Jet ski advice

I know I know, the enemy of fisherman everywhere. But really thinking of picking one up instead of a Jon boat this year to gain some memories with the teenager who isn’t all that crazy to hang with Dad. Asked her about it and zooming around with friends and idea went over really good and may be worth a shot.

Are they fairly easy to work on? Not looking brand new so older 2 stroke. Any brands to stay away from? Do they break down alot? I know my way around a wrench well enough but not looking for maintenance every weekend. Noone around me has ever owned one nor have much experience.

Looked up all the pwc laws and regs so aware of the age limits and permits required.

Thanks for any experienced info!

Be aware of the differing laws on the MN/WI border waters if planning on skiing there. I’ve heard of people getting a ticket for breaking a MN law on the WI side and then just paying it. (See how close a jet ski can run near shore in both states.)

I haven’t owned one. Thought about it but with our short summers where I could actually use one without climbing into my Sno Suit, I decided not to. Like a snowmobile, it would make financial sense for me to rent for a weekend or two a year. Let someone else worry about repairs and maintenance.

I owned a few for a couple years mine were older kawisakis and a older yamaha. They were a blast if you had some one to ride with.

But for maintenance all my machines were pretty simple and easily maintained. Even when I broke something I could fix most all things. Now newer ones I’m not sure but mine were early 2000s and late 90s

If not tuned correctly the older two strokes can be a maintenance nightmare. But if tuned and maintained correctly can run well for a long time. The older jetskis always seem broken, basically glorified gas powered bilge pumps on a fiberglass hull, the motors seemed to suffer in a wet dark hole. Stay away from tigershark. Kawasaki, Yamaha, and nicer Polaris stuff seem to hold up. I am partial to my Kawasaki “sea couch” mainly for the oddity factor, but has a few bugs to work out.

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I had a 2003 GTX 4-Tec Supercharged. It was an absolute blast and I miss it every time I see one fly down the river. I accidentally ripped the battery out of the mount on a violent roll once, after than I had to unhook the battery after every use or it would drain…something was screwy in the electrical, not surprised. At the time there wasn’t a ski or boat that could touch me in a race. There’s just something about having close to 200hp in a boat that weighs 800lbs…With no one to ride with and a plagued electrical system, I traded it in on a snowmobile…which also never gets used anymore…

Older 2-stroke skis are the same as snowmobiles, high maintenance with a high fun factor. If you know your way around a 2-stroke motor, they aren’t hard to work on, just takes a little more time with the cramped spaces inside the machines.

Anyone know what compression should be on these things? Typical anything over 100 and somewhat even between the cylinders? Impellers easy to check out before purchase?

I’d really insist on test driving one before buying.

404 ERROR wrote:

I had a 2003 GTX 4-Tec Supercharged. It was an absolute blast and I miss it every time I see one fly down the river. I accidentally ripped the battery out of the mount on a violent roll once, after than I had to unhook the battery after every use or it would drain…something was screwy in the electrical, not surprised. At the time there wasn’t a ski or boat that could touch me in a race. There’s just something about having close to 200hp in a boat that weighs 800lbs…With no one to ride with and a plagued electrical system, I traded it in on a snowmobile…which also never gets used anymore…

Older 2-stroke skis are the same as snowmobiles, high maintenance with a high fun factor. If you know your way around a 2-stroke motor, they aren’t hard to work on, just takes a little more time with the cramped spaces inside the machines.

Gotta be a good story behind that.

Yes 100+ for compression check typically in the 120 range, a test drive will usually tell you if the impeller is okay. If it is revving high but not seeming to get traction the impeller clearances are typically out of spec and would require a new wear ring and possible impeller, they are not hard to change out but do require a special tool that typically cost about $20-$80 to remove impeller. Going to a stainless impeller makes a world of difference in performance as well and can be found for relatively inexpensive.

Nick at the GTG next year. . .

Id be lying if i hadnt thought of all the river spots i could get to in one either….

More importantly Make sure she gets training on how to ride safely, they do not have brakes and many accents happen with speed.
FYI I used to ride a lot on Minnetonka Saturday mornings when the big boats moved to pick up people and we used to jump the 5 foot wakes.

Her age is required to take an online course and permit. We’d obviously have to hit the water as well and go over other stuff that might not be covered.

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Gotta be a good story behind that.

Try making a 180 into waves at 60…

Which brings up my next point. Jet Ski’s can be incredibly dangerous to an inexperienced rider. Those things can quite literally turn on a dime, at any speed. There’s a reason BRP puts “learner keys” on most models and has been doing so for around 20 years. One of my shoulder surgeries is partially from a Sea-Doo jet-boat…

We had some older Polaris skis (think teal, pink, and purple), and I thought they were junk. Probably mainly a maintenance issue, but they were more trouble than fun.

We had a couple for awhile and they are a riot but be prepared to keep an additional gas tank on standby at all times. They suck up gas like you wouldn’t believe because you pretty much always run them at WOT (if you don’t you’re doing it wrong).

Both of ours were Kawasaki’s and we didn’t have any issues – one was a single and the other was a double. I’d recommend a double for sure.

Only issue we had was sucking ropes around the impeller shaft – you have to remember that even when off and coasting into a spot the impeller is spinning. It’s no fun trying to get that rope out.

https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/hnp/boa/d/seadoo-jet-ski-with/6616516024.html

Classic scammer ad. Text mail subscriber. The pic posted even comes off a PC screen.

I would simply like to point out that operating a jet ski or personal watercraft after 8pm on public waters is illegal. A lot of people seemingly fail to realize that or simply fail to follow that law.

– Minnesota Angler

gim wrote:

I would simply like to point out that operating a jet ski or personal watercraft after 8pm on public waters is illegal. A lot of people seemingly fail to realize that or simply fail to follow that law.

– Minnesota Angler

That’s a very misleading statement. The law is 9:30am to 1 hour before sunset.

Other differing/unique laws are as follows:

If towing anyone behind, you must either have a spotter on board or FACTORY installed mirrors.

Lanyard and life jacket are requirement, not recommended.

No-wake speed within 150 feet from shore at all times.

You can jump a boat wake, but you must stay 150 feet away at all times.

Fire extinguishers are required, regardless of boat size.

You are also required to have a placard affixed to the ski that states all these laws clear as day.

I’m sure I’m missing a couple, these are the ones I remember.

404 ERROR wrote:

No-wake speed within 150 feet from shore at all times.

This is the one that nobody seems to pay attention to. Think about the Hidden Falls area — the river is right around 300 feet wide, which makes the entire stretch no wake for PWC’s. Never seen a CO enforce that.