Pwc--kawasaki

[SWIMORSINK]

Hello All,

I was thinking about adding a PWC to the family this year. Had an idea about a used Kawasaki. Does anyone have any recommendations/suggestions were to start in the St. Louis or LOTO areas???

[Bajapit]

Kawasaki's are made from Plastic, instead of Fiberglass. Yamaha makes an incredible ski. Sea Doo are impossible to get parts.

[bajasst]

I'm a fan of the Yamaha's also. I have a stand up model myself but have ridden may of the sitdown versions. 4strokes have a lot of power and are very quiet and reliable. My brother had an fx140 and you can cut the power so inexperienced people wouldn't have so much speed.

[MAKESMEHAPPY]

We bought a Yamaha FXHO last year to tow the kids, absolutly love it. Try Surdykes at the lake, excellent service.

[Cain8768]

we have a seadoo gtx 4-stroke supercharged jet ski. we have had no problems with it and the learnign key is great for people who havent been on them before. It makes the jet ski top out at about 30 mph.

[dale459us]

we too have seadoo's and for the kids just beginning the learning keys are great

[bills2k]

I have a couple of older ones, both 3 seaters, a 750stx and a 1100 stx. With kids, I like the idea it's harder to flip a 3 seater. 750 goes about 45 and the 1100 gets to about 55. both are a biatch to start when cold. after that, they're fine. Good luck!

[AJB]

Kawasaki's are made from Plastic, instead of Fiberglass.

?????? Not mine.[smilie=crazy]

I agree, 3 seater 4 stroke was the best move I made for the kids. Change the plugs and the oil once a year, boom done.

[TK]

Advantages to turbo (or supercharged) vs non enhanced? Is closed cooling that big of a deal on these things? Anyone have thoughts on the Honda's?

[hughey]

?????? Not mine.[smilie=crazy]

I agree, 3 seater 4 stroke was the best move I made for the kids. Change the plugs and the oil once a year, boom done.

me too.. on our fourth one. this time 4 stroke. starts and runs great. no worrying about fouling plugs in no wake area. [smilie=042.gif]

[TK]

Oh and forgot to comment on the Kawasaki. I had a 900 and 1100 both bought new in '98. Both made from fiberglass. I thought both rode better and drier then the Sea-Doo's and the Polaris' of that time. My 1100 would run at 60 and the 900 was a little slower. I would wakeboard, ski and tube with either. Slalom skiing was better behind the 1100 both for hole shot and tracking (and yes the tracking or lack there of makes it fun for the driver). Sold both when I bought a new boat and haven't rode many of them since. Hence the questions in the previous post.

[hughey]

Advantages to turbo (or supercharged) vs non enhanced? Is closed cooling that big of a deal on these things? Anyone have thoughts on the Honda's?

good ski, but no dealer support around the lake.

[Keytime]

Question here on this topic about letting kids ride them. Kids have to be 14 to ride a ski solo in MO, right? In your opinions, do most abide by this law?

[Average Joe]

Question here on this topic about letting kids ride them. Kids have to be 14 to ride a ski solo in MO, right? In your opinions, do most abide by this law?

Correct. 14 yrs old WITH a boat license.

[missouri]

I have 2 seadoo 4-strokes and don't have any problems with parts because I have them fixed at home instead of waiting 2 months at the lake....
The 4-strokes are the way to go...no mix for the gas, closed cooling, easy to service, and my wifes has 300 hrs. on it and never had a repair.
ALL of the 4-strokes are good ski's...Yamaha, Seadoo, Honda, and Kawasaki...Kawasaki is the cheapest.

[fritz65]

we currently have 3 yamaha waveventures and are in the process of addind a fourth gp1200 no problems at all

[Upper Hand]

Seadoos here but I cant really say much bad about the competition either.

[baditude]

if u get the first year of the ultra 150 itll do 82 on the spedo not sure on gps after that year they slowed them down

[GVL]

I've got the supercharged sea doo 4 stroke. Whatever you do, go 4 stroke, its just gas n go, starts right up every time.

[Keytime]

Not sure of your budget, but my g/f has a '96 SeaDoo GTX 110hp 3-seater. I'm more of a Yamaha fan, but it has held up well and she's taken exceptional care of it. Those can be picked up fairly cheap. I had to replace the fuel gage sensor in the gas tank, but that's it. Well... I've torn parts off it in the Alabama surf and LOTO main channel with some hard riding, but that might happen with any of 'em. I'm told not to do that any more. [smilie=wife.gif] :oops:

My cousin has a 2003 SeaDoo GTX 3-seater with, I think, 155hp. Smoother ride in the rough stuff and more power/speed for sure. I think he's had good luck with it.

A friend has a 2005 SeaDoo RXP (supercharged, 215hp 2-seater). The RXT is the 3-seater. He had a bearing go out in the supercharger, I believe, and it cost him about $1500 to fix it. He said the problem is not a rare one, but I really don't know much about it, personally.

If ya decide to go cooler, then we can talk Waveblasters and stand-ups. ;)

[slugger7800]

Kawasaki 550 stand-up is what you need. Girls and grandparents ride sit downs,lol.

[SWIMORSINK]

Solid Information, I appreciate the insight.[smilie=appl]

[CrownLS]

Going on the 4th year with 2 Hondas. No problems at all. To me no one make a better small engine.

[Z272]

I have a Kawaski Ultra 250. It is a very nice PWC with good support from Bridgeport. It has a very nice kick too! It is one of the best rough water skis made, so it works better on LOTO than many others. I would highly recommend the Ultra 250 and Bridgeport.

BTW: Most skis these days have the Slow/Beginner key and a regular key.

Regarding what age kids need to be, it is 14 in Missouri. With this said, my insurance company will not insure my kids on this until they are 16, so it is 16 for me.

[slt]

We run twin Yami waverunner engines in our boat. 3 years and no problems what so ever. I haven't even changed spark plugs yet.

[HEMI]

I've owned Yamaha's and Seadoo's. Yamaha makes a heavier, very stable machine. WOT is not a death defying feat!

The Seadoo jumps like a dolphin. You can jump the damn thing out of quiet water (whereas, getting a Yamaha out of the water requires a serious wake)...having a hoppy machine is not always safe. Especially at LOTO where chop is the norm rather than the exception

Our current skis are a Yamaha GP1200R and GP1300R. For sale, with a new double-wide trailer. Low hours! I'll be posting an ad soon, but PM me if youre interested.

[JohnnyZ]

I'm a little biased toward Sea-Doo, but that is only a personal preference. I also have to agree with everyone else on going with a four-stroke for ease of use/reliability. Hop on, hit the start button once, and GO.
JZ