PWC Recommendations
 

Looking to get a PWC (Waverunner, Seadoo, etc,etc.) and looking for some recommendations from seasoned users. It is mainly for my wife so comfort and ability to handle some water chop is a must. It must be able to carry at least two people. It must have plenty of power also for when I ride it! :) Not interested in used either.

Also would like to purchase in the lakes region or at a marina on the lake, but it appears not many lake marinas sell them. Any good experiences you have had at local dealers would be appreciated. I guess I would need a trailer to...

I have heard good things about the Yamaha Waverunner, but I am completely clueless on these things as I have never owned one so any recommendations would be super helpful.

Thanks!

Dan

Hi Dan,

Look at the Yamaha FX-HO or FX-SHO. Definitely the cruiser model for added comfort. The SHO is a screamer but still great in rough water. The Yamaha reliability can't be beat.

Sea Doo has some neat innovations on the new RXT models such as braking and a suspension deck.

I will probably look to go Yamaha again this year. HK Powersports in Laconia sells Yamaha, their Tilton branch sells Sea Doo. Being that you are in the Manchester area I think the Hooksett one sells both. There is also Irwin in Alton and DaSilva in Moultonboro for both.

Dasilva in Moultonborough has received great reviews here before. I'm looking to buy one or two for this summer as well. Would like to find a deal on a late-model used one. If any members have one for sale please post.

I don't think I'm supposed to transact business on this forum so apologies for the above.

offmycloud; I don't think recommending a dealer is a problem and it is appreciated...

Codeman; What's the difference between cruiser SHO and the regular SHO. Can't seem to see the difference on the yamaha web site...

Thanks!

Dan

I asked if anyone had one for sale - I think that in a no no, maybe not.

Where is a good place to buy Yamahas? Dasilva sells Sea Doos.

It is the seat (and $400-600). The cruiser seat is more form-fitted, where it comes up behind the driver it is more contoured to keep you from sliding back. On the main overview page listed below you can see the difference in the pics.

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/waverunn..._overview.aspx

I would definately recommend a 3-seater. In NH, a PWC with 3+ seats is classifed as a boat rather than a "ski craft", so this may make a difference if you want to use it in a body of water that restricts ski craft.
A 3-seater is also much more stable than the smaller craft. I own a 2004 Sea Doo GTX, and it is very stable. With a 4-stroke 155HP motor, it certainly holds its own on the water. This is my second Sea Doo 3-seater, and I have been very happy with both.
Yamaha makes a great PWC as well, from what I hear.

Four Stroke vs Two
 

I personally would recommend going with a four-stroke engine. My reasons are that they sound better, stink less and last longer.

As many of you already know, we own a Sea Doo GTX. We went with this model especially because it had tilt steering, which turned out not to be a factor after all.

I am able to handle this craft with confidence and ease. I've been out in all kinds of weather and wave conditions with absolutely no problem at all.
It's actually quite fun surfing on top of the huge waves - the ones the guys like to jump.

I feel more comfortable navigating our jet-ski than our 21' boat. My family thinks that I am crazy. Am I the only one with this problem?
They think the boat is much easier to handle. Guess I need more practice with it.

The guys love the power and responsiveness of this machine and it gets used quite a lot.
As you might imagine, I use it in a much different manner.

They like to get air and I like to not get hurt. :laugh:

It's been the perfect 2nd boat that suits our needs perfectly.

Good luck in your hunt! You are going to really enjoy your new toys.

:laugh::laugh::laugh: I can TOTALLY relate to that! :D

I had bought a 2000 Sea Doo GTX 3 seater brand new. I did 2 years on the bay in RI and 6 up on the lake with it. Never had any issues with it, 3 person is perfect size for 2 people, but easily handled 3. Motor was a 952 CC 2 stroke, more than enough power to snap your neck back. I never had an issue with it wiping out in 8 years. It is a very stable ride, had it out on the borads on the worst of days. I do not know too much about the newer models, but I always received good service in Tilton, right off exit 20. Forget the name, but they were always helpful.

