How Many Hours On Your PWC Is Too Many?


It can be difficult to look at a personal watercraft for sale and see it with 200 hours on it. You may think to yourself, is that too high or does it still have a lot of life left? How can I know that I’m not buying a pile of junk? Or you happen to be looking at your own personal watercraft and asking yourself if it is time to buy a new one? Well lets dive into this widely discussed topic with the help from Steven at SteveninSales.com

For a general gauge, based on average data, a rider will put on about 30 hours a season. This number can vary depending on multiple factors. Again this is data from riders who ride in just the summer months and from others who ride year round. Just like a car or truck, people enjoy riding so if you are buying a used personal watercraft that is 7 years old, you can expect it to have about 210 hours on the motor. No matter how many hours are on the motor, it all boils down to the maintenance. Preforming general maintenance and at mandatory intervals is very important to having a motor that will last long. For some maintenance tips, check out the article we covered a few weeks back.

You may be browsing online during your lunch break and see a great deal for a newer personal watercraft but see that it has over 300 or more hours on it. You may not want to shy away at this deal for a few things. The owner may have used it year round or gone on multiple long trips. Just like a car, a car with a lot of highway miles is not always a bad deal. Again, it comes down to the model and the maintenance done. If it is a lower end model without a lot of horsepower, it could be a good deal. Whereas, if it was a high horsepower supercharged watercraft, I would be a little more cautious about purchasing it.

If you are mechanically inclined, there are multiple aftermarket dealers who make quality parts. Check to see if they make the parts for the watercraft you are interested in. If not, you should really stay away from that particular watercraft altogether. Whenever making a big purchase such as a personal watercraft, go with your gut feeling. Do your research but keep in mind that you want this to last for years, not just for the next weekend.

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Blake Ellestad

Blake decided to buy a jet ski before a car and it was the greatest decision of his life. He was able to start reading on the forums and absolutely fell in love with the information and the sport. Blake says he will be riding jet skis for a very long time.

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  1. Buffalo_Sabres 12 August, 2019 at 17:42 Reply

    Then i will have a big problem i want to buy one with a big engine Seadoo RXT-X 300 or GTX 300 limited
    or if Yamaha change to the better with space and like Lin-q system the FX cruiser SVHO 2020

    But i do not want to go full throtle i want a steady machine and just be on the ocean with cruising speed.
    Then i am going to have many hours but a better engine then people think, but they do not want it or give little money for it, is that wright thinking ?

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