Kawasaki vs. Sea Doo?

Question

I'm looking into 2 different jet skii's. Here are the 2 links: http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/33...

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/boa/33...

One is a 97' Sea Doo Bombardier GTX and the other is a '97 Kawasaki STX900

Which one is better as far as reliablity, gas hog or not, bigger engine, tank size, better speed & just overall better?

i can't find any info on the internet so any sites would be great!

Answer 1

Between those two, I'd pick the Kawasaki STX900.  It will give better performance than the SeaDoo SP, and the overall design will make it a more stable pwc for you to ride, especially if you take it out in the ocean.  The engine is larger, and it has at least 40 more horsepower than the SeaDoo SP as well.  As far as reliability, SeaDoo is the only pwc maker that has a forum devoted to how bad it is,  http://www.seadoosucks.com  the rotax engine is notorious for having impossible to fix oil leaks, and the oil pump is prone to failure more so than the other makes.  Call around the pwc shops and ask which one they think is more reliable if you don't believe me.

Answer 2

Good place to go is sea-doo.net they can answer everything about Sea-Doos. I myself am a Certified Sea-Doo mechanic and love them. The Kawasaki is a triple cylinder right? Not too fond of those but Polaris is worse. If you can take them both out for a test drive then go, you will make your mind up real fast then. Sea-Doo didn't change the GTX until 2003 when they went to 4-stoke only. Sea-Doo only had the 800CC (110 HP) in the 97 and they went to the 951 (130 HP)in 98 so that might be better for you if you like pulling tubes and skiers.

Answer 3

Reliability? Both ski's are generally reliable but they are 10 yr old ski's! Things wear, 10 yrs of use and abuse and both may be in need of an expensive repair in the near future.

The 785 engine in the 97 gtx seadoo is arguably the most reliable engine shoved in a seadoo, they stand up to more abuse than the prior or later engines. I would consider updating fuel lines, oil lines, possible pipe weld and pump seal and giving a thorough service.

The 900 kawi engine is a bit dodgy for a kawasaki but the kawi's are generally more reliable than the doo's. The carb condition and tuning has to be spot on or say goodbye to a piston. Check the bonding on the through hull fitting for leaks. (Where the driveshaft goes through the hull.0

The Doo will use less fuel than the Kawi.

I'm not sure about tank size but I think the Doo may be a tad bigger.

Speed will be close but if I had to place a bet on it, it would be on the Doo.

Check that all instruments work on both as they can be expensive to repair.

I wouldn't say either is better than the other, they both have plusses and minuses in different areas.

Just remember that these are both 10 yr old ski's so buyer beware! I wouldn't purchase either until a thorough pre-purchase inspection by someone that knows their stuff.