ATV Florida Forum

I was wondering if any of you know about jetskis or waverunners and can make some suggestions?

 I am just starting to check into getting a couple of them to keep at our cabin on the Homosassa river, but I don't know the first thing about them? They will be used by the whole family (kids and adults) so I would like them to be reliable but fun.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Lee

Don't let water patrol catch your kids on them.  Check into the Boaters Safety course.  At a certain age (14 I think) they can drive them solo w/o an adult as long as they have their Boater Safety pass on them.  Not sure about how old your kids are.  If they are under 14 they can drive the ski as long as an adult is on it w/ them. 

As for ski's it depends on what you want to do w/ them.  Like ATV's everyone has their preferences.  Some like the big 3 seaters.  I prefer the 1-2 seaters but I like surf and wake jumping.  Get something wide and stable if you haven't been on one before.  Makes it easier to get back on when you fall off.  The 2 seaters are pretty stable these days so you don't have to go w/ the big beasts for that.

I like the waverunner. It depends on what kind of riding you do. If you have the opportunity, try several different ones out. They are all nice however the waverunner is great for jumping waves in the surf. The handlebar design is like an MX bike vs the seadoo where the handlebars point more towards the rider.
Then a big factor to consider is, how fast do you want the kids going? Make sure you don't get too much horse power for the rider.

QT makes a great point, check the local laws on age limits.

Thanks. The youngest (9 years old) will ride with me. My daughter is going to be 14 so she will be allowed to ride solo, but I will be supervising.
I haven't ridden one in years and don't remember what it was?

I was thinking about buying them used, so any suggestions about brands or years that were better than others, or ones to stay away from would be great. The cabin is on the river but it is a 10 minute boat ride to get out to the gulf--no surf.
Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Lee

sell them and buy a quad ;)

No Brakes!!!!

i have a seadoo RXDI a very nice two seater but it has had problems in the past i cannot really give any good years to buy but my buddy has a yamaha GP800r and it has always been very reliable it is a 2003 never had any problems. mine is  faster but his is more reliable. if you are just looking for one for a family thing you probably just want to buy one with the smallest engine offered just to save money.

I can't offer brand suggestions on which are better.  The big key is how they were used and in what water.   Then of course how were they cared for w/ clean up.  If you have a friend near by that has them and knows the engines take him to look things over.

As for your 14 yr old she will need to take the boater safety course in order to legally operate the machine alone.  You can go on line and take the test at....
http://floridaboatersafety.com/

Good luck, have fun and stay away from anyone fishing.  They have been banned in certain areas because the drivers have become a nuissance to fishers and boaters in general.

I don't know much about them, but a friend of mine has a rental place on the east coast. They have gone through every brand made. Yamaha has worked out the best for them, much less down time in the shop.

 As far as the laws on the river, better be prepared. They watch everything now, so be safe and be legal.

Thanks the kids will take the course this spring.

The river is definitely regulated, but we are off the river on Shivers Bay, on an island. It is a wildlife conservation area so there is no building allowed (only grandfathered if the house was already there). There is not much boat traffic out there, so it stays natural and beautiful, plus it is only 10 minutes to the Gulf.


 
Hey we have a few of those  ;)

I  have  a Polaris 780 slx  and  love  it.  Most  of  the  Polaris  models  have  a  wide  and  shallow  bottom  that  make  them  VERY  stable  which  you  need  on  that  river  with  all  the  idle  zones.  Very  easy  to  get  back  on  in  deep  water  also. ;)

I've tried many a time to hook a jet skiier who decided it would be a fun time to zip around the boat while i am trying to fish..all that water out there, and they need to do laps around us to show off...

boneheads..

I hear that........ we also fish, so no acting stupid and disrespectful around  fisherman for us, besides out there they would just as likely cut you up and use you for bait, if you acted like a bonehead!

