Thread: jet ski help

im a first time buyer going to get a license witch should be easy.lol
i need to buy a jet ski as all my friends go riding and i want to join them so ill need my own jet ski. i have ridden plenty before and know how to ride them so power would not be a problem
but were is a good place to start,
what would i need to make sure i have.
i would be driving in the bays so no to choppy.
would prefer it to be under 4-6 thousand as its first time purchase.
2-3 seater for better control?
is there anything else i should consider before buying a jet ski.
thanks

hey mate ive just got into jetskis myself bought my first one a month ago after renting them at the gold coast
got my PWC licence last week wasnt too hard a few trick questions here and there just like the L's test
when i was choosing a jetski i went the a yamaha waverunner gp1200 for $5300 i wanted a powerful one which is why i chose the 1200cc and it goes better than expected
your choice probably depends on how many passengers you might be taking for rides and exactly how much power you want

Mate if you got 7 thousand, i would find myself a really good nick GP1300R, they go 65-66MPH standard which is the same as an RXP supercharged, do a little work to them about $1000 and then you can do 70MPH+ on the GPS not speedo! Also if your hitting bays these skis love the flat water!!!!

Best places to look for jet skis these days are ebay, and of course 4-tec

Better control id say 2 seater as they are smaller

Before buying get it checked out and do a compression test, try stay away from skis with 100+ hours on a 2 stroke (not saying they bad but just prefer lower hours)

Also check for corossion in the engine bay if there is a lot you can tell they didnt really look after it, look for cracks inside the engine bay across and across the tunnel if there is cracks there they may have modded their ski without the right safety measures making the ski weak.

Also look for sand while your their if you see LOTS and LOTS of sand everywhere it is most likely the ski has visited the fishes (sunk and been recovered)

Also check it on REVS, this is a must as you can tell a lot especially if it owes money! you don't want to be paying twice.

Check the trailer for rust, wheel bearings and rego also on ski.

Look through the rear nozzle and look at the edges of the prop if you see chips in it you will need to replace the prop (potentially a $500 job)

Check the bottom of the ski, especially for scratches or marks that have gone through to the fiberglass, this could be a problem as you will need to patch up and respray. These are things you could potentially fix and get the ski at a lower price.

If possible take the ski for a ride (10 minutes of so) and flush the ski afterwards check to see it pumps water through and accelerate a little, make sure you run it for a bit

Check leads, plugs + dash etc

Best thing is to take someone you know who knows mechanics/electricals/jets skis or i know there are some people who will check the ski (like NRMA)

Cheers,
Dom

mate, go a 2 seater they are easier to turn because they arn't as bulky and respond better, like i said in the last post get a GP1300R which is a 2 stroke it is the best ski you could get in your price range.

I don't think you will be able to get a decent 4 stroke with the budget you have and the GPR is a top ski!

problem with importing although they are cheaper, is that the money doesn't stay in Australia and doesn't help our economy, i dont particularly like the fact people import jet skis but in saying that i also see the prices in America and don't like the fact people in Australia are being charged a lot more for the same jet ski.

It's almost like we get ripped off, but i understand there may be charges we don't know about (e.g import costs, dealer charges, staff etc) but i don't see why they should be over $17-$18k.

Cheers,
Dom

umm i think your going a little short here's what it would cost roughly

$10,000 US for the ski
about $250-$500US for transportation costs to the dock etc
$2,500AU for shipping/clearing documents/freight forwarder costs etc
$1,500 for a trailer
$300 rego on jet ski depending what state you are in
$50 for trailer rego
$600 for insurance (your choice but i never go without)

Remember this comes with no warranty so if you want to purchase warranty there is about $600-$800 AU for 5 year warranty (also no modifications allowed if you put this warranty)

So it does tally up! but if your buying a ski for $15k overseas for one that costs $25k here then it's worth it lol