buck183

I wouldn't go Sea Doo Cord. Go Yamaha if you want reliable.

Buck

Jayl13

Cord, Did you bid or win either of these? I see they are both done now.
If I can say anything to convince you to get a Yamaha and forgo all the others I would. Parts are much easier to get anywhere, less troubles with things and more easy to fix are the Yamaha's than some of the others, and save yourself some headaches and get a 2 stroke, yeah oil in the oil tank and fuel in the fuel tank is a minor annoyance but it beats oil changes and other BS that goes along with 4 strokes. Oh and hey, Yamaha is the only one that has the water that shoots up being the wave runner about 20-30 feet in the air, Your own personal rooster tail!
BIG BONUS LMFAO
You can get these things running cheap enough I would just go that route. There are alot of them down here, if you want I can link you to the place I picked mine up at, they have 15-20 of them used on hand at any one given time.
J

Ing

I owned Yamaha GP1200 and XL800. Actually had more fun on the three seat XL800 because it was more forgiving and confortable with two or three. The 1200 was just an animal and attention had to be paid at all times. I have experience with SeaDoos and would never purchase one. A few years back SeaDoo actually replaced the engines in their own SeaDoo boats with Mercury jets so that tells you something. Lot's of good used Yamahas or Kawasakis. Can't go wrong with either. They're both good buys. Just my opinion.

Cord

Well, it's water over the dam for right now, but I'd like to know what make the Yamaha 1200 such a good, er... boat.

Jay, I bought the yellow 800. It's 1/2 hour from me and I was looking for a project boat to get my feet wet. I'm already familiar with the engine because it's related to the one that's in my sled. I'll fix it and just turn the boat over next spring. If I don't use it enough, then I at least won't be loosing money on the deal. From the looks of it, I'll proably want a 3 seater anyways. That said, the consensus is pretty convincing. I'd really like to know what is making the Yamy so good. I rode one of their 4 stroke 1,000cc sleds this past year and was very impressed with the product.

lucy

I own a SuperJet 700 Yamaha, It is a great ride, there was a time in my life were I was on it every day , it is fast and fun. It has been in storage, if you want it feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] keep in mind, jet thrust turns the watercraft. Releasing the throttle lever completely produces only minimum thrust. if you are traveling at speeds above trolling, you will have rapidly decreasing ability to steer without throttle. You may still have some turning ability immediately after releasing the throttle, but once the engine slows down, the watercraft will no longer respond to handlebar input until you apply throttle again or you reach a trolling speed. This watercraft are water-jet propelled. The jet pump is directly connected to the engine. This means that jet thrust will produce some movement whenever the engine is running. There is no "neutral" position. AND THAT IS WAY BOATERS CALL THEM WATER BUGS. P.S. BE CAUTION IF YOU GET ONE. LUCY!!

Shore Thing

Granted, a lot has changed since then, but back in 1994-1997 I worked for a boat and jetski rental outfit in annapolis while I was in high school. Back then all the rentals you would see were yamaha's. They all chose yamahas for two reasons. They were cheaper and they were easier to work on. You still see mostly yamahas at the rental places. My folks have two 2001 sea-doo gtx's and they have been unflappable since new. I wouldn't say that the yammy's are more reliable, just easier.

Ted G

The Yammies are lower power for the same displacement, so they are not as high strung. But when modded they make real gains. Whereas the Sea Doo has some performance enhancers like RAVE valves to make more power with a smaller engine, so they don't take to modding as well (less gain for the same work). Sea Doo has sold more skis than Yam and Kaw combined because they are an attractive package new and led the way to technology for a long time. I have had one for 8 years and it has been pretty good, you just need to learn a few new tricks when working on them (like rotary valve timing). It's a shame you got the one with no motor, if you have a core a complete rebuild from SBT is like 699 and you have it in days. Finding a decent 800 (787) will be tough.

jdub

The 1200 & 1300 Yamaha GP's are dogs out of the hole and don't ride very well in rough conditions. Go with the Kawasaki 1500 STX-F (four stroke). Fast and reliable plus very good in all water conditions and good on gas.

t500hps

We have an 04 Yamaha 1200. Great bike even though we don't ride it much. All teh dealer friends of mine insisted we stick with Yamaha at the time!!!
BTW good luck with the one you bought. Hope if only needs a few minor things and your out on the water.

CAP071

I took the Supercharged Sea Doo out for blast. I passed several single stock go fast boats and they couldn't catch me. That thing hauls azz