The search is on!

[Minnetonka4me]

No the cylinder doesnt wear out...its the base that the two screws hold down. Once the base is wore, then they vibrate on the valve area of the cylinder, and thats what makes them break.

The guillotine shaft goes thru the base...if you look at the base youll see theres a oilite bushing in there. On used guillotines you'll notice wear to the coating, but the main problem is the base.

I was lucky enough to buy 2 sets of new OEM bases and valves before they were discontinued for my personal machines...but they still leak.

The reason why mine leak? I run premix, and you have far too much oil that doesnt burn at lower RPM.

I have come to the theory that unless the valves have chunky sludge on them and move freely, they dont need cleaning. To me it acts as a buffer so the valve cant vibrate.

 

[soccerdad]

Ok I found something that I thought was pretty funny on my search. You likely have seen one of these before but it was new to me. http://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/4273545188.html Not sure it would pull a tube!

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

lol! that didnt come out right did it? but NO! a gti for my wife to drive!

Peddling ass, is illegal!
I love the 720, the one I had years ago was a great running, dependable ski for over a decade till I gave it away, well maintained and bought new! Not a powerhouse, I doubt you could pull a skier, but I'm not a speed freak and it never was necessary to run at WOT to maintain my bug stained purly whites.

I like the RAVE valve motors as well, if you want something with more power than is necessary could be the way to go, especially if you ride two-up or want to pull a skier. RAVE does add complication, but once set up correctly seems to be reliable enough. One aspect I like about RAVES is I can inspect the piston/cylinder by simply removing the RAVE.

Inspect impeller to see if it's mangled, wear ring and pump stator as well. Compression test and splash the boat for a water test. Look for signs of modification, abuse, neglect.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

Ok I found something that I thought was pretty funny on my search. You likely have seen one of these before but it was new to me. http://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/4273545188.html Not sure it would pull a tube!

LOL fishing off a jet ski is all fun until you catch a really BIG fish. Not falling in while trying to take it off the hook is a challenge Bring a net!

 

[TheMachin0]

some one finally found a good use for a kawi its prob way more reliable now

Ok I found something that I thought was pretty funny on my search. You likely have seen one of these before but it was new to me. http://raleigh.craigslist.org/boa/4273545188.html Not sure it would pull a tube!

 

[LouDoo]

I checked the Raleigh Craigs List, and with one exception (two GTI's) I really didn't see much. So you might want to expand your search to say a 150 mi. radius, now is the time to buy because most people raise their prices in the spring, if spring ever comes.

 

[IDoSeaDoo]

I drove from Raleigh to Florida to get a good deal on that 2003 GTX I just picked up. $2400 w/ trailer. And it runs GREAT! Got to water test it and all! Use SEARCHTEMPEST.com it searches all craigslist adds based on distance from you (or other variables you can define). Getting 40mpg helped make that NOT so expensive. Diesel Jetta's ROCK!

 

[Spimothy Leary]

I drove from Raleigh to Florida to get a good deal on that 2003 GTX I just picked up. $2400 w/ trailer. And it runs GREAT! Got to water test it and all! Use SEARCHTEMPEST.com it searches all craigslist adds based on distance from you (or other variables you can define). Getting 40mpg helped make that NOT so expensive. Diesel Jetta's ROCK!

a+ on searchtempest,, I use it all the time...

 

[soccerdad]

I had never heard of searchtempest. Great tip. Thanks. A 96 gti popped up last night locally. sounds too good to be true. I am getting pictures, then I may go see it. Actually it is a pair of them, one 96 gti and one 93 xp. and a trailer. Supposed to be running but needs some "minor" gel coat work and the xp needs some internal glass work. This fits right into my wheelhouse since I am good with glass. The price is so good that I don't really care what the 93 is like. We will see. I am not expecting much. (but hoping a lot!)

