull and I had to limp back to the ramp with the engine nearly submerged. I also had some electrical issues later on which were solved but it ruined the feeling of trusting the ski to take me places reliably, so I sold it off. I still miss that 2 stroke Rotax beast though with a hull that could carve so hard your wrist felt like they were gonna snap or was so light and powerful that you could Ollie it out of water whenerever you wanted.

If I were personally new ski shopping it would be Kawasaki, Yamaha then Seadoo. They're all too damn expensive for what they are IMO, except for the Spark 90hp.

 

[Ramblin Wreck]

They're all too damn expensive got what they are IMO except for the Spark 90hp.

I completely agree. It's not hard to spend north of $15k for a ski these days.