Anyone know about water cycle/Jet skis?

[Little6pack]

Been wanting to get some type of watercraft to use.

I have known folks who have owned boats & notice they tend to be a pain to upkeep, store & short season up here.

The water cycles (or whatever they are called)
Look to be easy to store & fun to use.
I would be using in both ocean & river.

Questions:
Can anyone tell me how difficult these are to maintain?

Would buying USED or NEW be better.

How many bodies can fit on them.
They look to hold 2 adults
but the seats look long like maybe 3 people might fit?

 

[EightSecV6]

Fat Nat is the one to talk to about this, he has this hobby too....

 

[SuperSix]

They're not bad at all. I wax it twice a year, constantly keep the bearings greased, change the plugs, etc..

I have a Yamaha GP760 2 seater - lots of fun.

But I'm in Tampa, nearly year-round fun.

You live in Hudson NH? My granparents lived there, off of Musquash Road (What a name, eh)

Must suck living so close to that blowhard Midolo.

 

[Little6pack]

Thanks for the info.. Think I am going to rent one when I go back to CAPE COD $100 an hour. This will let me see if I like using it.

My bikes are Yamaha's so maye I will visit the dealer.

I live in Nashua NH.

I have never seen JOE only his cars.. He is a mystery man to me.

 

[2quiktocare]

We call jet ski's and seadoo lake lice out here. They are fun, but when you get into the actual upkeep and cost in general, they aren't any less expensive than a boat when you consider you need a minimum of two it seems. That and they do have a tendency to smoke engines real easily. I have had friends tell me they could not afford a boat, and go out and buy a few jet skis and pay almost as much as I did for my wakeboard boat. Oh well, personal choice again. The good thing with a boat with a small block chevy in it, we can play with them too. lol,,,,,,Mark

 

[SinistrV6]

Definitely buy Yamaha for dependability. Look at the rental services. Yamaha is all they use because they need them to run so they can make money. Unless you're joining a group of other owners to ride with plan on buying two and a double trailer. Unless you want all out speed and manueverability go with a three seater (or 4 with Yamaha's SUV). Much more comfortable, longer fuel range, more storage. I loved my Yamaha WaveVenture. All my riding friends bought Harleys and we just quit riding.

As far as maintenance, flush THOROUGHLY after every ride and spray engine compartment with a silicon based spray or WD-40 to displace remaining water. When it's too cold outside too ride remember these 3 words. WINTERIZE, WINTERIZE, WINTERIZE!!!
If you buy new this'll all be spelled out to you. DO IT!! I didn't one year, one of my carbs gummed up, leaned out a cylinder and boom, melted a piston. I got VERY lucky and didn't damage the crankshaft with the melted aluminum particles. A crankshaft for that little 2 cyl. 701 cc motor costs (drumroll please) $600!!!

WINTERIZE!!!

 

[SuperSix]

I did my boat time. I had a 21' center console 225hp outboard for 7 years, (Mark Martone now has it). Although it wasn't the money pit everyone seems to think boats are, they are more work, more stress, and more expensive in the long run.

I hated trailering that big boat, and didn't make the cash to dry dock it. I had some really great times on it, But my Yamaha WaveRunner suits me just fine now.

I have heard a lot of negative things about SkiDoo/Bombardier models, but thenew Honda 4cycle turbo looks interesting!

One thing a lot of people don't do is thoroughly flush them, and then give it a few WOT blasts with the water turned off to exhaust the water in the muffler. I spray my motor down with white lithium grease after every other use to displace any water.

As long as you use common sense and do the maintenance as required, they can be great fun!

Mine will do 53-54MPH on flat water with just me on it, (200lbs)
Plenty fast on the water.