Friend is looking to buy a PWC?

[thumpar]

I have seen very few of them actually on the water. I have seen more of them on land for sale.

We saw them at the boat show when they first came out. My wife said "OMG they look like a plastic Fisher-Price Toy". I guess I had to agree with her.

I have seen a few on the water. They work but it is pretty much the econo-car version of a PWC. It will get you on the water and works just fine though. Personally I would rather go a little older to get more performance.

 

[Bamaman1]

I've had PWC's of all kinds since 1984. Anybody buying any 2 stroke bike needs to be a mechanic--siimply put.

I've got a 2010 Yamaha VX Waverunner Cruiser and an old Sea Doo 2 stroke. The 4 stroke Waverunners are bulletproof and the biggest sellers on the retail and rental markets. It runs 54 mph which is fast enough.

Tell your buddy to save his money. If he has good credit, a brand new 4 stroke machine purchase can be cheaper to run than an old cheap PWC that eats you alive on mechanical issues.

 

[smokeonthewater]

The purchase has already been made... Now he's trying to get a trailer title.

 

[JimS123]

The purchase has already been made... Now he's trying to get a trailer title.

So what did he end up buying?

 

[smokeonthewater]

Would be nice if he'd share that with us huh?

 

[Brian 26]

On a totally different note I just noticed the no frills SeaDoo Spark is 4 stroke for $5k brand new. I haven't seen anyone complain about it yet...

Unfortunetly they're not $5k, by the time you "upgrade" to the 90 HP version, and pay all the fees it's you're at $7k+ out the door. The "$4,995" that the seadoo marketing team has put out (brilliantly I might add) is not realistic.

On the topic of Seadoo Supercharger rebuilds, the first generation ('04-apx '08) need to be rebuilt every 100 hours or can destroy the motor, the newer ones need it ever 200 hours, a light on the dash will notify you. I once saw a pair of first generations that each had over 500 hours on the non rebuilt supercharger. As far as cost to rebuild, a dealer will charge $1,000+, if you pull the charger yourself and mail it off it's about $450.

 

[oldjeep]

Unfortunetly they're not $5k, by the time you "upgrade" to the 90 HP version, and pay all the fees it's you're at $7k+ out the door. The "$4,995" that the seadoo marketing team has put out (brilliantly I might add) is not realistic.

On the topic of Seadoo Supercharger rebuilds, the first generation ('04-apx '08) need to be rebuilt every 100 hours or can destroy the motor, the newer ones need it ever 200 hours, a light on the dash will notify you. I once saw a pair of first generations that each had over 500 hours on the non rebuilt supercharger. As far as cost to rebuild, a dealer will charge $1,000+, if you pull the charger yourself and mail it off it's about $450.

Looks like $350 for the DIY option and it comes with all the tools
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Seadoo-supe...stroke-tec-RXP-RXT-GTX-Wake-215-/270972856706

 

[hostage]

So my friend bought a Yamaha w/ a 650cc and an old trailer for $500. The trailer didn't have a title and he was given a 90 day satisfaction guarantee by the owner. After he spent a lot of time at the DMV, he got his money back after there was some problems with the title of the PWC. I suggested a $1000 working 750ss w/ Trailer, though he ended up buying a nice zinc PWC trailer for $350 that happen to come with a free non-working Tiger shark with a Montego 640 that at least needs new piston rings. He says he loves to tinker and play with things and granted worst case he could sell the trailer for about the same w/o the Tiger Shark. So either he will fix it up and enjoy or get a working one.

 

[Brian 26]

If it was me I would sell/give away that tigershark for parts and not sink a penny in to it.

 

[jkust]

Having just bought a 4 year old (used 3 seasons) Supercharged Yamaha SHO, I can say there are tons of these 1990's 2 strokes on the market. I wonder how big a money pit they really are? Taking it pretty easy on the Yamaha with a mix of high and low performance mode and no tow sports yet...it is about 12$ per hour or so to operate it but goes up dramatically if you do any high speed runs. I've never made so many gas station runs in my life.

 

[JimS123]

If it was me I would sell/give away that tigershark for parts and not sink a penny in to it.

