Need help on buying a seadoo.

[prd]

Hello all,

I'm not a mechanical guy and I honestly do not know much about seadoos. Although, I sure know that I want one and I don't want to spend more than 3-4K. At the end of the day, the cheaper I can pay the better is it.

What I need to know is which seadoo would you guys recommend me? I'd like a 3 seater and I will be using this for fun. Doing ski, pulling tube, etc. Also, is it better a 2-stroke or a 3-stroke? Also, is it with every seadoo that you can install a poll to pull a tube, wakeboard,etc?

Any suggestion is greatly appreciated.

Id like to know which serie or specific type to buy. Is GTX-DI 2002 a good machine?

Thanks

 

[Coastiejoe]

No 3 strokes. Only 2 stroke and 4 strokes.

If you want to tube and tow a skier you will need a 3-seater machine in most states as you need a spotter. Most states say, you must be able to carry all involved. So the driver, spotter and skier equals 3-seater.

2-strokes are easier and cheaper to work on. 4-strokes are strop and proven. Personally I will always own a 4-stroke and I will always own one that is Super Charged and one that isn't.

For the money you want to spend you are looking at an older 4-stroke or pretty much most if the 2-stroke models.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

If you were closer to PA, I'd sell you two on a trailer for $5800!

 

[Coastiejoe]

I didn't realize you were in Canada. Skis seem to cost even more there compared to here in the states.

 

[LouDoo]

I think in Canada, for the kind of money your talking about a mid to late 90's either a GTI or GTX, for pulling skier's probably the GTX look for a carbed model with a 787 (110hp).

Lou

 

[AdamXP800]

97 GTX!! My favorite 3 seat hull and motor that Seadoo has produced!


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[Seadoobuddy]

A 96 GTX is a great one also.

 

[prd]

What do you guys think of this:

GTX Limited 1998 + trailer + tarp + hooks. Motor has been re-built in 2012. New carpet and battery has less than a season for 4k$. Could it be possible that the limited has 1000cc?

Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Seems high but for Canada it could be right on the money.

Isn't there a Canadian version of Kelly Blue book?

Is that the asking price? If so, offer a bit lower with cash in hand.

 

[prd]

Right, here they actually cost a bit more. Yes, that's the asking price, but as you say I sure will offer a lower price, but I'm still looking. Is it a good motor in the GTX Limited?

 

[Seadoobuddy]

It's a 951 motor with 130 HP compared to the 787 with 110 HP.
951 is more power but a tad less reliability... and harder to work on (at least in a GSXL) the GTX will have a bit more room but you still need knitting needle arms with 3 elbows to get to everything..

 

[LouDoo]

Some guys love the 951 but personally I stay away from them. They only last 200hrs. between rebuilds, a 787 will last twice that. I'll take reliability over performance any day, you're looking at less than 5mph faster.

Where in CA are you located?

Lou

 

[brianmcb]

That would be a reasonable asking price for sure up here. Paid 3000 for our 1996 gtx last summer. Awesome machine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Coastiejoe]

As Lou pointed out, the 951 is less reliable generally speaking...

That is something you need to look at pretty hard. I'm not sure what parts and labor are like in your area compared to the states.

 

[kicker]

Unfortunately, $3-4000 in most areas of Canada is going to be a crappy budget number IMO, unless of course you can find a killer deal somewhere. What I mean is, the average late 90's and early 00's will get you in that price range but there is still a big risk based on the age of the ski that it might take another chunk of dollars to make it a dependable ski.

My suggestion would be to look for a mid 90's ski with a 787 (96-97 GTX or 98-02 GTX RFI) at the $3000 price point or lower, that way you have some extra $$ to spend on repairs and maintenance.

I would avoid the Direct injected skis (DI) they are somewhat troublesome and require the Seadoo (Budds) system for most troubleshooting. The RFI and carbed 787's seem to be alot more dependable. Even at $4000 I think you will have a hard time getting into a 4 stroke ski thats not beat up, in Canada.

