passengers or riding solo. .......Mostly riding solo with occasional passenger
will both ski's generally go out together......Will go out together majority of the time
will you be riding with other ski's and are they newer or older ski's.....No
are you looking to jump wakes, pull tubes, cruise canals or rivers ?......Would like to pull tubes and will take to Ohio River and local lakes
on a 1-10 scale how mechanically inclined are you ? .......... 3 if its closer to a 1-2, then you need to identify your future mechanic.
will ski's be stored indoors or outside when not riding..............indoors
We actually just got back from Dale Hollow Lake and borrowed my brother-in-laws and had an absolute blast. We were actually planning on buying Jet Ski's a few years ago and kids came along. So we put that on the back burner. And now we believe we are ready.
oh, i forgot to ask about age, since most 25 year olds might feel differently about a hull choice than a 45 year old.
based on that info. here's my answer, two of the following: (3-6K for a pair) I've ridden all of these at one point or another, even if for just a short ride.
96-98 seadoo GSX 787 (very nice all around general purpose ski)
96-97 GTX 787 (bigger and slower than gsx)
99 Seadoo GSXL 951 (love this ski)
98-2002 GTXL 951 (01/02 are much better looking)
99-02 XPL (sporty like GSXL, good looking, not good for passengers)
any RX thats 951 Carbed, no DI's
Yami Wave runner XL700 (comparable to gtx 787 but a tad slower but very reliable)
Waverunner XL1200 (faster than 700 but its a big GTX basically)
stay away from yami 800 powervalve engines, and GP 1200 models, but I like GP1300's.
those would all be considered "gentlemen's cruisers" with the 99 GSXL being the peppiest of the bunch and best value for the money, and my preferred ski. 2nd choice might be the GSX 787 models as well, i like that hull design very much.
all of the above offer a solid cruising speed (50 up to 62) good fuel range with big tanks (60miles on a tank ballpark) the 787's are considered more reliable. the 951's beware of high hour engines (over 150 means its getting "up there")
maybe 1 GSX, and 1 RX might be a good combo, with the RX being slightly more stable (wife's ski?) and both are pleasing to the eye.
4 strokes (bigger budget) (7-10K for 2 skis)
seadoo 155 4tech non supercharged (gtx rxp)
yamaha fx 110 or fx 140
yamaha fxho (very nice ski for the money)
kawi has some nice 4 strokes but i'm not familiar enough with them to voice an opinion, never been on one in my life.
honda has some decent ones too, and they get incredible fuel economy.
if you want pep? jump waves? buy a 96 XP or a 97-99 spx (99 spx my favorite)
upside, the funnest ski you'll ever own that's not a standup
downside, no passengers, 9 gallon gas tank (range 40-45 miles ballpark)
other peppy models would be the gsx 787's ( i like them) and the gsxl (99 only, the 98 is hideously ugly)
