Hey guys! I’m looking at getting a fairly cheap sit down for my wife. All I’ve ever known are 550’s and Superjets. Work on everything and tear apart engines myself. Any recommendations for sit downs? I have ridden a 96 seadoo xp. That’s it. I know those are powerful and on the light side. There is also a 98 Yamaha GP 1200 for sale at a bargain. Just don’t know my way around this segment. How is it working on these compared to standups? Thanks so much!
Good couch for wife
- Thread starter Captnem
- Start date
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
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- Alabama
That 98 Yamaha is an excellent machine with a non power valve engine which is what you want ,
assuming you want it to be 2T
Seadoo GTI or GTS 717 single carb 97-05 I think?
Absolutely tanks. Rotary valve motors idle like a dream
787 GTX 96-97 would be worth it if you want a little more juice.
If she's cools with the size of a GS/GSI/GSX. Go for one of those. They're basically 3seater x4's. Big fuel tank. They're a perfect bridge between a XP and a porker
1200s are labor nightmares. I'd avoid personally. The GPs have a little better access but an XL1200.... I cut the ski to remove the engine.
The Kawi couches are the most flimsy junk I've ever touched.
The Yamaha 2cyl couches are great but HEFTY. I mean asking alot out of a 701/760
Seadoo GTI or GTS 717 single carb 97-05 I think?
Absolutely tanks. Rotary valve motors idle like a dream
787 GTX 96-97 would be worth it if you want a little more juice.
If she's cools with the size of a GS/GSI/GSX. Go for one of those. They're basically 3seater x4's. Big fuel tank. They're a perfect bridge between a XP and a porker
1200s are labor nightmares. I'd avoid personally. The GPs have a little better access but an XL1200.... I cut the ski to remove the engine.
The Kawi couches are the most flimsy junk I've ever touched.
The Yamaha 2cyl couches are great but HEFTY. I mean asking alot out of a 701/760
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WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
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- Alabama
I believe you are referring to 99 and later power valve engines in which case I agree , the 98 model however has a 65u non power valve engine in it , I also have to disagree with your evaluation of Kawi couches , out of all the brands I work on Kawis the least , they are damned tough .
To me the best recreational XP was the 95 model with the 720 engine, good well balanced all around ski , the Kawasaki Ultras are super fast and pretty reliable skis but expensive to rebuild , the Kawasaki ZXI series are also very good well rounded machines if you can find a 750 or one of the triples that doesn't have the CV carbs on it., they are also quite simple to work on .
I pretty much stuck with two man machine recommendations since the two skis you are looking at are two man units , if you want recommendations on three man skis LMK I can defiantly give you plenty of info on those.
Quinc
Buy a Superjet
- Location
- California
gp760! I got one to flip but all the friends and family love it so I ended up keeping it. Does maybe 50mph, not tipsy and fun.
I bought a GP760 to part out, but it's so clean, I sat on it thinking one day I'd restore it. But I am not going to, honestly, so until right this moment my plan has been to part it out (i.e., pull the motor). If the OP wants a GP760 on a trailer with MI title, let's talk. Otherwise, damn it, now I am back on the fence about just gutting it vs getting it cleaned up.
bored&stroked
Urban redneck
- Location
- AZ
WaveBlaster. /thread
I'm fully agreement on 95 XP 720 best rec ski period. Such units. Or the 96SPX which is same with slightly different exhaust and bits. I gotta point out again the GS/GSI... same thing but slightly heavier, more stable and wayyyy bigger gas tank
But no I'm speaking of 65u, there's a lot going on with them beyond the GP hulls they're a nightmare to work on, electronics are super unreliable and expensive (parted out 3 now), they're impossible to keep carbs working right they eat fuel pump check valves... Not to mention wrenching on 3 carbs vs 1. Just the amount of nuts and bolts involved is 2.5x what anything else is.
Just alot of wrench turning for the performance of a stock 787 Seadoo in a couch scenario IMO, and not any more reliable by any token of the imagination
The ZXIs I didn't find too bad, the hulls arent really fun though and super heavy. Couldn't believe how much stainless steel bracketry they have in those things. Id imagine a 650/750 unit would be ungodly slow. Servicing about anything in it also seemed misery beyond the motorset. Looking at you trim unit. Can't go wrong with 750/1100 though. A friend lately has being going through the ringer with an Ultra. Pricey parts.
