Tell me about Jet Skies

[SaltyNuts]

Its been awhile, but I rode some at a company event years ago, and they seemed FUN AS HELL. Thinking about getting one or a couple. Questions:

1. I don't have a truck - could even a Honda accord tow one or two of them? Or would the weakest mini-truck do the trick?

2. Do they stay fun long-term?

3. I'd really take one out exploring. I'm in Houston, like may take one from the Houston ship channel, down through the gulf of mexico hugging the coast, maybe stop in Padre Island and refuel and sleep the night and dance and party the night away, then the next press for Cancun and spending some time with the good life. How feasible is this?

Thanks!

 

[BoomerD]

Tell me about Jet Skies


Jet skies? Usually top out around 35,000 feet or so. Air is thinner up there.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

They're like ATVs except when you crash you're 75% less likely to break your neck and 75% more likely to drown.

I've ridden them on vacation and they're a hell of a lot of fun short term. I would see myself getting bored very quickly though. A couple of days every few years is plenty, I've never considered owning one.

 

[Kaido]

Jet skies? Usually top out around 35,000 feet or so. Air is thinner up there.

I literally had to read the title three times before it sunk in what it meant...jet skies...a sky full of jet...what the heck is a jet sky lol.

 

[Rifter]

Im with boomer except id push it up to 40,000 feet for some more modern jets.

 

[1sikbITCH]

They're like ATVs except when you crash you're 75% less likely to break your neck and 75% more likely to drown.

I've ridden them on vacation and they're a hell of a lot of fun short term. I would see myself getting bored very quickly though. A couple of days every few years is plenty, I've never considered owning one.

Makes sense. Since the earth is 70% water, if you fall from the skies you have a greater chance of drowning.

 

[CraKaJaX]

You mean jet skys?

 

[Dr. Detroit]

I think stand-ups are more fun - they are challenging to ride but much more rewarding.

You will be fine towing one with your Accord. 2 starts to push the weight as the trailers get a lot bigger and your carrying a lot more fuel. They weigh 500-900lbs each.

With a bigger 2 or 3 person sit down PWC you can always tow or carry an extra 5-gallon fuel jug. I would not take one to Cancun but you should be able to find enough marinas with fuel along the Texas coastline.

 

[SKORPI0]

You mean jet skis?

 

[Pulsar]

Be prepared to be hated by every other boater on the water as you violate every safety law, cut much too close to shore and endanger swimmers lives, buzz to close to fishers and hook their lines, and get drunk and crash into things.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Jet Ski is a brand name, you want to know about personal water crafts.

 

[SearchMaster]

I'm in Houston, like may take one from the Houston ship channel, down through the gulf of mexico hugging the coast, maybe stop in Padre Island and refuel and sleep the night and dance and party the night away, then the next press for Cancun and spending some time with the good life.

Oh dear lord NO. Jet skis are fun for short bursts in calm water, or for doing jumps in choppy water, but if you're looking to go long distances it would be like doing a road trip on a dirt bike (and if the water is choppy, it's be like doing an off-road trip for hundreds of miles on a dirt bike). Plus they aren't the most fuel efficient things out there, so you have to make sure there's a good refilling spot all along the way. The faster you go, the more fuel you'll burn, but you'll probably average 5-8mpg at best.

 

[Krazy4Real]

Best advice.... don't buy them... rent them. Let someone else worry about the essential regular maintenance that needs to be done to them to keep them working well.

Every time you get the itch, rent them for a couple hours. You'll come out ahead and won't have to worry about storing and transporting them.

Edit: Buying really only makes a lot of sense if you own waterfront property and they will get used on a regular basis by several people.

 

[ControlD]

Be prepared to be hated by every other boater on the water as you violate every safety law, cut much too close to shore and endanger swimmers lives, buzz to close to fishers and hook their lines, and get drunk and crash into things.

Pretty much this exactly.

 

[SKORPI0]

3. I'd really take one out exploring. I'm in Houston, like may take one from the Houston ship channel, down through the gulf of mexico hugging the coast, maybe stop in Padre Island and refuel and sleep the night and dance and party the night away, then the next press for Cancun and spending some time with the good life. How feasible is this?

Thanks!

