Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

[sixfigures]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

I was wondering the same thing when I read that. Do you own a rental shop?

$8k in fuel @ $4 per gallon is 2,000 gallons. @5 mpg in a ski that is 10,000 miles. That's about what people drive per year in a car.

I'm not saying it can't happen just curious.

I believe the average person drives a car 15,000 miles a year so 10,000 is pretty low actually it may even be up to 18000 a year now I haven't checked it lately

 

[JimS123]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Be interesting to compare a kawasaki stx 15 to a spark. Same price basically. But the kawasaki is a 160 Hp fiberglass machine that goes 55 to 60 mph. Wonder how the fun factor compares.

The Kawi is at least double the price.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

The Kawi is at least double the price.

Absolutely not true.

Spark 3up HO is selling now for 7200. An ultra LX is 8300. The Smaller kawasaki is 7600.

All prices above are actual real prices that you can pay today. No tax and no trailer.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Absolutely not true.

Spark 3up HO is selling now for 7200. An ultra LX is 8300. The Smaller kawasaki is 7600.

All prices above are actual real prices that you can pay today. No tax and no trailer.

My mistake then. I just looked up the retail prices and saw 4900 for Spark and 9800 for kawi.

That's what I thought this thread was all about - finally an affordable ski. At 7200 the Spark is no bargain.

 

[alldodge]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Yes really! hopefully a bit less now that I have relieved myself of the kawasaki LOL.
I go out all year and usually go 3 or more days a week "all day" so comfort and reliability are very important to me. I do have my accountant file for highway tax refund so I need to keep good records. 2162 gallons to be exact. in 2013
2088 in 2012
2369 in 2011
1851 in 2010
1884 in 2009
cant find gal for 08 but I spent 6804 on it gallon usage would have been similar though since gas was less expensive.
2305 gal in 07 etc etc etc.
I know people who use more than I do some people just have all the fun. average mileage for a ski is in the 4 miles to a gallon range just cruising about half if you ride it hard I bring 4 / 6gallon cans and two skies with full tanks so i don't have to stop , if one breaks I ride another .

And no I do not rent skies ,nope I would never rent a ski fastest way to get them ruined.
Just me and my girl but she likes to ride on the back most of the time.
I just got rid of a kawasaki with 300 hrs on it huge gas hog, and I have a sho with 525 hours on it and a new fxho with 175 hours on it. all purchased new with zero hours.
It's easy to burn up a ton of fuel if you like riding and you have the time, money and location.

Just a tad OCD maybe
During 2009 and 10 gas prices was around 2.60 you drove less miles.
When gas prices went up you drove more, it's good to be the king

 

[Brian 26]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Yes really! hopefully a bit less now that I have relieved myself of the kawasaki LOL.
I go out all year and usually go 3 or more days a week "all day" so comfort and reliability are very important to me. I do have my accountant file for highway tax refund so I need to keep good records. 2162 gallons to be exact. in 2013
2088 in 2012
2369 in 2011
1851 in 2010
1884 in 2009

HOLY (insert four letter word here)!

Now that is some seat time!

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

My mistake then. I just looked up the retail prices and saw 4900 for Spark and 9800 for kawi.

That's what I thought this thread was all about - finally an affordable ski. At 7200 the Spark is no bargain.

I guess that depends and will be interesting to see how the spark does.

A 2 up with a 60 hp is 4900. None of the dealers are ordering them that way though.

You can also buy a GTI 155 for about 2 grand more than a fully loaded Spark.

The sparks are selling for full Msrp which is messing with the math.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

In the overall scheme of things 2 grand ain't worth talking about. The Spark would have to offer more than the lower price.

Around here, you pay list price for the ski, and then the trailer, CG package, 3 PFDs, tie downs and an OEM cover are included at no extra cost.

Our boat show is in 2 weeks....I'll report back what the Spark true market value is.

 

[sixfigures]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

It's only money, I hate wasting it but heck you can't take it with you, my name is derived from when I joined the 6 figure club, not referring to my income but my income tax actually. That equates to over 8000 dollars a month just to be a proud american and wake up every day. so 1 months income tax for a year of fun on the water isn't a big deal.
Just grateful to have all the time money and weather to enjoy the water, if I were broke I would own canoe or something but you can bet I would be out on the water.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

It's only money, I hate wasting it but heck you can't take it with you, my name is derived from when I joined the 6 figure club, not referring to my income but my income tax actually. That equates to over 8000 dollars a month just to be a proud american and wake up every day. so 1 months income tax for a year of fun on the water isn't a big deal.
Just grateful to have all the time money and weather to enjoy the water, if I were broke I would own canoe or something but you can bet I would be out on the water.