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
- Location
- Alabama
If you will notice I didn't include anything with a Yamaha 800 or 1200 power valve engine , there are two types of Yamaha power valve engines , those that the oil line has come off of or the power valves have dropped and those that are about to have it happen , if any kind of decent mechanic did the work you won't know which unless it's an SBT engine which on these engines I cannot recommend .
In other word it's a crapshoot and at the same time a ticking time bomb unless the issues have been corrected already.
This and WB2 are super solid picks.
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
- Location
- Alabama
I don't think I have ever replaced any electrical stuff on one other than a starter here and there , a bunch of starter solenoids, but that's across the board on Yamahas and one stator on a ski that had the starter clutch blow up and destroy it , maybe you got a bad run of them IDK , but I can assure you it is not the case in general and I have worked on way more of the 1200 65Us over the years than I can count , in fact the 65U 1200 and the 760 are my favorite Yamaha engines of all time.
They put me through the absolute ringer. But the XLs specifically I couldn't fathom being a tech and being forced to slide the engine all the way to nose, take the hole hood assembly apart and pull it out. The 760/1200 are definitely the Toyota of the water, they'll never work 100% right I feel but they'll get you home with 2 cylinders down
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
- Location
- Alabama
The engine will actually come out without doing all of that but yes I agree they are not easy to get the engines out of either way , I can pull the top off one of those blindfolded by now , not that big of a deal really , luckily you won't have to do that very much , as on all Yamahas that are oil injected the oil lines do come off occasionally but as I said on Yamahas that's a problem across the board , I have seen it on everything from 701 VXR's to XLT1200 LTD's .
Really comes down to luck and budget. I fully expect at this point anything I buy with intentions of it working needs to be stripped down to the cranks seals as I'm nearly 30 and I need crank seals. Last 760 I had came to me running with 45&110 psi compression
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
- Location
- Alabama
Luck is defiantly a factor for sure , most of what I have been doing here this year is getting older skis that have sat for years running again , some have say 4 -10 years , I haven't replaced cranks seals on any of them so far this year and in the end they have all run out just fine , the only one that could even be considered a comeback was the STX 900 the guy refused to pay for a water test on , if you won't pay me to water test your ski then you are on your own , the only thing I can tell you without water testing is that it cranks and runs on the trailer just fine , I am a technician , not a magician .
E350
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- Sacramento Delta
@SteveC Photos?
It's in the back of my barn, so I can get photos, just not immediately. There's some other stuff in the way, which I need to move anyway soon, so I can get them. But, if the OP is not interested, should move this conversation elsewhere.
E350
Site Supporter
- Location
- Sacramento Delta
@Captnem 2 cents from the smallest least knowledgeable peanut in the gallery here.
You understand 2-strokes.
You understand Yamaha 2-strokes.
Personally, I prefer to stay with one platform.
I am not a professional jet ski mechanic or a really knowledgeable amateur jet ski diy mechanic. So I like to keep things as simple as possible.
And although we do have some legacy Kawasaki skis from my wife's 1980-90's racing days, we are hard core Yamaha 2-stroke folks now.
Take a look at this write up about the Yamaha GP760 2-stroke and seriously consider starting a private conversation with @SteveC abpout his.
www.jetdrift.com
You understand 2-strokes.
You understand Yamaha 2-strokes.
Personally, I prefer to stay with one platform.
I am not a professional jet ski mechanic or a really knowledgeable amateur jet ski diy mechanic. So I like to keep things as simple as possible.
And although we do have some legacy Kawasaki skis from my wife's 1980-90's racing days, we are hard core Yamaha 2-stroke folks now.
Take a look at this write up about the Yamaha GP760 2-stroke and seriously consider starting a private conversation with @SteveC abpout his.
1997-2000 Yamaha GP 760 Review and Specs [Video] - jetdrift.com
How much HP did a Yamaha GP 760 have? How fast could a Yamaha GP 760 go? How much is a Yamaha GP 760? Get all the answers!
www.jetdrift.com
SteveC where in MI are you? I’m in Northern Indiana. Interested in the GP760.