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the conservative atheist

the conservative atheist

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Joined
Jun 3, 2020
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664
I know zero about them.

What kind of cash should I expect to drop for a used one that won't leave me stranded miles from shore? Bikes and snowmobiles I've had fun on the cheap buying old stuff for $2500 or so. Bad idea on the water?

I'm assuming four strokes are more reliable? But I know in the snowmobile world Yamaha made some absolute bulletproof 2-strokes.

I figure I want something moderately fast but not looking to race anyone.
 
the conservative atheist said:
I know zero about them.

What kind of cash should I expect to drop for a used one that won't leave me stranded miles from shore? Bikes and snowmobiles I've had fun on the cheap buying old stuff for $2500 or so. Bad idea on the water?

I'm assuming four strokes are more reliable? But I know in the snowmobile world Yamaha made some absolute bulletproof 2-strokes.

I figure I want something moderately fast but not looking to race anyone.
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$2500 is "on the cheap" for a motorsports toy?
We are not the same.
 
the conservative atheist said:
I know zero about them.

What kind of cash should I expect to drop for a used one that won't leave me stranded miles from shore? Bikes and snowmobiles I've had fun on the cheap buying old stuff for $2500 or so. Bad idea on the water?

I'm assuming four strokes are more reliable? But I know in the snowmobile world Yamaha made some absolute bulletproof 2-strokes.

I figure I want something moderately fast but not looking to race anyone.
Click to expand...

How big of water are you on? A friend bought a brand new 300hp skidoo, took it out by himself in lake superior and it died 10 miles from shore with an offshore wind. Drifted till 8pm when some fisherman spotted him. Next stop would have been eastern Ontario.
 
jet ski
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boat with handlebars
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larboc said:
How big of water are you on? A friend bought a brand new 300hp skidoo, took it out by himself in lake superior and it died 10 miles from shore with an offshore wind. Drifted till 8pm when some fisherman spotted him. Next stop would have been eastern Ontario.
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The lake closest to me, you could never get more than a few miles offshore. But you could end up a good 20 miles from where you launched it.
 
larboc said:
How big of water are you on? A friend bought a brand new 300hp skidoo, took it out by himself in lake superior and it died 10 miles from shore with an offshore wind. Drifted till 8pm when some fisherman spotted him. Next stop would have been eastern Ontario.
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Least he didn't get thirsty. 🤣
 
larboc said:
$2500 is "on the cheap" for a motorsports toy?
We are not the same.
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I know, right? Where's he finding them that cheap!?:flipoff2:


I thought I was being cheap only spending $6k on a sled and $8k on a dirt bike. Turns out I like riding them more than tinkering 150 miles from home. :confused:
 
Fullsize80cherokee said:
stand ups are the only ones worth owning
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A superjet with a factory b pipe. Was riding one of those all last weekend. So much fun
Ebs said:
Wave Blaster
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These are a close second. Had 2 wave blasters there also. They take some getting used too to ride. Definitely a learning curve to them. They are fun to drive because you’re so close to flipping over :lmao:. Now a normal jetski blah those are no fun.
 
In 2012 I paid $800 for a 1997 Kawasaki 750 SS 2 stroke. It was the best $800 I've ever spent. My kids and I beat on that poor thing for 10 years with zero maintenance, stored it outside uncovered the entire time. It always started, ran excellent never treated the gas the only thing I ever replaced was the battery it was utterly reliable. Sold it this year for $800.
 
ThePanzerFuhrer said:
A superjet with a factory b pipe. Was riding one of those all last weekend. So much fun

These are a close second. Had 2 wave blasters there also. They take some getting used too to ride. Definitely a learning curve to them. They are fun to drive because you’re so close to flipping over :lmao:. Now a normal jetski blah those are no fun.
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Ya tge wave blaster can be tricky getting back on if your out in open water compared to a stand up defiantly a balancing act .

Not sure on what the older stuff is going for the used market on anything is all over the map. I think I would rent on first before buying one I’m down to only two pwc now and that’s enough to keep me busy four was just dumb I was constantly fixing one of them.

I’d also stay with two stroke it’s what I’ve mostly owned had one four stroke sled it was ok . I’d also consider a busted one go check out prices on engine exchanges four stroke engines are big money compared to the two strokes same goes for rebuild kits .

Since it hasn’t been mentioned if it fly’s ,floats or fucks it’s cheaper to rent 😁
 
the conservative atheist said:
I know zero about them.

What kind of cash should I expect to drop for a used one that won't leave me stranded miles from shore? Bikes and snowmobiles I've had fun on the cheap buying old stuff for $2500 or so. Bad idea on the water?

I'm assuming four strokes are more reliable? But I know in the snowmobile world Yamaha made some absolute bulletproof 2-strokes.

I figure I want something moderately fast but not looking to race anyone.
Click to expand...
the conservative atheist said:
I know zero about them.

What kind of cash should I expect to drop for a used one that won't leave me stranded miles from shore? Bikes and snowmobiles I've had fun on the cheap buying old stuff for $2500 or so. Bad idea on the water?

I'm assuming four strokes are more reliable? But I know in the snowmobile world Yamaha made some absolute bulletproof 2-strokes.

I figure I want something moderately fast but not looking to race anyone.
Click to expand...
D74CFDD0-F28F-4BA9-9CE9-D3F3D6F14947.jpeg

These have been fun and reliable, just add gas and go.

05 Seadoo RXP, 60s and acceleration feels like it constantly wants to rip your arms off.

06 Seadoo GTX wake 3 seater, hauls all the stuff to the beach and then its the puller toy for the day running about 55 max.

