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Newbie looking to buy pair 2012+ PWC - Need advice

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Mark22

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Hello, just wanting to see if I can get some advice from the experts. Would really appreciate it.

We are currently looking to get a pair of Seadoos here in Canada. Would prefer something that can handle aggressive riding, sharp turns and carves as well as towing a tube, banana boat etc.
Initially, I want to keep my budget under $16,000 pre-owned for two with a bit of wiggle room but not sure if that is possible. I have been told the newer supercharged engines do not need a 100 hour rebuild. I don't want a beginners PWC and have to replace it in the future. I would like to have IBR as well as decent horsepower. Looking for something that will not break down on us or need constant care.

We have been looking at a few RXT and GTI 155. There are so many models I'm not sure which is the best bang for the buck. Looking for pre-owned preferably. I have been told not to go for anything less than 2012. I would prefer something above 2013. What do you guys think we should get? Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you for reading.
 
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The 2016 SCs are the non-rebuild style. Anything older is.

Let's narrow it down
2 or 3 seater skis
Family, performance, or lower end entry model skis.
 
Coastiejoe said:
The 2016 SCs are the non-rebuild style. Anything older is.

Let's narrow it down
2 or 3 seater skis
Family, performance, or lower end entry model skis.
Click to expand...

Hi, thank you for your reply.
I guess I would need to stay away from Supercharged models because of the rebuild and I really don't want to pay for depreciation on new models right now.
We need 3 seaters I think to legally tow a tube here and we will use it for family with kids sometimes but mostly for aggressive riding, carving turns, donuts and jumping waves rather than WOT but easy to control as well (if that even exists). Maybe this would fall under performance? Just want to have fun on the water but no boring cruises.

Thanks again!
 
You have limited options based on your desires. Hard to have a FAMILY ski with PERFORMANCE and not have a SC.

Here are my thoughts.
GTX 155. Fantastic family ski with nice options like VTS and super comfortable seat. It is a heavier ski but the 155 does a good job with it.

Or, lighter and slightly smaller, but still 3-seater is the GTI. I would get the 155 engines as the 130 is as small as it gets.
The GTS is nearly identical to the GTI but is slightly better performance setup.
 
Coastiejoe said:
You have limited options based on your desires. Hard to have a FAMILY ski with PERFORMANCE and not have a SC.

Here are my thoughts.
GTX 155. Fantastic family ski with nice options like VTS and super comfortable seat. It is a heavier ski but the 155 does a good job with it.

Or, lighter and slightly smaller, but still 3-seater is the GTI. I would get the 155 engines as the 130 is as small as it gets.
The GTS is nearly identical to the GTI but is slightly better performance setup.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much. That was very helpful. In terms of family ski, what exactly is the difference between both? It would mostly be for just fun riding with another ski partner but when the younger kids want to take a ride with us we can also take them and tow a tube as well. But mostly will be for fun riding and sometimes with two passengers each. I also see the RTX pop up a lot pre-owned 2013/2014 models for around $12,000-$13,000 Canadian. Is it worth getting pre-owned or should we stick to new? Thanks again!
 
Thanks guys! I'm kind of set on GTI 155 right now. Although I see a lot of GTI 130 videos on YouTube. Seems to be more popular for some reason? Any reason why?
For my second one, although I hate entry level machines, the spark looks so much fun. Any cons of owning one? It would be kind of nice to get two different skis to experience different rides instead of getting two of the same ones.
 
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the price is what set the 2 apart for me, before i made my purchase, i asked what the differences were, and a few that had both the 130 and 155, said that the 155 had a little more umph in the mid range and aprox 3 mph more top end speed, also stated the going from the 130 to the 155 was not a significant enough. so i bought a 130. i myself never rode a 155 so i really cant vouch for that. the SE130 and SE155 does however have vts, a boarding step which i added on mine, and a few more features on the info gauge.
 
I have a 2011 GTI LTD 155. Just turned 175 hrs. Ski is flawless. As mentioned, there is a pretty big difference (IMO) on the ride as a result of the hull. If you make a sharp turn in the GTI, you can feel the ski slide, not unlike making a hard turn on snow in a car. I like it, for an "older gentleman" like me, there is a more secure feeling that I am not going to get thrown off. The GTX hull will dig in and turn - right now. A number of guys in our ride group have the GTX hull, both with and without Suspension. The 155 has plenty of power for me and the ECO, Touring and Sport modes allow you choose how aggressive you want the performance and, the resulting fuel consumption. Top speed is 52 mph on the GPS. Fast enough. While it certainly won't perform like [MENTION=43374]Coastiejoe[/MENTION]'s RXT-X, but the 155 is solid.
 