If you buy brand new then you won't have any issues. All I ever did for maint was cleaning it out, spraying the anti-corrosive on the engine, kept the oil levels up etc. In the end I had over 700 hours on it.

Good Luck.

Dasilva Sells both Yamaha and Seadoo in Moultonboro.

HK Sells Yamaha and Kawasaki in Laconia, Seadoo in Tilton

The Sea Doo that RG described is a highlight for all visitors to our place. The relatives love it and the sons and girlfriends use it on every visit. I like the gas bill a lot better too.

Sea-Doo for a first choice. RXP for the best performance. supercharged, 4 stroke, awesome machine. with the VTS (Variable Trim System) put it all the way up, get a good grip on the bars, pull back a lil and pin the throttle and your doing wheelies out of the water by yourself. about 65 or 70 mph machine. AAAA+++++ :D:eek::coolsm:

Honda AquaTrax comes in second. 4 stroke, fuel efficient, comfortable, about 48 to 56 mph. 3 person for good stability on those rough days.

I have owned both of these machines and have sold them both. I had the Honda first and then traded into the Sea-Doo. Sold it also. by far the Sea-Doo was awesome. Fast, fun to ride, good fuel economy (Honda was a lil better but the Sea-Doo needed 93 or better octane fuel)

Up to you what you want for a ride.

I purchased my Seadoo GTX a number of years ago from Chuck at Dasilva's in Moultonborough. I have it serviced and I store it with Dasilva. I would recommend them hands down. I go all over the lake with my Seadoo and it handles beautifully. I would love one of the new 2010 models!

Dan, I forgot to mention that you should check out HK Powersports in Hooksett. They sell both Sea Doo and Kawasaki, and have for a long time. I have been going there for a few years now, and they have taken very good care of me. You may be able to find a cheaper price elsewhere, but their service is great.

Sea Doo has some neat innovations on the new RXT models such as braking and a suspension deck.

Braking? How the heck do they brake?

HK Sports
 

I concur with anyone who has recommended HK Sports in Hookset. That is where we purchased our Sea Doo and have it winterized/serviced each year.

The water is really tough on the pads and rotors... :laugh:

They use a lever-actuated gate control on the left grip that drops the gate over the pump nozzle to redirect the propulsion forward, thus braking. It also acts as your reverse control all on one.


http://www.sea-doo.com/en-US/watercr...controlBraking

Can I just leave it tied up by the dock our should I use a ramp and keep it fully out of the water when not in use? What is optimal if I already have a dock?

There are no 25 HP ones I can buy for my kids, correct?

Thanks

There are no 25HP PWCs that I am aware of.

You can leave it in the water, but many people would not recommend it. The floating docks that you can drive up on work pretty well.

Lifts & Other Options
 

I think a lift of some kind is the way to go.

These might stay under the 25 mph :laugh: They appear to be kid friendly and they look quite fun. They will keep you fit too! They are a real step up from a pedal boat. ;)

http://www2.swaylocks.com/files/wate...sfw%5B1%5D.jpg
Convertible Wind Surfing Board

http://www.dockaccents.com/images/pic50.jpg

http://www.dockaccents.com/images/ba...rbike_blue.jpg

Water Bikes

http://www.hydrobikes.ca/stable1.jpg
Hydrobike

http://www.sea-cycle.com/images/sea_...water_bike.jpg
Sea Cycle

http://www.hydrobikesontario.com/dogonbike.jpg
Hydrobike

http://www.aqua-cycle.com/_wp_genera...7434a87_05.jpg
Water Trikes

I must be honest about this as I have my snowmobiles and UTV's serviced there and feel they have an excellent service department. BUT, there sales end of things really stinks!! Three times I have tried to buy something there, (Polaris Ranger, custom trailer, and PWC just yesterday) I spoke to a salesman on the phone and all three times I never received a call back!! I have tried to give them my business but I guess they don't want it unless you are a walk in...

I have dealt with Kurt and Chris in their service department and can't say enough good about them! The salesmen are from another planet however!

Thanks!

Dan

Thanks!!
 