Both started up this season without doing anything to them other then filling up with fresh gas.



Probably worth about 8k now with the trailer.
 
Stix said:
Buy a cheap one. The crew I ran with back in the day found them very boring after a few trips. Go out jump wakes. Couple drag races. More jumps. Circles.......and den.........??? At least a boat you can take people and things.
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Lakes usually have a feeder river going into it

that is where you would always find me, just start going up hill, never got old
 
2 strokes are very reliable if you keep 'em cool and oiled. Cooling is via a port of the pump...run over some weeds and you clog it up, overheat and cook it. Put a visable pisser on it so you can see cooling from where you're operating it. If it has oil injection...ditch it and premix. I've had 3 Kawi 650s...great if you keep the 2 above principles in mind.

I have a Honda F12X turbo now...runs in the high 60s...that's as fast as I want to go on one. It's basically a car motor in a boat so you'll eventually get a check engine light/limp mode/security situation I'm sure where it won't start or run for some dumbass reason. If you stick a piston in a 2 stroke boat....wait 2 minutes and ride it home at 1/2 throttle. When a EFI 4 strokes decides to pop...you're swimming home.
 
I rent my shop from a jet ski rental company. They used to run Yamaha 4 strokes and kept them for 4 seasons before trashing them out for parts. Yamaha went to a 3 cylinder engine and they couldn't get 30 days out of one before the valvetrain disintegrated. the 4 cylinder skis were bullet proof, the 3 cylinder Yamahas, not so much. They have a program with sea Doo now that they buy direct, put 200 hours on a ski, them sell them off.
 
the conservative atheist said:
Well, maybe I should rent first.

A boat sounds fun. Until I need to store it. Or fix it. :laughing:
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Boats are stupid easy. Get yourself a Mercury stern drive with a GM engine. Used parts are a dime a dozen.

Try and get something new enough that it's all glass construction.

Also helps that 70% of the shit we spend money upgrading on our vehicles doesn't exist on a boat. :laughing:
 
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the conservative atheist said:
Well, maybe I should rent first.

A boat sounds fun. Until I need to store it. Or fix it. :laughing:
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hes not the norm. they are fun as hell.

To quote Daniel Tosh: Whoever said money doesnt buy happiness was wrong, it buys a wave runner. you ever seen a sad person on a waverunner? try to frown on a waverunner. you cant do it.
 
I also find normal skis to get boring pretty quick.

A former employer bought a pair of skis for the trailer. One of them was a kawasaki ultra 150. 145hp of 2-stroke around a very small hull. No reverse. That thing was way more fun than his new Yamahas.
 
spareparts said:
I rent my shop from a jet ski rental company. They used to run Yamaha 4 strokes and kept them for 4 seasons before trashing them out for parts. Yamaha went to a 3 cylinder engine and they couldn't get 30 days out of one before the valvetrain disintegrated. the 4 cylinder skis were bullet proof, the 3 cylinder Yamahas, not so much. They have a program with sea Doo now that they buy direct, put 200 hours on a ski, them sell them off.
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It blows my mind how expensive a lot of these toys are and they don't last for shit. Jet skis, side by sides, etc. Seems like their expected lifespan is barely past an oil change interval of a typical vehicle.
 
east_beast said:
It blows my mind how expensive a lot of these toys are and they don't last for shit. Jet skis, side by sides, etc. Seems like their expected lifespan is barely past an oil change interval of a typical vehicle.
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I'd say that depends entirely on your treatment.

If you're balls to the wall all the time, shit breaks.
on the other hand, WTF else do you do with a jetski other than treat it like it has a binary throttle?
 
I bought a 1998 kawasaki 1100 stx last year for $500 with a trailer. Rebuilt the carbs and put a battery in it. I can beat on it and not feel bad. I am sure it needs a new impeller cause it's slowing down some it will only run upper 40s now.
 
Bacho said:
I also find normal skis to get boring pretty quick.

A former employer bought a pair of skis for the trailer. One of them was a kawasaki ultra 150. 145hp of 2-stroke around a very small hull. No reverse. That thing was way more fun than his new Yamahas.
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Basically this. I bought a package deal with a 750 ZXI and a 750 SXi Pro for $3500. I personally prefer the older 2 stroke skis. They're incredibly simple and easy to work on, have been rather cheap to maintain overall, and to be honest every time I've gone out on a newer muscle ski, I've just been disappointed in the handling and acceleration.

I rode a pair of Ultra 250Xs this past weekend, and I gotta say the acceleration was nothing to write home about, and the handling was just whatever. I find it way more fun to go sliding around doing 180s and whatnot on my dog slow old ski than doing nothing but really fast on the newer 200+ hp models.

And even the gutless problem is solved by buying a higher grade 2 stroke. Kinda like the 3 wheeler effect, the absolute death machine thrill of something like a Kawi ZXI 1100 is so far unmatched in all the newer bullshit I've ridden. If you want a jet ski for boat things, newer ones are great. If you want spins, handling, and getting the shit beat out of you in the best way possible, stay with large displacement ZXIs, WaveBlaster IIs, SeaDoo HXs or get a standup like a real man :flipoff2:
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Had friend that said jet skis are for pussies, he rode a wet bike. Must be unsafe because I never see one anymore. A couple months ago I saw a guy on a powered hydrofoil surf board. It looked cool as hell.
 
I'd go last if the two stroke Yamahas. GP1200, GP800, Waveraider 1100, Waves blaster 2, OG Waveblaster.
 
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