markt111
Expert
I am selling my boat and going to take a couple years off boating until I figure what direction I want to go in. So I am looking for my first waverunner and obviously want a Yamaha, looking for a solid used unit in the 6-7K range, I want a 3 seater so I can take the wife and/or son comfortably on occasion. I want decent power, I would be bored on 110 HP machine but prefer NA vs supercharged for a used unit and low maintenance. Wish we had a waverunner section on here...
what do you recommend?
what do you recommend?
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Hard to have a Wave-runner section when there will be 2 users posting in it and there is thousands of forums on the internet that already cover so much of the water world..
Anyway, I would get a GP 1800, but thats me. Snowmobiler that had a boat for 10 years and sold it because it say more then used.
markt111
Expert
I have had good experience here learning sleds that's all... knowledgeable people make life easy
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Let see who all replies..I know sleds pretty well but not really up on PWCs.
DoktorC
TY 4 Stroke Master
For that price range you'll get a nice used 1800 NA...pick a clean one that's not salty. You can't go wrong with any of them really...
For info GreenHulk.net is pretty good.
For info GreenHulk.net is pretty good.
biffdotorg
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I have owned 5 different Yamaha waverunners. My best advice, if you can swing it as you have 3 riders, get two machines. Riding double is bad enough, but three is crowded and you will wish you had at least two as it more than doubles the fun. It's like choosing between buying 2 sleds or one 2-up. It's just not fun for the passenger, unless they are not old enough/big enough to ride alone of course.
That being said, if your budget is as stated, you may be buying older machines. In the Yamaha world it's not an issue. And just like the old Yamaha triple sleds, the older Yamaha triple skis are rock solid as well.
I got out of waverunners when I sold all of mine, and my wife sold her boat as well so that we could get our first larger Jetboat. I had Waveraider,GP1200 and GP1200r. Once we got a lake place and the wife green lighted a ski, I was in search of what I could get a pair of as we had a similar budget.
For your budget, I got a pair of GP1300r, double trailer and two PWC lifts!! And they had less than 50hrs each on them! We are talking 160-170hp each. The fastest of the 2 stoke machines. And honestly, without modification, they all run about the same top end, the new muscle craft just accelerate to those speeds quicker. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is not using a GPS. In ideal conditions, our 1300r's will hit 73 on GPS, but mostly are 70mph machines on GPS.
In your case, you may be able to get away with one of the really big 3 person machines with tons of storage. They are way more stable, with reliable 4-stroke engines etc. In our case, we wanted go-fast fun machines for bashing waves a couple times a weekend. while most of our boating is on the 242.
Good luck!
That being said, if your budget is as stated, you may be buying older machines. In the Yamaha world it's not an issue. And just like the old Yamaha triple sleds, the older Yamaha triple skis are rock solid as well.
I got out of waverunners when I sold all of mine, and my wife sold her boat as well so that we could get our first larger Jetboat. I had Waveraider,GP1200 and GP1200r. Once we got a lake place and the wife green lighted a ski, I was in search of what I could get a pair of as we had a similar budget.
For your budget, I got a pair of GP1300r, double trailer and two PWC lifts!! And they had less than 50hrs each on them! We are talking 160-170hp each. The fastest of the 2 stoke machines. And honestly, without modification, they all run about the same top end, the new muscle craft just accelerate to those speeds quicker. Anyone who tells you otherwise, is not using a GPS. In ideal conditions, our 1300r's will hit 73 on GPS, but mostly are 70mph machines on GPS.
In your case, you may be able to get away with one of the really big 3 person machines with tons of storage. They are way more stable, with reliable 4-stroke engines etc. In our case, we wanted go-fast fun machines for bashing waves a couple times a weekend. while most of our boating is on the 242.
Good luck!
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still have my old 1990 sx650 runner in the yard but the motor on it is tired and it has not seen water in 15 years.
brother and his wife bought a 1800cc cruiser one for him and a 1050cc for her in 2017. i have run them a fair bit but always get stuck on the 1050 witch is not as fast as the 1800 but still pretty good. the step is better on the 1800 for getting back on when you fall off and the cruise is nice too. both are 3 seaters and pull the tube with 3 adults on it almost as easy as with the kids on it. have not tried the skis yet. they are so stable when off the throttle it is not funny. all the spins and tricks take more effort but still can be done.
rode my aunts 800cc 2 stroke three seater as well and it handled pretty much the same as my brothers newer ones, just did not have the same range/time on fuel and the step to get back onto it.
brother and his wife bought a 1800cc cruiser one for him and a 1050cc for her in 2017. i have run them a fair bit but always get stuck on the 1050 witch is not as fast as the 1800 but still pretty good. the step is better on the 1800 for getting back on when you fall off and the cruise is nice too. both are 3 seaters and pull the tube with 3 adults on it almost as easy as with the kids on it. have not tried the skis yet. they are so stable when off the throttle it is not funny. all the spins and tricks take more effort but still can be done.
rode my aunts 800cc 2 stroke three seater as well and it handled pretty much the same as my brothers newer ones, just did not have the same range/time on fuel and the step to get back onto it.
Allan
TY 4 Stroke Junkie
Just sold my 2015 yamaha vx deluxe 1100 with 60 hours great machine but got bored riding on lake. Snow machine is much better as you can explore and travel longer distance.
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My gf has a 2004 (?) FX 140 4 stroke 3 seater. It will go 59 mph and pulls me slalom skiing. Fun ride. Dependable. It's a Yamaha so...