+++111

 

[JimS123]

Having just bought a 4 year old (used 3 seasons) Supercharged Yamaha SHO, I can say there are tons of these 1990's 2 strokes on the market. I wonder how big a money pit they really are? Taking it pretty easy on the Yamaha with a mix of high and low performance mode and no tow sports yet...it is about 12$ per hour or so to operate it but goes up dramatically if you do any high speed runs. I've never made so many gas station runs in my life.

We had a NA SD 4-TEC 155 HP AND a Supercharged 180 HP model. The fuel consumption of the SC model was considerably higher than the NA model, yet the difference in performance was negligible IMHO. Head to head we could go neck and neck to about 50 mph, then the SC would pull ahead, but the difference in top end was more of a bragging right than any practical value.

Our 2015 Yamaha FX HO is much faster than either of the Seadoos, both in acceleration and top end. Only have a few hours on her yet (bad weather), but so far it looks like the fuel consumption at a normal cruise is about the same (~ 8.4 MPG or $9/hour).

 

[oldjeep]

The 215 hp supercharged seadoo definitely likes to drink the fuel if you run it in the higher speeds.

 

[hostage]

+++111

He took it apart and said things don't look as bad he thought, though when he removed the head, he was confused as it was missing a head gasket. 0_o

While I don't mind doing projects on things I already own, I seldom pick up other people's projects. Though to be honest I think he was more excited about buying a broken PWC, working on it, than he was on buying a working one. Then again he is not married and love to focus intensely on one thing. He got bored and setup a 486 midi server a few weeks ago, so I think he has time and energy to burn

 

[jkust]

We had a NA SD 4-TEC 155 HP AND a Supercharged 180 HP model. The fuel consumption of the SC model was considerably higher than the NA model, yet the difference in performance was negligible IMHO. Head to head we could go neck and neck to about 50 mph, then the SC would pull ahead, but the difference in top end was more of a bragging right than any practical value.

Our 2015 Yamaha FX HO is much faster than either of the Seadoos, both in acceleration and top end. Only have a few hours on her yet (bad weather), but so far it looks like the fuel consumption at a normal cruise is about the same (~ 8.4 MPG or $9/hour).

The SHO SC performance is borderline insane up to top speed but is only a few mph more than the Naturally Aspirated HO on the top end (recall the Coast Guard limits all PWC's to 65mph with a few mph leeway). The 1.8 Liter engine on the HO and SHO and the other Yamaha's is so large and is very detuned as compared to its true potential. As to top end, when you start tickling 70mph on a lake when the limiter stops you from going any faster, you only run that fast for a few seconds anyway. Of course the crazy thing is that for 2014, Yamaha came out with an even higher performance model of the SHO that decreased the 0 to 30 time to 1.5 seconds from the SHO's 1.8 seconds and gives you a few more mph on average on top end....above the Coast Guard leeway but don't exactly understand the true regulations there. The real value of the SHO vs the HO is the ability to unlock all the potential that just sits there unused. With a single ECM box from RIVA and 10 minutes you can add a true 40hp and that is just a start. I'm not a mod guy so won't ever bother to do anything to the machine performance-wise.

 

[JimS123]

The SHO SC performance is borderline insane up to top speed but is only a few mph more than the Naturally Aspirated HO on the top end (recall the Coast Guard limits all PWC's to 65mph with a few mph leeway). The 1.8 Liter engine on the HO and SHO and the other Yamaha's is so large and is very detuned as compared to its true potential. As to top end, when you start tickling 70mph on a lake when the limiter stops you from going any faster, you only run that fast for a few seconds anyway. Of course the crazy thing is that for 2014, Yamaha came out with an even higher performance model of the SHO that decreased the 0 to 30 time to 1.5 seconds from the SHO's 1.8 seconds and gives you a few more mph on average on top end....above the Coast Guard leeway but don't exactly understand the true regulations there. The real value of the SHO vs the HO is the ability to unlock all the potential that just sits there unused. With a single ECM box from RIVA and 10 minutes you can add a true 40hp and that is just a start. I'm not a mod guy so won't ever bother to do anything to the machine performance-wise.

