Depth Question

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by jayhawk_nation

Question for you guys. If my boat can fit at a dock in early June, with no depth problems. How much does the lake go down throughout the year? Let's say the dock is around 5 or 6 feet deep right now. Come September, what do you guys think it would be? I don't think I'll see our family boating after October, but if we did, would it get considerably worse?

Another question: how do people store their Jet Skis? Both wintertime and what your dock looks like in season. We are unsure if we want to get those in the future, and I'm wondering how easy it would be to get a jet ski lift/dock added onto a current dock.

What is the draft and type of your current (or intended) boat? If you have 6 feet of water, unless you have a really large, deep vessel you should be fine no matter what. At my last place we had 42" at the end of the dock at full lake. I never had a problem with my pontoons or Eastern. My surf boat could be a bit problematic as the levels dropped because of the v-drive setup and 28" draft.

[Descant]

We just tie the jet ski between two docks in the summer with rubber snubbers. At one point we had a homemade ram p with a trailer winch so we weren't taking up dock space, but the in and out was more of a nuisance, so we discontinued the ramp. Trailer to a barn in the winter. Be careful with jet skis. Many families gat one and miraculously, the next year they have two.

[jayhawk_nation]

Originally Posted by Descant

We just tie the jet ski between two docks in the summer with rubber snubbers. At one point we had a homemade ram p with a trailer winch so we weren't taking up dock space, but the in and out was more of a nuisance, so we discontinued the ramp. Trailer to a barn in the winter. Be careful with jet skis. Many families gat one and miraculously, the next year they have two.

Fair warning I have a feeling if we choose to get them, I have a feeling we would get two. The ramp you have is a good idea, but it seems a little complicated. My wife would definitely prefer an easy way to access them. I would say I'm confident that we could attach a jet ski lift to the dock, but the dock is a seasonal one. Does that complicate things? Another thing to note is that it comes up to a beach, so maybe we could drive it right up and store it on a dock situation on the sand? Not sure if that helps at all.
Another thing on jet skis is the maintenance required on them, anything worse than my boat already? Are they a huge hassle?

[Descant]

Less complicated is why we stopped using the ramp and just leave it in the water. Note that if you have a lift that is on the bottom, you m ay have to relocate it as water level drops. If you're beaching, there are often recommendations about not running the engine in shallow water so you don't suck sand or weeds through the pump.

[GusMan]

There are two types of jetskis: those that are money pits and those that will be money pits!

Somewhat kidding!

Certainly depends on the skis...

Newer skis, normally aspirated: pretty reliable/low maintenance.
Older skies, supercharged: typically higher maintenance.

All of them require regular maintenance such as oil changes, winterization, new plugs etc. Also, supercharger rebuilds, impeller and electronics replacements will happen as well.

Then add registrations, winterizations, storage and GAS.... lots of GAS!

Like most watercraft... best two days are when you buy them and when you sell them!

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Descant

Less complicated is why we stopped using the ramp and just leave it in the water. Note that if you have a lift that is on the bottom, you m ay have to relocate it as water level drops. If you're beaching, there are often recommendations about not running the engine in shallow water so you don't suck sand or weeds through the pump.

Did that, ended up sucking up a small rock and bending the impeller.

[tis]

Originally Posted by Descant

Less complicated is why we stopped using the ramp and just leave it in the water. Note that if you have a lift that is on the bottom, you m ay have to relocate it as water level drops. If you're beaching, there are often recommendations about not running the engine in shallow water so you don't suck sand or weeds through the pump.

Years ago when I had a jet boat, I went in shallow water, having never been told it could suck up sand.

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by jayhawk_nation

Fair warning I have a feeling if we choose to get them, I have a feeling we would get two. The ramp you have is a good idea, but it seems a little complicated. My wife would definitely prefer an easy way to access them. I would say I'm confident that we could attach a jet ski lift to the dock, but the dock is a seasonal one. Does that complicate things? Another thing to note is that it comes up to a beach, so maybe we could drive it right up and store it on a dock situation on the sand? Not sure if that helps at all.
Another thing on jet skis is the maintenance required on them, anything worse than my boat already? Are they a huge hassle?

Jet ski lifts are usually free standing and not "attached to the dock". As someone else said, when the water level changes you may need to move the lift or adjust the legs to maintain the right height.

My lifts have usually been placed next to the dock to make it easier to climb on and off.

The last few jet skis I have had have been Yamahas. They seem pretty bullet proof to me. Other than annual oil changes they never need anything.

I have noticed in Florida most of the rental companies have Yamaha jet skis. There must be a reason, I assume dependability.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Jet ski lifts are usually free standing and not "attached to the dock". As someone else said, when the water level changes you may need to move the lift or adjust the legs to maintain the right height.

My lifts have usually been placed next to the dock to make it easier to climb on and off.

