New to pwc, need help

[jeffeisen]

I am currently in the process looking for a PWC. I have property on a medium sized lake and own a four winns, and have been thinking of getting a pwc for quite some time now. I want a four stroke, and was thinking used, but beyond that i dont know too much about them, for example what brands are best, and what models?

 

[Sandi_k]

Re: New to pwc, need help

Jeffeisen, we've been riding PWCs since 1995. Now our whole family owns them (a tidal wave of purchasing after we bought our first in 2003).

We have all opted for Hondas, and we bought one Kawasaki as well.

The Hondas are solid, reliable, well made, well-thought out for maintenance, and comfortable. If you get a turbo, they will also go 63-65 mph. We have chosen to stay with NA models, while our best friends and DH's brother bought a turbo model each. They have been rock solid, and have nearly 400 hours on them now. Gas mileage is superb, about 120 mile range. The downside - they stopped making them in 2009. But if you're buying them used, they're worth a look. (Although some dealers have new-old stock around, especially one dealer in Peoria, IL, who advertises on Craigslist).

The Kawasaki 15F is the second ski we own. Flatter hull, nose down ride, but sheer power and fun to carve the water with (once you change out the stock sponsons). Also bulletproof. Gas mileage isn't as good - about 80 mile range on a tank.

With both the Honda and the Kawi, we can ride all weekend with full tanks, plus 10 gallon jugs carried on the trailer.

The newer skis, the Kawi 250X and 300X, are gas hogs. And huge.

Yamahas are also reliable (most rental houses go with them). But we didn't like the position for seating - the seats were too wide for us. The smaller ski that had the smaller seat - only 110 hp, and we got 137 with the Honda, and 155 with the Kawi. So that's what we bought.

We never considered Sea Doos. Many in our riding group own them, and they've had grenaded engines, and constant mechanical issues. They have great colors, great innovation, just not bone stock reliable, as we prefer.

There are a couple other sites for PWC that you might want to check out:

PWCToday.com
Greenhulk.net
Socal Watercraft Club Forums - Powered by vBulletin

All are full of helpful people. PWCToday has been around for a decade, and searching and reading the old threads on what to buy could be useful.

Welcome to the world of PWC! It's a blast.

 

[lamphega]

Re: New to pwc, need help

I have to say my experience has been a little different. Been running PWC's since the early stand up Kawasaki's, also owned or ran Yamaha's and Sea Doo's. The 2 Sea Doo's currently in the extended fleet have been around since 2000 and 20002 and they have run flawlessly. Neither has never returned to dealer as never had any issues and do all my own maintenance. Any PWC will give you problems if not maintained just like any other machine. A lot of people buy them, run them sporadically and hard then stick them in a corner until the next time and are shocked when they give them trouble. And taking care of them is not hard at all.
If I was looking for a used now I would look at a reliable dealer or an adult private seller. Best if you can test drive and then inspect engine compartment for signs of leaks or damage. And consider an AGM battery, will last longer and perfect for the sporadic use these things tend to get.

 

[JohnWI]

Re: New to pwc, need help

Modern PWCs should have an hour meter on them. Most will also likely have a falling annual usage. My first year was 40 hours, down to probably 20 last year. But I have since added stand up models which would up my totals.

Do you intend to do any work like changing oil yourself? If I recall, the Honda was awesome as the side panel came off. My Kawi 2006, 15F with no troubles after 100 hours other than changing out a set of plugs last year for an occasional "miss," does have a PITA oil filter, but I only deal with it annually. You also need a vac style of oil extractor and in my climate, to flush the cooling lines with RV antifreeze to make sure no water is left in it to crack the block when it gets freezing in winter.

My 2c is to keep it simple, less stuff to go wrong. Sure a turbo or supercharger will go quicker, but realistically only about 10MPH faster and get there a bit quicker. Personally I don't have "glass" very often so other than bursts of speed, I don't go above 50 (or 45 even) for extended runs. 35-40 is prime time fun carving some turns. One main reason for the standup skis is that I lap the lake so quick above this speed it's not fun for very long.

As the other poster mentioned, I get about 6-7MPG which is similar to a 2stroke of about half this engine size (or maybe even my 16' aluminum runabout with a 2S 60HP Ev). The gas indicator leaves a lot of room before you are really that low on gas.

Just try to focus on finding someone who took care of theirs and give you a decent feeling they're genuine. I've heard of a lot of skis with less than 50 hours on them. I personally would want a pretty smokin' deal if I were to get one with more than 100, but realistically they should last a long time if they were and do get maintained.