Top 10 tips for buying a jet ski

The big three brands – Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki – are in the middle of a massive sales slowdown after demand surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Amid international travel restrictions, many Aussies decided to holiday at home – and a record number of people treated themselves to a jet ski, with almost 10,000 reported as sold in 2022 before dipping to 7500 in 2023.

All three brands currently have generous discount offers as we head into the 2024 winter season.

Some would argue the discounts have merely brought prices back to pre-COVID levels, though they are still on the high side.

Most models cost between $25,000 to $30,000 excluding trailer and registration (which typically adds about $2500 to $3000 depending on the quality of the trailer).

With that in mind, here are our top 10 tips if you’re a first-time jet ski buyer.

Kawasaki may have coined the name ‘Jet Ski’ (which is now common-use language to describe a personal watercraft, or PWC) but its model range is not as vast as that of Sea-Doo and Yamaha.

Kawasaki has three sit-down models.

The cheapest model is the mid-size Kawasaki STX 160, starting from just shy of $20,000. Worth noting it lacks adjustable trim and can be quite nose-heavy.

Kawasaki has also just updated its full-size non-supercharged Kawasaki Ultra 160 for the first time in 16 years.

The flagship of the fleet is the supercharged Kawasaki Ultra 310, which was upgraded to a new model in 2022.

Sea-Doo and Yamaha both have small, medium and large watercraft, with most models generally priced between $15,000 and $30,000.

The small models might be listed as three-seaters but, frankly, the bigger the better when it comes to carrying passengers.

Even the medium-size models (Sea-Doo GTI series and Yamaha VX and GP series) are not really suited to more than one rider.

If you want maximum rider capacity, consider the full-size models (Sea-Doo GTX, Fish Pro, Explorer Pro, RXT-X), the Yamaha FX series and the Kawasaki Ultra series.

All three brands offer supercharged and non-supercharged jet skis.

Non-supercharged models are only marginally slower but generally have better fuel range.

Supercharged jet skis have top speeds close to or in excess of 110km/h, while non-supercharged PWCs have top speeds ranging from 85 to 100km/h.

Both supercharged and non-supercharged models feel fast on the water.

We reckon most buyers would be happy with non-supercharged power. The supercharged models bite harder when you grab the throttle, and accelerate quicker.

If you’re using it for family outings and you’ve not owned a jet ski before, a non-supercharged craft may be a better option.

Supercharged jet skis are becoming so powerful that some brands even have ‘learner’ modes so you can build up to full throttle.

That said, a supercharged PWC would make sense for family use if you plan on towing children on an inflatable.

You must have a rear-facing observer (who, of course, adds weight to your craft), plus you have the weight of towing whoever is on the inflatable.

If you’re a rev head, you’ve already decided on a supercharged jet ski and don’t care about the limited fuel range. On that latter point, as an example we’ve seen roughly 100km versus 120km out of a full tank for supercharged versus non-supercharged jet ski during ocean rides.

If you’re flooring it all day in a dam or river with two or three people onboard, you will use much more fuel and get less than half this range because acceleration and weight are the big killers when it comes to fuel use.

There is a good choice of two- and three-seater jet skis across all three brands. Some, such as Yamaha’s FX Cruiser models and Kawasaki's Jet Ski Ultra models even have stepped seating to make it easier for the little ones to hang on.

When you’re starting out, you’ll probably spend most of your time sitting until you learn to ‘feel’ the behaviour of the craft across wake, chop and waves.

However, longer-term the seat will become less important as it’s often more comfortable to ride while standing or crouched like a jockey – especially in rough water – to save your spine.

Some jet skis are better suited to flat water such as rivers and dams while others are designed to cut through chop and are better for ocean riding.

Then there are performance models designed for racing, which are lighter, more nimble (and fickle) and you should only buy as a first-timer if you’re brave.

In essence, the longer and heavier the craft, the better it is in rough conditions.

Of course, if a PWC hull is better suited to the rough stuff, it’ll be fine in flat water. Ask the dealer which hull is best suited to what conditions.

As a guide, in our testing, the Yamaha FX and Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra hulls are better in rough conditions than Sea-Doo ST3 hull-based models (GTX, Fish Pro, Explorer Pro, RXT-X).

The standard Sea-Doo warranty is two years, but that has increased to three years on certain models for limited promotional periods to clear stock.

Yamaha has a two-plus-one-year warranty. The third year is only applied to Yamaha WaveRunners serviced within the Yamaha dealer network.

Kawasaki Jet Skis have an industry-leading five-year warranty in Australia.

All three brands prefer to see the jet ski serviced every 12 months or 100 hours of running time, whichever comes first.

Some models require routine maintenance every 50 hours. Costs will vary among the brands, so be sure to ask.

Prices range from $250 for a basic service under mate’s rates, all the way up to $600 if panels need to be removed to get the service completed.

