SeaDoo, Waverunners etc, info needed

[jd dad]

We are looking at buying a PWC and looking for anyone here who has one/knows a bit about them. Any pros/cons about 2 or 4 stroke, what sort of hours they roughly do before needing rebuilding. Good or bad brands or experiences with any of them. A new one is too expensive so 2nd hand it will be, hence looking for help. Thanks Darren

[GT-E]

All I can say is get a tinnie as it will be used more.
While I do not own a jetski, all the people I know spend a fortune on their boats, rarely use them and get sick of them. They are antisocial as you cannot do much except hoon around making a lot of noise. Good luck fishing, socialising or ski'ing behind them. A small runabout will be more useful.

[Ford_V8]

Agreed. I think if you plan on doing anything else other than hooning around/skiing then a boat would be the way to go. Although a boat+jetski would be a good combo to have out on the water I would imagine.

If you decide on a boat go for 4 stroke. Most 2 stroke boat motors don't need rebuilding all that often but do use an arseload of fuel on deep V hulls and don't like to be driven softly. You also get all the benefits of not having to mix fuel, lower noise levels etc. Also depends on whether you will be in a bay or inland lake etc. If you plan on going out on a lake I would definately recommend a mid mount ski boat or similar. You will get the speed of a jetski and still be able to take the family/mates along.

I can't really help you out regarding jetskis but if you are willing to spend a packet then go for the Seadoo RXP

[chevypower]

mate only get a 4 stroke, everyones getting away from 2 these days... the time may come they could be made illegal, who knows. If you want a 2 seater get the 215 horse power SeaDoo RXP (supercharged) if you want a 3 seater get the SeaDoo RXT - same engine. If you want something you can use as a social thing, get a boat. - save some money and dont buy brand new too

[jd dad]

Thanks guys, main reason for a seadoo is room, we only have a small yard that currently has a 17ft caravan and our 15 foot covered tandem in it already. A boat is a possibility and a mid mount with a dog clutch would be my preferred setup. 4 stroke was my first choice, mainly for reliability but as I said my knowledge of these is very limited so easiest is to ask. Keep it coming please

Go the Jetski (and Seadoo for that matter), 10x more fun than a boat. And to whoever said you'll get sick of a jetski... PFFT!

Go 4 stroke. Amount of hours you get out of it will depend on how well its been maintained and what not.

[JADED6]

I want one. Always looking at the ones listed on ebay. Read every word in the auctions and you learn a bit. I have read numerous negative comments directed at seadoo though.
Also need a boat license to ride one on the murray river (s.a) now. :(
I like the specs on the upmarket seadoos. Water temp sensor is cool. Similar trip computer readouts to our cars.
Second hand is definitely the way to go as plenty of people buy them and don't use them enough.

Try and fine a mate to go halves/thirds with you. That way you get a jet ski for a third the price. At the start it'd be hard to share but after a summer or 2 it'd be pretty easy to split the weekends. On long weekends gather up the families of all owning parties and head up the river for some family camping/bbq & jet ski fun.
The newer models are always getting better in regards to noise emmisions.
I'd go a 2 seater. the 3's seem to big. Most now have the engine capacity to tow a tube or 2 and even a water skiier.

[MAGPIE]

Don't even look at 2 stroke !

3 Seater, more room, also if your towing a skier you need a spotter & be able to uplift the skier = 3 people.

Most modern pwc will tow a skier/biscuit with ease : to the muppet that suggested otherwise.

Do seem to hear alot of bad reports about Seadoo, but they are big and roomy.

Personally I'd be looking at Kawasaki/Yamaha...


Kawasaki STX 15F
Yamaha FX 140

Good Luck, they are great fun :Up_to_som

[schmidty]

Originally Posted by chevypower

mate only get a 4 stroke, everyones getting away from 2 these days... the time may come they could be made illegal, who knows. If you want a 2 seater get the 215 horse power SeaDoo RXP (supercharged) if you want a 3 seater get the SeaDoo RXT - same engine. If you want something you can use as a social thing, get a boat. - save some money and dont buy brand new too

Agreed, SeaDoo RXP's are such a weapon! The thing will pull your arms off, and you'll be able to pull moves that will leave your heart in your mouth wondering wtf just happened!!!

