NEW JET SKI!!!!

Lawnpro979

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Messages
232
HelloEveryone To make a long story short, and money not really being an issue, I owned an ole jet ski many years ago, and now after getting back into boating, I'm going to get a pair of jet ski's, I seen many different type at the lake last weekend, and was wondering what everyone thinks ? myself am 5'10" 210 pounds, Wife is 5'6" 160, will be used for fun, may pull a tube from time to time,Oh, I'm 53 yrs old too. Thanks
 

sixfigures

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Nov 4, 2013
Messages
115
A couple of Yamaha fx cruisers with the 1800 non supercharged engines gets my vote I love mine and I put hundreds of hours on them every year unlike the average person who rides a few hours a month.
I even pull a super mable tube with 3 adults at a time.
As for taking passengers it is very stable unlike some hulls, the most reliable engines available, only true marine engine available in a ski to my knowledge. Tilt, CRUISE, NO WAKE MODE, remote security system, learn mode and super comfortable seats even for younger people like you, and they don't have those annoying Yamaha hand grips like the other skies Yamaha makes.
 

jbetzelb

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
301
If I was looking for a new one right now I would go with Yamaha FX series also. Cruisers might be larger than you want but Yamaha non-turbo 4 cycle engines are some of the most reliable out there.
 

Lawnpro979

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Messages
232
thanks, I will Look at them, Yes a stable machine is what were looking for
 

Thalasso

Commander
Joined
Jan 18, 2011
Messages
2,876
VX cruiser will more then suit your needs. Top speed around 56-57 mph depending on conditions and i am 67 soon to be 68
 
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sixfigures

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Nov 4, 2013
Messages
115
The fx cruiser is more stable , the hulls are larger , I actually ride double all the time and I doo not get the tipping feeling at slow speed that my s h o hull gets, the s h o hull similar to the vx cruiser hull. Certainly the price is higher but I spend hundreds of hours a year on these things and I would not buy anything else.
 

The Rooster

Ensign
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
936
The fx cruiser is more stable , the hulls are larger , I actually ride double all the time and I doo not get the tipping feeling at slow speed that my s h o hull gets, the s h o hull similar to the vx cruiser hull. Certainly the price is higher but I spend hundreds of hours a year on these things and I would not buy anything else.

+ 10 ^^^^
 

jafo9

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jan 10, 2009
Messages
150
i'll add my recommendation for the fx line. we have had a great experience with ours. 100's of hours per year. holy cow. thats a lot for any rec. watercraft let alone a pwc.
 

WaterDR

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
730
It really all depends on your budget, where you want to ride, and what kind of riding you will do. Kawasaki, Yamaha, and Seadoo all make great machines and they are priced anywhere from $8,000 to $18,000 with the exception of the Spark which you can buy a basic one for $5,000.

Here are my thoughts:

Seadoo - Tends to be the most sophisticated with most bells and whistles. All their machines use a closed loop which is nice if on the ocean. Very cool looking if you like their style or ugly if you do not.

Yamaha - The only manufacturer to to have a dedicated only marine motor. IMO, the 1800 motor NON super-charged is probably the best set-up and the FXHO is probably the best machine. Will set you back about 13k with a trailer. They have three motors. An 1100, an 1800 and an 1800 with a SC.

Kawasaki - The least talked about, but the best diamond in the rough if you ask me. The STX-15F is by far the best machine on the water for the money....PERIOD. It lists at 10k, but you can buy them for $8,000, or less. Kawis have the smallest part of the market (about 15%). They have ONE motor which is the Ninja bike motor and makes 160 hp. It will never break. They also have a 310 hp SC version. The STX is small on bells and whistles but a great handling machine and will go mid 60's. BUT, it is light on creature comforts.

If you want to compare near entry-level machines, look at the Yam VX Cruiser, the Seadoo 35 or 155 and the Kawasaki STX or the Ultra LX (non SC).

I am not a fan of SC models. You get better acceleration but poor MPG and more maint.

resale is much higher on non SC models.
 

The Rooster

Ensign
Joined
Apr 28, 2011
Messages
936
Don't be shy "Dr." post up a picture of your new Kawasaki STX-15F !!! ;) You can't hide from "GreenHulk" !!!
 
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WaterDR

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
730
Dam...I have been had! I will end up with an 15F, BTW.....just as soon as I get my daughter's college stuff figured out. Though there is one 2014 left within two states and its calling my name.
 

Jeff Walkowiak

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
1,944
The 1800 Yamaha engine is actually the only true marine engine available in a p w c, The worst ski I ever owned was a Kawasaki ultra 250 it convinced me to NEVER own a Kawasaki "anything". Just my personal experience . I sold it or should I say I gave it away for 3k and I was happy to get it out of my life, sort of reminds me of the ex wife accept she cost a whole lot more to get rid of. HIT MEN CHARGE A LOT!. lol.
 

WaterDR

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
730
The 250 was not not a good ski. Yamaha makes a big deal out of having the only dedicated marine engine in the market, but so what? Probably half the boats in the world have car engines. Its a good selling point and the 1800 is a great motor though. On this, I 100% agree. But, do not rule out the Kawa 1600 motor. Its bullet proof especially when NA. The SC Kawasaki skis I would tend to avoid.

What Kawasaki can offer though is an $8k machine that can go 65 mph. no one else can do that.
 

Jeff Walkowiak

Lieutenant Commander
Joined
Jun 23, 2004
Messages
1,944
Granted the machine was by far the worst I ever owned but so was the assclown factory warranty guy and the service write lied to me so many times all I can say is they really are the worst and I post this everywhere to warn people. http://www.pwcweekly.com/showthread.php?56068-Kawasaki-Ultra-250-is-a-piece-of-crap
I have talked with sales people at dealerships that sell Kawasaki supercharged skies they laugh at the amount of fuel they guzzle and the reliability issues in salt water. NO THANKS I would rather row a boat or paddle a canoe than ever own any watercraft with their name on it. You certainly are pleased with yours but burn me once shame on you burn me twice shame on me. I am just so glad that thing is gone. My supercharged Yamaha s h o had 651 hours on it.
it needed to go to service just once at about 500 hours for a bad heat sensor, Yamaha fixed it under warranty no problem. I also did the pump liner and impeller and the intermediate shaft bearing at 500 hours. I did all that myself figuring it was normal wear and tear. I can't say I am a real fan of Yamaha nano hulls but they do jump wakes pretty nicely. In any event my vote goes to Yamaha they have their small issues but when you need a reliable machine they are the way to go in my opinion.
 

WaterDR

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
May 8, 2012
Messages
730
I think all companies have issues and based on my own research, I think Yamaha machines are more reliable when SC are used. Seadoo had a lot of issues too at one point. Recent feedback on Kawi owners are that the 2014+ models are eons ahead of where they were. Even the 2011 models were much improved. For me, I avoid SC models simply due to fuel consumption. I suspect Yams are better with MPG because they are less aggressive with hp but get away with it because they have lighter hulls.
 
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