Just received a free jetski. Did I get a diamond in the rough, or a complete pig?

Joined
Jul 9, 2011
Messages
2
Hey all.

So I'm new to the world of PWC, well new to owning one not riding. I was looking for a cheap jet ski and I actually found a free one on Craigslist. It's a 1992 Kawasaki 750 SS, and it's pretty beat up. The person that gave it to me said it only needed a new "battery", which is generally code for you just inherited a nightmare. The owner stated he had it in the water this year, but from the looks of it, I doubt it. I wanted a project to work on, so if you guys think this doesn't look like too much of a nightmare, I may pour a few hundred into it and see if it runs. I am pretty handy with wet sanding and using buffers, so I think I can do some of the repairs. I think it's called the Gelcoat? that's peeling, and how hard is that to fix? I need honest opinions, which from what I've read, I'll get on this site. haha. Let me know what you think. Thanks and I hope I can contribute.

Cheers.

PICS FOUND IN THE LINK BELOW!

http://imageshack.us/g/204/jetski1.jpg/
 

robcarync

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
82
Re: Just received a free jetski, did I get a diamond in the rough, or a complete pig?

Re: Just received a free jetski, did I get a diamond in the rough, or a complete pig?

I have the same Kawasaki 750 ss but it's a 95....and it's an awesome and reliable ski for me. As I've found with my other ski....a craigslist project...the condition from the previous owner is key. Since you got this for free and you're interested in a project...I'd say go for it....for me, I wasn't willing to put a whole lot of money Into my project...but I'm ok with spending a lot of time with it.

A few tips...find the service manual because it will help a ton.

Start with easy checks that you can do for free...verify all fuel lines are clear, check valves, fuel connections etc. You can check electrical stuff with a multimeter etc

And lastly don't jump to conclusions...I know when I was trying to diagnose I'd sometimes jump to ideas that would lead me astray from the real problems...read the service manual and develop a smart plan of attack....systematically eliminating variables

On a side note, my Kawasaki I purchased from CL...and the previous owner said all it needed was a battery...rolled the dice and that ski worked out for me
 

Andre900

Cadet
Joined
Jun 29, 2011
Messages
24
Re: Just received a free jetski. Did I get a diamond in the rough, or a complete pig?

I hope it owrks out for you. Four weeks ago, I spotted two Yamaha Waverunner 700s on Craigslist - a '97 for $900 and a '95 for $1300. They both looked surprisingly in good & equal condition. I thought the 2-year newer ski would be the better option. I took it for a test run and it went like a rocket. I got the seller to knock the price down to $850. The next weekend, I took it out for my first solo run and it wouldn't accelerate or hit high speed. I took it to a nearby shop and they've quoted me $300 for a coil installed, plus it looks like I'm going to need two new hubs for the trailer wheels for another $100. So, my $850 Waverunner is now $1250 and I haven't spent more than 5 minutes on it. No big surprise. I knew I was taking a risk w/ an old, low-priced ski. Nonetheless, the ski always starts right up. The shop told me the engine looks real clean and strong and high compression in each cylinder.

I had hoped to be able to maintain this ski myslef, but the running around for parts and tools and my inexperience takes me 10x as long as a good shop and eats up my whole weekend.
 

Leardriver

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Oct 7, 2008
Messages
373
Re: Just received a free jetski. Did I get a diamond in the rough, or a complete pig?

That was always one of my favorite skis.

You can jump it off of another battery initially while you try to get it to fire. Walmart sells a cheap battery for around $40 that actually works better than you would think for the price.

I would get it to run before I spent another minute on any cosmetic repairs, just to make sure you have an operable drive train.
 

cpubud

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
468
Re: Just received a free jetski. Did I get a diamond in the rough, or a complete pig?

before i would worry about all the fiberglass and gelcoat work it needs i would work on getting it running properly.take it to the water to test the motor, but dont go far from shore incase it takes on a lot of water. then worry about the fiberglass and gel work. there not too hard to work on yourself .
 

robcarync

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Aug 19, 2010
Messages
82
Re: Just received a free jetski. Did I get a diamond in the rough, or a complete pig?

As others had said....work on getting it running properly before cosmetic repairs....and do a compression check because that will tell you a lot about the engine

if the engine itself is strong with good compression....assuming the electronics work (and the impeller and drive system is intact), all you really have left is fuel system and carbureuter and plugs
 
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