Jet Skis

MExcelsior

MExcelsior

Member
Oct 23, 2006
497
Iowa
Boat Info
2007 310 SeaRay DA
Kohler
Engines
Twin 6.2 MPI Bravo III
Just wanted to get some of your great opinions here. We are looking for a fairly plain-Jane Jet Ski and am looking at the Sea-Doos and Yamahas. Sea-Doo 130 2009, Sea-Doo SE 155 and a Yamaha XT Deluxe. We need a 3 seater, but by no means need a go-really-fast model. Are the Sea-Doos worth the little extra?

Thanks in advance,
Mike
 
I own a Yamaha Waverunner FX SHO and a SeaDoo RXT. The SeaDoo has one really annoying habit. When you start the motor it moves at 3 miles per hour. Whenever the motor is running, you are always moving. It makes docking a bit tricky. Also, you use your thumb for the throttle.

The Waverunner requires some throttle to move. And the throttle is more like a motorcycle where you use the four fingers of your right hand.

Both are 4 stroke.
 
We have a 2008 Seadoo GTI 130...this is one step up from a rental. We bought it for the kids 16 and 17. We have been on more powerful Seadoo's and for my money the GTI is more then adequate. The kids tube and wakeboard behind the GTI without a problem.

We added the speedometer, water temp and tow hook through the parts dept which saved half the price from going up one model if your handy
 
We have a Yamaha VX 110 Deluxe - 4 stroke. Bought it because the rental dock has a fleet of 20 of them and they say the are "bulletproof" mechanical wise (they still have customers sink about 2-3 each season!)
 
I bought a 2002 Sea Doo GTI 2 years ago. It has been great. I started out looking for something a little newer and 4 stroke, but bought this Sea Doo from a freind. I agree with the above post about Sea Doo's.....it idles really fast. One thing you might watch out for, not all PWC's have reverse. I almost bought a Yamaha, then found out it did not have reverse. We keep our ski on a Hydro Port and I cannot imagine trying to get the ski on the lift without reverse. Good luck with the hunt...
 
Just keep in mind that the 3-seater don't really seat three (kids, yes). 3 adults are really "cozy" on one PWC. I own a couple of older SeaDoo's ( a GTX and an XP) and find that even the GTX with a top speed of "only" 45 mph is just fine...

Some have the need for speed and that's cool, but riding in the open ocean as we do around here it's rarely calm enough to run any faster.
 
I'm on my third PWC. First was an older Kawasaki 750 STS. Bulletproof engine. So-so electrical system. Electric parts are gawd-damned expensive. Not a bad machine, but the ride was awful. Only could ride in flat water while seated. It was too wet otherwise. Wet like getting a five gallon pail of water thrown in your face every 5 seconds kind of wet.

Second was a Polaris MSX 150. Very quick with great acceleration and handling. Spent more time in the service department than on the water. I think the service guys rode it more than I did. Last straw was when the dealer just completed a repair and was test riding it. Said the engine "blew up" on his tech. Saw the torn down engine. The nikasil plating on the cylinders was coming off in chunks. The Weber engine is a piece of s***. The dealer had a bench full of these engines with the same problem. Apparently they were plated badly at the factory. Polaris wouldn't stand by their warranty, so traded it on the third PWC.

Currently have a 2008 Sea Doo RXT-X. 255 horsepower. No problems. No issues. It just works. Good ride. Good handling. Thing tracks as if on rails. The machine will pull more Gs in a turn than you can hold. No negatives other than it could be a bit faster. Maybe next year I'll change the intake grate and impeller. So far, seems like Sea Doo makes a good machine. I'll take it 40 to 50 mile rides and feel pretty good at the end of them. Put more hours on the RXT-X in one year than I did on the MSX-150 in three.

Have heard that the Yamahahas are also very bulletproof. Hondas are also supposed to be good, but their ride is terrible. They're also very wet machines, which gets old really quickly.

BTW, skip plain Jane and go for the performance. You got something against big grins?
 
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We bought a new Sea Doo "Wakeboard" model (4 stroke) back in 2005. Only thing I've had to do other than routine maintenance is replace the battery and installed a new set of plugs earlier this year. No regrets.
 
fc3 said:
I'm on my third PWC. First was an older Kawasaki 750 STS. Bulletproof engine. So-so electrical system. Electric parts are gawd-damned expensive. Not a bad machine, but the ride was awful. Only could ride in flat water while seated. It was too wet otherwise. Wet like getting a five gallon pail of water thrown in your face every 5 seconds kind of wet.

Second was a Polaris MSX 150. Very quick with great acceleration and handling. Spent more time in the service department than on the water. I think the service guys rode it more than I did. Last straw was when the dealer just completed a repair and was test riding it. Said the engine "blew up" on his tech. Saw the torn down engine. The nikasil plating on the cylinders was coming off in chunks. The Weber engine is a piece of s***. The dealer had a bench full of these engines with the same problem. Apparently they were plated badly at the factory. Polaris wouldn't stand by their warranty, so traded it on the third PWC.

Currently have a 2008 Sea Doo RXT-X. 255 horsepower. No problems. No issues. It just works. Good ride. Good handling. Thing tracks as if on rails. The machine will pull more Gs in a turn than you can hold. No negatives other than it could be a bit faster. Maybe next year I'll change the intake grate and impeller. So far, seems like Sea Doo makes a good machine. I'll take it 40 to 50 mile rides and feel pretty good at the end of them. Put more hours on the RXT-X in one year than I did on the MSX-150 in three.

Have heard that the Yamahahas are also very bulletproof. Hondas are also supposed to be good, but their ride is terrible. They're also very wet machines, which gets old really quickly.

BTW, skip plain Jane and go for the performance. You got something against big grins?
Click to expand...

OK!!! There is no way I'm going to spend the money on a Sea Doo 255 hp. Although the braking, suspension looks really intriguing, I really don't want my 13 and 18 year old on THAT size of machine. (With that kind of acceleration, it would pull their poor arms off).

I've decided on a 2008 Sea Doo GTI SE 155 hp since the dealer shot me a price that was identical to the Yamaha VX Deluxe 110 hp. Seems likes it a bit more machine for the money. I will be picking it up tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for the input.
 
My only other suggestion is to check out the Kawasaki 15f. Three seater with 160hp. We purchased a 2008 at the end of last season. The ski has great reviews, is highly manuverable and powerful, and is reliable. The price was significantly better than the comparable Sea Doo GTI. May be worth a look.
 
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