When you plan on purchasing a used Jet Ski, it is essential to consider quite a few aspects of the Jet Ski.
The first and probably most important thing to consider is the number of hours the Jet Ski has on it.
Knowing how many hours are on the Jet Ski will give you a better understanding of how often the Jet Ski was used and how much potential life it has left in it.
How Many Hours on a Jet Ski Is a Lot?
A Jet Ski with more than 150 hours of use is considered to have a lot of hours.
The hours a Jet Ski has on it is a direct indication of how much time has been spent riding it.
Unfortunately, there is no way to tell how well a Jet Ski has been cared for just from knowing the total hours, but it is a good number to have.
The hours a Jet Ski has been ridden are a better indication of the time a Jet Ski has left than the age of the watercraft.
A person could buy a Jet Ski and let it sit in the garage for years with no use.
This could be a great investment as long as the engine is still in good condition and periodic maintenance has been conducted.
As far as hours are concerned, if a Jet Ski has less than fifty hours, it is still considered to be low hours.
Jet Skis are not usually used for long distance rides, so it takes quite a bit of time to accumulate hours on a Jet Ski.
An average lifespan for a Jet Ski is going to about 300 hours.
At the 300-hour mark, you are going to start to realize that a Jet Ski may be on its last legs.
The Jet Ski may function, but it will probably be a bit intermittent.
Depending on how a Jet Ski has been maintained, you will see that the number of hours is not the only indication as to how much life is left in the Jet Ski.
For instance, if someone is rough on their Jet Ski and does not maintain it properly, it may never make it past 200 hours.
On the other hand, a person could take great care of the Jet Ski and ride it carefully, and it may look and run like it is brand new, even with 200 hours on it.
There are a few other factors to look for when you look at a used Jet Ski to purchase.
What to Look at in a Used Jet Ski
Here are a few of the major factors you would consider when you decide you are going to purchase a used Jet Ski.
1. Maintenance
Does the person you are purchasing the Jet Ski from do all their own maintenance?
Do they have a schedule as to when the last maintenance was completed?
You will want to make sure that, even if a person was doing their own maintenance, they have a record of the work that was done.
It is absolutely acceptable to take a sheet of paper or a computer file that shows that there were oil changes or extra work done to the Jet Ski.
If the Jet Ski has had any repairs done to it, you will also want to see the receipts and any kind of information you can get about the repair.
Why the issue happened, what was done to fix it, and any effect it had on the Jet Ski are all critical factors to consider.
Maintenance is very important when it comes to purchasing a used Jet Ski.
Unfortunately, some people purchase a Jet Ski and then they don’t do anything to maintain it.
If you purchase a Jet Ski that is years behind on maintenance, chances are you will always be playing catch up.
You will notice that certain parts are all going to start to go at the same time.
You may see issues in the way it runs and performs as well.
Again, in addition to paying attention to the hours a Jet Ski has on it, maintenance records are very important.
2. How It Looks
Although this may seem like common sense, it is important to carefully examine how the Jet Ski looks.
Usually, you can tell how the person took care of their Jet Ski and how they rode it by taking a look at the outside of the Jet Ski.
Look for any kind of damage on the exterior of the Jet Ski, including rust.
Also, make note of scratches or dents that you may see.
Sometimes it can be hard to tie up a Jet Ski on a day where there is some rough water.
This can leave some scuff marks on the Jet Ski, but if there are bad ones where rust is starting to form, you should be able to see it quite easily.
When inspecting for wear and tear on a Jet Ski, this is a good time to ask where the previous owner kept it.
If they kept it in an enclosed storage unit, chances are it will look quite a bit better than something that was left outside.
Jet Skis that are continually exposed to the elements are going to deteriorate much faster than those that are kept in an indoor storage facility.
Another thing you will notice about Jet Skis that have been left outside is they may have faded in color.
The sun can take the color right out of Jet Skis and boats that are left out in the bright light.
Although these considerations are essential and should impact the price you are going to offer for Jet Ski, you should think about where you plan on keeping your Jet Ski as well.
Do you want to leave it in your garage, or are you planning to leave it outside?
If you are going to leave the Jet Ski outside and in the sun, then the color fading off a Jet Ski may not bother you all that much.
3. Mechanic’s Opinion
If you are not sure what you are looking at from a mechanical perspective on a Jet Ski, then it is essential to have a mechanic take a look.
Mechanics are going to be able to see issues you never knew existed.
Of course, there is a cost involved with having a mechanic come and take a look, but in the end, this could save you quite a bit of money.
If you purchase a model that ends up having a serious mechanical issue, you will have been happy to pay the mechanic their one-time fee.
Of course, if you are purchasing the Jet Ski from a dealer, you may not need a mechanic’s opinion.
Chances are they have had their own mechanic check it out, and it probably comes with a warranty of some kind.
Using a mechanic to inspect a used Jet Ski is a very smart idea if you are buying it from an independent seller.
4. Age
Another critical factor to consider when purchasing a used Jet Ski is the age of the craft.
The age should be carefully considered along with the hours as these two things together will give you a good indication as to what you are dealing with.
It is also important to ask where the Jet Ski has been used.
If someone says they use it to ride up on the beach all the time or they only used it in the center of a lake, the Jet Ski may have a bit less wear and tear.
Try to get all the information you can about how much the Jet Ski was used each year and how it was taken care of as well.
If you don’t feel comfortable about some of the figures you were given or think something feels off, look for another Jet Ski.
There are many options out there to choose from, so don’t purchase something until you are completely comfortable.
Should You Buy a Jet Ski with More than 300 Hours?
Since we have mentioned that Jet Skis are essentially built to go for about 300 hours, you may find that there are quite a few for sale with this number of hours.
The question becomes, is a Jet Ski with this many hours going to be worth purchasing?
If you are a person who is very good with mechanical fixes and understands the internal workings of a Jet Ski, a model with high hours could be a good choice.
If you are not good with mechanics and wouldn’t know how to fix a Jet Ski should something happen, this is probably not a smart choice.
A Jet Ski is not going to instantly stop working when it gets to 300 hours.
In fact, it could continue to work for hundreds more hours, but you will most likely see some maintenance issues starting to come up.
This is where it is extra important to see what the Jet Ski was used for.
If the Jet Ski was a speed type Jet Ski and used for racing, chances are it is not going to continue to work for much more than 300 hours.
In fact, it is a bit surprising that it is still going at 300 hours.
If you are looking at a high mileage Jet Ski, make sure you are looking for something that was used for transportation or leisure type riding, not racing.
Also, do all of the other checks on the Jet Ski to see if there are any visible issues or damage to it.
We also recommend taking something with this many hours for a test drive.
You should see how it feels when you ride it so you can see if there are any issues.
Make sure you negotiate yourself a better price on a Jet Ski like this as you probably won’t have it for all that long.
If you get a great price, you may enjoy a few summers before having to look for another Jet Ski.
Conclusion
Anything more than 200 or so hours on a Jet Ski is a lot.
At 200 hours, you are starting to get much closer to the 300-hour point that the Jet Ski usually makes it to before needing to be replaced.
We highly recommend having a mechanic take a look at any used Jet Ski you might be interested in purchasing.
Although the hours are a great indicator of the Jet Ski’s condition, they are not the only consideration.
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