Thanks all for your helpful info...

I took Codeman's advice...

I found a 2009 leftover "Yamaha Waverunner FX-SHO Cruiser" for a great price at Rochester Motorsports and bought it over the phone. Picking it up tomorrow night!! :)

Thanks again for all your helpful suggestions!!

Dan

Rattlesnake Gal
 

Thanks! That first bike would be perfect for my wife - I wonder if it really planes like that? I'll probably do a 25 HP whaler for the kids this year - they are outgrowing the 10 HP outboard. They actually waterski and tube behind that now but it's slow.

I have a Seadoo and and a Hydrobike. They are both very different, but I certainly enjoy using the both of them on the lake.

Regarding 25HP, the only ones that I know of that are below this are the older Kawasaki 440 stand up skis that are not all that easy to ride but come in at about 23-24HP.

A couple of questions for those that may be in the know.
1. On the topic of 2 or 3 seater, what are the ramifications tied to being classified as a boat as opposed to personal ski craft? Does this make any difference in terms of who can ride/drive?

2. We are also thinking of buying one but the topic of having guests come over for say a weekend from out of town and not have a NH boating license comes up all the time. How do people handle this? Many of our friends have ridden these before and have experience but I guessing would not be interested in spending some of the vacation going to school as they say.

Thanks!

We are on the Broads side of Rattlesnake and my friend Dan convinced me that the PWC would last a lot longer if it were out of the water. Two reasons 1) reduction in condensation 2) reduction in the banging into the dock. We invested about a grand in a lift like this. It actually had the unintended benefit of adding some weight to the dock which can be a good thing in rough weather. I added a bit of a out rigger leg on the bottom so that it would not put such a twisting load on the dock. If I had it to do over, I would get a taller one for the bigger than expected range of water height on Winni. Ours came with a 2nd key which restricted the speed. Kids had no idea why we would even suggest they would want to use it.

I use two Sunstream mini lifts for ours with an aluminum gangway from shore that connects between them. The mini lifts are hydraulic (one is solar powered) and have a good lifting range. You can get them with an even wider lift range than mine for places where large waves are a concern.

I drive right on, reach over, hit the button on the pendant (key fob available as well), and out of the water it comes. Great setup.

this is a little off the topic here, but....
 

has anyone here ever flipped a SeaDoo (UNintentionally)?? i did last year (my 1st time riding one and was going slow)
I think it was the way i turned and hit my own small wake...

Excellent choice!! What color did you get? Red or bronze?

Dan, I know the owner Jim Whalley pretty well. I would bet that he would love to hear this feedback. Would you give him a call sometime to let him know? I am sure he would appreciate it.

A bit off-topic, but I bought my new Ski Doo from them last fall. I got the survey in the mail from BRP. As I did have a good experience, I filled out the survey indicating that...or so I thought. Apparently I misread the question of whether or not I would buy from them again, since I answered definately not. I got a call from the service manager asking if everything was good, and he let me know how I answered. Ooops.

1. There is no difference in who can drive a ski craft or boat. All require the boaters certification. One of the differences between a 3-seat PWC and a ski craft (fewer than 3 seats) is the lake restrictions. Many bodies of water in NH prohibit the use of ski craft. With the proper sticker, a 3+ seat PWC is allowed in those areas.
2. I am not sure, but I think I have heard that temporary certificates are available. Don't quote me on this though. If that is not an option, any person who is driving would need to have a boaters certificate.

I have done it 3 or 4 times unintentionally. Sometimes it is the slow-speed "events" that will get ya. One of my flips was at a higher speed (I was screwing around on it, doing about 30 mph). The other ones were slow speeds with passengers. All that extra weight from the passengers can make things a bit tippy. :D

I got the RED one!!

P.M. sent.

