Tom
Administrator
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2005
- Posts
- 51,932
Chris and I somewhat regretted buying the Yamaha PWC (aka jet ski) we purchased in 2000; It sat quite nicely on the hydraulic swim platform on the queen of the fleet, but wasn't really a practical runabout, especially outside the summer months. It has since spent most of its time sitting on a hydrohoist behind the house, used mainly by the kids when they visit.
Yesterday we traded the PWC for a small (15') jet boat that I fondly refer to as the bumble bee. At over 1500 lbs, it's too heavy and too big to carry on the swim platform, but can easily be towed or driven to an anchorage, and used as a runabout from there. It's also a neat boat for zipping out from home to one of the many marinas and on-the-water restaurants around the California Delta.
I wasn't really looking to spend money at this time, but the combination of huge manufacturer's rebates and steep dealer discounts, coupled with a decent trade-in value, made this almost a no-brainer.
We did the deal a couple of days ago and, when the dealer saw our trade-in for the first time yesterday, his jaw dropped; It was in far better condition than any other trade-in of the same age that he'd taken. We'd bought the PWC sans trailer, and the dealer loaned me one to take it in.
We're still in the break-in period, which means we limit top speed and vary the throttle/RPM for the first 10 hours of operation. We're also trailering the boat between the house and the local marina until I can acquire and install the appropriate sized hydrohoist. I thought we were done trailering, launching and retrieving boats many years ago!
Some folks may recall me previously posting photos of forum members Sparetime (aka Dave and Lisa) visiting us by jet boat here. They have the same boat/hull, but we (Captain Chris) opted for yellow/grey vs red/black, and the 155hp option vs 215hp, sacrificing 5-10 mph at the top end. It's the same 1500cc Rotax engine without the super-charger, so the red line is a little lower. I have no desire to drive more than 50mph in a small boat!
This is NOT a photo of me carrying Chris on my shoulder.
Yesterday we traded the PWC for a small (15') jet boat that I fondly refer to as the bumble bee. At over 1500 lbs, it's too heavy and too big to carry on the swim platform, but can easily be towed or driven to an anchorage, and used as a runabout from there. It's also a neat boat for zipping out from home to one of the many marinas and on-the-water restaurants around the California Delta.
I wasn't really looking to spend money at this time, but the combination of huge manufacturer's rebates and steep dealer discounts, coupled with a decent trade-in value, made this almost a no-brainer.
We did the deal a couple of days ago and, when the dealer saw our trade-in for the first time yesterday, his jaw dropped; It was in far better condition than any other trade-in of the same age that he'd taken. We'd bought the PWC sans trailer, and the dealer loaned me one to take it in.
We're still in the break-in period, which means we limit top speed and vary the throttle/RPM for the first 10 hours of operation. We're also trailering the boat between the house and the local marina until I can acquire and install the appropriate sized hydrohoist. I thought we were done trailering, launching and retrieving boats many years ago!
Some folks may recall me previously posting photos of forum members Sparetime (aka Dave and Lisa) visiting us by jet boat here. They have the same boat/hull, but we (Captain Chris) opted for yellow/grey vs red/black, and the 155hp option vs 215hp, sacrificing 5-10 mph at the top end. It's the same 1500cc Rotax engine without the super-charger, so the red line is a little lower. I have no desire to drive more than 50mph in a small boat!
This is NOT a photo of me carrying Chris on my shoulder.