 

[Spimothy Leary]

 

[soccerdad]

Well I just got back from looking at a 96 gti and 93 xp. They were listed as good running and the 96 having some minor gel coat issues in on the bottom front and the 93 needing a little fiberglass repair under the seat. Well they both ran and pumped over 140 PSI. But they were rags. Out in the sun uncovered all their lives. And the trailer was a rag as well. He wanted $1000 for it all, which still was too much in my book. So then I asked about the titles and he confessed that he had them but the previous owner had never notarized them. So I left. I am up for a project, but don't want to do it on a ski I don't really want. And not two rebuilds. I think I have set my target price too low. There are pair of clean (at least in the pictures) 97 gtxs with trailer for $3500. That may be the better path. Then I can always pick up a rough one for a project. Back to shopping.

 

[LouDoo]

Yep, I think you were wise to run away from those ski's, you can tell a lot of how ski's (or anything else), was taken care of by their cosmetic appearance, these look to have belonged to Fred Sanford.

Lou

Added: Maybe you should come to KY, here's another one available locally that looks pretty good.

http://huntington.craigslist.org/boa/4319684622.html

 

[CReynoldsMIZ]

Yeah look at those skis, those were turds. You can have good compression and still have a shoddy motor, and I'm guessing those ones wouldn't last long

 

[soccerdad]

Added: Maybe you should come to KY, here's another one available locally that looks pretty good.

http://huntington.craigslist.org/boa/4319684622.html

Yep, if I could find a nice pair of those, then I would be set.

Looking here, I found two possibilities. Both are a world nicer than what I saw yesterday. I have not actually seen either of these yet.

This one: http://greensboro.craigslist.org/boa/4286229312.html is a pair of 97 gtx's with a pretty nice trailer. For $3500. I asked and they think they have about 250 hours on them. That seems like a lot but not sure.

This one: http://greensboro.craigslist.org/sno/4288772288.html is also a pair of 97s, one gtx and one gsx. Also looking clean with nice trailer. Seems like the hours may be less on these. But sounds like some work has been done on them. The Redline Sports decal kind of scares me. They may have been driven pretty hard, but then the owner might just be hard core about keeping them nice. Can the GSX be a cruiser ski or is it more of a hard driving ski?

Thoughts? Again, family of 4, an 11 year old girl that likes to tube, and a 15 year old boy that likes to drive. Do these things pull wake boards very well?

 

[Spimothy Leary]

250 is a pretty dam high number...

the gsx is a cruiser, if you ride it like one, its quite comfortable. ps... 64mph is a dream figure... not reality.

 

[soccerdad]

I REALLY appreciate all the help you are giving me on this. I don't want to be a pain, but now is a good time to buy and so many questions keep popping up.

I found another ski that looks possible. It is "The blue ski is a 98 gtx limited 951cc. Has a electrical box issue, will turn over" It looks like from ebay the mpem is ~$300. Does that sound correct? Not sure what they have done for diagnostics yet, but from this forum I think I have found much of what I need to do that.

The "Sea Doo Model Reference" kind of confused me. Is this a carbureted or injected ski? I read it as having carbs. And the reference notes that it has a 948 motor, not 951. But an ebay add for 98 gtx parts calls it a 951 as well.

It comes with a 97 GSX and shore lander trailer. They look clean and at $2200, it looks like a decent deal if they are really clean. And if the main thing they need is the ignition and some misc smaller repairs.

 

[AdamXP800]

The blue Gtx 951 can be 2000 or 2001 I believe, carbed or fuel injected. Do you have pictures


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[AdamXP800]

The 98 Gtx limited is burgundy with the 951 motor


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[soccerdad]

here is the picture posted
I think it has been painted.

 

[AdamXP800]

http://columbia.craigslist.org/boa/4268060843.html


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[AdamXP800]

Not too too far from you, needs a good cleaning but not a bad deal if everything checks out


Long live the 2 stroke Seadoo!

 

[Spimothy Leary]

Some might think this is a crazy suggestion, but I'd suggest expanding your search criteria down as far as Jacksonville/Daytona.

or just continue to be patient for the right deal, if you watch CL daily you'll see the new ones that pop up, keep a small pile of Hondo's at the house and be ready to pounce when the right one pops up. Most of the real super deals are listed and sold with a few hours. Almost every one of my really really good buys came that way, and most of my "average at best" purchases were ones that stayed on CL for a week before I called on it.

