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Thanks for the note. You a couple of nice skis there. We are due to test the Yamaha GP 19 HO soon. We are a fan of the new 1.9L engine in the Yamaha FX (though it is thirstier than the previous 1.8L in that ski). The performance gain from 1.8L to 1.9L is marginal but fuel use is higher. Here's hoping Yamaha is working on fine-tuning the fuel use of this engine. All that said, we reckon the 1.9L should be well suited to the GP HO. We'll be sure to post the video here once we test a Yamaha GP HO 19. Thanks again for the note.

Thanks for the note. You can see our review of the 2024 Sea-Doo RXP-X 325 here. th-cam.com/video/iJgnD7NF1YI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=z_HT7M19VIjumup9

Very humbled. Thank you for the kind words. And the inspiration. The Watercraft Journal inspired us to start a channel on the other side of the world. We just wish we could only do as many cool videos as you guys …

They finally have a better look! Better on the color too. They’ve always been so old man looking. Pay no mind to my screen name. I like everything

It’s a tough call. All three brands have their strong points and room for improvement. Sea-Doo has great ergonomics and fuel economy but the ST3 models have bow hunt. Yamaha FX has a great hull but is a wet ride and the fuel filler is on the nose. And the Kawasaki Ultra 310 is a beast but very thirsty and some riders may not like the riding position.

❤ this Kawi ski! Thanks for the great review.

@@WatercraftZone24’ FX has fixed all mentioned above. No longer a wet ride, and gas fill has been repositioned on the side. Unless you’re getting a different ski than the North American market. Great videos though, I’m digging it.

Hey thanks so much for the kind words. This colour scheme started off as a 2022 theme for the Kawasaki Ultra 310 X for Australia, but has carried through into 2024. Fortunately we were able to include a preview of the 2025 Kawasaki Ultra 310 range colours before this video went live. Thanks again for the note. It’s always appreciated!

@@WatercraftZone Gotcha, anytime. We appreciate you & crew. Keep up the great work.

Fair point. There are plenty in stock in Australia but we suspect inventory might be running low in the US, which is perhaps why Kawasaki unveiled the 2025 colour schemes a few months ago.

Thanks for the note. It's heavy, thirsty, the bow storage is small and narrow, and the handlebars need to come up a bit further. Plus flushing it twice (engine and intercooler) and fogging the supercharger afterwards are more complex than flushing a Sea-Doo or Yamaha after a ride. But the Kawasaki Ultra 310 crushes chop with ease and the supercharger sounds awesome.

Lol. Only if you fall off. Most riders enjoy the sport for leisure and to have a nice day on the water. Some ride long distances in the ocean, others do stunts on stand-up skis. And on some of the smaller skis such as the Sea-Doo Spark Trixx and Yamaha JetBlaster, it could go either way. You can ride them for fun, or challenge yourself and the craft and fall off with a smile on your face countless times. Some of the best days we’ve had on the water have been with the two of the cheapest craft (Spark and JetBlaster) because they are small and nimble they feel like an extension of your body. Remember, any day on the water is a good day.

Hey thanks for the note. Glad you’re loving the new Sea-Doo Explorer. It’s a great ski, especially the functionality and the long list of standard equipment. Some old school Jet Ski riders might not understand the windshield, but it’s definitely an asset on cold winter rides that’s for sure. And a lot of Fish Pro riders are adding them to their ski. We owned a Trophy with the pop up swivel seat, but honestly we didn’t use it much other than filming it. But for anyone fishing on a calm lake or river, the seat is a no brainer for long days on the water. Thanks for the note and congratulations again on your new ski.

Thanks for the note. We see where you’re coming from but it’s also a very practical design. Great hull, great sponsons, better storage, and a faster engine. Also worth noting this was a retro colour scheme. Later year models used more modern colours for the Yamaha Jet Blaster.

@WatercraftZone Couldn't agree more. It's not the color scheme of the Blaster, it's the physical shape of it. Reminds me of those now considered, "vintage" late 80s early 90s ski's. I just can't get over it.

As with anything on the water, regular maintenance is key. Some rental, rescue and tour guide skis clock up more than 700 hours, but they are well maintained throughout their life. Conversely, a low hour used ski could be problematic if it wasn’t flushed after going in salt water, and it’s just been sitting in a garage for ages afterwards. Most regular jet ski users clock between 50 and 100 hours over a few years. But I know some people who have clocked up 200 hours within a couple of years. But they either service the ski themselves or get it done regularly. Hope this helps.

Great suggestion. We love this hull but a bit more power, a more comfortable riding position when standing, and a bit better fuel economy would be welcome.

Thanks for your feedback and appreciate your point of view. For now we have steered clear of the stand-up skis from Yamaha and Kawasaki as they really are a niche for experienced riders these days, rather than a ski for first timers. We will take it on board, though, and consider them again next time around. Thanks for the note.

