Thread: Seeking advice on buying the right Ski?

Hi Chris
When I assess my intended use of the ski based on my past 2 or so years use / experience and what I/we might use it for in the future then the pulling from the water either on ski or wake board is probably not a major factor which is probably the most drain on instant power/pull - I solo on my ski, with a mate on his, probably the majority of ski use - we ride the surf jumping and do trips ie in Brisbane here we shoot over to Moreton Island from the mainland and head around to the open surf beaches for more fun - when I use it family oriented it generally means 2 or 3 on a 3-man tube plus general fun and again hopefully in future more skiing and progressing to wake boarding

I have favored a ski upgrade in the near future, say for beginning of next summer - my reasons were:-
1. move away from noisier 2-stroke to the 4-stroke - also gaining better economy
2. move on from a '97 ski to something more like '04 up to '07 (trying to keep within $8K - $10K budget)
3. sought more power for when pulling skier or wake board rider out of the water - once going generally wasn't an issue other than mastering turning and keeping up the power
4. trying to get the tow mounting point on the ski higher - on my ski it is relatively low and when towing a tube there is substantial water spray up on the occupants from rope drag in the water etc
5. would welcome getting a top speed up into the 90's klms with single rider (at 100kgs) - early 90's is fine
6. would like to get more storage than current which is approx 50 litres (educated guess)

When speaking to my dealer (well his head mechanic) about possible future upgrade he had suggested I consider the 155HP See-Doo because a) greater HP and b) the Tow Pole

What are your thoughts on maybe the right ski or a selection of skis to assess to meet my needs?

If you go solo on trips with your mates you will probably regret getting the slower 155 over a superharged version,...I mean most of us always want more power! Saying that, the 155 is still adequate for doing what you want and the seadoo ski poles are an excellent feature. Sounds as though you do a fair bit of ocean riding so bear in mind that when she blows up the sea state generally dictates how fast you go unless you've got some serious kahunas to blast at WOT through 4-5 foot chop. As for your budget, an 06 RXT with around 50 hours and a ski pole just got snapped up by a friend of mine for 9 grand,...absoloute bargain, so your budget is realistic. I am no expert on all things SKI, but I would recommend an 06 to 07 RXT or same year 215 GTX LTD. If you can get one with a ski pole all the better as they're a tad under $800 from a dealer. As for another brand of ski the Yamaha FX 160's of the same year come highly regarded by people who know more than I do.

Cheers

Chris.

Hi Chris
Thanks again for the comments - you are most probably right re regretting not getting a 215hp but having said that I am happy to progress through upgrades - I think if I see a 215hp at a steal price or within the famous budget it will be hard to ignore and it is likely to end up in my garage (that would be a hoot)

I am re warming to the idea of the pole - I had picked up from a US forum that others have had problems with the pole - usually designed for a single skiier or wake boarder, where I am keen for that also in time but initially for towing tubes - it appears the internal pole that extends ends up slightly bent and then is a problem with engaging etc - a chap that appeared knowledgable in See-Doo replace his internal aluminium pole with a solid stainless steel insert which he machined himself - I possible would consider doing the same - the other obvious thought is to maybe leave the full extension function for single skiier or wake only and when tubing leave the pole in ie down in the external sheath and at the height of the back of the seat - that would reduce the risk of stressing the pole whilst in extension - in that position it is a lot higher than where I currently have my tow point now and higher than the See-Doo's tow point - it appears when viewing on the net the tow point on the See-Doo's is higher than that of my Kawasaki STX1100

I have been monitoring this ski Sea-Doo Wake Edition Jet Ski - eBay, Personal Watercraft, Boats, Watercraft, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 15-Mar-10 18:22:56 AEDST) and it is some 9 hours off auction close - it had been sitting low at around $6100 for 5 days but now as it gets closer it is climbing quickly and now sitting on $8600 and yet to meet its reserve - to me it would be a good buy at $10k and worth even up to $12k to be fair

Cheers

Scott

Hi Chris
Just realised the link didn't work ......... go to ebay.com.au and punch in this item in the search function 180478464050
That is if you wish to obviously
Scott