Jet Ski's, any advice?

[SEADOO]

Looking at purchasing a 3 person JetSki. We have a budget of $15k.

We like the look of the Seadoo's GTI and the Kawasaki STX 15F.

We had a Spark (Hence my forum name) and it was a cheap POS.

I don't want to make that mistake again. Anybody got any advice on purchasing a good family JetSki to tow a couple of tubes?

We have looked at boats, but what others call good condition (rotted transum) I'd call a complete POS.

The $15k budget allows us to buy new.

Cheers.

[StrvnMrvn]

Interested in this thread!!

Looking at the same for both the fun and fishing factor.

[achjimmy]

Yamaha have a new range but I doubt there in your budget but I haven't checked

[kizza1]

I have sold and serviced both. Out of the game now but feel free to ask any questions.
Both are good skis. I have also seen both fail from mistreatment.
Stx sits lower in the water and is slightly more stable but wetter. Gti sits higher and dryer and is a more nimble hull. You may find the stx 15f better for 2up. 12f a tad underpowered.

[SEADOO]

Yamaha have a new range but I doubt there in your budget but I haven't checked

It's the EX model. It's direct competion with the Spark.

Basic ski is $9990 with out trailer.

[kizza1]

Also are you looking at gti or gti se. The kawasaki hasn't really changed in nearly 10 years. The seadoo has a better reverse and trim system. From memory you can't put a pole on the kawasaki without voiding warranty. Seadoo has plastic wear ring in jet pump that wears easily in sand and gravel but generally protects the impeller from major damage. Wear rings are a lot cheaper than impellers and prop shafts.

[wasn]

In the watercraft world below are undisputed mottos

Seadoos = All the bells and whistle and problems
Kawasaki = All the power and thirsty
Yammy = Reliable but no power

15F is a good family ski, what ever you buy, replace all the water hoses and new hose clamps as soon as you get it. People spray WD40 in these and rubber hose will soften and will spring a leak at the most in appropiate time.

[StrvnMrvn]

I would like to hear of actual personal experience with each of the mentioned (SEADOO, Yamaha, Kawasaki)

My mate loves his SEADOO, and we have both used it for towing, riding and fishing.

What are the others like for the same?

[kizza1]

I haven't owned one personally however I worked at a dealership where I could take them home on Sundays. And have ridden vx cruiser, gti se, and stx 15f all on the same day in the same weather.  Not sure on the new ex model Yamaha but the vx sits in between the gti and stx as far as stability and dryness.
I don't believe seadoo gti is a problem ski, I know of several that have done 2-3000 hrs.

[StrvnMrvn]

I don't believe seadoo gti is a problem ski, I know of several that have done 2-3000 hrs.

And any issues?

[kizza1]

Out of 4 hire skis over 18 months of being thrashed. A couple of coils, broken bonnet latch, 1seat due to stitching, few wear rings. One dash but that ski had been rolled.
Pretty good run for the hours.
Had the same failures on kawasaki. At the end of the day if you flush them out and take care of them there all just as good. They just handle differently.
Stx 15f do have the odd major failure due to valves rusting. Doesn't happen if you flush them out properly though.

[StrvnMrvn]

And if I was looking for something that I could use for family fun, a bit of excitement and also for fishing!?

[kizza1]

Gtx 155, ultra lx or Fx ho. All non supercharged/turbocharged. Never buy a used ski that doesn't present well.
All three are quite stable. And have enough go to have some fun on. If your looking at towing then step up to something with forced Induction.  But be ready for it to cost more all round. Purchase, fuel, maintenance.

[wilson79]

Non supercharged Yamaha.. heaps of power and reliable

[chester ver2.0]

Can only speak from experience from the Kawasaki
A good fun ski and i liked it
My only issue was it was an older 2 stroke model and the oil injection system failed requiring a rebuild

Mate has a Yamaha that is newer and 4 stroke  and you basically just have a sump for the oil like a car that you pump out when you change it which would be the way i go if i went another one

But at the end of the day it was still great fun to be pulling 100kph over flat water with 120 horsepower between your legs

[tedota]

I had a seadoo gtx 07 model. 3 seater. Only real drama I had was not enough use. Towed it 300km to where we were staying. Took it out after sitting in the shed for ages and it s?!t itself 200 metres from shore. Luckily wind was the right direction. After 5 minutes use I towed it back the 300 kms. Fuel tank had to be pulled out and cleaned. 
Had the ski pole fitted which was excellent. Keeps the ropes out of the wake and gives something to hang onto. Plenty of fun times.

[Rocky and Bullwinkle]

I have a 2008 Seadoo RXTX 255hp 3 seater, 180 hrs on the clock. It has a ski pole from the wake model. Serviced every year no big problems had a new battery 2 years ago after it died wake jumping. This year I had the jet pump bearings changed on the recommendation of Melbourne Seadoo. It tows a biscuit no probs, its been around Phillip Island twice, up and down the Murray river lots at full noise. It does suck the juice I budget 50lts per 100kms and that's 98 octane premium. But its fun and I would only get rid of it to get the new 300hp model. If you think I sound like a young hoon I turned 60 this year. Also on big difference Seadoo uses closed loop cooling the engine is cooled like a car engine with a heat exchanger in the ride plate.

Greg

[SEADOO]

We decided on a brand new STX 15F.

[StrvnMrvn]

I have a 2008 Seadoo RXTX 255hp 3 seater, 180 hrs on the clock. It has a ski pole from the wake model. Serviced every year no big problems had a new battery 2 years ago after it died wake jumping. This year I had the jet pump bearings changed on the recommendation of Melbourne Seadoo. It tows a biscuit no probs, its been around Phillip Island twice, up and down the Murray river lots at full noise. It does suck the juice I budget 50lts per 100kms and that's 98 octane premium. But its fun and I would only get rid of it to get the new 300hp model. If you think I sound like a young hoon I turned 60 this year. Also on big difference Seadoo uses closed loop cooling the engine is cooled like a car engine with a heat exchanger in the ride plate.

Greg

Good to see that your out enjoying life even at your age!! 

Why 98 Octane? Is that what they recommend?

[kizza1]

Congrats seadoo or should I say Kwaka. You'll love it.

[SEADOO]

Cheers,

We only had a budget of $14k.

The nearest Seadoo dealer is two hours away.

The Kawasaki dealer is 20 mins away. We have purchased our dirt bikes from them, so they did look after me.

3 year warranty and $250 worth of fuel card.

I finished work at lunch time today and won't be back till the 16 of Jan next year. So it's going to get plenty of use down at Somerset dam.

[wasn]

You better go change your user name then. That is a nice ski and your family will love it.
As for other post. I have owned all of the ski mentioned here, now I have only 2 brands and it doesnt have a Rotax in it.

My biggest gripe with Seadoo more so than it woeful reliability is that some model have a deep foot well and when you ride hard and get high side, it tend to grab u by the ankle or give it a deep bone massage  when you're coming off over 100kays,

That 15F make a pretty decent wave jump surf riding machine also. Nothing make you more alert than coming down a 3-4m wave and you know it's going to destroy you if you blink.

[Rocky and Bullwinkle]

Good to see that your out enjoying life even at your age!! 

Why 98 Octane? Is that what they recommend?

Its a high performance engine supercharged and the manual recommends it. Its 1500cc putting out 255HP or 190kw.

greg