Watercraft Advice

[66Skylark]

Looking for some advice...

I know some folks hate them, but I'm thinking about getting a watercraft - a.k.a Jet Ski. Just something for the family to bomb around on... Maybe pull a tube, while others use the boat.

Looking for something 4-stroke, 3 seater... I'm open on the brand. I like the Sea Doo GTX Wake edition, the Honda F-12X and the Kawasaki STX-15F. I also like the Yamaha VX-110, their entry level model. (4-stroke for about $7,000)

The Sea Doo 3D looks pretty fun, but they don't make it in a 4-stroke and you can't tow anyone.

Just wondering what experience folks here have had with watercraft - reliability, quality, etc...

I'd be paying most of it up front and finance the rest, so I've been checking the manufacturer's websites for their current offers.

I see Sea Doo has 2.9% financing on their watercraft for up to 72 months. Honda is 6.99% for up to 60 months. Kawasaki is 4.99% for 24 and then 7.99% for the remainer of the loan or 7.99% for the life of the loan (60 months). Yamaha is offering low payments and interest till the begining of '07.

Sea Doo's deal is obviously the best... 2.9%! Some folks aren't even getting that on car loans. About half the people I talk to have good things to say about Sea Doo, the other half tell me about 'Sea Don'ts'... I heard their quality was pretty poor 5 to 10 years ago, but they've really turned it around and are making a good product.

I have also heard good things about the Kawasaki. I understand it has the Ninja bike engine in it, which I'm told is pretty reliable - and powerful.

Of course there is the HONDA... They've only been in the market for a few years, but I understand they make a nice machine.

Appreciate any thoughts or advice.

Thanks!

[skinautique]

Sea Doo has usually been on the tipsy side when you try to get back on it. Yamaha has great quality and lasts a long time. Had a 1992 for 12 years and only replaced a steering cable and of course we had to replace batteries. We beat the tar out of the machine too. Always started right up with no problems

[NautiqueJeff]

I know someone who had a GTX for a long time. That was a nice machine. He had made some modifications to it, and it would go over 60 MPH. He sold it last year and bought one of the new supercharged ones.

http://www.jeffcarroll.info/myweb2/BeccaJeffJetski.JPG

[FatBoy]

The Honda is supposed to be the real deal. I had a Yamaha years ago and it did fine.

[AbunDiga909]

I had a 2000 Yamaha SUV 1200 4-Seater--a real family boat!

This gave Yamaha a good rep. with me. I trust them a lot. When we were considering, we were stuck btw the Sea-Doo 4-Seater, and I don't remember exactly what the Yamaha dealer told us, but it was something like take a look at the dampening system on the Sea-Doo--whatever we saw, it was styrofoam. Once we saw that, we wen't with the Yamaha. Also, it is much easer to control speed with your fingers, not your thumb. You're thumb gets tired, fingers don't... I think... :???:

BTW, this is for sale, 5K. Have to sell it to pay off the Nautique, as if it makes a differnce...

P.S. When we wen't on long vacations, I could fit both my slalom ski and my wakeboard in this WaveRunner. Funny, I can barely do that in my Nautique!

[66Skylark]

Thanks for the advice guys...

I'll keep it in mind as I shop. I have have seen all these models at the boat shows, but I will have to spend some time at the dealers checking out the nuts and bolts too.

skinautique,
I'm 6'5" and over 200lbs... I think ANY ski will be a little tipsy with ME climbing aboard!

Abun,
Those Yamaha 4 seaters were nice. (If I remember correctly, those are only 3 feet shorter than our old '66.) I think they killed the SUV model too soon. They should have offered it with a (H.O.) 4-stoke. I bet that would have made a more attractive package... The Sea Doo 4 seater looked goofy with the big sun pad on the back!


I'd love to move up to a new Nautique... Our old '66 belongs to the family and I haven't had much luck talking them into trading up. I keep trying, but after 38 (This year will be 39) years it is tough to think about getting rid of it. (Even though it needs a lot of work.)

I've mentioned before, we have folks stop by the dock when we put the '66 in every year. "Good to see the old boat in the water...", they say.

Moving to a new boat would be a HUGE change... Obviously, it is a quantum leap in design, quaility and construction. But, also a big change in driving the boat... Our '66 Skylark has a foot throttle and is a left hand drive. You should have seen me when I test drove the a 211, I was all screwed up!

Thanks again!

[AbunDiga909]

Yeah the Sea-Doo 4-Seater really was ugly, my big reason for not going with it. And the only reason we would have gotten a new Yamaha was if they came out with it in the 4-Stroke.

I've slalomed behind it. It has plenty of power to get me up. And what is even more fun is tubing behind it b/c you really have nothign to worry about! The wake isn't huge but I've flipped many times... Yamaha definately makes nice jet skis.

[Hollywood]

Another YAMAHA fan here. Never had any problems with ours, we had them for a few years. Ran great, nothing broke, good design. I'll second the finger throttle vs. thumb, that was one of the biggest factors because if it's not fun driving it, forget spending the $.

[hundo]

We have the 2 seater Seadoo and the 3 seater 4 strokes. 75mph on the 2 seater and high 60's on the 3 seater. There a lot of fun, and I did a ton of research. Wife liked the Polaris but was not a fan of the turbo, and after the demo you could feel the turbo lag. The Supercharged Doo's are a lot of fun .

[MARK-S]

Put it out in the lake and us it for target practice.