Also, I did this with tremendous success in my area for a couple of years..... Put a want to buy ad out there on CL, state your purpose,,,, "want a family ski project, somewhat mechanically inclined, not a flipper or low baller" etc.... many times before somebody posts an ad to sell their ski, they browse around to decide how much they want to price it at, and stumble across your ad along with a couple of other "I buy junk ski" ads. They will prefer to do business with you if you sound legit. (include your phone # or get a google voice # that forwards to your phone)

Also, put up another ad that says "I want to buy a trailer for a jet ski, and if it comes with an older ski, thats OK" you'll sometimes be very pleasantly surprised at the phone calls you get from those ads... most of the sellers that respond are honest and sincere, and they'd rather call you and get it over with vs dealing with a bunch of CL nutcases....

a couple of my best deals came from an ad that said "I need a trailer"

I scored a really nice running 97 GTX from an ad just like that and it was really weird, he wanted $850 for both Ski and trailer, so I asked how much for just the trailer and he says "$450", so I said... sooooo. "you'd take $400 for the ski ? " and he jumped all over it, actually delivered it to my house ! He tried to sell that trailer for $450 for at least 3 months before finally dropping the price to $250.

 

[soccerdad]

That is really great advice! I think I have been going about this wrong. I really need 2 skis, so I was looking for a pair of them. Most around here come with a trailer, so I was thinking that I don't want two single trailers, just one double. So if I could buy a pair and a trailer at once, it would be great. But I now think I probably need to find two singles, then sell those trailers and get a double. And I do think I will have to travel some to get the deals. But l will post a wanted to buy locally and see what that pulls in. I have some time, but not sure when the spring prices stat to climb (if they do). Around here spring may never come. Lightly snowing now and about 5" expected on Wed-Thurs.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

yes, IMO, chasing the right pair, just add's a level of complexity to the issue that can make things too difficult.

Its rare to find the right pair of skis, in just the right condition, and at the right price....

I'd simply be looking for individual ski's right now, and randomly shop for a single or a double trailer as well, hopefully you have a little back yard space to set them aside until needed. if your not afraid of a little work, a fixer upper trailer many times can be had for $100 ish... but i've learned over time that by the time I put new tires, new lights, bearings, and bunks, I have $300 invested anyway, so try to find a trailer that needs the least effort, and if its just a "temp" trailer, say an old single, just repack the bearings and carpet up the bunks, do the minimal amount to make it road worthy since you might only use it once or twice to pick up a ski and take it home... (with that said, the $200 fixer upper double trailer, is a GREAT value..., but $100 fixer upper single are generally NOT)

I'd also invest the time into either building or purchasing a ski stand or two, if you plan on your purchase being even somewhat of a project, a stand will be most helpful, it dramatically reduces the amount of garage space used up for indoor storage, and it will save your shins from a lot of nasty cuts/bruises from the trailer corners. The added benefit is that if you have a seller that doesn't want to let the trailer go, you can just slide it onto your stand. I can store two large ski's on stands in the garage, and still have room for my wife's car. Two ski's on trailers will 86 that idea.

 

[jammin777]

No the cylinder doesnt wear out...its the base that the two screws hold down. Once the base is wore, then they vibrate on the valve area of the cylinder, and thats what makes them break.

The guillotine shaft goes thru the base...if you look at the base youll see theres a oilite bushing in there. On used guillotines you'll notice wear to the coating, but the main problem is the base.

I was lucky enough to buy 2 sets of new OEM bases and valves before they were discontinued for my personal machines...but they still leak.

The reason why mine leak? I run premix, and you have far too much oil that doesnt burn at lower RPM.

I have come to the theory that unless the valves have chunky sludge on them and move freely, they dont need cleaning. To me it acts as a buffer so the valve cant vibrate.

how much clearance should the rave/base have? mine has a little sideways movement or should there be hardly no movement at all?