If anyone has checked the meet and greet forum, you may have read a little of my story but if you have not, I am completely new to PWC's and will be in the market probably this winter to purchase one for myself and one for my fiance. I am looking for all the advice I can get, so I will start out broad. What would you recommend as a good starter? I want something that has some power but doesn't need to be the fastest on the lake. I would like a 3 seater. They will mainly be used for cruising around and maybe towing tube's. I will probably be looking to spend 10-12k on a pair so they will most likely need to be used. Any advice I can get would be greatly appreciated.
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Any opinions for a beginner?
- Thread starter Mrand55
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tomcat&family
New Member
I'm a big fan of the GTX boats... they've got power, but they're not the fastest boats on the lake. They're good for pulling tubes, and they have a ton of storage for gear, tools, and whatever else. Our GTX's are older '99 RFI's, but I am very happy with them. I really wasn't looking for two-stroke skis, but I knew the owner and I got a good deal on them. For two-strokes, I am very impressed with them. I have had one of the boats up to 63mph according to the speedometer... not RXP speed, but it's fast enough. These boats also seem to do fairly well on fuel. The RXP we have can burn fuel pretty quickly with the powerful 215hp engine! These boats are more of the "touring" boats, if you will. The RXP is used for going out and going fast.
Hope that helps a little bit.
Hope that helps a little bit.
markrvp
New Member
Like Tomcat above, I have a GTX three-seater and an RXP two-seater. The GTX is an '97 and the RXP is an '05. I was able to buy them both used for $10,000.
I might suggest to you that you get one three-seater and then one two-seater. That way you get the best of both worlds.
In Sea-Doo sense, the GTX would be the 4-door Cadillac. An XP or RXP would be the Ferrari.
XPs are best for one person only. An RXP handles two people very well.
If you are going to get two Sea-Doos, then I would suggest getting two that have the same engine... If you are handy mechanically and like to work on stuff, then you would like the two-stroke engine models. Probably the 951 engine that has 130hp. In general, you would be looking for something manufactured between 1999 and 2003 (with some exceptions). The 3-seater models in this age range are the GTX and GTI. A really fun 2-seater is the GSX (great hull - really fast). The RX is another 2-seater. The one person sport model is the XP.
If you are patient, you can find a good deal on a ski with the 4-stroke engine like an 04-08 RXP, RXT, GTI, GTX, & Wake. I got my '05 RXP (215 supercharged) with trailer for $7000. If you get one of these Supercharged 4-stroke models, keep in mind that you will probably have to spend another $500-$700 having the ceramic clutch washers in the supercharger changed to steel washers. There have been several instances where the ceramic washers broke and trashed the engine.
If you are going to be pulling tubes a lot, you should probably seriously consider looking for the Wake model ski. It has an extendable pylon that raises up to connect your tow rope to. This is very important as tow ropes have a tendency to get caught in the wake when the rope is connected low on the ski. My sons and I found this out the hard way.
Good luck!
I might suggest to you that you get one three-seater and then one two-seater. That way you get the best of both worlds.
In Sea-Doo sense, the GTX would be the 4-door Cadillac. An XP or RXP would be the Ferrari.
XPs are best for one person only. An RXP handles two people very well.
If you are going to get two Sea-Doos, then I would suggest getting two that have the same engine... If you are handy mechanically and like to work on stuff, then you would like the two-stroke engine models. Probably the 951 engine that has 130hp. In general, you would be looking for something manufactured between 1999 and 2003 (with some exceptions). The 3-seater models in this age range are the GTX and GTI. A really fun 2-seater is the GSX (great hull - really fast). The RX is another 2-seater. The one person sport model is the XP.
If you are patient, you can find a good deal on a ski with the 4-stroke engine like an 04-08 RXP, RXT, GTI, GTX, & Wake. I got my '05 RXP (215 supercharged) with trailer for $7000. If you get one of these Supercharged 4-stroke models, keep in mind that you will probably have to spend another $500-$700 having the ceramic clutch washers in the supercharger changed to steel washers. There have been several instances where the ceramic washers broke and trashed the engine.
If you are going to be pulling tubes a lot, you should probably seriously consider looking for the Wake model ski. It has an extendable pylon that raises up to connect your tow rope to. This is very important as tow ropes have a tendency to get caught in the wake when the rope is connected low on the ski. My sons and I found this out the hard way.
Good luck!
Great Beginner Ski
I have a 2005 GTI LE RFI. It was about $8000 new including trailer. It has 110 hp and goes about 53 mph top speed. It is a 3 seater, pulls a skier and tubes with plenty of power. You should be able to pick up a pair of them with a trailer in your price range. Good luck and have fun.
I have a 2005 GTI LE RFI. It was about $8000 new including trailer. It has 110 hp and goes about 53 mph top speed. It is a 3 seater, pulls a skier and tubes with plenty of power. You should be able to pick up a pair of them with a trailer in your price range. Good luck and have fun.
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