If you buy a 3 seater, you can use it to pull a skier or knee board or tube etc. Legally cant with a 3 seater as you need a seat for the driver, a spotter, and the person being towed.

And as for the boat vs jet ski thing, if you have a niiiice ski boat, very scantily clad women will be out there on the water with you. If you have a jet ski, they will just be little dots on the shore!

[Grunter]

There are some great PWC social clubs about and you'll never be without a few others to spend some fun time with if you join one. I've had some great fun and met a lot of people on mine. You do get the odd idiot, but like performance cars, the vast majority are are there to have safe fun and cause no problem (contrary to what the media and others may say).

However if you have a family that you want to take fishing, skiing, or just to cruise around, then a pwc isn't that practical. If you can get both, then your in a for a lot of fun.

As for Seadoo's reliability, if you read PWC forums, mags, etc, you'll find that they have no more problems than any other, but as they are quite popular you're more likely to hear more negatives. Mine has given me 8 years of fun with only one problem (fuel guage). You just need to make sure you keep the maintanence up on it.

Originally Posted by schmidty

...And as for the boat vs jet ski thing, if you have a niiiice ski boat, very scantily clad women will be out there on the water with you. If you have a jet ski, they will just be little dots on the shore!

Ah, but if you have a 2 seater pwc and take that very scantily clad woman for a ride, she will be pressed up tight against you. ;)

[jd dad]

Thanks guys, looking at mainly towing kids etc on tubes. Our kids are 9 and 11 so perfect age to start. How big an engine would be needed to ski with an adult about80kg`s? Not that skiing is a must but might be nice

[Ford_V8]

Most jetskis would be capable of towing an 80kg adult. But what you really want is something like this

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/itemin..._1_subs_Power_

In standard form they put out 215hp and are capable of 0-50 in a couple of seconds and 0-100 in a couple more. I can't imagine what 340 would do :

[jd dad]

Originally Posted by Ford_V8

Most jetskis would be capable of towing an 80kg adult. But what you really want is something like this

http://www.tradingpost.com.au/itemin..._1_subs_Power_

In standard form they put out 215hp and are capable of 0-50 in a couple of seconds and 0-100 in a couple more. I can't imagine what 340 would do :

Be great fun but my kids are long enough without the stretching that would give them, lol.

[jd dad]

Does a specialist need to do the maintanance on these or are they the same/similar to a motorcycle service? Asking as we dont have a dealer here, wouldnt want to have to travel just for services.

[Ford_V8]

Not too sure about servicing. Would guess it's pretty straight forward. Access might be a little restricted with the RXP for example as it is a supercharged and intercooled 4 banger crammed underneath a seat. Your best option would probably to go and check a couple out.

[coupdy do]

Great for people with no tallent and plenty of money sorry i'm just jelous

[flavze]

buy the lowest hours possible or one that has been thoughrily rebuilt recently. They cost massive dollars to rebuild engines.
Oh an be carefull with gettiing dsand or weed into the impeller as it will knock the accelleration of big time when ya impeller loses it's edge.
A mate of mine has had 3 or 4 of em, mostly seadoos and the cheapest place to get seadoo's from is the goldcoast dealer. He can ship them to Adelaide cheaper than the local dealer will sell them for.

The other option is to find a couple of old clunker's the same an use one for parts to keep one going.
If ya gonna ride in the ocean stand-up ski's are better for jumping of the waves with.

[NZ XD]

I've had jetskis for a while, all Kawasaki makes, there is nothing wrong with getting a 2 stroke powered one, the 4 stroke powered skis haven't been around that long and are more heavily priced. I have personally towed 2 tubes behind a kawasaki 900sxi and skiers on different occassions with no problems. At the end of the day it depends on what you want to pay.

