[divergary]

My 98 Seadoo GTX Limited has seized up for the second time in five years. The first time was the engine which I was told ran too lean on the rear cylinder. Now it is seized up..either the engine or jet pump. I am considering a new ski that will have 4 cycle and closed loop cooling since I run in the Gulf alot and only use in saltwater.
Looking for opinions about Honda satisfication or what brand has been more dependable.
thanks
Desires:
3 seater, storage, 4 cycle, closed loop cooling, stable for drift fishing, dry ride, low maintenance on major items...I do through preventative maintenance

 

[Morris]

I had three Seadoos before buying my Honda R-12X. Had a 94 XP, 97 XP and an 03XP. The last one especially was sexy, fast and fun, but also costly. First was the impeller and related replacement, over a grand, then the fuel pump, another 1100 bucks, so i sold it. Other than an oil change, my Honda hasn't cost me a penny.
Not much storage in the R, more in the F, but it's bigger. You can get comparison stats easy, depends on what you ride it for. My R-12X is not as maneuverable as the XPs, and is heavier, but it is still a blast and much faster. I'm not sorry I made the change, but I have no experience with Seadoo 4 strokes, so they may be more reliable.
Good luck.

 

[divergary]

Honda vs Seadoo

I ride mine mainly to drift fish in the swells just off the beach. My wife and I drift fish for sharks and fish together on my GTX Limited so stability if a must. I read alot about Honda's being tippy compared to other brands. The F15 may be fine but not much feed back from that. I like the minimal repairs so I can spend more time fishing and riding.

 

[Outlaw]

Seadoo is the logical choice

My 98 Seadoo GTX Limited has seized up for the second time in five years. The first time was the engine which I was told ran too lean on the rear cylinder. Now it is seized up..either the engine or jet pump. I am considering a new ski that will have 4 cycle and closed loop cooling since I run in the Gulf alot and only use in saltwater.
Looking for opinions about Honda satisfication or what brand has been more dependable.
thanks
Desires:
3 seater, storage, 4 cycle, closed loop cooling, stable for drift fishing, dry ride, low maintenance on major items...I do through preventative maintenance

Ok, you want an all around ski that is dependable and low maintenance. Ok that rules out Honda. Now as for Seadoo, it is the choice that has closed loop cooling for less headaches in salt water. I own three Seadoos that are all supercharged. I have had minimal warranty repairs on them. They all ride great in open water. I would recomend the GTX 155. Very dependable 4 stroke with no supercharger.

Just look through the Honda threads and you will see why it is not a choice for salt water. Waste gates stick. Expensive spark plugs,electrical corrosion to drive you nuts, OCD maintenance to just keep em runnin.

 

[Morris]

^ Well that's one opinion. I had problems (as you have had) with Seadoos, although mine were 2 stroke.

As for stability, the first time I saw a Honda up close was the 3 seater model (F-12X) out on the water. I was talking to the guy riding it, a big dude at least 250 lbs. He stood up with both feet on one side and it didn't tip at all.

After 2 seasons I have not had an issue, (knock on wood) but I also spray the wastegate and the throttle linkage with lube after every use, like the manual suggests. Takes 2 minutes. I wonder if the ppl having problems with it sticking regularly lubed it?

 

[divergary]

Saltwater maintenance

I spray the block and all the metal including stainless steel with Seadoo lube (oil) prior to taking out. I also throughly rinse everything after use, fog each carb throughtly after last use, pull the plugs and spray lube in the cylinders and cycle the pistons a couple times. I do not have exterior corrosion issues with my routine, however the internals may be the problem. I dont run it hard since it is mainly for fishing in the Gulf. The electrical/compters have never given me a problem, only the fuel indicator which I could not care less about. I had to replace the steering cable after it broke last season. Except for the seized block 5 years ago and this current seize, I have been very satisfied. I am not motivated to replace another engine block since I dont have time for that anymore.
thanks for everyones input.

 

[jrinjax]

You can't beat the 15X for stability and reliability. You will have to maintain corrosion control just like any 'ski in salt water. I see every brand at Eric's shop and they all fall apart from being used in the salt and not being maintained properly. The 15X is a dream to drive when it gets rough.

 

[Peter House]

I replace a SeaDoo with 2 Honda's and have been pleasantly surprised. The Honda's run much better and seem to need less maintenance. I clean, flush and lube all ski's after use and have only had a small issue with the Turbo waste gate sticking. After taking it apart and freeing it up, I made a slight change to my clean and lube procedure and have had no more problems with the Turbo.

The Seadoo had a chronic problem with the voltage regulator which I replaced 5 times over the 5 years I owned it.

To be fair - the Seadoo was a 2-stroke with oil injection and the Honda's are both 4-stroke.

The only Chronic problem with the Honda's seems to be the spark plugs where 1 goes bad and must be replaced about every 10-15 hours. The ski will start stumbling intermittently and will not stay at full speed - I have learned to take out all four spark plugs and replace the one that looks different - problem solved.

 

[jrinjax]

I replace a SeaDoo with 2 Honda's and have been pleasantly surprised. The Honda's run much better and seem to need less maintenance. I clean, flush and lube all ski's after use and have only had a small issue with the Turbo waste gate sticking. After taking it apart and freeing it up, I made a slight change to my clean and lube procedure and have had no more problems with the Turbo.

