What type of jet ski should I buy?

Sales of jet skis – also known as personal watercraft, or PWCs – surged during the COVID-19 pandemic

Amid international travel restrictions, Aussies were obliged to holiday at home.

The jet ski (or personal watercraft) market enjoyed that boom, hitting record sales.

Tge pandemic brought more people into the sport at the same time as many boaters opted to downsize to large jet skis with the works, especially to go fishing.

Today’s larger jet skis are very stable on the water.

A jet ski sits on a single-axle trailer, making it easy to park up and manoeuvre into the garage at home, or even alongside the house.

But if you’ve never owned a jet ski, choosing between the different types of jet ski can be a bit intimidating.

This guide aims to break down those barriers.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Decide what size craft you need, and what suits your budget.

As you might expect, the bigger they are, the more stable they are and the more money they cost.

Sea-Doo and Yamaha have three sizes of jet ski: small, medium and large. Kawasaki has medium and large.

Small and medium skis are suited to riding solo, even though they may be rated as a three-seater.

At a stretch, you could fit an adult and two children on the back of a small or medium ski, but be sure to take it easy.

With a full load on board and people wriggling around, you could quite easily tip the craft.

Just keep the pace slow with a full load on board and ensure everyone is wearing an approved life jacket (life jackets are compulsory when riding a jet ski in Australia).

Related: Top 10 tips for buying a jet ski

In the small category, buyers can choose between the Sea-Doo Spark and Spark Trixx (the one that rides on its tail), or the Yamaha EX and Yamaha JetBlaster.

A new generation Sea-Doo Spark launched in the US early in 2024 and is due in Australia in 2025.

The Sea-Doo Spark is a heap of fun but the Yamaha EX and JetBlaster models are faster and more precise.

The mid-size Sea-Doo GTI models, Yamaha VX models and Kawasaki Jet Ski STX models could be a good middle ground and generally cost about $20,000 (ski only) as new.

Full-size skis such as the Sea-Doo GTX, Yamaha FX and Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra are all in the $25,000 to $30,000 range as new, so the price is getting up there.

The full-size models are generally more stable in a broader range of conditions, can better handle one or two passengers than a smaller craft, and are still great for riding solo.

Be sure to compare the glovebox sizes and storage compartments of these full-size models.

Sea-Doo has easy-access bow storage, Yamaha has a larger glove box, and the new Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra has side pod storage.

All jet skis are hard work in rough chop and open ocean, but some are better than others.

In our experience, the best full-size jet skis in rough conditions are the Yamaha FX and Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra.

However, both are a very wet ride and the Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra is hard to operate while standing up. Even though the handlebars can be tilted up, they are not quite high enough to ride while standing.

If you are primarily riding on lakes, rivers, or in low to medium chop, most skis are forgiving to operate.

Then it comes down to responsiveness and how much fun you want to have.

If you want to spend hours making a splash and doing tight turns, small to medium skis are best (Sea-Doo Spark and GTI series, Yamaha EX and VX series, and the Kawasaki Jet Ski STX 160 series).

Unless you are an experienced rider or a thrill seeker, you don’t need supercharged power in a jet ski to have fun on the water.

The non-supercharged models are still fast enough, plenty of fun, and more fuel-efficient.

Non-supercharged models are typically about $3000 cheaper than their supercharged equivalents, so it can save you some money on the way in.

Kawasaki has the best warranty in the jet ski market in Australia, with five-year coverage on all Jet Ski models.

Yamaha has a two-plus-one-year warranty on its WaveRunners in Australia. The third year of warranty only applies to craft serviced within the official Yamaha dealer network.

Sea-Doo has two-year coverage, but occasionally offers three-year coverage during special promotions.

Jet skis are expensive to service and generally need routine maintenance every 12 months or 100 hours of operation, whichever comes first.

Prices range from $250 (mate’s rates if you're in the know) to $600-plus.

In our experience, Yamaha WaveRunners are slightly cheaper to service ($350 to $450) than Sea-Doo and Kawasaki ($600 to $750) because most of their models need panels to be removed for easier servicing access.