We've had one 'ski or another since the early '90's. Each one ran better and was faster than the one before it. I think the HO has reached MY limit.....LOL. When I can feel the wife behind me squeezing her legs together I know its time to slow down. In all reality, its so very seldom that I can even approach 65 mph, considering boat traffic and water conditions. Days with glassy water are few and far between.

We had our last 'ski for 12 years - a 4-TEC. Since we retire this year I thought it time to upgrade one more time. That RIDE system is slick as a whistle, and probably the main reason we traded. With the much easier maintenance the Yami looks like a real winner.

 

[jkust]

We've had one 'ski or another since the early '90's. Each one ran better and was faster than the one before it. I think the HO has reached MY limit.....LOL. When I can feel the wife behind me squeezing her legs together I know its time to slow down. In all reality, its so very seldom that I can even approach 65 mph, considering boat traffic and water conditions. Days with glassy water are few and far between.

We had our last 'ski for 12 years - a 4-TEC. Since we retire this year I thought it time to upgrade one more time. That RIDE system is slick as a whistle, and probably the main reason we traded. With the much easier maintenance the Yami looks like a real winner.

I hit upper 60's all the time because it literally takes from the time you start pressing the throttle if say you are cruising along at 30mph and one second later you are there. I'm only going that fast for a few seconds on and off but that's the value of the supercharger...you get to spend endless dollars on gas and instantaneous speed.
It's the only machine I've ever driven or owned except for 1/2 hour rental of a small 1100 cc Yamaha in Cayman which is what got me hooked. The funny thing to me is that the average age of a first time pwc buyer is I think 47 or 49 years old I read. That RIDE system was a long time coming....should make for some nice used models in a couple years. After owning the Yamaha for about 3 weeks now I will say my only beef is that the Nanotech material that is painted like a car instead of gelcoat like the Sea Doos is that they scratch very easily. I got the Yamaha without a single scratch, it lives on a boat lift and every time I look at it, it has another little hairline scratch in the paint around the seating area and gunnels. Must be from toes and feet but I swear I can't see how it happens. Gelcoat would never be so dainty.

 

[hostage]

Just an update, my friend spent about $350 on parts to fix the thing, so now he is up to $700. He is eagerly awaiting to test it, as he rebuilt the engine.

 

[JimS123]

After owning the Yamaha for about 3 weeks now I will say my only beef is that the Nanotech material that is painted like a car instead of gelcoat like the Sea Doos is that they scratch very easily. I got the Yamaha without a single scratch, it lives on a boat lift and every time I look at it, it has another little hairline scratch in the paint around the seating area and gunnels. Must be from toes and feet but I swear I can't see how it happens. Gelcoat would never be so dainty.

Just got back from 10 days on the River with my new FX HO. We rode basically morning, noon and night. Initially I could agree with your statement, mostly from my wife's feet in the back.....LOL. There were scratches everywhere. Never saw that with my SeaDoo. We usually wear water shoes when on board, and often board from sandy beaches.

When I got home I took some of my Mguires's (3M) "Cleaner Wax" and mysterically all of the scratches disappeared. No evidence of any lasting damage.

 

[jkust]

Just got back from 10 days on the River with my new FX HO. We rode basically morning, noon and night. Initially I could agree with your statement, mostly from my wife's feet in the back.....LOL. There were scratches everywhere. Never saw that with my SeaDoo. We usually wear water shoes when on board, and often board from sandy beaches.

When I got home I took some of my Mguires's (3M) "Cleaner Wax" and mysterically all of the scratches disappeared. No evidence of any lasting damage.

Interesting...I haven't attempted any sort of detailing yet so hoping those hairline scratches will at least fade with some effort. I've gone 12 years without even the slightest hint of a mark or scrap or scratch on my sig boat due to good docking procedures and careful launching and now it living on a lift for the summer yet get scratches the first day I get the waverunner without any rational reason why and it is on a lift as well. I don't beach the waverrunner as I bought a nice Cooper anchor from Australia, with a pvc coated chain, and a Danik hook so it never sees a dock or sand either. The paint is very dainty.