[rodderz]

I used to use a friends jetski years ago at Lake Eildon (when there was water there lol), lots of fun but I found the novelty wears off after a while, you need wakes or waves to jump which is where the idiot owners get into troubkle, like the bloke last week who tried to junmp the boat in Melton and nearly took off some guys head.

If you're going to tow the kiddies around I would look at maybe a 16ft half cabin or tinny with a cover, plenty of grunt to tow a tube, even a skier with a 120hp motor or more. Then you can use it for fishing or going for a cruise with the family as well

[xr8man83]

jetskis are great i had a seadoo GSX limited edition and it was great i loved riding it. go the seadoos they are the market leader only for one reason (they kick ***) and 75% of all jetskis ever made worldwide are seadoos. you wanted some pros and cons so here are some of the cons on owning a jetski
they are fuel demons
Seadoos need to be serviced every 25 hrs (takes longer then you think to clock up)
Services are expensive but worth it
they get updated all the time so if u buy a new one its not that new for to long
depending on where you are with them you got to have jetski licences
the pros are:
loads of fun
you can get a good second hand one that is still great for a good price
envy of your mates
rego is cheap (QLD)
much more could be writin but you will find out just go and get one you wont be dissapointed mate

[mcnews]

Talking to a hire operator here who has both Seadoos and Yamahas and speaks more highly of the Yamahas. Honda are just starting to bring their four-stroke skis into Australia too.

[jd dad]

Thanks again, lots of info. Have got a few on EBay I am watching at the minute and going to call a few from the Trading Post tonight.

[Jason[98.EL]]

i hate pwc

im a water skiier and most people that use pwc dont give a rats as to where they go

i ended up with a broken collar bone and a broken $1800.00 water ski

my old man got him though (he ran him over ) in the boat with the eng off

then the ******** got onto his pwc and raked off

im not saying dont get it but i really dont like them

jason

I can't believe there are so many haters in regards to Seadoo, but then again the bigger brands always seem to cop it. The seadoos just destroy the other brands when ever i'm on the water.

I guess my backyard explains my brand bias (and yes we've been through the other brands).





[2006 RXP's / RXT's - Got superchargers?]

[Yellow_Festiva]

please explain the reason why they get serviced every 25 hours??? very short time in my opinion, or is this a 'minor' service and there are other 'major' services that do / cost more?

thanx

[JADED6]

Pretty sure the 25 hours is equivalent to 2500 ks wear and tear on the engine.
Wouldn't take that long to rack up those hours, say easter weekend, few mates using it for 4 hours a day x weekend = 16 hours there.

[xr8 007]

hey are there any good links or service books for these seadoos as i'm very interested in getting one!!

[Nevermind]

How much does it cost to maintain/keep one?
How much is the average service?
Rego? Insurance? Trailer Rego?

Was looking at one as well, probably second hand 3 seater one.
Looking to spend around the 8K mark

[meg]

rego and insurance (and licencing in NSW) was the killer for me, licence was about 250 a year rego was about the same but insurance was over a grand. mind you i was under 25 but had been riding skis since i was 8 and a licence holder since i was 12. if you can afford them they are great fun and i would love to own another one. as for maintainance, as long as you flush the engine, keep your oil topped up and don't generally cain them they are very reliable.

best picks
yamaha
seadoo
the super jet 700 is awesome fun (standup)
the rxp almost as much fun (2 seat)

i have always riden standups but my father had a few 2/3 seaters that we used to ski/tube behind no worries at all. 2 seaters are great to go for a good run up the river and still be able to throw around and have fun. 3 seaters, personally, buy a boat, their big and heavy and cost too much for rego/insurance etc to make them worthwhile.

[JADED6]

Is the rego tiered in any way?
Ie, 2 seater, 3 seater or engine displacement?