Jet Ski Recommendations

I’m thinking about the idea of getting a jet ski. I never thought I would but I’m just having a hard time getting my kids to go out on the water with me as they’ve gotten older. I know they’d have a lot of fun on a jet ski and I might enjoy a short ride every once in a while.

I really know nothing about jet skis. The only thing I know for sure is that I would want a four stroke. I don’t need anything big or really fast. A two seater would be fine. 50 mph is fast enough. I’m debating new or used. I just don’t know how reliable a 10-12 year old jet ski would be. And I don’t know if I’m seeing enough saving in a 3-4 year old jet ski vs. new to buy used. Is 200 hours a lot of hours for a jet ski?

If new I’d maybe be looking at an entry level Yamaha or maybe Sea-Doo. Like maybe the Yamaha EX series or the Sea-Doo Spark or Trixx. Would those be decent choices? Thanks.

the only advice i have is to look for a jet ski forum and ask. while there are plenty of friendly and helpful folks on IDO, you will probably get mostly negative comments about jet skis here

I had a Kawasaki stand up 600 and loved that thing. It was a wild ride. But jet skis get incredibly boring when riding by your self. Buy them in pairs, otherwise it’ll be a toy for about a week and them be one of them things that just sits around

Skip any sort of supercharger if buying used with no warranty. Today’s skis perform well. The difference between 62mph and 70mph on the water is not worth the extra hassle if buying used.

Pricing on them has skyrocketed. 2 years ago $12k would get you into the fastest model year ski made…now that will put you in something with no warranty and some hours on it.

Buying in pairs is a good point. They’re more fun to have people to “ride with”, but keep in-mind the far and away most common accident is 2 skis colliding.

Don’t use some cut-rate insurance. If you are diving into these type of toys with kids, friends, relatives, etc. and already have a boat, make sure you’re properly insured. I’ve always been told if you have more than one “toy” and recreate with others, you should have an umbrella policy.

All kids are different. Some can handle jet skis and the responsibilities that come with them while others cannot. Make it known that they are YOURS, not theirs. You control who rides them, when and where they’re used, and if they’re kept, sold, etc.

Bearcat89 wrote:

But jet skis get incredibly boring when riding by your self. Buy them in pairs, otherwise it’ll be a toy for about a week and them be one of them things that just sits around

I agree with that.

I know one thing about jet skis and I learned it the past weekend.
Do not try and go water skiing behind one when you’re just about 60, haven’t skied in 30 years, have a handful of Coronas under your belt then look at the hot chick on the beach hand her your bottle and say the magic words – “hold my beer and watch this”
I tore my hammy soooo bad I’m praying someday I will be be able to walk again.

if they dont like getting on the water now do you really think a jet ski will change that and be used alot? or will they be bored with that after a couple times and your stuck storing it and maintaining it

The seadoo trix are tons of fun. I agree with the need for 2.

This year was my crash course in jet ski – had never even ridden one before and my father in law bought a 2004 seadoo gti. His brother bought a brand new seadoo and it is amazing too. The 2004 was plenty powerful to pull 3 grade school kids on a tube and was fun. Top speed was maybe 40 something. 50+mph on the new one is hella fast.

Of course, the 2004 quickly broke and I was elected to become jet ski mechanic. Learned how to pull the pump assembly off quickly and replace the impeller, wear ring, etc. Had to chase down an exhaust/water leak eventually. I will say that without a doubt, it was the most spacious and pleasant machine I have EVER worked on. I am not a mechanic, but from past experiences with cars, trucks, farm equipment, etc, it seemed that there was plenty of room to get at whatever you needed to look at and fix. Not sure how the newer ones are.

I think they are super fun, I hate driving the ski boat but I will pull people on the jet ski all day because I still have fun. Only drawback is weeds – if you have a weedy lake it sucks because once the weeds go in the bottom there is no reverse to blow them out and you have to get off the machine, reach under and pull them out. In a weedy area you do this all the time.

If your kids aren’t interested you can adopt me and get me one. I want a seadoo spark that does the tricks and stuff.

A few to many bottles of confidence EP and you found out your not kid anymore.

If I don’t look in the mirror, I’m still in my twenties.

EPG

Yea when you look in the mirror and go “That can’t be right”

Get one. We have a 2014 Yamaha. Runs perfectly. I don’t have to pull em on tubes or wakeboards anymore. They are annoying tho. I went to the dark side.

Put in my deposit for a 2022 Yamaha Waverunner EX Sport from River Valley in Red Wing. The EX is Yamaha’s entry level jet ski.

I looked for used Yamaha’s and Sea Doo’s on Craigslist and Market place but people wanted darn near the price of new for 1-3 year old jet skis. Even 10 year old jet skis where half the price of new.

