Re: PWC Advice Please
Any independent boat shop that works on PWC's will work on any brand. In the early years, PWC's were all 2 stroke machines, and they really didn't last forever without maintenance. I have a SeaDoo that's 21 years old that still runs great. My neighbors have gone through 2-3 2 stroke PWC's in the same time.
Now, virtually all PWC's are 4 stroke machines-- the slowest of which is 53 or 54 mph. 4 stroke PWC's get wonderful fuel mileage, and every brand, every model just runs great. The days of 450 lb. PWC's are gone, as 3 man machines are more like 900 lbs with fuel. They're not easy to get on and off a trailer, and pushing them around your driveway is even difficult. A quality aluminum trailer is mandatory.
The biggest selling PWC on the market by far is the Yamaha VX series, and I bought a new 2010 VX Cruiser model a year ago. I have not had mine in the shop--choosing to do maintenance myself. I have a 120 mile cruising range, and find myself running the watercraft about 30 mph. 2 man PWC's are seldom even sold.
The SeaDoo's also are very nice machines, but performance is not really up to the Yamaha in acceleration and fuel mileage. The Kawasaki's are getting better, but they lack of a quality dealer base. Honda's have a hard ride, and serious PWC riders shy away unless they can buy one for $6k or a bargain basement model leftover price.
Boat dealers of every kind are dropping like flies in this O'Bama economy, and a quality PWC dealership is very important. I would first go for a solid, long time Yamaha dealership, but would also consider a SeaDoo if they had a great dealership. Yamaha's are slightly less expensive than comparable SeaDoo's.
I bought my ski @ LakeHillMotors.Com NE Mississippi--the largest Honda dealer in the U.S. People come from all over the South to buy from them, and I'm 50 miles away.
One thing I wouldn't do is buy one of those $12K-$14K 68 mph supercharged PWC rockets--and put a 14 year old kid on one. I consider high performance PWC's like putting a kid on a Suzuki Haybusta. Nobody can afford to buy a Ferrari, but everyone can afford a rice rocket or fire breathing PWC. And, 68 mph PWC accident can easily kill you or someone around you. The standard PWC models run just fine--and provide enough thrills for just about anyone.