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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!

Wow! That sounds like an awesome trip. Enjoy!

@@WatercraftZone thank you! One question though. Does this ski have the same (or greater) range as a fishpro sport? Assuming both skis have the maximum amount of fuel caddies on board

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.

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 CZcams 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.

Hey thanks for your feedback. It’s appreciated. Unfortunately we haven’t ridden the 2015 version of the RXP. And we only started speed testing with a VBox in the past couple years. Sorry we couldn’t help out this time.

Each to their own I guess. I love the red and white. It pops when it’s on the water.

As opposed to the spark colors??? Bright contrasting colors make me not interested.

The all black Is the way to Goo

@@MyDailyPerspectivethe spark colors are pretty sick I thought. They definitely have an all black one like this that what made me look into this I saw one this weekend and was super impressed

My favourite are the wake pro colours.

We hear you. And that’s a good rule of thumb generally. However the numbers don’t like. The Sea-Doo RXP-X 325 accelerates faster and has a higher top speed in our testing. For what it’s worth, we love both skis. We say go with your heart on this one. You can’t lose either way.

@@WatercraftZone to be fair there isn’t a 1.9 supercharged version of the Yamaha available yet and Yamahas reliability far surpasses other watercraft

Sorry to hear of your experience. Thanks for sharing. Hopefully you can get any issues addressed under warranty. We know IDF still has a few hiccups, despite a number of updates.

@@WatercraftZone thanks, they replaced the maim harness once and are doing it again, without fixing the underlying issue. Parts are on backorder for months

Thanks for much for watching and taking the time to leave a note. Appreciate it!

You’re welcome! Thanks for taking the time to read a note. More reviews coming soon. Thanks for watching!

We hear you! Coming to showrooms soon.

Fair observation. The Yamaha FX and Kawasaki Ultra hulls at least give you a sporting chance in rough chop. But they’re all much nicer to ride in flat water that’s for sure.

Wring

A Sea-Doo RXP and a Sea-Doo Spark would make a great double act.

@@WatercraftZone I plan to cruise and have fun on the sacramento river near red bluff california. Only thing is kinda scared to buy and damage such an expensive ski out there. I figure 2 120hp sparks and maybe upgrade next year once I learn the river and see if i could actually utilize the power.

Thanks for the feedback. That is our experience as well, however it is not activated as early as before. In our experience the low-fuel buzzer activates with about one-third of a tank remaining (rather than two-thirds remaining). Here's hoping Yamaha fine-tunes this further.

Thanks for sharing the insight into your decision. All three brands have strengths and weaknesses. And different riders will have different priorities. The Kawasaki Ultra 310 is a great craft and that hull is a beast in chop. Happy riding!

Good call. More octane, more range. And more power : ))

We hear you. And that’s straight out of the box!

Great dilemma to have! I would go for the Yamaha FX HO 1.9 if the budget stretches that far. Better all round ski and the top speed and acceleration are better than the Kawasaki Ultra 160. If choosing between the two Kawasaki models, the audio system on the Kawasaki Ultra 160 LX is not as good as the audio on the top end Sea-Doo models. So if you don’t need audio, the LX-S is great value.

@@WatercraftZoneI’m doing my research now. I've also thought about a supercharged jet ski. This will be my first PWC but I've been riding motorcycles firn34 years now. On and off the track. I know there's a difference. My motorcycle buddies all have the supercharge Yamaha. I'm just not sure yet. Lot to choose from.

We hear you. Here’s hoping prices come back to earth. They’re all over the top at the moment.

So, I took apart my 1999 Seadoo GTI and i can tell you, the thing is very simple in being made. i almost feel like I could build the thing. With these new ski's, they're technological marvels. Even though I'm not happy with the sky rocketing prices, I understand the reason is due to the tech. What these mfgs should do is build a simple budget version for people who want a new ski to not have to worry about breakdowns and don't mind not having all of the new technology. If they built a brand new 1999 GTI type ski in 2024, I'd buy it for like $6000.

Great question. Different consumer laws. As another example, most cars in Australia have five to seven year warranty coverage. Australian Consumer Law considers whether a fault or malfunction is fair and reasonable for the product’s age. Most consumer tribunals are of the view a product should last three to five years or more without fault. So the manufacturers tend to advertise that coverage because they are obliged to honour the warranty claim. It also explains why Jet Skis and personal watercraft cost more in Australia than in the US (in addition to currency and freight). The companies hold back a larger portion of the profit to cover future warranty claims. Hope that answers your question. Thanks for leaving a note.

I was wondering why US only gets 1 year too

Thanks for the note. Both are great skis but the Kawasaki Ultra 160 would benefit from a power bump. The only downside to that is extra fuel. The new Yamaha 1.9 non-supercharged engine is as thirsty at Yamaha’s 1.8-litre supercharged engine in our extensive testing. So here’s hoping Yamaha finds some new efficiencies for future updates.

@@WatercraftZone Thank you, your reviews are the best on YT, please try to do a long run fuel consumption shootout between the Sea Doo 170, Kawi 160 and the new Yammi 1.9L, side by side.

Thanks for the note. The good news is there is now a broader choice in the full-size, non-supercharged Jet Ski / personal watercraft market. All three brands - Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki - have strong offerings.

@@WatercraftZone I have a seadoo 300 and a kawasaki sxr and love them both! You're absolutely right. It's almost overwhelming how many choices we have !

Good observation. The trim was in the neutral position and we had a full tank of fuel in those shots. We were also riding in a way that would encourage some water over the nose for the video footage. But even so, it is a bit nose heavy even in normal conditions. As is the Yamaha FX HO in our experience.