Wave Runners
 

Don't want to rehash what's been discussed a million times just some quick opinions please. I'm (still) looking for a Waverunner - maybe the end of this year. I will go with a three seater, four cycle I've gotten that much from past postings. Anybody have any opinions of something I should stay away from? Any brands or options you bought which you DO NOT like?

Thanks.

What I have witnessed
 

dpg,

I don't own one but my nieghbor has a Honda, it is quiet and in his two years of owning it hasn't had any trouble.

yamaha fx 140 cruiser I'm Sold!!
 

I swear by my Yamaha.I just traded up to a fx 140 high output cruiser four stroke and boy are they quiet.My last one I used since 2000 and it ran flawless.Most pwc rental places use yamaha so I think that might say something about their reliability.

SeaDoo etc...
 

I have a SeaDoo GTX 4-Tec and am generally happy with it. I am not a big fan of OPAS (Off Power Assisted Steering) but...

Anyhow, most of the new 4 Stroke PWCs are quite good. SeaDoo is probably the most popular brand, however, I have heard that Yamaha probably is the most reliable. I owned a Kawasaki 750 SX (standup) and that ski ran like a champ.

There are a lot of differences in power, ride, price and amenities...but, you can sort this out on your own. Take into account the dealer; the dealer can make or break this kind of thing.

Jetskier

For what limited looking I've done I'm leaning probably towards a Yamaha. I'm not even sure why right now, maybe just what I consider a good name brand I guess. We're off a week in August and I plan on renting one to check it out. Last one I was on was a rental in the Bahamas over the winter and if I recall that was also a Yamaha. One must will be a rather old boat trade, the dealer I deal with must take the boat off my hands as some sort of trade. I do not want to deal with it on my own. Although I may hold onto it as a place holder for our association dock, depends on what kind of price I'm looking at to buy.

Opas
 

Jetskier, I'm curious, how exactly does off-power assisted steering work. Does a rudder or something deploy?:confused:

Exactly, two small rudders deploy when throttle is released, gives marginal steering.

Off Power Assisted Steering
 

That is pretty much correct...

There are a couple of rudders on the rear of the jet ski that move with the steering assembly. When the craft is operating at slow speed, the rudders are in the lower position and can provide some steering. Note, that a PWC typically has no steering without power (water forced through the nozzle). When the speed increases, there is a bell that becomes pressurized and lifts the rudders up and out of the path of the water flow. I find that there is a middle range where the steering is a bit odd. So, I have disabled mine by putting in a spacer that keeps them in the up position. Hope this helps.

Jetskier

Hill Crest?
 

We did a trade of two for one at Hill Crest a Sea Doo GTI and a Kawasaki SSXi for a Sea Doo GTX 4tec. This was before Irwins took over so I am not sure what their trade in policy is. They are Sea Doo dealers so if you are set on a Yamaha they may not be the place.

I liked my Sea Doo RXT last year but this year decided to try the Yamaha FX HO cruiser 50th anniversary edition. Awesome machine! It is definitely a smoother ride than the RXT was in rough water, the cruiser seat is amazing and worth the extra money.

I picked mine up from HK in Laconia on Friday, Travis was great. I picked it out at 10am, they took care of the financing, prepped the machine and trailer and I had it by 4pm the same day. Talk about service!

I tried talking to Wayne at Hillcrest about a other RXT but as always got nothing but full-boat Msrp pricing and an attitude. Sorry Hillcrest, another season goes by and you will not see my business...

For those who do not like PWC's, there is a new accessory pack on the market.

http://www.west.net/~lpm/hobie/archi...i2/humor.shtml

Not Funny
 

Come on...this is a bit over the top and not even funny. I am a bit disappointed that the webmaster did not cull it out of the thread.

As a watercraft rider, I am extremely careful to abide by the marine rules and find that stupidity and violations do not correlate with the type of craft you ride. I typically see more boater issues than PWC.

So, let's keep a bit more decorum and certainly more respect on this forum.

Jetskier

I have an FX140 and a GTX and the FX is definately better in the rough water than the Doo is and I like the wide handlebars better as well although not a fan of the hard rubber grips. Mirrors are way better on the doo though and I think the seat/console is too wide on the yammie compared to the doo if you don't like to ride with your feet out in front of you. I've been thinking of an upgrade and may actually go to a Honda F12X.

don't be so ridiculous
 

i see more problems from boat owners then PWC owners. Just the other day i was following a boat about, 250-300ft, with another to my port. the boat on the port suddenly decided that he wanted to go in front of me making ME (the stand-on boat) swerve to the left to avoid a collision (which also made me almost loss my passenger!)

sure i agree some jet skiers AND some boaters, don't know the rules (usually the rentals.) But then again most of us DO know the rules.

Don't get so defensive
 

Kamper a great clip if you ask me.....to those that took offense laugh about it and make sure you looked at the whole whimsy article........cause it all cought up to the day sailers when they shot thier buddy durring test two..........

If you only looked at the pictures you missed half the fun. The captions make the whole joke. I wont say more so I wont ruin it for the next person to check it out.

I have forwarded this to a couple friends of mine who sometimes lend me their jetskis and they have not complained. I regret if some folks will feel offended by this article but wont apologise because there is nothing a reasonable person should be offended by. It is just a joke.

Have a cigar!

I think this really funny, however that nothing here to be afraid of. Now as for paint guns or paintball cannons. Now that would be fun.

Or how about paintball torpeodoes,, rent the Uncle Sam, find her original torpedoe tubes.

Yup, shooting missles at PWC. Completely hilarious. Why don't we now egg cars or drown the loons? Completely sophomoric. This started as a productive discussion on what PWC to buy. Thank you for reducing it to this level.