Aquatrax vs seadoo

[Raser x]

Looking at purchasing a new personal watercraft (mine got rearended). What would be the best to pull the kids around? The f12x seems to be highly recommended and I can get an 04 for $8200ish. Is that a good price? is it a dependable boat? Seadoo seems to have a bad rap...any help?



Raserx

 

[Gene Zenk]

Every manufacturer has its bad ones. The Seadoo 4 strokes are awesome.



I've got an '04 RXP and a friend has an '05 RXT and we haven't had any trouble with them. I'm guessing we'll probably need to replace the clutch in the superchargers next year but thats what the extended warranty is for...



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[Johnny O]

I have a Polaris. (The quit making them last year.)

Besides those, I'm partial to Yamahas. The couple of Sea-Doos I've ridden gave me a pretty wet ride, I think because the hull is flatter. I've never ridden a Honda but the hull looks very similar to my Polaris Virage, which gives a dry ride and handles like a dream. According to Watercraft World magazine, the non-turbo Honda has more punch at the low end. The Honda turbo has more top end but takes a while to spool up and get there. So if you're going to tow tubers or skiers the non-turbo might be better, although 25-30 mph is about the limit on my tube, around there sooner or later you're going to do a "gingerbread man" into the water. $8200 is a good price.

A lot of people here have Sea-Doos, few complaints. The original RXP had a number of electrical gremlins that took about a year to get sorted out. There was a recall on the fuel tanks a few years ago on many of them also. I was told by a rental guy in FL that Sea-Doos don't like saltwater very much.

A lot gets down to service and how close the dealer is to you. The place I got mine quit selling Polaris and Sea-Doo both, now the nearest Polaris dealer is 85 miles away. Skis are generally trouble-free, most problems boil down to either bad fuel or improper maintenance.

Me, I'd take a Honda.



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[gary s]

i had a 99 yamaha gp 800 and a kawasaki 650ts that i sold this summer. as far as reliability, the kawasaki was always there for me. after a long cold winter, in the spring the baby would start with no problems. also the kawasaki was a 92 that i had for 13 years , problem free.

the yamaha was also a very good machine. i would stay away from seadoo as i towed many in while i owned my watercrafts. just my opinion.

 

[Jeff C]

We had a Yamaha GP1200, and that thing was awsome. I'm 255lbs, and it had no problem pulling me around skiing or getting me up out of the water. The bigger the craft, the smoother the ride. We had a smaller, one person Yamaha, and it was a rough ride, but I could get it up to 54mph (WOT on Sunday mornings on a glass-like lake). The fastest I ever took the 1200 was up to 59mph, but I never had it at full throttle. It could handle myself, plus 2 passengers, and it was like there was no one else on it.



I think the most maintenance we did was my dad replaced the battery on the smaller waverunner. Never had any problems starting, and I had LOTS of fun, meaning I was thrown off on multiple occasions. Bottom line, bigger is better. The biggest one you can afford will allow the most fun for everyone.







Also, not sure where you're located, but if it's near AL, and you want a used beginner's kneeboard, and some other stuff, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind me getting it out of the basement.

 

[VikesfanakaMatt Lackore]

With the 06's coming out pretty soon you should probably be able to get a better deal on an 04 now. Suggested retail for an 04 F12x is currently at $7325. (as listed for my zip code at Kelly Blue Book) What kind of PWC did you have before? If it was mainly used to tow I would look at getting a N/A 4 tech. It will do a great job towing and you shouldn't have to worry about it breaking down. I kind of like a little more playful ride (as you can see from my 98 Seadoo XP below) so I would choose something more sporty and playful like and R12x or an RXP. [Broken External Image]:

 

[Raser x]

Hey JeffC

I would be interested in the beginer stuff. My kids are 10 and 13 and a little nervous about skiing. But they are really excited. I want it to be a very positive experience for them. So any advice is appreciated. I'm leaning toward the Honda at the moment. Its a good price and has Honda quality. I'm not real impressed with the Yamaha's I have raced an R6. There PWC looks a little shoddy but what do I know? The kawasaki looks good Just never liked Kawi's much. The seadoos seem to be pretty expensive for what you get. I really like the wake board edition (just can't get a good price).I want a four stroke they are super reliable. But I'm still open to any and all suggestions.



You guys have some sweet rides that yellow seadoo looks awsome and Its a shame Polaris quit making pwcs the hulls looks a lot like the honda.



My Seadoo (00' gts) was detroyed the day after I bought it. I got rear ended. I didn't even get to get it wet.

 

[VikesfanakaMatt Lackore]

It sounds like the perfect ski for what you want is the Yamaha VX1100 Delux. It is a 4 stroke, is a three seater, and it is only $7899 MSRP for a 2006. You will also have a warranty which is very nice to have, especially if you are new to watercraft and watercraft maintainance. You should be able to get a 2005 for less than that. It was voted watercraft of the year by Watercraft World Magazine. It's a playful ski that is also stable and great for towing skiers. It also has a lot of the same options that some of the more expensive Seadoos have. You can check it out at the following website. Good luck shopping!



http://www.yamaha-motor.com/waverunner/products/modelhome/424/0/home.aspx

 

[Johnny O]

Just a tip, Kaws seem to have lower seats and are good if you're short, not so good if you're tall. Yamahas tend to have higher seats and they're better if you're tall. I'm 6'1" and sit sort of in the second seat on my 3-seater.

Yeah, the magazine was raving about the VX1100 Deluxe. I don't know about the other ones, mine has a kiddie handle in the middle of the bars which is one reason why I bought.

A 4 stroke may be better on gas, but I'm not sure. I ride a lot with my uncle who has a '98 Yamaha 1200 XLT, better acceleration but it isn't much faster than mine on the top end and he uses about twice the gas. It's a 2 stroke like mine. He blows through a lot of gas and can't believe how little I use.

If you get a 2 stroke, spend the extra money for synthetic oil. You'll save more than that in spark plugs.