Q for the Ski Mafia

[BillH]

I know nothing about jetskis...

Dont have the truck or money for a larger 'boat', but want to be able to get out there, especially if we get an el nino this year.

1. What is the best brand to buy used as far as reliability and maintenance costs? I will probably use ray for everything.

2. What is the best type, 2-3 seater, and what other things are useful to go along with it?

3. How do you guys anchor your ski when you come to a spot? I dont want to just use it as a float on the end of my line.. heh.

Overall what is your experience of the ski for spearing? Waste of time/money? SHould have gotten a boat? Or not?

Thanks guys.

[CaptSport]

Bill,

Do a search on jetski fishing and you'll get more info about jetski choices, rigging etc than you'll want. I looked into this recently and I believe the one that gets the MPG is the Yamaha VX.

Good luck,

jr

[Dnice]

A three seat, 4-stroke Yamaha seems to be the popular choice. I have an FX High Output and have had no problems with it, other than needing to change the plugs, battery and oil (general maintenance).

The new SHO is incredibly fast with a significantly smoother ride. But its also 12k. Its so nice...
Sea Doos are popular and have a bit more storage as well as a flat rear deck, which is nice for cargo.

Skis are great and go places that smaller boats shouldn't. However, you lose the dry ride and comfort factor that a bigger boat provides. There are trade offs both ways but blasting offshore with a friend or two and getting into a "zone" while you look for paddys is so much fun.

No anchor offshore, small anchor with some chain inshore.

Good luck with your search.

[saltierdog]

look for an FXHO on craigslist
get someone to do a compression test on the engine and check the impeller almost anything else will be obvious

also check out PWCtoday.com

[MOTO 619]

I used to work for all the Japanese manufacturers and also as an owner of a 2009 Yamaha FX SHO, I would recommend any year Yamaha FX series, which are- FX 140 (140hp), FX (140hp), FX HO (160-170hp), FX SHO (270hp).

HO stands for High Output, SHO is Super High Output.

Gas range gets better the newer you get in model years.

Not a significant difference in FX (regular) as opposed to FX SHO, so no need to factor that into the equation.

They were made from 2002 - Present. All the FX series are 3 seaters.

Check your local dealerships, they are making ridiculous deals on new and pre owned ski's.

Sea-Doo's arent bad but take a trip down to your local dealership that carries both Yamaha and Sea Doo and glance around their service department. That should answer you question of which to go with.



-Brian
p.s. I have helped a few guys on here get ski's, if you are serious in purchasing one let me know, I may be able to get you hooked up.

[Gener]

I'm going plug my Seadoo. I think it really comes down to maintenance. Take care of your ski and it will take care of you. I know John's probably got more hours then I on his ski. But i've racked over 120+ hours on my RXT now with only a few issues in the beginning. Most of the problems could be traced back to the incompetent service monkeys at my Dealer. And it has never left me stranded anywhere. I would say you will be good to go with any of the newer 4 stroke yammies or seadoos. For me I loved the closed loop cooling system, rotax motor, rear deck layout and storage of the seadoos. But the yammies seemed to have a drier ride, and killer reliability. Good luck with your purchase.

[JDoe]

1. What is the best brand to buy used as far as reliability and maintenance costs? I will probably use ray for everything.
I like my sea doos for the storage, i believe that the newer models do not have the same amount of storage


2. What is the best type, 2-3 seater, and what other things are useful to go along with it?
3 seater, I use the wake board tow rope attachment to assist in securing my guns to my ski. It works great.

3. How do you guys anchor your ski when you come to a spot? I dont want to just use it as a float on the end of my line.. heh.
For coastal spots w/o kelp we use anchors. I use a anchor to bouy and then tie off each ski individually. We also daisy chain off of the anchor. For coastal spots w/ kelp, just wrap the kelp around the handles. I use a short clip and wrap it around the kelp and attach the clip to my ski. For off shore paddy hoping, just jump in and keep an eye on your ski. If it is REALLY windy, then tie a line to your ski.

Overall what is your experience of the ski for spearing?
Great, fast, easy to clean

Waste of time/money?
No

SHould have gotten a boat? Or not?
Yes. One with a cabin.