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Some Suggestions from Pittsburgh Watercraft 

Set a Budget

When you set your purchase budget, you may also want to consider your annual maintenance, winterization, de-winterization, repair, fuel and oil costs. Your annual maintenance and repair costs will vary depending on the type of engine in the ski and its age. Your fuel and oil needs will vary depending on your use.

Some common repairs include wear ring replacement due to debris sucked up from the river, starter solenoid replacement for SeaDoos, and fuel switch failures. All these repair costs come with jet-ski ownership.

Consider Your Jet-Ski Needs

Do you have a family with children who will want to ride the ski? Will you want to pull any wave boards or tubes? If so, you should consider a three-seater jet-ski rather than a one or two-seater. Pennsylvania law does not permit jet-skis with less than three seats to pull anything behind them.

Consider Parts Availability

Most people buy jet-skis due for their color or looks. This is less important than manufacture. I personally recommend SeaDoo partly due to the company’s longevity:
SeaDoo has been making personal watercraft since 1968 and their parts are almost always available.

Kawasaki and Yamaha make a great product also, but we have found it easier over the years to obtain SeaDoo parts. When you live in an area like Pittsburgh, riding time is limited to four months out of the year. So, if your ski needs repair during that four months, you want to get back on the water as soon as you can.

Polaris made a good product in its time, but the Polaris watercraft division filed bankruptcy after the 2004 production year. Some Polaris parts are now impossible to obtain in a timely fashion.

Have a Jet-Ski Shop Perform a Pre-Purchase Evaluation

The best thing to do when buying any pre-owned ski is to take it to a local shop that has a good reputation for service and knowledge on all ski types. Your seller should agree to this if he has nothing to hide.

For $50.00, Pittsburgh Watercraft will perform a pre-purchase evaluation. That $50 is like buying a gift card from Pittsburgh Watercraft. We will give you that same amount in credit to service the ski at a later time if you end up buying it.

If you cannot bring the ski to a local shop for pre-purchase evaluation, the most important thing to determine on your own is the ski’s compression on each cylinder. Depending on make, model and year, the compression will vary. As far as hours on an engine, 100 hours is a lot if it has not been serviced on a normal basis. Some skis have 200 hours on them but the engine has been rebuilt.

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