Turbojack

Stay away from the high power ones. Had a 800gp & motor blew up just before went out of warranty. Now have a GP1200R Spent most of this year in shop.

georges

You may want to check out the new Honda F-12. A beautiful machine, 4 stroke, very stable and heavy, seats 2 very comfortably (although it is called a 3 seater). Honda reliability with marine outboards is well known. However, since this was Honda's first year into PWC's, as with anything the first time out, there were some minor problems, the 2003 models should have all the kinks out and will set the new standard for other manufacturers.

warlockjer

Got two Yamahas, and they are reliable and very smokey, But because of EPA, bought a Honda this season as I wanted to go to Tahoe for vacation and all I can say is WOW. Smooth and very quiet, also very quick. I bought the Turbo model. Plenty of room for three and very stable. Honda did their home work on this one.................

NASDBOY

Hey shawn, man you must be rollin in the dough!! You lookin at new trucks new jet ski's and fixing up your Scarab.. LOL

You need any new help where you work????

by the way yall cold yet??

Playn

We have both Yamaha waveraider and Polaris SLXH. I'm happy with the Yamaha, not so happy with the Polaris. Our neighbors have a couple Kawasaki 900's and have been very happy with them. Our next purchase will be a couple Kawasaki 1100ZXi's

With that said, I think you've had a recomendation here for every brand

Ted G

iTrader: (1)

I vote for Sea Doo. We have 4 between my family and friends and bought them all used from a rental place. None of them have needed anything but a battery. 3 seaters are really 2 seaters and 2 seaters are really 1 seaters so plan accordingly. The new 4 strokes are the bomb regardless of who built itbecause you are buying the top of the line. If you're worried about new regs, buy a cheap 2 stroke and send 100 bucks to the AWA/IJSBA

29scarab

Hey guys!

Appreciate the input on this! This board really does help people make decisions!!


NASDBOY!!!

As for you! Work is great up here! As far as the comment about the dough!!

DeAnna talk to your other half lastnight and I'll tell on you!!!!!


Thanks again!!!

Chris288

[QUOTE]Originally posted by 105mph_38_2003
[B]29,

I have a pair of Ultra 150's, one will do over 80 mph and both are bullett proof.



So what modifications do you have on your ultra that will make it do OVER 80 ???


I too have a 99 ultra 150 and love it..

But if I was going to buy a new ski, it would be the Honda 4 stroke turbo...

mcollinstn

I own for my personal use 3 Yamahas. One is a '91, and then a '94 and a '98.

I am a partner in a boat/bike/jetski repair/rebuild shop. We own another 17 to 20 skis there.

I cannot emphasize enough that SeaDoo has a horrible and well-deserved reputation for crankshaft problems. If a SeaDoo motor is not properly maintained/stored/winterized, then it is possible/probable that it will retain moisture in the crankcase and the hardchrome plating on the crankshaft will flake. This typically will take the whole motor out because the usual symptom of the trouble is 3 seconds of odd noise before the rod locks onto the crank, snaps in two and punches holes in the block. If we purchase a SeaDoo for resale, we will only do so cheaply enough to figure in a new crank. We see this on new models as well. We see this on skis that look showroom fresh with low hours. Emphasis is that you have no way of knowing how the boat has been maintained and stored. Only a thorough fogging with the motor up to temp will ensure the integrity of the crank (every time it is stored for more than a month).

The SeaDoo GT(s, x, etc) is a premium 3-up luxo ski. Excellent ride, nice trip computer, soft seat, dry ride. The DFI 2-stroke is both quiet and powerful. The XP is unsuitable for 2-up riding. It is very "tippy" at slow speeds. It is, however, a blast to carve and squirt on one.

The GSX is a premium 2-up luxo-sport ski. Can easily fit 2 adults and a child on it even though it is technically a 2-seater.

The SeaDoo 4-stroke is a great boat and performs well.