The last few jet skis I have had have been Yamahas. They seem pretty bullet proof to me. Other than annual oil changes they never need anything.

I have noticed in Florida most of the rental companies have Yamaha jet skis. There must be a reason, I assume dependability.

Everyone mentioned Yamaha when I was buying my new jet ski, but Sea-Doo just makes a better designed machine. Their front access panel and GTX hull are literal game-changers, and well-maintained machines are all exceptionally reliable.

I took the "I'm just going to pay a bit of money to make this as enjoyable as possible route," which meant I paid DaSilva's to service and store it every year and to keep it maintained. The yearly cost for that was under a grand, which I thought was short money to pick up in spring, use it all summer without issue, and return it in fall without having to think about anything else but having fun.

I do the same with my pontoon with Melvin Village Marina.

To me, getting into an activity means having the money to enjoy it without worrying about the money.

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by thinkxingu

Everyone mentioned Yamaha when I was buying my new jet ski, but Sea-Doo just makes a better designed machine. Their front access panel and GTX hull are literal game-changers, and well-maintained machines are all exceptionally reliable.

I took the "I'm just going to pay a bit of money to make this as enjoyable as possible route," which meant I paid DaSilva's to service and store it every year and to keep it maintained. The yearly cost for that was under a grand, which I thought was short money to pick up in spring, use it all summer without issue, and return it in fall without having to think about anything else but having fun.

I do the same with my pontoon with Melvin Village Marina.

To me, getting into an activity means having the money to enjoy it without worrying about the money.

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

I agree, I had Sea-Doos also, no issues other than the ones self-inflicted. Sea-Doos also have enclosed cooling system with antifreeze running thru the motor, which is more benificial for ocean use. You can't really go wrong with either one in the lake, Yamaha makes a great ski also.
Personally, I would stay away from the supercharged models, they require more maintenance, and you can get a non-supercharge model that will do 60mph plus.
I had one of each and I had just as much fun on the one that went 60, plus I felt more stress when my grandson was out on the supercharged sea-doo which did 75mph!

[jayhawk_nation]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

Jet ski lifts are usually free standing and not "attached to the dock". As someone else said, when the water level changes you may need to move the lift or adjust the legs to maintain the right height.

My lifts have usually been placed next to the dock to make it easier to climb on and off.

The last few jet skis I have had have been Yamahas. They seem pretty bullet proof to me. Other than annual oil changes they never need anything.

I have noticed in Florida most of the rental companies have Yamaha jet skis. There must be a reason, I assume dependability.

Who should I go to about trying to get a lift installed? Do I even need someone?
Also, I store my boat at North Water, I'm assuming they would store my jet skies too, right?
Are there any key differences between the Yamaha and the Sea-Doo? In terms of features and the overall machine. I would definitely just prefer one that is going to be reliable, safe, and last the summer without me having to worry about it too much.

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by jayhawk_nation

Who should I go to about trying to get a lift installed? Do I even need someone?
Also, I store my boat at North Water, I'm assuming they would store my jet skies too, right?
Are there any key differences between the Yamaha and the Sea-Doo? In terms of features and the overall machine. I would definitely just prefer one that is going to be reliable, safe, and last the summer without me having to worry about it too much.

There are a few different types of lifts to consider.

Standard crank up lifts can be purchased from many vendors and just sit on the bottom. The legs are adjusted with a few bolts and holes to the desired height, based on water depth, wave action, etc. Really no install. A few people can pick them up and maneuver them.

Hydraulic lifts (Sunstream Sunlift) are somewhat similar to the crank ups in that they sit on the bottom on adjustable legs. They have a wider lift range and don't need adjustment as the lake level changes. These are powered by batteries, either plugged in or solar charging. A bit heavier to move, but still 2-3 people can handle them. I consider these the best.

Floating ports- shore port, wave port or others, attach to the dock and float with the lake level. You simply drive up onto them and push them off to launch. They work very well as long as you are in calm water. They work great with Sea Doo hulls, but I would suggest not putting a Yamaha on them. I split the hull on mine last year. The wheels on the ports don't line up well with the bottom design and cracked it along the chines.

Crank up shore ramps, such and the slide-n-go or roll-n-go work great for areas with beaches and gradual shorelines. Easy to install and remove.

At our last place we had 2 slide-n-go's on the beach and 2 Wave Armor ports on the dock. We didn't have good depth to use the hydraulic sunlifts and I am not a fan of crank ups as I lost 2 machines once when the lake level came up sharply in a short timeframe and the machines floated off and away.

HK in Laconia sells both Yamaha and Sea Doo and can service and store them. Don't use North Water for that.

As far as brands are concerned, both are good. I own 2 Sea Doo's and 1 Yamaha currently.

