put the GPR in on Harker's Island on Sunday, rode out through Beaufort inlet, down the ocean side of Shackleford Banks, and then around the hook to the ocean side of Cape Lookout...beached the ski and camped out overnight, then took the reverse route back (didn't mean to on the return trip...I missed the inlet to come back on the inland route).

the trip out there was a helluva ride...probably 4' swells in the ocean. I could only manage about 25 mph most of the time in the ocean, and spent about half of the time airborne.

5/25/2009 10:05:09 PM

Nice! Shackelford Banks is supposed to be a great surf spot from what I've heard. How much riding time was that?

5/25/2009 10:29:43 PM

i'll be around there next weekend. where'd you camp, in the back sound? no joke, my roomate picked up a ultra 150 with naws this weekend.

5/25/2009 10:33:52 PM

Ultras are fun. I used to have one. They don't handle like my GPR, but they're light and have a strong holeshot. I'd like to have another one if I could have a stable of PWC.

we camped on the ocean side of the cape, but if it were up to me, I'd probably just stay on the inland side. easier to get to, and more people out there during the day.

5/25/2009 10:46:54 PM

my '01 gtx rfi is still hanging strong, goes through batteries like toilet paper, but otherwise has only needed two sets of plugs in 8 years

6/13/2009 7:47:25 PM

man, i've only ridden my GPR once since that trek out to Cape Lookout, and that was just for like 20 minutes in Brice's Creek.

6/13/2009 7:48:58 PM

i have about 400 hours on mine now, it doesnt get used much now, just when my family is at the lake, i took the bayliner to tn with me instead

6/13/2009 7:53:34 PM

yeah, i think mine's around 250 hours, with probably 75 on the current engine (just pulling those numbers off the top of my head). Only maybe 10 of those hours were put on it by me, though.

6/13/2009 8:00:16 PM

most people have no idea how to even do simple maintenance and kill them within a year or two, there are a lot of good deals on ones with minor problems they dont know how to fix

6/20/2009 12:12:31 PM

Anyone want a GP1300R? Built motor, pretty much all the mods are already done.

It's a great ski. I love it and don't want to sell it, but since I scored visitation with my daughter for pretty much the rest of this riding season, and will likely be deployed for all of next summer, there isn't much point in me keeping it (I already took her out on it, and she doesn't really like it--she says it's too loud. The exhaust resonates and booms at low speeds, and being a 2-year old, she doesn't really like going really fast on it)

[Edited on July 20, 2009 at 10:46 PM. Reason : I could put earplugs in her, but she's just kinda turned off to it now. try again when she's older.]

[Edited on July 20, 2009 at 10:52 PM. Reason : I mean, I'll have chances to ride it, but not enough to justify keeping it.]

7/20/2009 10:45:45 PM

$1

7/22/2009 9:55:56 PM

$2

9/9/2011 8:28:41 PM

3.50

9/9/2011 8:59:13 PM

So, I think I've posted my horror story about the shitty work a shop did on my ski, resulting in a blown engine. The place is called Jet Ski Doc, located in New Bern. They fucked up every single part of the job except a throttle position sensor replacement, took 8 months to do it, charged 50% more than their estimate, and wouldn't take any responsibility for my fucking engine blowing up one week later due to one of their mistakes causing the boat to get water in the engine when it nearly sank. Don't ever go there for any reason, and if you hear of anyone else thinking of taking a ski to them, tell them to run far, far away.

I ended up dropping the engine off a few days ago with a dude in Jackson, MS who specializes in GPR performance. I'm getting my engine rebuilt and bored out to 1390cc, replated with Nikasil, and custom ported (2-stroke...big hp gains). He said that with this engine and a good hull/pump setup and prop repitch, it should run 80-83 on GPS.

[Edited on September 9, 2011 at 9:59 PM. Reason : ]

9/9/2011 9:58:29 PM

Nice man. Hope you have better luck with this guy... So what sort of 0-60 will this thing have? Trying to get an idea of acceleration g-forces. Sounds ridiculous.

9/10/2011 12:55:15 AM

Yeah man...Good luck.

9/12/2011 8:16:18 PM

Well, apparently it needs more than just a top end. Actually, pretty much nothing in the engine is salvageable. Even the cases are cracked in multiple places.

...so now, building the nasty, ported big-bore will cost about $4500. Building it back to how it was before (stock 1300 with bolt-on Riva mods) will be about $1900.

