Jet Skis/Sea Doos vs Ski Boat
 

My son is 16 and he's never been water skiing. I grew up on the lakes of Missouri and did plenty in my day. I'd love to have a boat but really have no place to store it.

Looking into getting a Jet Ski. I've heard good things about Yamaha and Sea Doo's. Problem is, the $9300 price plus trailer is a little steep. I could get a boat for that...

Anyone have any opinions on this stuff? I hear I need at least 130 hp to pull a 170 lb skier.

Thanks

Rent one 93 times.

Good plan.

The 2 best days of being a boat owner is the day you buy it and the day you sell it.


/guy from southwest Kansas with no standing water for 100's of miles

ROFL A local carpenter told me the same thing. Word for word.

In fact I entered this thread to post exactly that.

If it ****s, Flies, or Floats, you rent it.

Jet skis are cool a couple times a year then you get worn out from it. And they are just a pain in the ass... You can't just sit in on place for an extended period of time like you can in a boat. I would go ski boat every day

Well, for us it is 100% true!

OK, it would probably cost more than $100/day.
But unless you are using a boat or jet ski A LOT, I don't see how it isn't much better to just rent one.

Jet skis are much harder to use and can be really rough on your legs etc in choppy water


better to get something where you sit down

I say this and I have a lake in my backyard. :thumb:

Thoroughly agree. The only caveat to that thought is if you are a serious bass fisherman.

Do actually live on LOTOs?

Second tier at the Lake. Cheaper and more bang for your buck without having to deal with all the lakefront issues.

Good for you:thumb:

I've heard there is dock about every 20yrds(exaggeration of course) that has really screwed that lake up. Went there as a kid 40yrs ago and it was beautiful.

Some areas are like that dock after dock, but there are still plenty of areas that are remote and feel like you are a million miles away from everything.

Check craigslist for a used one. I saw a Jetski on there about a month ago for $500. I thought about buying it, but decided against it since I don't know that much about them plus I really don't have a place to store it.

Wise choice;)

:thumb:

I grew up boating. My dad owned one for nearly 30 years, and I feel like he got good use out of it hauling it to Table Rock for a week every summer and to Smithville for the day another 10 to 20 times per year. Before that, my uncle had a boat that got a similar amount of use. Some of the best times of my life.

But I have never come close to getting a boat of my own. I don't think I would be motivated enough to get nearly he use out of it that my parents and uncle did. If I lived on a lake, I would probably get one. To me the hassle of hauling the boat there and back, packing food, etc tips the balance away from wanting to go for a day trip. Unless you think you will want to devote at least 1 day a week to that activity during boating season, you probably will have a tough time justifying it.

Precisely:thumb:

Yep, before I moved to the panhandle of Texas I went fishing every friggin Saturday.

I been fishing twice now since 1998 and I really miss it !

You know the drill. And it doesn't matter how many pigs you've jacked off since then ..so......lets have it........Man Card.

I've had several two seadoos two Hondas and two ya what's and one seadoo jet boat. And if I can make a recommendation. If it's skiing tubing and general family fun your looking for neither of these are your best option for the money.

That same lake is less than two hundred yards off my back fence.





And I say the same thing but I would much rather own a boat than a jet ski

I was going to post similar. If you are not on it at least once a week during fishing season, it will be a waste of money.

We didn't fish that much, but did a lot of boating (cruise around the lake, find a good parking spot, and relax), swimming, and water skiing.

There was a period of time where my folks would head out to Smithville mid-afternoon on a weekday, just because. If I had a boat and made it a priority, I might manage to do that three times a year.

I had a SeaDoo GTX for many years. It was a three-seater, 130bhp, could easily pull a 200lb on tube or knee-board. It won't pull a skier...just tube or knee-boards. I often hit 65 knots on Lake Perry...was a blast. It definitely is a leg/core workout, so be warned; it's not like a boat where you can sit on your fat ass and drink beer (that's what pontoons are for! ;))

Owned 2 Sea Doos for many years. Bought them when I lived in Minnesota so I could get to the lake often. Found lakes in Indiana and Kansas when I lived there. Loved them. Kids loved them. Friends loved them. Dragged them all over the country. Very little maintenance. Tons of fun. Had friends with a pontoon. That was the best of both worlds. Sold them after I moved to Colorado and there are really very few lakes handy. I got plenty of use out of them. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Definitely buy a boat if u can afford it and have a local lake close to your house you can hit regularly. Awesome time

I skied a "boat" load. Grew up at the Ozarks. I started slalom in second grade.

A jet ski SUCKS pulling slalom. So much is dependent the tautness of rope as you lean out. You need a constant/consistent pull. If the jet ski hits a large wave and some slack occurs in the rope, if you are laid out, auto wipe. Additionally, a single ski can exert a lot of pull to the rear of the jet ski. I could pull the ass of a jet ski around. Which also effects the rope tautness.

Tubing/wake board and even 2 skies, a large enough jet ski is fine. Find a decent used one in sep/oct at the end of a season. People do get tired of them. I would get 2 so you and your son can goof around together.

This was actually one of the reasons I'm buying one. I need to get back in shape. Also, just the act of driving to the dock and launching the thing is physical activity. Recently diagnosed w/Type 2 Diabetes. Need to exercise more!

I love my boat. love it.

I've heard the same expression about the "2 happiest days of your life... etc" and I'm sure that is true for many, but it just hasn't been the case for me.

I bought a used Reinell about 6 years ago and have had more fun with my family in that 6 years than I can put a price tag on. My two oldest (16 and 13)have learned to wakeboard and my two littles (now 8 and 6) just decided this year that they want to try to ski. About 3 years ago I convinced my dad to pull the trigger on an old Pontoon boat he'd been eyeing for a while and he brings out his grill and cooks up steaks, burgers, chicken, dogs.. etc etc right out there in the middle of the lake. We peel off and go skiing/tubing come back and tie up and eat... repeat... repeat. Awesome.

Now I live in CA, so (when we have water and are not in a drought) we have really terrific boating seasons. I also live about 5 minutes from a big beautiful lake. I also picked up a really great boat that hasn't cost me a dime in repair other than standard maintenance. All of those things will definitely weigh into the "worth it" factor in regard to boat ownership. For me... Absolutely worth it - 100%

Regarding Jet skis. They are fun - my sister and brother in law bought a few to add to our summer fun, but I don't think I'd want to only have jet skis or sea doo's. It's nice to be able to get up and move around. That was the consensus from my family as well. Great as additional toys to go along with the pontoon and ski boat, but wouldn't want them over the boats. Take that for what it's worth! If you decide to pull the trigger on one, I hope you have as much fun at it as I've had.

Good luck!

One more thing...

In regard to renting over buying. One thing to consider is you'd only rent if you had a good portion of the day to spend. One thing that my family really loves doing also is hitting the lake for 2 hours right after I come home from work. The sun is on the way down so the hottest part of the day is over, it's midweek so there aren't a lot of boats on the water.... We hook up, head out the door and get some of the best skiing in because the weather is perfect and the lake is glass. Just before the sunset, we start heading back in and the scene is straight out of a boating commercial - it is so awesome. You can't do that if you rent.

But this again depends on your proximity to a lake and other factors. Just something to consider about renting vs. buying.