[Winilyme]

We have a standard manual crank up abutting our dock. As mentioned above, you'll need to monitor the water level and (usually) move it further out as the summer and lower water levels run their course. That's an easy one-person job which does however get increasingly uncomfortable as fall and colder water approaches.

I do urge you to carefully assess your planned lift location. In our case, out of necessity, the lift is on a side (left) of our dock which, in October, requires us to move it out and around the far end of the dock and back to an over-the-water deck on which we store it for the winter. That's a two-person job and a pain to drag it over a rocky bottom that in places is five/six feet of cold water at the end of the dock. My wife and I do it now but I'm sure we'll be hiring someone in the not-too-distant future. A steep and rocky bank prevents us from dragging it up onto land from the left side of the dock (it's also a pain getting it back in position in the spring though we somehow manage to do that mostly from the dock itself).

Someday soon, we'll need to have the dock/deck rebuilt and hope to work with a contactor that can figure out a better solution to our situation. There are inflatable airbags made to float a lift if you need to move it a significant distance for set-up or removal (as in our case). This, supposedly, would make the process much easier by simply floating the lift around the dock to where we need to lift it up onto the deck. They're costly however.

Does anyone have any simpler home grown solutions to our type of dilemma?

Nothing is easy.

[TiltonBB]

Originally Posted by jayhawk_nation

Who should I go to about trying to get a lift installed? Do I even need someone?
Also, I store my boat at North Water, I'm assuming they would store my jet skies too, right?
Are there any key differences between the Yamaha and the Sea-Doo? In terms of features and the overall machine. I would definitely just prefer one that is going to be reliable, safe, and last the summer without me having to worry about it too much.

A big part of the choice of jet ski brands is personal preference. I have had Sea Doos in past years but they have changed a lot since I had them.

My last three have been Yamahas and they have been trouble free. HK Powersports in Laconia sells both so it might be worth a trip to look at them. They also winter store and pick up and deliver jet skis for customers. They have been great to deal with for the last 30 plus years.

The type of lift you buy will depend upon the property you purchase and the shorefront it has. In some cases crank ups are best, especially if it gets real rough where you are. You can look at lifts at HK too, but I wouldn't buy until I secured a property. That has to be first and will impact the rest of your decisions.

[jayhawk_nation]

Thank you all for all this help.

Which of the jet ski storage options- lift, electric lift, or dock situation is the easiest? The spot we are looking at is in a super calm cove, and I'm pretty sure getting waked out would not be a problem. Also, does one brand of jet ski work best with that situation?

[codeman671]

Originally Posted by jayhawk_nation

Thank you all for all this help.

Which of the jet ski storage options- lift, electric lift, or dock situation is the easiest? The spot we are looking at is in a super calm cove, and I'm pretty sure getting waked out would not be a problem. Also, does one brand of jet ski work best with that situation?

If you go with floating ports avoid a Yamaha. The slide-n-go ramps are quite easy if you have the gradual shorefront for it, plus it doesn't occupy your dock space.

[Descant]

I'd leave it in the water. There are many creative ways to tie it off so it doesn't bang against the dock or take up dock space.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Descant

I'd leave it in the water. There are many creative ways to tie it off so it doesn't bang against the dock or take up dock space.

Esp if you're in a calm cove. I'm in a calm cove and I left mine tied up all season.

[jayhawk_nation]

What does everyone prefer, boat lifts or just tying it up to the dock with the little thing that goes over the top? I have seen them all around, not sure what they are called or what they do. I'm assuming it keeps it from banging onto the dock?

[Winilyme]

Originally Posted by jayhawk_nation

What does everyone prefer, boat lifts or just tying it up to the dock with the little thing that goes over the top? I have seen them all around, not sure what they are called or what they do. I'm assuming it keeps it from banging onto the dock?

For us, in a busy and wavy part of the lake, we’re all-in with the lift. Keeps the hull clean, is stable given the large wakes, and makes it easy to access the ski. I would not feel secure with mooring whips in OUR situation. Yours may be different.

[ishoot308]

Originally Posted by jayhawk_nation

What does everyone prefer, boat lifts or just tying it up to the dock with the little thing that goes over the top? I have seen them all around, not sure what they are called or what they do. I'm assuming it keeps it from banging onto the dock?

For jet ski's, I definitely prefer a lift over leaving it on a dock or mooring. Besides the convenience for just about every aspect, it makes it much easier to cover which is a must if you want to protect it from the sun when not in use...

Dan

[jayhawk_nation]

Originally Posted by codeman671

What is the draft and type of your current (or intended) boat? If you have 6 feet of water, unless you have a really large, deep vessel you should be fine no matter what. At my last place we had 42" at the end of the dock at full lake. I never had a problem with my pontoons or Eastern. My surf boat could be a bit problematic as the levels dropped because of the v-drive setup and 28" draft.

I believe the draft of the boat is just over 20 inches without the engines. Shouldn't be a huge issue, right?