Time will tell but I think we’ll enjoy it, especially if we have another hot summer next year like we did this year.

Thanks.

Update to an old thread….

I’m glad I got the jet ski. We had fun using it in during the summer of 2022. After a year, my thoughts are:
1. As several people mentioned, two jet skis would have been more fun than one. But I didn’t want to get two for several reasons, one being that the second jet ski would most likely be used by my kids friends. I didn’t want to “buy” my kid’s friends a jet ski. Also, two would cost twice as much and I’d need a double trailer.
2. The Yamaha EX Sport is small but still has a 3 person capacity so you can tow a tube in states where a spotter is required. It’s way fast enough.
3. Don’t ever get a jet ski that doesn’t have reverse. Without reverse, I’d be crashing into docks, the trailer, etc.
4. I thought I’d take it out by myself when fishing got slow but last summer the bite stayed strong so I chose to go fishing instead of jet sking.
5. My Honda CRV had no trouble towing the jet ski but it only weights 576 lbs and it come with an aluminum trailer.
6. My son and I installed the hitch and wiring harness on the CRV. We got them from etrailer.com. I chose a hitch that’s hidden up behind the bumper fascia so it has a nice, clean look. There’s only five bolts that mount the hitch to the CRV. And the wiring harness just clips into to a socket. No wires needed to be spliced. Thankfully there were a couple of excellent YouTube videos.

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Glad you got one. Can never have enough toys.

Just one note about Yamaha Waverunners, they use automotive paint vs gelcoat, so DO NOT beach it! You’ll wear right through the hull paint and eventually could have some hull delamination issues… I know Yamaha’s marketing always shows a Waverunner pulled up on a nice sandy beach…don’t do it…

I’ve owned about 8 Yamaha Waverunners, every one of them has been bulletproof and the RIDE system is so much safer vs the old mechanical reverse lever. I’ve always only had 1 at a time, having 2 obviously just doubles everything up, especially the much larger 2 place trailer I wouldn’t have room for in my garage during winter storage. I was always a bit worried that 2 ski’s could result in crashes, I’ve witnessed lots of close calls when 2 or more kid riders where goofing around each other and PWC’s don’t really have brakes……

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

But jet skis get incredibly boring when riding by your self. Buy them in pairs, otherwise it’ll be a toy for about a week and them be one of them things that just sits around

I agree with that.

100%

Hey I am 15 years old and my uncle is going to help me buy my first Jetski and I was wondering what a good priced first jet ski would be.

Rowan Henley wrote:

Hey I am 15 years old and my uncle is going to help me buy my first Jetski and I was wondering what a good priced first jet ski would be.

now is not the time to look for cheap used PWC’s, with the covid part shortages still being an issue for the big 2 manufacturers, new production was cut again for 2023 models resulting in higher prices for used…

All that being said, a Yamaha EX or a Seadoo Spark will give you the best bang for your buck…

What’s a good cheap vintage ski I can get

Rowan Henley wrote:

What’s a good cheap vintage ski I can get

I’m a Yamaha guy, the Yamaha FX’s are great pwc’s, 2006-2018 model years are bulletproof…

Rowan Henley wrote:

What’s a good cheap vintage ski I can get

No offense, but I am 100% certain there are better sites to get PWC advice.

My recommendation, and shared by most of my angling friends, is simply “NOT ON MY LAKE”. We have several smaller lakes ( <400acres) that have become infested with PWC’s to the point that a ground swell movement is forming to ban them. Now this doesn’t mean that everyone on a PWC is a selfish moron, but that too many of them are. And most are younger than 35 and suffer from a testosterone imbalance. Maybe if the DNR in my state required 2″ tall hull/licence/registration numbers posted on them, we’d be able to film their antics and even have them in court. State law says that every operator is responsible for his wake.
Next up: Wake Boats, God’s curse to fishermen and shorelines.

There’s bad apples in every group, we see them everyday on the water and especially the weekends (bass boat guys going 70 mph through a narrow navigation channel or trying to flip under docks and damaging lakeowner property, Walleye boat guys trolling long lines zigzagging around boats sitting on structure, older pontoon drivers who think they own the lake and cruise right next to your boat, middle aged pontoon owners pulling screaming kids on tubes every 30 minutes, Wake Surfers creating 4’ rolling wake bombs and blasting gangster rap for the whole lake to listen to, Jetskiers jumping wakes and not paying attention to other boats, etc etc)

If their not breaking the laws, then they have every right to do what they want, just like you do…

Can you tell me a better sight then

Rowan Henley wrote:

Can you tell me a better sight then

google Greenhulk