My father in law has two 1995 XP's in good condition with trailer for sale - both ready for the water.  I think he wants around 4000. call 772 263 1430

I spent every weekend at the beach riding before we had kids. It was a lot of fun but I only rode the standups because they were challenging and I liked wave jumping and freestyle. I have a boat for cruising, the BIG sitdowns dont interest me.  Buy Kawasaki or Yamaha or you will be sorry, also if your not a speed junkie get a twin cylinder instead of a triple. The twins are more reliable.

STAY AWAY from all 2-stroke models or you'll be very sorry, I promise you! All previous owners will tell you that only their grandmothers rode them and only to/fro church on Sundays. We still have our 88 jetski standup, a 2K SeaDoo XP and an 05 SeaDoo RXT and have had 1/2 dozen other models in-between. Best bang for buck new is the 06 SeaDoo GTI, but, any of SeaDoo's 4-strokes are bullett-proof. SeaDoo's issues were with their 1998-2000 two-stroke model 951s between 1998-2000.

be  careful  if you buy them  used.    they  might  look  nice  and  shiny on the  outside  but    rusted  out  on the inside! it all depends  on how  you  maintain them. i  had  my  share of skis  from  2  96  xps and  a 01  gp1200r . the sea doos  were not  realiable .but my yamaha gpr  was good  .  i would  recommend  a 3seater  fourstroke    technology is way better  than 2 stroke.  repairs and  parts  were so  xpensive  that  i  sold  my skis.  got  quads  and dirt bikes instead.  good  luck  with yours..

i have done alot of work on jetskis for friends in my area. it seems that kawasaki waverunners are usually what i end up repairing. alot of carb problems  the polaris has had a problem with i hole being burned in the top of one piston due to carb problems also.  i think most of my friends have yamahas and very seldom do they need work. mostly just tune ups after sitting for the winter. they seem to be the most reliable. you wont have the problems mostly asociated with salt water if you ride in the river.  that will ruin a jetski or waverunner faster than anything. the best thing to do is always flush them when ur done riding, check and maintain the oil and try to use good sparkplugs. if you do that, you wont have any problems.  if you are buying a used one, make sure it hasnt been ridden in salt water. i would never suggest a stand up model. they are a pain in the butt  for a new rider. get at least a two seater. its way more fun to ride with someone on the back!! my son and i got a ticket for me letting him ride by himself. he was 9 and we were just puttering around in the bay. the fine was $260 dollars :'(!! i didnt know he had to be at least 16 to operate one on his own. the funny part is he rides better than me!!!

I always had Sea-Doo XP's.  They were fast but wouldn't rate the high in realiability.  I had friends with Polaris's and they ran very well.  If your looking for realibility then go with the Yamaha.

If you can go with the 3-seater.  It's much more stable, easy deep water boarding, plenty of power to pull a tube or skier, and comfortable for two adults and a kid. 

You guys are great, thank you for all the advice and suggestions.

We are just about ready to get started on fixing up the cabin, if we could just find a good contractor that will do work on island property, we'd be all set. Everything up there moves on island time. It took us over a year to get the dock built, but that was finally finished a few months ago and looks great.

Once the refurb. is underway, I will start looking for a couple of Yamaha's. Thanks again for all the help.

Lee

I've had a 92 seadoo xp and I currently have a 96 yamaha waveraider 1100.  The seadoo was only about 300 lbs and got major air.  My raider is very far from stock and is on the hunt for the newer turbo and supercharged models.  Just make sure you look over whatever you buy very well.  Fresh water ridden would be the best.  I also started out when I was 14.  If I could ride mine every day I would. 

a friend has an xp, and an rx i think its called...
the xp is small and tippy, but pretty fast, the rx is fast too, and pretty big.
thats about the only two jetskis i really know about lol

2006yfz450 has a seadoo RXP fastest ski out :P $10000 but go with the yamaha 4 sroke thats $7000 brand new fo got what its called

don't get one they are a pain in the @ss

i have a 1991 kawi 2 stroke it is always broke

i also have an 1999 kawi ultra 150 4 stroke and it is broke all the time too

it doesn't matter if you get 2/4 stroke they are needy little creatures

Ever hear of maintenance?  How are they always broke unless you abuse them?