No matter what you decide, go to Canadian Tire first and buy a compression tester and do a test before you purchase.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

I advise all potential buyers who come through here to ALWAYS water test their boat/ski for 1/2 hour BEFORE negotiating to buy the watercraft. I would also check the cylinder compression if possible, to make sure all cylinders are in good condition. The silver-painted 951 motor in good condition blows minimum 120~130psi and the 787 blows around 150+psi, I believe.

 

[kicker]

If you were closer to PA, I'd sell you two on a trailer for $5800!

Which 2 are you selling?

 

[Coastiejoe]

I strongly second avoiding the DI ski. The repairs could easy equal the initial cost of the ski. When they run well they are excellent skis. When they need service the diagnostics are considerably more difficult and more costly both in labor and parts.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

man... 4K seems brutal for that, but i'm on the opposite of the price curve in FL.

4K goes a LONG way down here.

besides that, its not a bad little ski, the 98 gtx, overall it will perform good (but not great) in every aspect, no real true downside to the ski.

how much does it cost to bring a ski from the states into Canada ? (not in transportation expense but in customs charges and stuff)

not a fan of DI's, at all.

 

[kicker]

There s no duty or fees to bring a ski into Canada. We just have to pay the tax when crossing the border. .

Spim, send up a dozen of your $500 running mid 90's 787 skis, they are $2500 here all day long.

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[LouDoo]

He's got a Detroit IP address, so I would assume he lives near the border, it would make sense to buy the ski in Michigan and just take it into Canada.

Lou

 

[Spimothy Leary]

There s no duty or fees to bring a ski into Canada. We just have to pay the tax when crossing the border. .

Spim, send up a dozen of your $500 running mid 90's 787 skis, they are $2500 here all day long.

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how much is the tax then ? There has to be some reason its so expensive

and we don't get $500 runners very often, and when they show up they get sold in about 2 hours. but we do get a lot of $400 non runners, if they are running, they still have $1200-$1800 asking prices, not sure what they are selling for, but the prices for mid 90's ski's seem to be higher in 2014, than they were in 2013, but my sample size is quite small, i'm only watching one area.

But at least in comparison, a 98 GTX in good condition would probably sell for $1600 on a low end, up to maybe $2200 high end down here. Non runners from $400-800ish

 

[prd]

Thank you very much everyone for your feedback. I might just wait and find a great deal for a ski with a 787. I'm located close to the montreal area. As for the taxes, its about 14% if Id be bringing a ski from States to Canada, unless there's other fees that I'm not aware of.

From what I read, my best option would be 96-97 GTX or 98-02 GTX RFI as kicker mentioned.

 

[kicker]

how much is the tax then ? There has to be some reason its so expensive

and we don't get $500 runners very often, and when they show up they get sold in about 2 hours. but we do get a lot of $400 non runners, if they are running, they still have $1200-$1800 asking prices, not sure what they are selling for, but the prices for mid 90's ski's seem to be higher in 2014, than they were in 2013, but my sample size is quite small, i'm only watching one area.

But at least in comparison, a 98 GTX in good condition would probably sell for $1600 on a low end, up to maybe $2200 high end down here. Non runners from $400-800ish

Most things are more money in Canada for whatever reason, possibly smaller market but more demand. I bought a 2011 suburban out of Michigan, it was $8k cheaper delivered to my door, then what I could find in Canada. At the time the CDN dollar was a couple pennies more then the US, today it costs about $1.14 to buy a US dollar, so it is tougher for us to purchase in the US.

The gap is probably to big to actually import even at $1000 per ski, to many added costs to make it work as a profitable enterprise.
150 exchange rate
130 tax
350 delivery
300 repairs

That gets close to $2G for a $2500 - $3000. Then you have to add your time and overhead, (fuel, mileage, etc)

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

. Thinking of keeping them.