Author Topic: Jetskis!  (Read 5105 times)

Stagleton

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Jetskis!
« on: November 18, 2014, 01:53:38 PM »
I was thinking about buying a jetski or 2. Anyone have experience working with jetskis from the 90's? They are pretty cheap on craigslist and look like a "boat load" of fun. Plus they're easy to truck around and my dad hates them :-)

Jon_Snow

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2014, 04:19:05 PM »
I hate them too. Gawdawful racket. When these things show up, peaceful day at the beach spoiled.

eil

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2014, 04:34:54 PM »
Depends, are you retired yet?

Eric

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2014, 06:41:47 PM »
Why not build them yourself?  This is the DIY forum sub-section after all.

surfhb

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2014, 07:08:41 PM »
You realize this is the MMM forum right?    LOL

Why not ask on a jetski forum? 

Stagleton

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2014, 11:24:16 PM »
Why not build them yourself?  This is the DIY forum sub-section after all.

Do you build your own cars?

Stagleton

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #6 on: November 18, 2014, 11:26:09 PM »
Depends, are you retired yet?

So if I am retired, then you have worked on 90's jetskis?

Stagleton

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #7 on: November 18, 2014, 11:30:44 PM »
You realize this is the MMM forum right?    LOL

Why not ask on a jetski forum?

Don't worry I have asked there too. And Yes! I do realize this is the MMM forum :-) A group of people who like to do things on the cheap and have a good time

EDIT:
You realize your logic makes almost every topic in the DIY section irrelevant in the MMM forum, right?
« Last Edit: November 18, 2014, 11:37:03 PM by Stagleton »

AlexK

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #8 on: November 18, 2014, 11:54:53 PM »
I bought a 90's jetski because it was cheap on craigslist and I knew I could resell it for more. I took it out on the lake once before selling it. I went around in a few circles, got bored, and went back to the beach.

I guess there is a sensation of speed that is nice but I'm used to riding off road motorcycles so there is no novelty there.

Some of the cons:
can't use half the year
terrible fuel economy (all 2 strokes are this way but boats and snowmobiles are extra power hungry)
smells bad
noisy
you have to pay to register both the trailer and the jetski
if you store it outside it gets weathered quickly but takes up too much room in the garage
carbs and battery suffer from no use over the winter
it's hard to know if it works properly before you buy it because you need a lake to test it
if you are laying off the back of it and hit the throttle it blasts your balls off
everyone on the beach thinks you're a douche

Stagleton

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2014, 12:02:22 AM »
I bought a 90's jetski because it was cheap on craigslist and I knew I could resell it for more. I took it out on the lake once before selling it. I went around in a few circles, got bored, and went back to the beach.

I guess there is a sensation of speed that is nice but I'm used to riding off road motorcycles so there is no novelty there.

Some of the cons:
can't use half the year
terrible fuel economy (all 2 strokes are this way but boats and snowmobiles are extra power hungry)
smells bad
noisy
you have to pay to register both the trailer and the jetski
if you store it outside it gets weathered quickly but takes up too much room in the garage
carbs and battery suffer from no use over the winter
it's hard to know if it works properly before you buy it because you need a lake to test it
if you are laying off the back of it and hit the throttle it blasts your balls off
everyone on the beach thinks you're a douche

Cool. That's mostly what I was thinking. It's winter now so I can get one cheap and have a project and then screw around with it a little next summer and resell it. I figure I can at least learn something, maybe have a laugh and hopefully get most of my money back.

Much cheaper than mechanic school and a light way to learn about marine mechanics.

fireferrets

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #10 on: November 24, 2014, 03:21:21 PM »
Jetskis are one of those things that one doesn't have a use for very often and are more worthwhile to rent (let someone else do the maintenance, repairs, fill 'er up, tow 'er around). Even if you go out every weekend, it's not worth it after all the maintenance time and money.

frugalnacho

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Re: Jetskis!
« Reply #11 on: November 25, 2014, 06:39:38 PM »
They are a real pain in the ass to work on.  If everything works great then it's great, but if you have to actually work on them it's a tiny space.