New Member DI Question

[CDRPJL]

First off thank you for allowing me to join and I'm completely new to this PWC lifestyle. I've gotten the urge lately to pick up a pair for the family to enjoy. I'm fairly mechanically inclined so project Skis don't scare me a ton. I saw this pair up on Craigslist and did some research into these models and I'm reading some conflicting stories where one states the 951 engines are great and the other says run away a fast as you can especially if they are DI. Do you gurus have any insight on this or should I keep hunting in the next couple of months as winter approaches for a better deal on a 4 stroke?

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/boa/d/dallas-2001-seadoo-rx/7191989388.html
Thank you,

 

[GGuillot]

First off thank you for allowing me to join and I'm completely new to this PWC lifestyle. I've gotten the urge lately to pick up a pair for the family to enjoy. I'm fairly mechanically inclined so project Skis don't scare me a ton. I saw this pair up on Craigslist and did some research into these models and I'm reading some conflicting stories where one states the 951 engines are great and the other says run away a fast as you can especially if they are DI. Do you gurus have any insight on this or should I keep hunting in the next couple of months as winter approaches for a better deal on a 4 stroke?

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/boa/d/dallas-2001-seadoo-rx/7191989388.html
Thank you,

I own 2 carbed 787 models, so what I say about the 951 DI is not from personal experience. The upside of the DI's are they great on fuel and powerful, the RX is at the top of the food chain (130hp) when it comes to a 2 stroke PWC. The downside, they can be a pain when they break, not easy to troubleshoot, I hear a Candoo Pro device ($400) makes it easier. Rule of thumb, the larger the engine and more sophistication, the higher the maintenance overall cost and hit on reliability when compared to a small displacement single carb model.

Some people like the DI, some don't want anything to do with it. Like anything, they're great when they run. Some people like the 4 strokes, but there's no way around saving when those break either, compared to a 2 stroke 951 it's twice as much to replace an engine when it lets go.

 

[CDRPJL]

I own 2 carbed 787 models, so what I say about the 951 DI is not from personal experience. The upside of the DI's are they great on fuel and powerful, the RX is at the top of the food chain (130hp) when it comes to a 2 stroke PWC. The downside, they can be a pain when they break, not easy to troubleshoot, I hear a Candoo Pro device ($400) makes it easier. Rule of thumb, the larger the engine and more sophistication, the higher the maintenance overall cost and hit on reliability when compared to a small displacement single carb model.

Some people like the DI, some don't want anything to do with it. Like anything, they're great when they run. Some people like the 4 strokes, but there's no way around saving when those break either, compared to a 2 stroke 951 it's twice as much to replace an engine when it lets go.

I own 2 carbed 787 models, so what I say about the 951 DI is not from personal experience. The upside of the DI's are they great on fuel and powerful, the RX is at the top of the food chain (130hp) when it comes to a 2 stroke PWC. The downside, they can be a pain when they break, not easy to troubleshoot, I hear a Candoo Pro device ($400) makes it easier. Rule of thumb, the larger the engine and more sophistication, the higher the maintenance overall cost and hit on reliability when compared to a small displacement single carb model.

Some people like the DI, some don't want anything to do with it. Like anything, they're great when they run. Some people like the 4 strokes, but there's no way around saving when those break either, compared to a 2 stroke 951 it's twice as much to replace an engine when it lets go.

Thank you for the great advice, I'm personally partial to 2 strokes myself for the same reasons you mentioned above. I going to keep an eye out for the next few and hopefully with fall here now some of the prices will drop . Thanks again

 

[etemplet]

Get something with a 787 engine in it. Depending on what you are doing the 717 isn't a bad choice Much easier to work on. The DI.... you'll be a guru because it is difficult to find anyone to work on them. YOu don't need that kind of trouble in your life...

For some reason this is peak price season on skis.

 

[WaarrEagle]

I am a year+ and $2600 of parts/tools into my DI rebuild and the stupid thing still doesn’t run right. Be very careful before buying a non-running DI.

 

[Mraw]

I would try and find a carboratored ski. Easier and cheaper to work on. I personally love the carbed 951s

 

[XPLORx4]

I purchased a pair of '02 DI's (GTX DI and RX DI) earlier this summer. The seller said they were running great, and they had low hours (both under 60). I did take them out on the water soon after purchasing them, but both began having problems right away. Both craft had damaged pump vanes and impellers which clearly had ingested pebbles or rocks. I neglected to check the tail cone oil (not knowing the importance of doing so) and it turns out that the GTX tail cone had a bad O-ring and the tail cone oil had mixed with water. The pump seized and locked up the engine. Fortunately, a simple pump/impeller replacement solved that problem. Also, on both craft, the MAINT light kept setting them into limp mode, so I ended up purchasing the CanDoo PRO device to aid in troubleshooting. Both PWC's had lots of codes relating to low and high voltage, so I went on the hunt for new rectifiers. The low voltage errors are intermittent, which makes it difficult to be certain that a rectifier will fix the problem. Both skis have leaking oil reservoirs, which makes quite a mess in the bilge. The reservoir on the GTX is easier to replace than the RX, which requires removal of the exhaust pipe.

All that being said, the RXDI is now running in top shape. Max speed is 60mph with new pump and impeller. I might need a differently pitched impeller though, because there seems to be some cavitation when pinning the throttle out of the hole.

They do seem to have pretty good fuel economy. I rode the RXDI solo on a 40-mile loop (more than 60% of the time I was at full throttle) and used less than 3/8 tank of gas. The fuel tank is 15gal.

 

[jhjesse]

I have owned 4 DI skis for several years now and love them. Bought every one of them with a blown engine. Rebuilt them myself. On every one of them the maintenance was neglected and cheap oil used.

They sip gas, have instant starts and are fun to ride.
As mentioned above they are not for everyone, but once you figure them out they are really economical to own.

 

[CDRPJL]

Thank you all for the additional replies. I know nothing is the boating world is ever cheap, but it sounds like the DI might be an additional expensive variable I'm not quite ready for. I'm going to keep hunting around for a carb version the next couple of weeks and hopefully someone wants to unload for a deal with the off-season upon us. Thanks again for the fair warning