I'm tempted to say "fuck it", and just sell the hull and wash my hands of it. On the other hand, I just finished getting raped for $2700 (for the throttle position sensor replacement that took 8 months, incorrect color paint job, the mats that peeled up, the pump rebuild that wasn't needed and was an attempt to fix the hull "leak" that was induced by shoddy work and ended up getting water in the motor to cause this whole mess to begin with...) I know that money is already gone, but I hate to completely watch it go up in smoke for nothing.

I can't see dropping $4500 on a ski that I paid less than that for and just spend $2700 on.

Maybe I'll just fix it back like it was, ride it for another season or so, and sell it.



I want a speedboat.

10/5/2011 11:38:41 PM

I wonder if I'd have any luck suing that motherfucker in New Bern in small claims court, or if it would just be his word against mine and me unable to conclusively prove that him sinking my boat twice and getting water in the engine caused it to fail a week later...

I'm willing to take a day or two off of work and fly up there (hell, I might be able to just take a work jet and do it as part of my job) if I think I have a shot at winning. Also, I wonder if there's any chance of disputing the credit card charge for it via my bank?

10/5/2011 11:41:34 PM

^ I think you need to speak to an expert and see if you can dig up proof that water in the engine is a major cause of catastrophic failure. I mean, it should be pretty obvious, but courts want to see the data. Maybe a senior mechanic at a reputable shop, someone from Yamaha corporate, or one of the guys from SBT could provide such data. I would think the rest of the case would fall into place after that.

Disputing the cc charge might be a good start though. They know they did a piss poor job. Make them take you to court if they think they should get paid for it instead of the other way around. Threaten them with a countersuit if they don't drop their case.

[Edited on October 6, 2011 at 11:12 AM. Reason : l]

10/6/2011 11:09:43 AM

Well, I sold my GPR...for $500 more than I paid for it in 2009.

(but about $3-4k less than that fucking thing costed me, mostly due to severely botched repairs by Jet Ski Doc in New Bern causing it to nearly sink and ingest water).

[Edited on March 31, 2013 at 11:32 AM. Reason : and also a botched rebuild job on the pump unit]

3/31/2013 11:32:03 AM

someday i'll have a gpr

3/31/2013 11:41:15 AM

Neighbor of mine has some Jet-Ski's she inherited. She knows nothing about them but how to ride them. They have been sitting since 2008/2009 I think. One is a 2002 130 Kawasaki with a 3cyl fuel injected 1100cc engine and looks to be in really good shape. The other is an older 1995 850 (iirc) Kawi that looks in poor shape.

I want to help the husband get them running. Im thinking on the newer one, some fresh gas and a fresh battery should be all it needs. Any other things I should be looking for/trouble with?

3/31/2013 11:51:16 AM

then attach Flyboard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd6C1vIyQ3w

3/31/2013 1:56:19 PM

Quote :

"I want to help the husband get them running. Im thinking on the newer one, some fresh gas and a fresh battery should be all it needs. Any other things I should be looking for/trouble with?"

There's a pretty good chance the carbs are clogged. And they probably have old ass dyno oil in them that should be removed to prevent it from clogging the oil injectors. I'd drain the gas and oil first, put in some fresh fluids, and then try to crank it. If it doesn't run try some 2-stroke starter fluid (with oil) to identify whether the carbs are clogged.

If you try to jump it off the battery in your car make sure the vehicle is off. 12 volts is good, but I think the 13.8 or so you get with the alternator spinning can cause damage.

[Edited on March 31, 2013 at 7:45 PM. Reason : l]

3/31/2013 7:41:39 PM

The newer one is a fuel injected unit, the older is carb'd.

3/31/2013 7:58:32 PM

My bad...I didn't know they were FI that early.

3/31/2013 8:14:08 PM

Yeah I'll check again but I'm pretty sure its FI.

3/31/2013 9:07:59 PM

GPRs were FI from '03 on, so it's possible.

I think my Ultra 150 was a 2000 MY, and it was carb'd.

3/31/2013 10:44:36 PM

so my in-laws just purchased a lake house and want me to find them a pwc. i have no idea where to start aside from keeping it around $6,000. can someone point me in the right direction? preferably a 2-seater.

5/22/2013 2:50:42 PM

They should buy either a Waverunner, a Jet Ski, or a Sea-Doo...either a sit-down or stand-up model.

5/22/2013 5:22:15 PM

They definitely don't want a standup, lol.

5/22/2013 10:25:05 PM