Jusy one of our PWCS(jetskis) will easily burn 10-12 gallons of gas per hour. All 3 of our ATVs combined won't burn that much gas in 3 hours! And, I don't care what kind of maintenance you do on 2-stroke PWCs, they're all time bombs. The 4-strokes use closed-loop cooling, like cars, and I believe that contributes to their improved reliability these days. Don't buy used, unless you're an experienced PWC mechanic or you'll be very sorry!

i agree with aint.. get a 4 stroke with a closed loop system if ya run in salt water.. if you want an older ski i would buy one up north(like michigan).. it would be in fresh water and only used a couple of months out of the year..as far as a certain brand, they all have good and bad about them..polaris quit manufacturing PWC in 2002.. so parts are harder to get and more expensive. i had to buy a fuel pump for my genesis FI $700..yikes..seadoo out sells all the brands and have more dealers available just like someone said, stay away from the 951 motor.. the exahaust manifolds leak and because they are water jacketed they shoot water strait into the carbs and get into the cylinders. just remember jetskis are a BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand.. also if you get one with a bad motor, i recomend SBT on line.. ive bought several engines from them and they have a 1yr warranty

YAMAHA FX's are good and their 4-Stroke's!!

Or you can get a SEA_DOO RXP(2-seater 215HP) SEA_DOO RXT(3-seater 215HP)

I have a '04 SEA_DOO RXP 215 HP Supercharged and it is awsome!  If the kids want to ride it you have a Learners key that will limit the RPM and wont let it go over 30 MPH.  And their's another key that will unleash all 215 ponies and take you to 70MPH+++

So the RXP or RXT are both great Ski's and the best on the market!!!

I payed $10k OTD for my RXP....FYI

maintence??? who said anything about manitence

i have a family friend whos owns jet trendz in port richey who does all my maintence

you should get smacked for even thinking that i don't treat my toys right

seadoos suck except for that 400 hp one
yamaha suck to heavy and the hull v is too deep not for speed deamons
polaris went out of business
hondas can't hold but 300 lbs the hull design is crappy
tigershark is crappiest ever
wetjets are really fun/rare

and kawi's are the best, they invented this back in the 70's

STAY AWAY FROM FISHERMAN!!!!!!!! 1oz egg weight can damage the gelcoat.

POLARIS  WAS THE MOST STABLE YET STILL FUN TO RIDE UNFORTUNATELY OUT OF THE JET SKI BUISNESS.
SEADOO MAKE THE BEST JUMPERS ESPECIALY THE 96 97 XP AND THE 98 SPX WITH THE 787 ENGINE . 951'S ALL PROBLEMS 98 99 2000.BUT SEADOO IS LESS RELIABLE THAN YAMAHA.
IF YOU WHANT TO KNOW WHAT MODELS HOLD UP THE BEST LOOK AT WHAT YOU CAN RENT NORMALLY ALL YAMA'S WHILE YOU ARE THERE RENT A COUPLE DIFFERANT ONES TO SEE WHAT YOU LIKE BEST.
4 STROKE IS THE WAY TO GO BUT BE AWARE NOT ALL 4 STROKES HAVE A CLOSED LOOP SYSTEM (COOLING)AND SALT WATER PLAYS HAVIC WITH ELECTRONICS IF THE ENGINE BAY IS NOT RINSED OUT AFTER USE.THAT IN MIND IMAGINE ALL FOUR STROKE SKIS ARE FUEL INJECTED (ELECRIC).
KAWASAKIS ULTRA 150 IN 1999/2000  WAS THE FASTEST SKI OUT BUT NOT VERY STABLE AT HIGH SPEED ,AND WAS DEFINATLY NOT A FOUR STROKE.

While we're on topic, if anybody in my area wants to be entertained watching me try to ride my Kawi X2, feel free to let me know a time and place, I suck at jetskis, but it's so much fun!