[Rhodes22-list] Jet Skis (UNCLASSIFIED)

[Downs, Willard]

Mike --
 
We have two SeaDoos, a 2001 GTS, and a 2002 GTI (SeaDoo low end models in 01 and 02, each with 85 HP), and we have enjoyed them very much.   We bought the first one for exactly the reasons you mention, my wife and I thinking we'd not use it very much but they would be good for adult kids and guests.  My wife went out the first time on it and didn't come back for an hour......we quickly realized they were lots of fun....and we didn't want to ride together, so the second one came along the next year.
 
We chose to buy new because most of the used ones we looked at were very beat up.  We are on Lake of the Ozarks in MIssouri, which is a pretty rough lake on week-ends, and it's the unusual one that will not have been riden hard and put away wet, and they don't tolerate being run into things very well.   Anyway, some quick comments:
 
1.  You don't need lots of HP to have fun....even if the kids want the 225+ HP models.....ours at 85HP are plenty fast, though if I was buying another new one, I'd probably get 100 or so.  It does make a difference if you put 3 people on one...we usually ride with only one, or at the most two aboard.  
 
2.  With reasonable maintenance and care, they are pretty reliable....have had virtually no problems with ours.
 
3.  Gas consumption will be higher than you expect....you can burn 20 gallons or so a day if there is lots of use.
 
4.  Easy to ride once you have some time on one, but a steep learning curve the first couple of hours, particularly with docking........most of the dings and dents will happen than......and when being maneuvered close to other boats or waverunners...  Even for experience boaters the first hour or so is a little trying if you have to maneuver much.  For the unexperienced, my observation is that it can take 5 hours or so at least for them to be good enough so that you don't have to worry much about them running into something. With jets,  when the engine is running, the thing is going somewhere.....once you're good with reverse you can almost hold it stationary and maneuver it a slow speed.  Of course, when the motor is off, there is no steering (some have a sort steering with the motor off, but it doesn't offer that much control at best..), and I've seen a lot of dock bangers happen when someone is coming in, cuts the motor, and then realizes they can't steer the thing shortly before it crashes into something.
 
5.  Safety is important.....especially if ridden aggressively, or for wake jumping....etc...etc....which of course is what the kids always do...
 
6.  Hull design is important.....the high performance models will go faster and carve tighter turns, but tend to be more unstable a slow speed, and can be tipped or rolled more easily.  We chose the former, and that has proven to be a good choice for us.  I think they newer hull designs are probably all reasonably stable now, compared to some of the earlier performance models.
 
7.  Ours are on a lift when not in the water,  which eliminates a lot of the hassle of what to do with them when you're not using them.....we are 2 minutes from being on the water on one whenever we want, and when you come in, not much to put away.  I don't know how much additional hassle trailering them would be if you did it every time you wanted to use one......probably not that much....people do it all the time.
 
8.  We have fun with ours whether it's absolutely flat and calm (then it's speed and turns), or like a washing machine on Saturday aft from all the power-boat wakes (then it's fun finding a line, riding reasonably smooth, and negotiating all the chop).
 
Hope that helps some, let me know if I can help with anything.
 
WDowns

________________________________

From: rhodes22-list-bounces at rhodes22.org on behalf of Corley, Michael J COL MIL USA TRADOC
Sent: Fri 3/28/2008 5:28 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
Subject: [Rhodes22-list] Jet Skis (UNCLASSIFIED)



Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

This might be blasphemy, but I am going to ask anyway because between
political comments you really do get good advice from da list. 
Does anyone out there have experience with jet skis?  Thinking of buying
a low end Yamaha Wave Runner, preferably used.  Don't worry, I am
keeping my Rhodes, this would be a 2nd "fun boat" for use by myself and
adult children age 20-25. 

Mike Corley
S/V Ranger
Hampton VA
Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED
Caveats: NONE

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