As a member of the same club, I look at things a bit differently especially with two kids starting college and one with tuition and room and board as high as 65k a year. It would be easier for me to cover college if my wife got fired and we got divorced.

But since this was a thread about Sparks, let's bring is back to that.

There are a couple of intriguing advantages of this machine. If Seedoo did their market homework this thing could be a splash. 425 lbs (or something like that) means easy to tow and three people can pick it up and carry it into the water. With a little work, you wouldn't need to wait a launch. . Which where I live, that's awesome. While we have a slip, my buddy with his sail boat sails around the line and it buys him an hour!

They also get something like 2.5 mpg which is half what some others get. That can be a big deal to some people.

But I think the biggest advantage of all, is that at this price, this weight and with this fuel economy, many families will be able to buy two machines and keep them in the water instead of just one.

My local dealer indicated that a number of clients were headed to the boat show to buy a machine and ended up ordering two of these instead.

Which also may mean in a few months we might see packages of two being sold used.

Let us know what you think when you see them.

 

[sixfigures]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Agreed, as for the spark. I recall Yamaha having a huge issue with the first 1800 engines, I was informed by a dealer that the machines had fly wheels that would come loose when revving them on the trailer. I was also told the factory made them return the skies to have the problem corrected, NOT sure how Acurate that part is. However I bet the people who purchased the first year run were very unhappy with the ski due to the problems. And now the 1800 is probably one of the best on the market. In any event sea doo has a lot of issues with electronics those will ruin a day pretty quickly. A very lite ski is not as desireable as people would think I like a solid ride myself and seadoo early 4 tec hulls were quite solid and heavy, I often said I wished Yamaha had a hull like that and then they produced the fx ho. wish granted. I also believe the spark may go the way of the 3D , same hype but it was a dud. I guess we are going to see here soon, I hope for the customers sake they did something about their floating driveshafts the seals and the pump bearing situation .

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

The 1800 I think is the best motor on the market. I love that thing! Sort of like comparing a new Mustang Cobra to a....Miata....but a Miata, has its place too.

The 3D was a dumb disaster. Many people on the forums makign fun of the spark for that reason. But while the 3D was gimmicky, the spark not so much....then again, maybe not. Seadoo has actually moved away in a lot of ways from what their brand is about. Seadoo machines are space-aged and full of electronic extras which can break.

One thing I noticed at the boat show which was sort of ironic is that one the one hand, a saleman would be talking to a client about a Wake 215 and all its bells and whistles and in the same breath, boast about the Spark which is as plain-jane as its gets. Seadoo may have some brand confusion.

One thing that I have seen intriguing aboutteh Spark, though, is at 425 lbs, that thing stops on a dime with the break option.

Also, it is a craft designed for inland waters....not for the ocean.

I may have mentioned this, but spoke to a guy who has one. He is selling it because he thought it would be big enough for him and is wife AND to tow a tube. Now, when you see the thing, you will see how nuts the guy was. Because thinking you can put two adults on it AND tow is sort fo like thinking you can tow a trailer with a Miata. That fact that it can be done, does not mean it should be.

However, as a father of two teen girls, I see the benefit of these machines. Small, nimble, light....top speed of only 50 mph. No fiberglass to get scratched-up on the sand or the dock. In all honesty, I am ONE test ride from buying two of these or saying "no thanks" and never looking back. IF, I get a chance to ride one, I am completing willing to pluck money down and might be looking for two used ones and a trailer this summer. But, I am not gonna take a $14k chance on something I hate.

In the meatime, my current massive 1200 SUV is a towing guru. Probably no better machine on the market than a 1200 SUV for that. Stable as all hell. BUT, the down side is that it is stable as all hell.

Maybe I can find an an old late 90's SPX in nice shape for $1500 I used to have one of those. Simple, nimble, light.....and fun.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

After having a few skies over the years we bought a 4-tec the 2nd year they came out. Within a year both our sons bought them as well. I've ridden on 2 and 4 stroke Yamis and I wouldn't have one. I realize they are bulletproof and easy to maintain, but the ride just doesn't grab me.