1840 miles (one way) on a Jet Ski...... Good luck doing that.

 

[Darwin333]

I have had a Kawasaki 15F for the last 6 years and am actually looking to buy a new one next summer. They are fun as all hell and great for exploring, cutting up, or just cruising around. You can get to some really out of the way places that most other boats can't and you can get their FAST. I can be doing 40ish and turn it on a dime, submarining it a bit in the process, fun as hell. Mine is at Orange Beach and I have taken it along the coast all the way to Pensacola quite a few times. I will tell you that long rides in the gulf can be rather brutal from the chop. OTOH if you have come nice big rolling waves you can just kinda surf the side of it and then roll over it and start surfing the next one, just be careful about hauling too much ass around inlets because of a condition caused "confused seas". I had never even heard of that before and I hit it doing roughly 60MPH perpendicular to the beach and hit a wave straight on, went airborn and landed on a wave going in a completely different direction. The ski went one way and I went the other still traveling at 60MPH or so, that shit hurt like hell. Took me 15 minutes of bobbing in the water to catch my breath and start swimming after the ski. Oh yeah, ALWAYS wear your life jacket and I mean every time you sit on the damn thing when it's in the water.

Also, if you have a body of water that is really smooth, I like to call it "glass", in your area that's a great thing too. That is the best when you are just looking to have fun and cut up. Most have pretty big gas tanks, mine will hold 15 or 16 gallons. If you don't have the throttle wide open most have a lot more range then you would ever think, that gets cut down quite a bit when you have it wide open. And the "hole shot" (how fast you go from zero to holy shit) is awesome on all of them but the newer top of the line models that I am looking at next year will damn near yank your arms out of socket. They are so fast that the manufacturers and the Coast Guard have a "handshake agreement" so they GPS limit their speeds to 70MPH, depending on the make there are some aftermarket kits that go from easy as hell to install to increasingly complicated that can get you more speed, better hole shot and better handling if that's your thing.

If you do get one, DO NOT drink and ride it. The speeds may not sound insanely fast but on the water they are insanely fast, all kinds of things can happen and your ability to react is already slower/limited. As for the other boaters that hate you, it's just because you are having more fun than them. I came upon a guy who had his boat stuck on a sandbar and asked him if he wanted any help and he laughed at me, said my toy couldn't do shit for him and made a comment about fucking assholes think their toys can do anything. I bet him $100 that I could so he threw me a line and I had him off in no time, it's nothing but a damn hull built around a big ass engine with a gas tank. When I first got mine it used to be fun racing the rich kids with their uber expensive speed boats, my ski was top of the line and most ski's weren't as fast as mine back then I guess or they were just stupid. I'd even give them head starts but it's hard to beat a hull built around a huge engine. Don't just assume that it's cool to jump other peoples wake, make sure there isn't any traffic and come up beside the boater and ask. Most of the time I have been told "sure, just don't get too close", if you do it without asking your just being an asshole. Also don't fuck with people fishing, give them a wide berth because that's just being an asshole too.

Basically don't be an asshole, have an absolute blast, explore places you never would have been able to otherwise and enjoy long relaxing trips.

Whats your budget anyway? I definitely got my monies worth from going top end and will do so again with my next one but there are definitely cheaper options. I love my Kawasaki, it has much better agility than my parents top of the line Seadoo of the same year. I hear that some of the new Seadoos are more race inspired, have adjustable sponsons, closed loop cooling system (don't have to flush it every time you take it out), and you can get another 10-12MPH out of it with some really basic and cheap aftermarket parts if that tickles your fancy. I'm personally not a fan of yamaha so if you are looking at leaving it stock I'd go Kawasaki (probably biased). If you think you might want to squeeze some more power out of it and trust me 70MPH is already FAST as hell on the water but whatever floats your boat, then you might want to look at the SeaDoo's. The higher end models from both even have things like cruise control, ECO/max fuel conserve modes, auto wake zone and even nice ass radio systems.

Once again, fuck the haters and if someone does get really pissed at you they will never be able to catch up to you to let you know.

 

[Darwin333]

1840 miles (one way) on a Jet Ski...... Good luck doing that.

