Buying a used ski

[RobHarris]

I've never owned a PWC before and I'm looking to get one or two after having a great time renting them at the beach the past few years.
I'm pretty comfortable buying and maintaining motor equipment and all, but I do have a few specific questions on buying used skis.

One potential option is to buy a 2014 ski that was used at a summer rental place at the beach. So it has high hours and ran in salt water. They ran them pretty hard out in the ocean (I know I was on one flying over waves and stuff). The guy claims to have properly maintained the skis and I'll be having someone independent check them out to verify. Should I generally be avoiding these skis because of the high hours and / or salt water useage? The thing that gives me pause is his opening quote seems to be lower than NADA "low" retail. I assume that is the high hours and salt water knocking down the value.

2nd question (somewhat related), If salt water is an issue, should I plan on never taking my skis into saltwater? I go to the beach one week a year and would love to have the ski there and I will make sure it is properly cleaned after the week. Is that all I need to do or is it just impossible to get it properly cleaned after salt water useage?

I'd like to have these skis for about 10 years (the kids will be gone then), so I'd like to make sure I get something that is going to serve me well for that time.

Thanks

 

[Brian 26]

The price better be way below retail. Previous rental is a huge resale killer, salt water is a huge resale killer. A lot of those skis can go 1000s of hours and as far as renter beating on it, ...... every jet ski gets ridden that way. With that said I would not expect that ski to last 10 years, it may but who knows.

As for salt water, I would ride mine in saltwater because it's the most fun, but rinse the whole thing down and flush the motor per instructions after every ride.

 

[sixfigures]

Most rental places use Yamaha vx110 skies, those are pretty reliable and inexpensive as compared to the high end skies, A vx110 engine could expect to last 2000 hours. the pumps and intermediate bearings should probably be serviced every 500 hours. Salt water use is not all that big a deal if you attach zinc anodes to the ride plates etc for corrosion protection.
The big killer of a ski is running it in sand or overheating it from weeds in the intake or similar obstructions.
A novice operator would not understand that running in limp mode is certainly not OK if an engine overheats it can get damaged just as easily in limp mode as not.
Or if the oil is low and you run in limp mode you can ruin an engine.
The bigger and more expensive 1800 Yamaha engines are a true marine engine and those can last up in the 5000 hour range, the pumps and intermediate bearings still need service in the 500 hour area though .
I own a supercharged Yamaha with 550 hours on it and it runs like the day it was new. However I did do the pump , the liner, the intermediate bearings and the intermediate shaft along with a new impeller at 500 hours like any machine they do require some maintenance, on the supercharger side , Yamaha has the best in my opinion, never had to touch that , In comparison a sea doo supercharger would need the clutch rebuilt every 100 hours. That is according to them.
If you want a ski to last 10 years and you use it in salt water learn how to protect it and service it correctly. Coat the entire engine with a suitable coating, I personally use white lithium grease, it is fantastic for this use and very cost effective.
I also coat my oil filters with aluminum tape to keep them from rusting and then blowing out all the oil. I also change the oil and filter religiously every 50 hours. I also wash out the cooling system with soap and water every time I use the ski.
On the hour thing, A ski sitting unused for years is probably worse on the parts that a ski used every week and serviced correctly, I start both of mine every week even if I don't use them. This keeps the valve springs in good shape and helps the cylinder walls and other parts keep from corroding or rusting in place.
Remember the cooling system has water in it, when the engine sits, water evaporates from the water box and it can travel up into the cylinders as water vapor, then condense in any cylinder that has an exhaust valve open, now you have water sitting in your cylinder. cranking up the engine periodically helps to keep that from being an issue.

 

[RobHarris]

Thanks for the responses. The rental place is indeed selling Yamaha vx110 Deluxe skis. His opening number was around 6k. I'm not too worried about the negotiation, just want to make sure I understand the long term effect of high hours and salt water so I can get proper value.

Anyway, I'm also thinking I might want more ski than the vx110. The 110 hit about 46 mph and I was still wanting for more speed. So might have to go up into one of the SHO models.

 

[sixfigures]

What state are you in I will sell you my sho for 7500 with a trailer . lol

 

[Brian 26]

6k sounds high. That's what rental places around here in freshwater ask for their old skis with a couple hundred hours.

 

[jbetzelb]

I would shop around. There are a lot of used ski options with a 6 K budget. This time of year you should be able to find a lot of low hour jet ski's for 6K or less.