Hello from a new member

[finatic@aol.com]

Hello Everyone my name is Mike and I live in Daytona Beach Florida. I'm new to this board and to PWC use. I recently purchased a 1997 Yamaha Wave Raider 700 which turned out to be to small for the wife and I so I picked up a 1997 Sea Doo GTX. I'm looking forward to giving and receiving advice ( mostly receiving ) from this site. Thanks to all in advance for any help you provide.

Mike

 

[Ankeneyou]

Welcome. The GTX is a great ski. I picked up a mint one for my wife last summer to upgrade from her GTI.

 

[finatic@aol.com]

It is my hope that it will be a little more stable with the wife and I on it. She was not very impress with the stability of the Yamaha Wave Raider with the two of us on it. And as we know the wife has to be happy if I plan on the money to keep flowing into this new hobby.

 

[Ankeneyou]

The GTX is very stable it will be night and day compared to the wave raider. I rode a friend's raider years ago and it's definitely not a 2 person ski. Was OK once you were moving but very tippy at slow speeds. I've never been a fan of that hull even with one person though.

The GTX you really have to try hard to tip it over. I can stand on the back corner fishing off of it with no issues at all. I like the ski because it's still somewhat playful while being stable and still hits the mid 50's for top speed.

Just make sure you go through the typical seadoo preventative maintenance before riding at all and it should be a great ski for you.

Here are the basics:
- check fuel lines (replace if it still has original gray lines)
- clean or rebuild both carbs
- replace fuel selector
- check fuel strainer and ensure the o-ring seals correctly
- clean rave valves and check o-rings/replace gaskets
- check wear ring clearance and replace if needed.
- change jet pump oil
- change spark plugs
- replace oil feed lines from tank to oil pump, tank to Rotary valve cover, and from under exhaust back to tank.
- replace the small 3/32 oil injection lines with new tygon lines and bleed oil pump (unless someone has changed the ski to pre-mix)
- ONLY USE api-tc low ash 2 cycle oil. You cannot use cheap tc-w3 oil like in the yamaha. If you are unsure of what oil is currently in the tank you need to drain it, clean, and refill with the proper oil.

This is the minimum I go through with any ski I buy before riding. Good luck and post questions if you've got them.

 

[Ankeneyou]

I forgot to mention the first thing to do is check compression on the engine before putting any $ into it to ensure you aren't putting money into a ski needing engine work. The 787 should be around 150 psi in each cylinder, but they must be within 10% of each other.

 

[finatic@aol.com]

Thanks for the advice. I know that all the fuel lines have been replaced, the carbs were gone through in the last few weeks, the wear rind was also just replaced, it has new plugs and he said he went through the motor. The guy I bought it from is a jet ski mechanic so he says. There is one odd issue. The off position on the fuel selector switch is 180 degrees off from where the icon is. I was wondering why that would be and if that means on is actually reserve and reserve is actually on.

 

[Ankeneyou]

The plastic surround for the fuel selector may just be rotated or the guy crammed the knob on incorrectly ( it should only go on one way, but if it's cracked it's possible to install it the wrong way).

Remove the little rubber cover on the knob which will reveal a Phillips screw. Remove that then pry the knob off. From there you can check to ensure the knob was on the right way and is not broken.

To remove and check the valve u have to unscrew the big plastic nut which holds it in the hull. It's easier to do if you remove the glove box/storage bin then you can reach your hand in the hull to access the back of the valve.