I found it 7 years ago with only 90 hours on it. Paid about $4500.
I found it 7 years ago with only 90 hours on it. Paid about $4500.
Q. Arrius
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Long time Waverunner / Super Jet owner....going back to the mid ‘90s. I thought about posting pictures over the last few years of various pwc repairs, and especially during the Great Yamaha 2-Stroke Debates....as the Yami Super Jet is a 2 stroke 700 they’ve made forever.
I recently picked up a ‘06 VX 3-seater....and if I’m not mistaken, it sure looks like the 1049 Vector engine. I don’t know...I haven’t even changed the oil yet, but can easily see a lot of the tech is pretty close.
I’m rebuilding a ‘00 1200 cc Yami 2-stroke currently, and have found that although Yamaha is good....they failed to leave enough slack in the oil lines. Over time, the lines shrink and pop off, resulting in a blown engine.
One crazy irony of the whole “2-stroke is lighter and more nimble vs 4 stroke” : The selling point of the Super Jet is it’s light weight and easy of “flick ability .” While Kawasaki’s 4 stroke is a heavy turd. Yet we refute this with the sled segment. I’m very proud that at 47, I can handle the Super Jet pretty good, especially w/o any wake boarding history.
I suggest looking for a 3 seater VX model, somewhere around ‘08 to ‘12....but absolutely nothing from down south or salt water. The most fun is a pair of skis, and weekend camping trips to various lakes, especially if other couples or friends go along.
On the forum: yeah, there’s a forum called Green Hulk I believe, but it’s pretty much a HCS set up, catering to all brands. Other than that, there really isn’t anything that has stuck around long enough to be beneficial. As can be expected, you see posts from a couple experienced guys, but then a mess of non Yamaha owners responding on something they know nothing about. A question could take several years to get answered. The BIGGEST roadblock for me on buying a new Yamaha waverunner is the lack of a support forum. That said: i do NOT do the whole facebook deal....so there may be plenty of resources out there. I’m just not willing to go down that rabbit hole because Yamaha wont set up a proper owner’s forum.
I’ve said it before...Yamaha is missing out by not having somebody like Reid. This site is pulling the slack after his departure. If somebody is expected to spend $15k to $18k on a sled or ski (water,) I think it’s only fair to expect there to be resources for an owner BESIDES the dealer, and we should be getting technical bulletins or at least notices directly from Yamaha. Yamaha thinks their dealers are calling their customers......sheeet, that ain’t happening. Before I buy a very expensive GP1800, i’d Like to see real experiences from owners, and that’s not what is found on Yamaha’s sales site, obviously. If i’m Gonna buy blind....why wouldn’t I simply buy a SeaDoo then? Why Yamaha, if I can’t find anything to back that up?
That’s my 2 cents.
Q. Arrius
I recently picked up a ‘06 VX 3-seater....and if I’m not mistaken, it sure looks like the 1049 Vector engine. I don’t know...I haven’t even changed the oil yet, but can easily see a lot of the tech is pretty close.
I’m rebuilding a ‘00 1200 cc Yami 2-stroke currently, and have found that although Yamaha is good....they failed to leave enough slack in the oil lines. Over time, the lines shrink and pop off, resulting in a blown engine.
One crazy irony of the whole “2-stroke is lighter and more nimble vs 4 stroke” : The selling point of the Super Jet is it’s light weight and easy of “flick ability .” While Kawasaki’s 4 stroke is a heavy turd. Yet we refute this with the sled segment. I’m very proud that at 47, I can handle the Super Jet pretty good, especially w/o any wake boarding history.
I suggest looking for a 3 seater VX model, somewhere around ‘08 to ‘12....but absolutely nothing from down south or salt water. The most fun is a pair of skis, and weekend camping trips to various lakes, especially if other couples or friends go along.
On the forum: yeah, there’s a forum called Green Hulk I believe, but it’s pretty much a HCS set up, catering to all brands. Other than that, there really isn’t anything that has stuck around long enough to be beneficial. As can be expected, you see posts from a couple experienced guys, but then a mess of non Yamaha owners responding on something they know nothing about. A question could take several years to get answered. The BIGGEST roadblock for me on buying a new Yamaha waverunner is the lack of a support forum. That said: i do NOT do the whole facebook deal....so there may be plenty of resources out there. I’m just not willing to go down that rabbit hole because Yamaha wont set up a proper owner’s forum.
I’ve said it before...Yamaha is missing out by not having somebody like Reid. This site is pulling the slack after his departure. If somebody is expected to spend $15k to $18k on a sled or ski (water,) I think it’s only fair to expect there to be resources for an owner BESIDES the dealer, and we should be getting technical bulletins or at least notices directly from Yamaha. Yamaha thinks their dealers are calling their customers......sheeet, that ain’t happening. Before I buy a very expensive GP1800, i’d Like to see real experiences from owners, and that’s not what is found on Yamaha’s sales site, obviously. If i’m Gonna buy blind....why wouldn’t I simply buy a SeaDoo then? Why Yamaha, if I can’t find anything to back that up?
That’s my 2 cents.
Q. Arrius
markt111
Expert
Thanks for the input guys, leaning towards the newer 4 strokes, maybe an FX HO, plenty of NA power, newer hull design, room for three etc.... This is pretty much based on reading reviews, forums and such. not much first hand experience with any of the Yamaha Waverunners...
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