New 2021 GTI SE 170 owner question(s)

[Vikingstaff]

Hi Sea Doo’ers!

Title says it…new 2021 GTI owner. Super excited. Get it July 5th, so just getting things squared away before then as it was a last minute opportunity on a turned down order at our local dealership.

We are lakeside on Houghton Lake in Michigan. It can get rough sometimes. As a result, we will be keeping it on a jet ski lift, and stored in a garage on its trailer in the off season.

We have a Bennginton tritoon, and are not new to boating. However, we are new to owning/driving/riding on a jet ski. Thus, I am soliciting ANY advice, tips or recommendations that any of you have.

Additionally, I have a couple specific inquires:

(1) I am curious about the possibility of adding a depth finder and gps lake map plotter. Is there anything of this nature that is an add on via Sea Doo and an authorized dealership for GTI’s? If not (kind of my assumption), has anyone done something that works well in this regard, and looks good on the craft? Is it possible, or even practical, to add something like this to a jet ski, or am I in too much of a normal boat frame of mind with this idea?

(2) Also, if going someplace else, given their low profile, would I be better off carrying some kind of small mooring pole and line instead of trying to tie off at a dock?

(3) Any thing else you wish you’d had known when you got your first jet ski? Anything you’d do differently now that you have more experience?

Any, thanks for entertaining my beginner questions. I hope all of you have a safe and fun summer on the water!

 

[pretex]

Your Seadoo already has the provision for the factory depth finder built into the harness. Here is the plug and play for your GTI from Seadoo.
Brand new, genuine Sea-Doo Depth Finder. This is a factory original equipment item, not aftermarket. Non-current.

• Display the water depth below the hull
• Plug-and-play connection
• Standard on GTX Ltd models

SKU# 295100872

Fits:

GTI, GTI SE, GTR and WAKE 170 (2020 and up) / RXP-X (2021)

 

[POPPS]

Hhmm,,,where do I stop,,,
1,,,the people who reck them don't own them,,,be careful to whom you let ride it!!!
2, if you do,,,make sure they are within your eye sight,,,I can tell you an expensive story!
3, only start in water that is at least at knee height,,so you don't don't suck rocks into the pump
4, don't suck in a tow rope.
5,..if you are doing sub's, water play,,,etc,,,after,,,make sure you always run the boat in a straight line full throttle for the bilge to suck the water out,,,they are inaffective at idle,,since the water pressure/vacuum in the pump pulls the water out.
6, make sure drain plugs are in.
7, when cleaning it,,,do not spray high pressure water at the gauges,,once water gets in,,it stays,,,and eventually corrodes the circuit boards and destroys the gauges,,,that cost HUNDREDS!!!,,,you will have to sell your first born..
8,down the road, after warrenty is over,,,you do not have use BRP oil,,,any FULL SYNTHETIC 10w40 oil will suffice and save you tons.
9, after market oil filters are just fine.
10, If you or anyone on the ski,,,are going to change direction,,,ALWAYS LOOK BEHIND YOU!!! ,,even if you are in the middle of the damn lake!!!,,,or THINK,,,that you are alone in the middle of the lake,,,the story that I can tell you!!!

 

[pretex]

Real good sound advice POPPS. I have run Lucas Semi-synthetic Motorcycle Oil in mine, can't run full synthetic due to the superchargers need oil that is recommended for wet clutch use, synthetic won't work. I also buy after market filters, no need to run Seadoo branded.

 

[Vikingstaff]

Thanks guys! I appreciate the advice, and the heads up on plug and play Sea Doo depth finder. I think that will for sure get added onto the GTI sooner rather than later.

 

[POPPS]

Sorry about the suggestion,,didn't realize it was SC'd. yup,,,semi synthetic does the job.

 

[Vikingstaff]

Sorry about the suggestion,,didn't realize it was SC'd. yup,,,semi synthetic does the job.

My GTI is not SC’d at all. Just raw motor…

 

[Vikingstaff]

Roger that. Thanks!

 

[Vikingstaff]

Your Seadoo already has the provision for the factory depth finder built into the harness. Here is the plug and play for your GTI from Seadoo.
Brand new, genuine Sea-Doo Depth Finder. This is a factory original equipment item, not aftermarket. Non-current.

• Display the water depth below the hull
• Plug-and-play connection
• Standard on GTX Ltd models

SKU# 295100872

Fits:

GTI, GTI SE, GTR and WAKE 170 (2020 and up) / RXP-X (2021)

Can one add both the Sea Doo depth finder AND the X-Package + Ski module? Curious if you know if they connect into different spots/ports? I probably wont add either this year as we don’t get our GTI until next Monday anyway. However, I could see adding one or both of these items in the off season.

Thanks again for your insights and knowledge. Have a great upcoming weekend!

 

[ski-d00]

You're getting some good info and some not quite good info here. I'll give you my thoughts based on 30+ years of fixing and rebuilding seadoos.
Use the recommended seadoo oil which is the BRP semi-synthetic 5W-40. This is what will come in it from the factory and is proven. Don't understand people that will spend $15k on a ski and then try to save $10 on oil. Note that when you change the oil you are only changing approximate 2/3 of the oil in the system so you will always have a mixture of old and new oil.
Always operate in at least waste deep water, not knee deep, should be minimum 36" deep.
You can add all the available seadoo add ons easy enough. Most are plug and play now, some wire through the service connector and others wire directly into the fuse panel.

 

[Vikingstaff]

I just use BRP products on our Ski-Doo snowmobiles. Have three of those. I had honestly planned to just do the same with the Sea Doo as well. Although I realize it is more expensive, I consider it peace of mind for optimum performance and longevity on some pretty expensive equipment.

That said, I do like getting different perspectives, and the inside scoop from experienced riders/owners.

 

[Nyrider]

I have the same machine and just installed the OEM depth finder. You also need the electrical connector which I am still waiting for. Depth finder itself took 30 minutes to install, don't bother removing the exhaust, plenty of room.

 

[Vikingstaff]

Thanks for the insight on the electrical connector and not worrying about removing the exhaust. I am encouraged by your reply that this is a fairly straight forward installation. Thanks for taking the time to fill me in. I hope your electrical connector arrives soon and that you get it up and going asap.

 

[Nyrider]

Thanks for the insight on the electrical connector and not worrying about removing the exhaust. I am encouraged by your reply that this is a fairly straight forward installation. Thanks for taking the time to fill me in. I hope your electrical connector arrives soon and that you get it up and going asap.

Well, apparently it is not needed. Plugged it in and no difference. Took the electrical connector back out of the mix, filled a vase full of water and put the depth finder on top and viola, depth reading of 2 and change. Found a video online where the guy did this before anything else, so I tried that with success. Gotta drop the machine in water to fully test, but at least I have depth now, right or wrong. BRP install instructions suck!! Anyone want to buy the electrical connector for a bilge pump install

 

[Vikingstaff]

Good to know. I appreciate the follow up. Nothing worse than installation directions. Half the time they omit key little details. Sounds like you’ll be up and going with depth readings now.