Atlanta, WI - Personal Watercraft For Sale - PWC Trader (2024)

FAQs

How many hours is too many for a PWC? ›

A Jet Ski or a Sea-Doo are brand names of PWC, and the average person puts around 30 hours a year on their machine. A low-hour ski is a machine that has been used for less than 50 hours, while 150 hours or more of use is considered high. If a PWC is 5 years old, you should expect it to have roughly 150 hours logged.

Personal Water Craft (PWC) have become a major force in boating, accounting for a significant portion of new boat sales annually. There are more than one MILLION PWCs in use today.

Jet skis range in cost from $5,000 to $20,000, making them a much cheaper option than new boat prices. However, the prices listed are the cost of a new jet ski. The cost of used jet skis could vary considerably based on features and how much the previous owner used them on the water.

Running Hours

Since the average lifetime of a Jet Ski engine is 300 hours, anything above 100 hours is considered high mileage. Depending on the budget, you could go with a model that runs for 200 hours, as long as it is 5-6 years old and has a complete service history.

Boat Engines:

Typically an average gas engine will run about 1500 hours before it needs a major overhaul.

Top Speed of Specific Jet Ski Models

For example, the performance-oriented Kawasaki Ultra 310X and the Sea-Doo RXP-X 300 can reach speeds of up to 67 to 70 mph, showcasing how fast jet skis can go. However, beginners may prefer the Yamaha VX Cruiser, which has a top speed of around 53 mph.

In addition to a boating certificate or license, there are other requirements that apply to PWC in certain states like wearing a Coast Guard-approved life jacket (no inflatables) and using a safety lanyard which connects to your wrist or life jacket and remains attached to the PWC.

A remanufactured engine could be $3–8k, which also gives you more reassurance and probably a warranty, but that is assuming you can get one. A new engine is obviously the best and most costly option, at probably $8–12k.

Are jet skis expensive to own? ›

The cost of maintaining a jet ski can range from $200 to $600 per year, depending on the model and its condition. More powerful and high-performance models usually require more frequent and elaborate maintenance, leading to higher costs.

PwC: Depends on the time of year. Busy season is typically 70-80 hours a week, quarterly reviews are 45-50 hours a week and the majority of the rest of the year is 40-45 hours a week.

Well-maintained inboard engines, inboard outboard engines (unless diesel), and outboards have a serviceable average life of about 1500-2000 hours. If you're looking at a gas-fueled marine engine close to or exceeding 1000 hours, inboard or outboard, proceed with caution.

So for a 5-year old boat, anywhere between 375 to 750 engine hours would be considered reasonable. Boats that are 15-20 years old should be approached with a little more caution, even if their engine hours are within the reasonable range. Well-maintained engines have an average lifespan of about 1500-2000 hours.

If you have kept up with the service schedule, and your boat has between 500-1,000 hours, you probably won/'t need to replace the engine for at least the next 5 to 7 years, depending on how often you use it. In most cases, they start to run rough and begin showing signs of wear and tear.