We see your point. Let’s find out the price first. Either way, we’re happy there is more competition in the fishing segment now.

Good idea. The back portion of the seat is already removable (and there is a storage bucket underneath) but utilising this space for extra fishing gear could work.

It is definitely easier to board the Sea-Doo Fish Pro from the water from the rear, and the rear deck has more space. Here’s hoping Yamaha is already working on further refinements for its fishing ski.

They are game changers. I’d love to meet the people who came up with these ideas. The second battery, the touchscreen navigation unit, the scuff guards on the outside of the footwells, and the pumping audio system are also pluses.

Thanks for the note. Since 2022 the FX HO has had a deeper cut in the ride plate to try to bring up the nose, even in a neutral trim position. But the FX is still a very wet ride versus the Sea-Doo ST3 hull. The trade-off though is that the Yamaha carves better through chop and the Sea-Doo nose gets pushed around more. If you want a dry (ish) ride try the Sea-Doo but it’s better suited to flat-water riding. Thanks for the feedback. Your experience will hopefully help others.

Great question. We received the following response from our Kawasaki expert: The patent for the new Kawasaki Ultra reverse trigger design says when the reverse trigger is activated it immediately checks the vessel’s GPS speed. Reverse will only be applied gradually if the vessel is at speed, washing off minimal speed so as to not send the rider over the handlebars. Once the vessel speed decreases to a modest level, activation of the reverse trigger will lower the bucket further, to create more of a slowing effect. The slower the vessel speed, the lower the rear bucket drops. It is marketed as a KSRD ‘smart reverse with deceleration’. It’s initially very gradual. Meantime back to our experience. Sea-Doo craft have a more aggressive reverse trigger (even at speed) whereas Yamaha’s reverse trigger is not as aggressive as Sea-Doo. Hope this helps! Thanks for the question.

Hey! Thanks great news. Thanks for the feedback and congratulations on your purchase. That’s a great combination. Let’s know which you prefer between the VX 1.9 and the FX 1.9 once you’ve had time to get acquainted with both skis. Happy riding!

Thanks for your query. That is footage of the ski being flushed with fresh water after riding in salt water. Hope this helps!

Thanks for the note. The 2024s have a new screen and we are not aware of (nor have we personally experienced) the issues you describe. However, if anything does emerge, we will be sure to include it in a future review of Yamaha models. Thanks again for sharing your feedback.

Thanks for your feedback. The more in this category the better it is for buyers. Kawasaki’s Angler is just around the corner too. Sea-Doo won’t be sitting still and is likely working on the next generation of Fish Pro models already. Here’s hoping Yamaha can make further improvements to this setup too. Either way there’s more choice than ever before. Thanks again for the note.

Nice. What a great craft. Awesome blend of performance and economy. Thanks for sharing.

Hey! Thanks for the note. Really appreciate it. We would say no shallower than 3.5ft or 1 metre of water. Even idling it is easy to suck up debris. So waist deep really. And try to avoid beaching them. It really hurts the hull, and there’s also more risk of getting sand and grit in the impeller. Hope that helps!

Okaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy. A bit random. Not sure how broad the market is for a secondhand original Blaster, and how many are left in working condition after all these years. But thanks for your feedback any way. We love these craft just the way they are. Hope you don’t mind. Either way, any day on the water is a good day.

It’s awesome but we have had a few instances where the pop-up mechanism can break in rough conditions. Here’s hoping Sea-Doo is working on a tougher version for certain applications.

Thanks for your feedback. That 1.9 should really suit the GP. We are getting on one soon. Congratulations on your new ski.

I have a 2021 GP 1800 HO and I love it. I'm wondering how much better can a 2025 GP 1900 HO be?

@@BroBob1254 My biggest complaint is at idle I get a ton of water over the “bow” even when I’m trimmed up. I’m a big guy at 350# though. I run mine on rocky rivers, and have already kinda beat the crap out of the hull. 6 hours on it and a whole lot of WOT. Lots of fun.

Sea-Doo does great industrial design. The cooler box is easier to step over on the Sea-Doo than it is on the Yamaha. The practicality - and the thought - that went into the Sea-Doo is incredible.

We hear you. Whether you’re buying in USD or Australian dollars, these craft are getting up there. We hope there is some kind of reset soon. Thanks for the note.

We appreciate you keeping us on our toes. As we clearly say in the video it was unveiled in 2016 as a 2017 model year. Thanks for the feedback.

Whatever

Thanks for the feedback. We are sure there is room for further finessing of this engine. As it stands, however, the 1.9 is less efficient and no faster than the 1.8 it replaced, based on our testing.