2.5 mpg on a Spark doesn't compute. Light weight and a small engine? Something doesn't add up here.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

After having a few skies over the years we bought a 4-tec the 2nd year they came out. Within a year both our sons bought them as well. I've ridden on 2 and 4 stroke Yamis and I wouldn't have one. I realize they are bulletproof and easy to maintain, but the ride just doesn't grab me.

2.5 mpg on a Spark doesn't compute. Light weight and a small engine? Something doesn't add up here.

I think seadoo claims 1.8 and 2.5 or something like that for the HO version. Makes sense to me. Keep in mind the motor is tiny, so it works a little harder too. This would make these machine the most fuel efficient of any. The file tank is only 8 gallons. So a Kawi ultra LX has much longer legs....120 miles on a tank.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Well that makes NO sense to me. You mean that tiny little thing has a range of only 20 miles? Totally useless! My 1000# 4-tec with a 155 gets a minimum of 10 mpg at cruise., which is about 35 mph.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Well that makes NO sense to me. You mean that tiny little thing has a range of only 20 miles? Totally useless! My 1000# 4-tec with a 155 gets a minimum of 10 mpg at cruise., which is about 35 mph.

My bad....it's gph not mpg.

So 8 gallons if it lasted 3 to 4 hours that would be 90 to 120 miles.

 

[sixfigures]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

After having a few skies over the years we bought a 4-tec the 2nd year they came out. Within a year both our sons bought them as well. I've ridden on 2 and 4 stroke Yamis and I wouldn't have one. I realize they are bulletproof and easy to maintain, but the ride just doesn't grab me.

2.5 mpg on a Spark doesn't compute. Light weight and a small engine? Something doesn't add up here.

Here is the latest on that, I believe I mentioned this previously, however I will expound on it. Yamaha hulls were a pain in the butt, I noticed my sho being a 2010 was a difficult ski to get to steer at speed without oversteering or hooking in turns at speed if you will. I actually had to buy sponsons, redrill the holes and raise the sponsons practically out of the water to get it to handle as I wanted it to. I also noticed that at slow speed with passengers it always wanted to tip easily. HOWEVER the new fx hull is a total dream to drive even with 2 adult passengers on it. I would compare it to the 02 sea doo gtx hull but even better. This is why I plan on purchasing one more of these this summer. The ski has cruise and the hand grips that the previous yamaha skies had with the words that dig into your hands are totally gone and the new grips have a oval shape for comfort. I still dislike having the reverse on the right side as I like using it for heavy traffic areas or working in between oyster bars etc. but all in all the handling of this hull is their best design that I am aware of.

 

[JimS123]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Here is the latest on that, I believe I mentioned this previously, however I will expound on it. Yamaha hulls were a pain in the butt, I noticed my sho being a 2010 was a difficult ski to get to steer at speed without oversteering or hooking in turns at speed if you will. I actually had to buy sponsons, redrill the holes and raise the sponsons practically out of the water to get it to handle as I wanted it to. I also noticed that at slow speed with passengers it always wanted to tip easily. HOWEVER the new fx hull is a total dream to drive even with 2 adult passengers on it. I would compare it to the 02 sea doo gtx hull but even better. This is why I plan on purchasing one more of these this summer. The ski has cruise and the hand grips that the previous yamaha skies had with the words that dig into your hands are totally gone and the new grips have a oval shape for comfort. I still dislike having the reverse on the right side as I like using it for heavy traffic areas or working in between oyster bars etc. but all in all the handling of this hull is their best design that I am aware of.

Our 3 GTXs are all the 02 hull. Personally, best I've ever ridden. I HAVE ridden the FX hull and didn't like it. personal choice I guess. Plus, I don't think I could live with their reverse lever.

 

[Brian 26]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Maybe I can find an an old late 90's SPX in nice shape for $1500 I used to have one of those. Simple, nimble, light.....and fun.

My favorite ski. I found this one last summer, original owner and the guy owned a huge office building where he would store this in a heated unused office, with the exception of one bump on the front and some scratches on the bottom of the hull it is like new. I also have a 96 XP (same ski different name).



I think big heavy skis are boring after a while. They have their place for cruising, towing or as an accessory on a big boat but just driving around on a lake gets old after about 20 minutes for me. Wake jumping with a 110 hp 400 lbs ski is what I like to do, that and stand up jet skis. This is the market that I think the spark can tap in to, it'll be interesting to see how it works out.

 

[WaterDR]

Re: Anyone out there with Seadoo Spark experience?

Frankly, if i came across a nice clean one, I would probably jump on it.