Dan

I guarantee you will be very happy with your purchase. I currently own my second Yamaha and they have both run flawless. I have the FX cruiser ho and love it. It really handles the big Winni well for a craft that is only 10 feet long. As mentioned before, the cruiser has a contoured seat that I find very comfortable but that's not the only extra in that model. There are also gauges such as air and water temps that the other model does not have. A couple of recessed cleats are also extra and my favorite is the built-in boarding ladder making reboarding very easy. As far as HK in Hooksett, I used them last year after I screwed up and apparently overfilled the oil and fouled the plugs. (duh) Now I know. They were very good to work with. Oh, and its a 4-stroke also!

I wanted the red, but settled for the bronze. There were some great deals to be had with the 09 leftovers. I am especially going to enjoy the no wake mode as well as the cruise control. Good luck with yours!!

Were you able to get them below the "blowout" price advertised on their website. I may call them up and do the same thing, looks like they still have quite a few '09s left.
Thanks!

No I was not... As a matter of fact you need to add about $350.00 to those prices for P.D.I. and other misc fees not shown. Even with these charges, other places I called or checked couldn't touch their price. Not sure what they have left as I have not picked it up yet. Going tommorow A.M. to pick up.

Let me know if there is anything I can check out for you while I am there.

Dan

The website shows there is a '09 FX SHO cruiser there. If you see it please let me know what you think. I'm in Chicago so would have to do phone purchase and pick it up until April or May - whenever I get back up. Thanks for your help!
Chris

flippinga a jet ski
 

I flipped a rented one, and the funny part was that on the bottom it gave direction to flip it back, one direction only, I forget whether that was clockwisse or counter clockwise..

Oh yeah and we were watersking with it. Of coarse we ate the water ske line once, and had to tow it back in. Afterwords my son said he signed something that said we would not tow skies with it.

Nice information to know.

Hi Chris;

I am pretty sure the only other FX SHO Cruiser they made me aware other than the one I bought was a demo model with 10 or so hours on it. It is red and they said they would discount it so there would be no PDI and other associated fees. Pretty much the web advertised price out the door.

I'll confirm that tomorrow morning for you.

Dan

That is correct, I spoke with them right after Dan did. They did have another one new in the crate as well, a red.

Thanks guys - I really appreciate the help! Am I missing out on anything by not going Sea Doo and getting the brakes, etc.?

HK in Tilton
 

I also recommend HK, but the one in Tilton. I shopped all over the lakes region last year (Jan, Feb) trying to get a good deal on a brand new left over. I even tried HK in Hooksett but the saleman there said he'd call me back and never did. I went to HK and got a great deal on a left over GTX. Brand new. They threw in the trailer for free, gave me a cover at cost. Great to deal with. The first week I had it, chipmunks ate all the wires out of the new trailer. I called HK and talked to the service dept. They said they would fix it and the service manager happened to live a few streets over, offered to pick the trailer up at my house in Merideth and when it was finished, he brought it back. That kind of service will get them good recommendations all the time from me.

PS, I got the same machine $4000 cheaper than what Irwin Marine in Alton was going to sell it to me for

Hi Chris;

Sending you a P.M. now.

Dan

Thanks Again!!
 

I picked up my PWC today and want to sincerely thank everyone who responded here and by private email. I want to especially thank Codeman who has been a big help with my many "new island home owner" questions as all of his answers have been spot on!

I was super impressed with the Waverunner and all it's options and amenities. I can't wait for ice out and finally getting out to the camp. Once the water warms up, I can try this puppy out!!

A safe and happy boating season to all!!

Thanks again!

Dan

If you are dying to get out on the water, no need to wait for ice out. Head over to the Merrimack (the stretch from Hooksett to Concord). The power plant keeps the water nice and toasty. ;)

As a follow up to this post... The owner of HK Powersports in Hooksett took the time to call me and discuss the issues I had with his sales department. I thought that was a stand up thing to do and am very happy we talked. He has earned my confidence back and hopefully my post did not distract any of you from going there.

I try not to use this forum to bash any business or restaurant (I think this is the first time I have) particularly in this trying economy. Any business can have a bad day / days and as long as the owner is made aware and tries to correct the issues, what else can you ask for.

Kudos to HK Hooksett for acknowledging an issue and hopefully correcting it!

Dan

Dan, glad to hear it.