Thanks again for your replies. While I was looking at the GTI 155 130, I saw the GTR 215 and the price difference is not much. I also saw a few videos for the RXP doing tricks on waves, donuts etc. and I'm kind of tempted but the price difference is huge. Would probably go for RXT 3up instead though. Now I'm thinking racing would be fun with the family as well so I'm kind of tempted to go for something higher HP for both skis. I don't want to keep selling and buying skis as we advance so that's another issue. How much can I expect to save off MSRP if I were to buy new? It's very hard to come across pre-owned skis here too. They go within a day if the dealer gets them in.

Forgot to mention we're in Ontario so we would be riding in lakes and bays. No salt water or ocean tides/waves.
 
The GTR 215 is the perfect "optimal" machine: tons of power at a decent price. The only thing to consider is that it has a supercharger and an intercooler, which means slightly less reliability. The non-supercharged models are bullet-proof. So, if you don't mind rebuilding the supercharger at 200 hrs (about CDN $600), they're the best bang for the buck. Good luck.
 
3ftDeep said:
The GTR 215 is the perfect "optimal" machine: tons of power at a decent price. The only thing to consider is that it has a supercharger and an intercooler, which means slightly less reliability. The non-supercharged models are bullet-proof. So, if you don't mind rebuilding the supercharger at 200 hrs (about CDN $600), they're the best bang for the buck. Good luck.
Click to expand...

Oh, I was told the new 2016 models do not need a supercharger and are maintenance free? I would prefer a low maintenance machine. What would be the best two choices for a new 2016 non SC model?
 
Mark22 said:
Oh, I was told the new 2016 models do not need a supercharger and are maintenance free? I would prefer a low maintenance machine. What would be the best two choices for a new 2016 non SC model?
Click to expand...

The 2016 does have a non-rebuildable SC, but no ski is maintenance free.. Some are just less maintenance than others..
 
In my opinion, if I was to get a model without a supercharger, it would be a GTI SE 155, or a GTI LTD 155. Not to get confused, there are 2 new supercharged models: those with the older, rebuildable superchargers, and those with the new supercharger that doesn't need rebuilding (GTX 300, RXP-X 300 and RXT-X 300).
 
IMO the supercharger maintenance is not that big of a deal. I had it done on mine, and I have another 80+ hours before I have to think of it again, at 3 hours per ride, that a LOT of rides even in Florida where we can ride year round.

for a canadian buyer, with the short season I wouldn't even worry, buy one that had the maintenance done recently, or do it immediately after purchase, then for the next 2 years, its not even up for discussion.
 
3ftDeep said:
In my opinion, if I was to get a model without a supercharger, it would be a GTI SE 155, or a GTI LTD 155. Not to get confused, there are 2 new supercharged models: those with the older, rebuildable superchargers, and those with the new supercharger that doesn't need rebuilding (GTX 300, RXP-X 300 and RXT-X 300).
Click to expand...

Thanks I will consider those options. What about the GTR 215 2016 model? Does that have a new supercharger that doesn't require rebuilding? How can I know which superchargers require rebuilds when I compare models? Or all 2016 superchargers are no rebuilds? Plan would be to ride at least 1-2 times a week for several hours at a time for 5 months a year and we may travel to Florida or California for winters with our seadoos so really prefer one that doesn't require constant rebuilding. Cost is around $800 in Canada or so to rebuild.
 
Only the 3 new 300 HP models have the "never-need-rebuilding" superchargers. All other models (185 HP and up) have the older ones that need rebuilding around 200 hrs (or earlier, if they're the much older models). The GTR superchargers need rebuilding, but Spimothy (above) is right, it's not something to panic about. 200 hrs is a lot of rides. It's just that it will come around, and some people just don't want the fuss (like most rental places, for example). So, if you don't need that much power, one of the non-supercharged models will serve you well and will be very reliable. If you do want the power (300 HP!), and don't mind the extra $$, the new models with the 1630 ACE engine appear to be fantastic. On the other hand, I convinced a friend of mine who also didn't want to fuss much with his machine to buy a GTI 155, and he's very happy.
 
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Thanks everyone. I guess I will go with supercharged above 2012 since they need it at 200 hours I've been told. I found 2014 RXT AS for $13,560 including taxes of 13% with 35 hours and a 2016 GTR 215 for $15,156 including fees and taxes. Is this worth it ? Thanks! :)
 
Also regarding riding gear do we need helmets ? Would it look stupid to wear a helmet in the lake? Just want to know the unwritten rules of cool riders. LOL
 
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