Boy, what a wealth of knowledge here. Thanks for all the advice!
WOW! Thanks for all the great info. I live in Illinois, so 99% of the time spent on the ski will be in fresh water. Top speed on both machines is fast enough for me, so I won't be doing any modifications. I've been told the same thing about the 2 stroke technology by a few people. I went ahead and bought the Yamaha. I pick it up tonight at 5:30. I will use it for the first time this Sunday. I paid $8499 + tax and $395.00 for the extended 5 year warranty. Can't wait to try it out. Thanks for all the info. I really appreciate it and feel good about buying the Yamaha.agibbs said:Sorry for the wait! Both skis are great machines, both are equally fast, both are well made. The RXP revs higher than the GP1300R, doesn't really mean anything but it is probably going to run 1-2mph faster than the Yamaha, not a significant difference. The Seadoo weighs in at 792lbs while the Yamaha is only 655lbs. The biggest advantage that Seadoo has over Yamaha is the closed-loop cooling system. The Yamaha is an open-loop cooling system. What does this mean? The Seadoo uses a coolant to cool the engine, rather than an outside source (seawater) like the Yamaha. This helps to protect the engine against corrosion, however, if you properly clean and maintain the ski, flush out the engine after each ride (use an anti-salt solution such as Saltaway, if you ride in saltwater!), there shouldn't be any problems. Also the Yamaha has a 10ft. waterspout out the back, supposedly so you can spot others in swells, looks kind of stupid but it can be blocked off. Another feature on the Seadoo is neutral and reverse, extremely useful when launching or docking.
The Yamaha, as you know, is a two stroke. Gone are the days of loud, unreliable, smoke spewing two stroke engines. There has been so much technology put into two strokes in the past few years that they are about as reliable as four stroke engines. That said, with a two stroke you will have to change the oil more often, with a 4 stroke once a season is fine. Some people complain about problems with the ceramic washers on the Seadoo supercharger failing and going into the engine. I’m on 200hrs and have yet to experience a failure. As long as you take the ski in to be serviced it should be fine. Personally, I like the Seadoo. The Riva stage kits get way more speed out of the RXP than the GP1300R, but if your not going to modify the engine, it doesn’t really matter. Either way it’s a great choice. Have fun on the water, oh, and respect the break-in period, especially on the Seadoo, gunning the craft right out of the box will definitely blow out the supercharger, it needs to be worked in gradually for 10hrs, then its good to go.