The Seadoo had a chronic problem with the voltage regulator which I replaced 5 times over the 5 years I owned it.

To be fair - the Seadoo was a 2-stroke with oil injection and the Honda's are both 4-stroke.

The only Chronic problem with the Honda's seems to be the spark plugs where 1 goes bad and must be replaced about every 10-15 hours. The ski will start stumbling intermittently and will not stay at full speed - I have learned to take out all four spark plugs and replace the one that looks different - problem solved.

The plug fouling issue can be helped by only cranking when you can run it long enough to warm up. The Hondas run in a very rich enrichment mode until they warm up and will foul plugs frequently. A can of Sea Foam in the tank a couple of times a season also helps.

Where do you ride in Jax? We ride Black Creek, McGirts Creek, Drs Inlet, Ortega River, Welaka, St Marys and the Suwannee.

 

[Peter House]

JR,

We live and ride mostly on the Arlington river and sometimes trailer it to a lake in crescent city.

My kids wakeboard and tube behind the F12X.

 

[jrinjax]

JR,

We live and ride mostly on the Arlington river and sometimes trailer it to a lake in crescent city.

My kids wakeboard and tube behind the F12X.

I grew up on Ortega River and my Family still lives there. I now live further West out by Herlong Airport.

We have rented a house and stayed at the lake just North of Crescent several times. Ya'll would love the River at Welaka, that is where most of my Kids learned to ski, wakeboard, tube and barefoot. There is always calm water and few boats.

The St Marys is great too, with all of the white sand beaches [close to US1].
My Son now has his own "Gravity Games" edition Moomba wakeboard boat and has won several tournaments. He is now teaching my two-year-old Grandson to Wakeboard.

We used to take the 'skis and boat over to Arlington/Pottsburg all the time but the no-wake zones downtown have almost killed that.

I have a Platnum/Blue/Black Allison Grandsport with a 2.5 Merc that we will sometimes take through there. Usually we are cruising pretty fast through there but if you see us [I have the only one in Jax] try and flag us down.

 

[Peter House]

JR,

I grew up here and am about 17 houses West of the University Bridge on the North Side of Arlington river. There is usually an older Mastercraft 190 hanging on the lift and then sometimes there is a Gold F12X on a lift and/or a Blue R12 sitting on the dock next to the davit.

Feel free to stop by and knock.

Peter

 

[jrinjax]

I think I have noticed your Mastercraft there before.

You need to bring your family the next time we go to the Suwannee or whenever you have time just put in at Branford Springs or Fanning Springs.

It is the best/most fun Family ride in Florida with long stretches of glass calm water and a Spring that you can ride up into and swim in every 5-6 miles.

Branford is just 1 1/2 hours away from Jax and Fanning Springs is 2 1/2 if you want to stay overnight in Chiefland.

JR

 

[Peter House]

JR,

email me at peter.house (at) centricsystems.com next time you plan a trip or earlier and we can trade contact info. We are busy most weekends with scouting and soccer but you never know on any given weekend ???

My F12X has a weird buzzing thing goin' on and I would be hesitant to take it far from the dock. See http://www.pwcforum.com/honda-jetski/7270-buzzing-sound-when-f-12x-off.html

 

[jrinjax]

The part you need for EACH ski is:
Honda East of Toledo's 2006 Honda PWC ARX1200T3 AQUATRAX F-12X Parts List
They have a 100% failure rate due to internal corrosion and are a pain to change since it is behind the Main bottom electrical box. The red wire is hard to unclip since you can't see it. Buy one for each of your skis.
38580-HW1-672 and 79.99 online.
Honda of East Toledo has the best prices I have found.

For more information on maintaining your Hondas go to the Honda Forum on PWCTODAY.COM, there are a lot of good people there.

 

[Peter House]

JR,

Do you have an old one of these? I plan on removing mine and seeing if I can rework it. I have the knowledge, skills and attitude to make this possible (This is a hobby of mine related to my job) I believe I can rework it and figure out a way to keep the next one from failing.

As soon as this weather clears enough, I will take the one out of my ski and see what I can do with it. I would be happy to share this with you for your help. I will also p[ost my results on this forum.

Thanks,

Peter

 

[jrinjax]

Peter,
The relay is potted but seems to absorb moisture through the insulation on the wiring going into it. I looked at mine when I changed it and it was not worth trying to unpot it to assess the corrosion. When they go bad they will leave you stuck with no starter. The buzzing and dead battery are just the first symptoms.
Is Centrics Systems the Microsoft Dynamics support group? We use Dynamics for our AR-AP software. I just thought the company name was familliar.

 

[Peter House]

JR,

I am a certified Dynamics Professional for a little while longer . . . MS has decided I am too small a company to continue as a Microsoft Partner for Dynamics - they want a larger staff to better help customers. I am a little unhappy but understand the need for a larger support staff - there is no way a one or two man operation can properly support a product of the complexity of MS Dynamics.

The potting can make it more complicated! I will still give it a go and maybe even come up with a replacement of some type. My training and primary vocation are as an embedded engineer designing just this type of thing. Dynamics just helps to pay some bills since I have a bunch of SQL experience.

Send me your contact info by email.

Peter