Used Jet Skis

Most people don’t realize that Jet Ski is really a brand name for Kawasaki or WaveRunner is a brand name for Yamaha. It’s like calling every copier a Xerox even when it was made by another manufacturer like Canon or Hewlett Packard. Somehow the name jet ski or waverunner became synonymous with personal watercraft. So if I don’t refer to the particular brand you’re considering like SeaDoo, WaveRunner, Jet Ski, Polaris, Honda or some other obscure brand, let’s agree that Jet Ski will mean any kind of personal watercraft you ride on the water.

Okay, during the summer, the allure of riding a jet ski is just too tempting. Renting them can be very expensive and, depending on where you rent them, can not only cost you lots of cash, they can also come with rules on where you can ride, how far you can ride and how fast you can go. So instead, you’re ready to buy a jet ski. Now unless you are ready to agree to spending anywhere from $7, 000 for a new stand-up to over $15, 000 for a turbo-charged tons of bells and whistles 3-seater 4-stroke watercraft, you plan to buy one used.

Craigslist is full of ads with people selling used jet skis. And every summer, I would have people bring me jet skis that they bought thinking they were getting a good deal but the jet ski didn’t run or quit after the first time they rode it. Many jet skis don’t have hour meters on them, so you won’t know how much the ski has been used. This means you’ll need to be observant and ask the right questions. So here are the top ten things you should know before you buy a used jet ski:

1. Is it legal to use this kind of watercraft where you intend to use it? Make sure you know what kind of watercraft is legal for where you plan to ride. Many bodies of water are now restricting the type of motors that can be used on certain waterways. For example, Lake Tahoe banned 2-stroke motors on both boats and jet skis from use on the lake in 2005. Hawaii has restrictions on where you can ride and how far from the shore you must go before you can ride in the ocean around each of the islands. After the end of this summer 2012, 2-stroke motors are banned from Lake Mead in Las Vegas, Nevada. So if you were planning to buy a 2-stroke watercraft here in Las Vegas, you wouldn’t be able to use it on the lake after the end of this summer. Not sure what the rule is? Call the Park Service or Harbor Master when you intend to use your watercraft to see what the rules are. This could save you lots of money from buying something you won’t be able to use for more than a few months.