PWC Reliability

[Chris]

Any variation in reliability in the brands/models of Jet Ski's?

[jason 41]

well. I've seen a couple of test figures with jet ski rental companys. the honda is the clear cut winner as far as reliability. its not the fastest ski out there but its hands down the most reliable. The hondas went 700 hours before experincing any problems the next closest brand was yamaha at 235.

[Mike]

well. I've seen a couple of test figures with jet ski rental companys. the honda is the clear cut winner as far as reliability. its not the fastest ski out there but its hands down the most reliable. The hondas went 700 hours before experincing any problems the next closest brand was yamaha at 235.

Whoa! Thaaat's a margin alright :eek:

[the_MAC]

just my opinion...the 2-strokes might demand a bit more attention to preventive maintenance, but whenever you DO have to finally change an engine, they are a heck of a lot cheaper to replace than 4-strokes. there are several companies such as SBT who specialize in rebuilding watercraft engines, often with better warranties than the factory (ecluding labor, of course...). as far as four strokes, i'm still a honda fan just because they make some of the most reliable equipment you can buy, whether bike, jet ski, cars, and now aircraft engines. sea-doo and kawasaki now have skis with closed loop cooling systems, which takes a huge factor out of the maintenance/reliability headache associated with watercraft--running salt water (or whatever other water you're riding in) through the engine for cooling. these skis use a ride plate as the radiator and work pretty much the same way a cars cooling system works. i'm not a big fan of sea-doos, but the closed loop system is a good idea (instead, you can spend your extra money replacing supercharger bearings in the sea-doos, since they seem to be crap!!). since some people will undoubtedly think they can neglect the maintenance on these skis since they don't run sea/river/lake water throught the engines, i think it bears repeating that the best way to keep a ski reliable is to always do the preventive maintenance (i.e., flushing the engine after use, winterizing the unit, cleanbing/adjusting carbs at the beginning of the season to make sure the mixture is correct...). any additional thoughts/corrections you can think of, dk??



btw...anybody riden the new kawasaki ultra series since they came out again?? i'm interested in how they perform...

[Chris]

thanks everyone.....