My 2024 vx cruiser ho sucks a full tank of gas in 4 hours of moderate use, worse than my 2004 fxho.. not noticeably punchier either. But overall happy with it once I hit 67mph 😅

Now, now don’t be like that. There are plenty of skis we did not include. Also keep in mind this advice is for people new to the sport, so it’s a baseline to understand essentially the three different sizes of craft and the key features for each brand.

Yes.

@@WatercraftZone how to get it?

If history is a guide we will know what the 2025 Yamaha and 2025 Sea-Doo models look like some time through August 2024. Kawasaki has released its 2025 details already.

We hope so too. The 2024 fuel reading is much better than the prior model but we know Yamaha (and others) are always working on continual improvements. We are hoping there is even better accuracy possible in future, and more efficiency. As it stands, that 1.9 is very thirsty right now.

Thanks for sharing your feedback. We have fond memories of the 2015 Yamaha FX SVHO. Great hull. Good efficiency (for a supercharged ski). Awesome overall.

You make a fair point but there is a lot to be said for being able to buy a ski straight off the showroom floor, ready to go fishing. We are pleased there are so many options in this booming segment of the sport. Thanks for sharing your feedback.

The rear portion of the seat is definitely slim on this model. We would recommend using it as a solo rider.

The prices of skis from all three major brands -Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki - went through the roof over the past few years and are yet to settle back down. Fingers crossed they all come back to earth soon.

Good question. The resistance / surface friction of the water and the weight of the ski and the rider. I’ve not calculated it but I don’t imagine there is much loss between the engine and the jet pump. Maybe the brain’s trust on this page can help.

It’s mainly down to the fact that it, along with nearly all water vehicles, don’t have a transmission. Air friction and rolling resistance are small enough obstacles that land vehicles can afford to upshift and drop torque in exchange for speed, while watercraft always need that torque on tap to deal with water’s much higher viscosity and RPM’s can only go so high. Although, there is whispers that Sea-Doo’s iDF is a test to see if gearboxes will work in watercraft, and the result of enough success could be a two-speed transmission built for PWC’s. Nothing is definite, but it would be very interesting to see just how much of a speed boost it would add. (Source is The Watercraft Journal here on TH-cam if you’re curious)

@@XF_Chaos yeah i got you, but ive had boats, with longer water lines granted, with less power that do more than that speed. So the hull is the limiting factor is what im getting?

@@sasquatchwithinternetacces2940 Then it’s probably the jet drive aspect. I assume said boats were prop-driven?

We had the same query so we checked before we put this video together. We have seen some RXPs open up at 5 hours and others take up to 8 hours. Sea-Doo assured us the ski we tested had been run in even though it was showing 5 hours.

@WatercraftZone hello, I have a friend who is in engine development at sea doo and he told me 8rs to reach full potential. The engine begins to get full timing at about 5hrs but will still pull timing easier before 8 hr period. He actually said do testing after 12 hrs of time and he guarantees it will be quicker

Based on our testing of 1.8-litre Yamaha supercharged vs non-supercharged (and Sea-Doo and Kawasaki supercharged vs non-supercharged) that is the case. However we have since found the new 1.9 non-supercharged Yamaha engine is in fact as thirsty as the supercharged 1.8. We are hopeful Yamaha has over-fuelled this engine in its first year on sale (for reliability) and is now working on ways to make it more efficient for future updates.

That’s a fair observation and one we hadn’t considered. When we released and stowed the ladder on the Yamaha for the video footage we were waist deep in water. But we did not try to retract the ladder while balancing on the rear of the craft. That would be difficult with the bulky cooler box in the way. Thanks for sharing your perspective. Hopefully it helps others.

@@WatercraftZone one other thing to remember, the people who buy these fully outfitted, fishing, rigs, are not young nubile male/females with lots of energy and flexibility available to be able to assume the positions necessary to operate that ladder when the ski is fully loaded. Even if there’s nothing on the deck might be difficult, the large majority of wears consumers who buy buy these extra large, cruising couches will not have the physical agility to make the magic happen with that ladder. That is why you don’t see it in all of the reviews. I think your review is quite comprehensive. It did mention that it would be a little more difficult and I thank you for that. , but all of the other bought and paid for reviewers have no problem ignoring that issue, whether because they know better and they want more free stuff or they’re told not to mention it.

Thanks for the note. Our best advice is in the 2023 Top 10 video you have just viewed. Also try our 2024 Top 10 video which has some newer models as well. Once you’ve decided on price range, your local Jet Ski (personal watercraft) showroom will be able to assist. Thanks for watching and good luck with your new ski.

Sorry about that! But we need to make it clear each price does not include trailer and registration. We will try to find a clearer way in future. Thanks for the feedback.

lol I was wondering what he meant by "ski only" ... I don't think that was ever explained

@@WatercraftZone You could at the beginning of the video say "All prices are for ski only and does not include trailer, taxes, and registration fees"

That's a great question! Watch this space. Thanks for leaving a note.