Polaris and Tigershark make decent enough skis but they have very low resale in our area. The dealer network is scattered and the only large dealer we had around here dropped them (polaris) due to too many warranty repairs keeping their service department so busy that they couldn't take the more profitable customer repair and hop-up service work... Maybe in a snowmobile area there will be a better dealer network on those brands. They are both good brands.

Kawasaki has some extremely nice models. The injected 1100 is a good motor but we have had two in with electronic issues that the dealer couldn't figure out (no, we are not authorized to do warranty work on Kawis but the owner was at wits' end). These were early injected models and there have been updates that supposedly have addressed those issues (we have not seen any more with a similar problem). The ZXi models would not be a good choice for a small child as they are not "settled" at speed.

Honda has sat and watched the jetski market and has truly done their typical remarkable job of hitting it right the first time. They really only offer one ski, but in two distinctive flavors. It is a four stroke 3-seater. One is a turbo with a few more bells and whistles and the other has no turbo. The turbo enjoys a higher top speed, but that is the only performance difference. The non turbo is quicker out of the hole and is down on acceleration only slightly. Handling and ride are really good.

Yamaha offers entry level, performance, and luxo skis. In my opinion, there is no better package than a Yamaha (Honda may be if time proves them as bulletproof). Early Yamaha 500cc motors were junk (as they were essentially 50hp outboards turned on their sides) but all the following motors are solid as a rock.

TurboJack, I hate to hear that you continue to have issues with your Yamahas, and I can only scratch my head. We simply see no troubles other than stiff or stuck carb diaphragms from sitting, impact damage, impeller damage from rocks, and the occasional mud-packed cooling system from trying to drive thru mud. We put a crank in a XL1200 that had sat on the bottom of the lake for a week before being parked in a barn for a year. We put an oversize piston kit in a 1992 model that had been run out of oil until it locked solid (the teenage girl said that she got it started three or four more times before it quit for the last time) - that boat had been run nonstop on our lake by that family - it probably had 1500 hours on it. The crank was fine and it only needed the piston kit after being overheated and seized. It has been running fine for 2 years now (we saw it this summer to unwrap a bunch of ski rope from the pump). The XLT is a nice boat.

Everybody else's 4 strokes are good boats. I always prefer to wait a year to get the bugs out but so far all of the 4-strokers appear to be reliable. A 4-stroke boat will be slower than its similar 2-stroke model. It will feel heavier, it will handle differently. It has TEN times the number of moving parts. If it gets swamped (partially sunk) as happens occasionally, it will require far more than the removal of spark plugs and a quick hit of the starter to blow the water out (you will be looking for a boat ramp to pull it out and go thru it). They are quiet, but no more so than the extra-quiet 2-strokes available on some. They are more fuel efficient at some rpm ranges (which can certainly be a plus). They do not smoke. More importantly, as has been mentioned, SOME water is being marked as OFFLIMITS to 2-stroke craft (by self-righteous idiots). If you feel you are near areas that may fall to this trend, then a 4-stroker is for you.

My kids are completely unintimidated by skis. My girl is 9 and is tiny (weighs 50 pounds). My boy is 11 and weighs 75. They both prefer the 57mph Raider and XL1200 to the 38 mph WR3. Your 4-yr old will love skis.

Some hulls ride far smoother than others in a chop. Some hulls "spin out" easier and smoother than others. Some hulls carve corners better than others. Some hulls jump wakes smoother than others. Some hulls spray you more than others. Some hulls will let you stay dry more than others. Some skis feel very nose-heavy. Some hulls pick the nose up nicely. Some hulls tend to lean to the right or left at cruise. Some hulls are skittish and nervous at speed. Some motors vibrate through the handlebars at cruise. Some are very smooth. Some have handholds to aid in climbing aboard if you fall off in deep water. Some have storage compartments that are hard to access. Some have no adequate storage. Some have coolers built in.

It goes on.

M

29scarab

mcollinstn,

I would like to thank you for that post! It was probably the most informative post I've read!

My decision has been definitely more narrowed down after that!!


Thanks again! I luv this board!!! Thanks Jeffrey!!!