Yeah, not saying it's impossible and someone has probably done it but he ain't going to do it. I'd bet a whole lot of money on that, besides off the coast of nowhere Mexico is not where I'd want to be if a storm started blowing or you have any sort of mechanical problems.

 

[Darwin333]

Best advice.... don't buy them... rent them. Let someone else worry about the essential regular maintenance that needs to be done to them to keep them working well.

Every time you get the itch, rent them for a couple hours. You'll come out ahead and won't have to worry about storing and transporting them.

Edit: Buying really only makes a lot of sense if you own waterfront property and they will get used on a regular basis by several people.

Shrug, the only maintenance I have done on mine is have the oil and plugs changed every fall and replaced the battery once.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Its been awhile, but I rode some at a company event years ago, and they seemed FUN AS HELL. Thinking about getting one or a couple. Questions:

1. I don't have a truck - could even a Honda accord tow one or two of them? Or would the weakest mini-truck do the trick?

2. Do they stay fun long-term?

3. I'd really take one out exploring. I'm in Houston, like may take one from the Houston ship channel, down through the gulf of mexico hugging the coast, maybe stop in Padre Island and refuel and sleep the night and dance and party the night away, then the next press for Cancun and spending some time with the good life. How feasible is this?

Thanks!

You're kidding right? Considering the range of a jet ski is about 90 miles you'll be stopping to fill up about 20 times during that trip and at a top speed of around 60mph it would take you 30 hours not including time for refueling and rest stops.

 

[RGUN]

To answer your questions, yes an accord will be sufficient to tow. We towed ours without issue using a Scion tC. Just stick to the slow lane and don't follow too closely. An aluminum trailer would also help keep the weight down. Modern PWCs can get up to 1100lb without considering fuel or stored item weight.

Do they remain fun? Absolutely. If you're the type to enjoy a day out on the water, then it will remain fun years into the future. If you simply enjoy the novelty then perhaps that's not true. We've been riding PWCs for 16 years and they still bring a smile to my face every time. Note that if you intend to use it with any frequency whatsoever that owning the PWC is much more economical than renting.

Your trip may be feasible but don't count on long stints without breaks. The longest we've done in a single sitting was 150 miles or so and that took us 5-6 hours in very rough conditions.

Do your research and try to filter out people that haven't owned a PWC let alone a boat. They usually don't have anything constructive to say besides rent or break out another thousand. For those of us that enjoy being on the water, it's a very worthwhile investment.

 

[purbeast0]

I'm about 100% positive the OP is referring to waverunners and not jetskis.

 

[DaTT]

I'm with RGUN on this. I have also been riding for 16 years (with RGUN actually).

If you have never operated a PWC, or been on one, it may be in your best interest to rent one prior to buying one to see if you actually enjoy it. Sea Doo has a wide range of PWC's with different hulls and horsepower to suit your riding needs. 60hp, 400lbs and affordable all the way up to 300hp 850lbs-1100lbs expensive...and everything in between. Kawasaki and Yamaha also offer similar models and styles, but I am Sea Doo biased.

You won't be hitting 70mph with the lower end models, usually top out around 55mph...still very fun at that speed. You typically need the supercharged or turbo charged models for anything over 60mph.

Yes, there is a deal between the Coast Guard and PWC manufacturers to limit speeds electronically, (68mph USA and Canada, 72mph for international models) easily removed with a $200 part.

Most are maintenance free (apart from oil changes and plugs, and the occasional wear ring, but all inexpensive). If you buy, get the 5-year warranty and you will be worry free for 5 years, and longer.

I personally couldn't imagine a summer without tearing it up on a PWC.

I plan on buying a 300hp machine next season.

 

[IronWing]

It floats, therefore rent.

 

[RGUN]

It floats, therefore rent.

If I were to rent a PWC with the same frequency that I used mine, I'd be into the rental company for $6994 per season - and that's our short Canadian season (June-July-August). You can look up rental rates and work out your costs, but my actual experience using mine every weekend and two week vacations per season was that I saved a significant amount of money by owning. Also, rentals tend to be the entry level versions of each respective brand whereas a purchased unit can be whatever you desire.

 

[slag]

Jet Ski is a brand name, you want to know about Jesus.

FTFW