Other Best sit-down for stand-up guys

[icecoled007]

So, after 3 years of riding I have learned my wife isent really into the stand up ski's (yah, boo!). I am looking to get her a sit-down and was wondering what you guys recommend as the best ski.

I am looking for something cheap (sub $2k) and reliable. I also would like something that can tow the occasional wake board, tube (need 3 seater) as I think that would be a cool option to have.

Thoughts? I was thinking 1100 STX or GP1200?

 

[Dustin88]

Stx, waveventure or xl

 

[Kny21]

2 seater- Waveblaster II. Bigger, more stable than its predecessor and still simple mechanically.

3 seater- xl, raider, or venture with non-pv 1100/1200

 

[uwswimmer]

I have only owned one sit down, but have had it for 10 years, its the STX, been a good ski, for the girls to ride, pulling wake skaters ect. never had any major problems at all, ez to work on.

 

[PWCMX]

I just went through the same thing with my girlfriend. I bought here a waveblaster 1 and she seems to be liking it. I also have a 3 person as well for my kids.

 

[OCD Solutions]

I'd be looking at the Seadoo Spark myself. It's a bit higher than your stated budget but I think it would be better money spent in the long run.

It's got warranty, it's quiet, fuel efficient and just downright fun.

Do you really want to buy a project ski for your girl? i know mine looses interest fast when her ski don't run and we're on the sideline wrenching.

 

[Balduccimoto]

I started on a 98 750 XI before I discovered stand ups. I paid $700 for it with trailer and sold it without the trailer for a bit more. They are plentiful and parts readily available. Power output is decent and rides pretty good.

I think a faster ski would be a early 90's Seadoo XP with that powervalve motor. A little bit more expensive than a 750 XI though. You can tell there's better hardware in there just by the huge expansion chamber they include with it. They're not bottlenecked like most OEM skis. I think they may be a little less reliable than a kawi or yamaha, but Seadoo makes it up in power and ride (they are supposedly pretty good in the surf, and I actually liked the way they ride more than the 750 XI)

Another ski I owned was a 1999 Yamaha GP760. It's a newer styled ski I was able to find for $500 with a blown motor. I put a motor in from ebay for $700. That ski was a little larger and less playful then the previously listed, smaller skis. It definately makes up in the chop though. I had 2 motor mount inserts pop out of the stringers, but easy to repair. Nothing fast or amazing about that ski, besides being great for passengers, great on fuel and having a nice ride. Damn thing had a 13 gallon gas tank! Maybe one of these would be best since you'd most likely already have spare parts. EDIT: Almost forgot, the GP hulls porpoise pretty bad over 45 mph. Trim tabs supposedly help a ton, riva makes them and are discontinued.

Fortunately, sit down skis are plentiful and there's usually good deals out there that you can't be hurt on. I usually choose a price to cover my ass. If the engine blows next week and I have to replace, I still don't get hurt on the deal. Nearly impossible to do with stand up jet skis since they're usually price gouged. I'd use that to your advantage. I only loose money on stand up skis haha

 

[jetpilot36]

i just bought my wife a 99 xl760. its a 3 seater, very stable. top speed is about 45-50. but girls dont like speed. the SD spark is unstable. you should see how narrow the seat is up close. stx is a good ski. i just know the xl760 and xl700 have been a staple for rental fleets for years due to their reliability. everything you want in a sitdown except top speed.

 

[Quinc]

My wife loves the zxi 1100 and puts up with the wb1...

 

[Raddog]

My family rides my 96 seadoo spx the thing is reliable,power trim,stable and rips.
Cheers Ray

 

[lanmine657]

TS 650, then you got room for a beer cooler too!!

 

[2stroker]

I got mine a waveblaster 2 and I have a Yamaha based predator so if anything craps out on mine like starter or start stop switch she's off the water and I keep riding till I get the new parts and put them in mine and put the old ones back in her's lol even if you were doing an engine rebuild you can use the motor.

 

[Vumad]

Can't go wrong with a gp1200. Xl760 is cheap and rides like a dream. Wb1 and wb2 are both great skis, pick the size you like.

Kawi 750ss can be had for about $400-800 and are fun. Also a direct swap into a x2. X2 can be a lot of fun, just keep it a limited 650 and the engine compartment dry. Everyone loves my x2 with the pontoon kit and high seat.

I haven't ridden a seadoo Spx, but the guy at that lake with a 800 can beat my gp1200 on a course due to much better handling. Seadoo xp (second gen) handles well. 3d is cool, especially go kart mode, but I wouldn't buy one unless you think it could get her to transition to a sxr.

I'd really like to get my wife a gen2 x2 but they are very expensive and hard to find. My wife can kneel in the tray of my Superjet in calm water with the ski off. She could certainly stay on a gen 2 with it off: she's 125.

 

[Pro-pulsion]

I have ridden the Kawi ZXi 1100 a good few times in the past and absolutely loved it. Its comfy, reasonably quiet, stable and still very capable to play on and dive the nose. I owned a 96 Sea-Doo XP800 and it was the absolute worst, most unreliable piece of junk I ever owned for a watercraft. I swore that brand off when I got rid of it. One thing to keep in mind if Sea-Doo is a consideration, they only maintain full parts support for ten years. After that they obsolete the models and stop supporting parts production. In 2006, I was given a notice from the authorized dealer that my ski was phased out and could no longer order oem parts for it. There is a reason why their commercials used to say "built for a decade of fun". Someone let the cat out of the bag when they made that promotional call phrase lol.

*Additional Edit* A fella would be wise to avoid Polaris as well. Never have I seen an engine so prone to throw a crank out of phase with such minimal effort as I have with Polaris. Additionally, the Polaris Genesis uses early introduction Ficht fuel injection which was a massive flop. It was problematic on the outboard motors and equally as problematic on the watercraft.

 

[Pablo]

Get any Yamaha based 2 stroke/twin cylinder/non PV whatever ski (XL, XLT, GP...etc) and know it will be simple to maintain, easy to ride and fairly cheap. I sold my Seadoo after 10 years of constant maintenance. A Kawi with same considerations would be second choice.

 

[AtomicPunk]

I like the GP1200 (nonPV) my brother has.... I realize these are technically two seaters but I always thought the GP760 or WBII were good alternatives (especially from a parts perspective).

 

[heynagel]

I've got a Polaris Genesis 1200 for the wife. She can ride it all day and not get a drop of water on her if she wants (That's why she likes it so much). Easy to start and very stable even with passengers. You can find them for around or below 2k. It's been a great ski for me. I've never put a wrench on it yet. It is the carb version.

 

[bird]

I've been looking at 900/1100 ZXIs and the Ultra 150. They are the last of the two-seater two-strokes, well until the Spark came out.

 

[550/440]

Yamaha XL800 is a solid platform, I've been riding one of those at my brother in law's place, and they are the same hull as the XL760, I believe. Plenty of 760 parts around if you go that route, and they are cheap, fun 3 seat skis.

 

[Vumad]

Yamaha XL800 is a solid platform, I've been riding one of those at my brother in law's place, and they are the same hull as the XL760, I believe. Plenty of 760 parts around if you go that route, and they are cheap, fun 3 seat skis.

Depends on the year. Older GP800 is the same hull as the older GP1200, but the later GP800 have the GPR hull. I am not sure that the XL800 is the same bottom as the XL760. I think they are the GPR hull, pretty sure they are since they are identical to the XLT1200 PV.