Dealers keep their businesses alive through year-round service work, so be sure to check the costs.

If you are fastidious, consider getting your jet ski serviced before the start of summer and at the end of summer, to avoid corrosion while the craft is parked up in winter.

Insurance costs can catch you out, so do plenty of research.

If you’ve not held a boat licence or PWC licence for long, the insurance companies will deem you to be a high risk as a novice.

Expect to pay anywhere from $900 to $1200 for an insurance premium on a $20,000 to $25,000 craft, and even more on dearer models that cost close to $30,000.

You may find cheaper insurance options but there are catches.

These may include higher excess charges when you make a claim, and in some cases, you may be asked to pay anywhere from $5000 to up to half the cost of a total loss (about $13,000) if you’re deemed at fault or found to have been negligent.

For example, if the PWC sinks or takes on water because you left the bungs out (did not secure the hull’s drain plugs), the excess could be $5000 or more because the flooding was not caused by hull damage. Be sure to shop around and ask what happens in this circumstance.

Ask about ‘lay up’ months. Some insurers will cover the craft for fire and theft while stored and not ridden over the cooler months.

Lay-up cover also should cover you for crash damage while the craft is being towed directly to and from getting it serviced. Check that’s the case with your policy.

If you nominate three lay-up months, it can bring down the cost of the annual insurance premium from $1200 to about $900, for example.

Some insurers also offer the flexibility to bring the craft off layup by simply phoning them, and using a credit card to pay somewhere between $50 to $100 to get back on the water that month. The price varies according to the cost of your policy.

Kawasaki and Yamaha now offer in-house insurance, and many of their policies include new-for-old replacement if the craft is written off within 12 months to three years (it varies from brand to brand).

Sea-Doo dealers will likely offer you a choice of independent insurers. Be sure to ask what the excess is for a total loss if you’re deemed at fault.

Most jet ski prices you see online don’t include the cost of the trailer and registration. As a general guide, a trailer and registration adds $2000 to $2500.

Ask where the trailer is made. Only a small number of jet ski trailers are made in Australia.

Some are assembled locally from parts imported from China. Others are imported from China and already assembled.

Ask what wheel bearings are fitted (most jet ski trailers are equipped with marine-seal bearings but some use car bearings that can corrode and fail quicker than marine-seal bearings).

In our experience, Japanese-made bearings are better than Chinese-made bearings.

Ask if the wheels are a GM or Ford stud pattern in case it helps with any spares you may already have. (Most are a Ford stud pattern on a smaller-diameter Holden axle).

Consider spraying the trailer with fish oil before your shiny new jet ski rolls onto it, so you can get to every nook and cranny of the trailer.

This will require some negotiating with the dealer in the pre-delivery process, but if you ask nicely they may let you do it. Or you can pay them to do it.

Check if the dealer has a customer's jet ski similar to the one you want to buy already on the trailer. Lift it from the trailer’s neck or drawbar to feel how easy or difficult it is to lift and manoeuvre. If the axle is too far forward, it will be heavy to lift.

If the axle is under the centre of the bulk of the weight of the jet ski, you’ll almost be able to pick it up with one hand.

You might be tempted to add some cool graphics or change the font of the rego number on either side of the craft, but make sure it stands out and is a font that’s easy to read from a distance.

Police and marine authorities can issue a ticket if they can’t see the jet ski’s rego from a reasonable distance.

In NSW, make sure you also have a ‘behaviour label’ somewhere you can see while operating the craft. If it’s hidden or missing, that’s also a ticket. The dealer will usually stick one on, but check in case they forget.

There is a lot of information to absorb when you’re taking delivery of your new jet ski and some sales staff can skip over important points because they are so familiar with the process.

Ask plenty of questions and take notes, ideally typing them into your phone so you can access the info quickly.

Ask about the process to flush the craft after you’ve used it.

The instructions might seem obvious in the showroom but you’ll soon forget what order you’re supposed to do certain things.

For example, if you turn on the water tap before starting the engine you’ll flood the engine.

Also take notes on when to latch and unlatch the jet ski from the trailer once you’re at a boat ramp.

Social media has plenty of examples of jet skis on their belly after slipping off the trailer because the safety chain was unlatched before it was near the water.

Before you take delivery, ask the dealer how much they would charge to fit a ‘tow tap’ (a hose insert which can stop the flow of water when the ski is being towed).

With a tow tap fitted – and with the hose in the blocked position – a stranded Jet Ski can be towed to safety at a higher speed. 

Without a tow tap, most Jet Skis can only be towed at a maximum speed of about 4.0 knots (or 8.0kmh) otherwise the engine could be flooded. 

Most dealers we asked said they charge $100 to $150 to fit a tow tap. 

Get all of the above right and you’ll not only have a blast, you’ll wonder why you didn’t buy a jet ski earlier. Good luck!