6000 reasons to consider a 2nd hand Ski!

 

Before you dismiss buying a 2nd hand Ski because an industry “representative” told you it’s a bad idea I thought I’d share some thoughts you may like to consider.

We have Skis coming in for service with hundreds of hours on them. Some are in the 2000’s of hours.

While some of the older Skis have issues from time to time it’s amazing what a good service can do to keep them humming along.

Some of our Skis are from the year 2000 and they still look and ride like new.

OK so the majority are excellent but sometimes things can go wrong.

For example if a Ski has been given a hard time and not allowed to warm up and cool down it may have excessively worn rings, same if the servicing has been left out of schedule. A compression test will soon show that.

If a Ski has been badly cared for in salt water use, it will have heaps of corrosion on the hull and inside on the motor etc. This would lead you to suspect a lack of flushing and therefore maybe a head off to clean it up and replace the gaskets.

Also a Ski with very low hours could have been reflashed so the ecu stops counting or even had a substitute ecu fitted while it was ridden or even raced, only to have the original fitted when it’s due to be sold.

There is a few issues like this but they are the exception, not the rule. Hours of use are not a reliable guideline at all.

Have you thought about this?

Say you pay $20,000 for a new Ski today

Ride 100 hours over the next year and its worth $12-$14,000. That’s a loss of $6- $8,000 in 100 hours. Remember what looks like the cutting edge today is superseded in less than 12 months.

If we divide the best case of say a $6k loss by 100 hours this equates to $60 per hour to ride a Ski. This is before you count servicing, insurance and fuel.

Total cost is closer to $110 per hour!

The industry wants to sell new Skis of course, so they are overjoyed if people to think 100 hours is a lot of hours. What a complete load of rubbish!

If we’re referring to a 2 stroke Ski, fair enough, but these days with the modern 4 strokes they’re lucky if their run in by 50 hours.

We estimate a 100 hour Ski to have done the equivalent of around 30,000 kms of a Car engine, if it’s working hard.

The ecu of today’s Skis are perfectly designed to protect Skis from being flogged.

As soon as high temperatures, excessive revs or choppy conditions are detected timing is pulled and the fuel mix is enriched. This slows the engine right down and protects it.

The manufacturers do this to make sure there aren’t too many warranty claims as Skis can hurt themselves if left ungoverned.

We have had many Skis on our 160km plus adventure rides, from 2005 on-wards, that have cost their new owners less than $5000. They are all wonderful to ride and as reliable as the new Skis and often more so!

Here’s a thought

Buy a previously owned and already depreciated Ski for $14,000. Ride 200 hours in the next 2 years and it’s worth $11 – $12,000.

That’s a loss of $2 – $3,000 in 200 hours. My calculator puts that at $15 per hour. For 2 hours a weekend, every weekend – who cares

Or buy a previously owned and already depreciated Ski for $10,000. Ride 200 hours in the next 2 years and it’s worth $9,000.

That’s a loss of $1,000 in 200 hours. My calculator puts that at $5 per hour. For 2 hours a weekend, every weekend – that’s cheap fun

btw, often 2nd hand Skis still have a warranty too. They usually have a nice aftermarket seat cover and a few other nice mods that cost hundreds of dollars.

The recent statistics tell us that people come into our sport and leave within a few years There are only a few “lifers”. This is such a shame.

It’s time the industry takes responsibility for making the sport a long term choice for people and welcomes the 2nd hand Ski buyer with as much excitement as a new Ski buyer, instead of scare-mongering them into new Skis!

If anyone has found a 2nd hand Ski they like and would like an inspection on it, contact us at Jet Ski Services. We can help you in SE Queensland most of the time but we work closely with many other independent service shops around the country that we can put you in touch with.

See you on the water for some FUN!!