The first step to getting a jet ski is research, especially if you’re a beginner! You got to find out if this sport is for you or should you move on to something else!
After doing some research, you need to determine what you want to buy. Consider your riding style, do you need a machine for speed or something for the whole family?
After all that, or even before that, you start to look at costs! Not just the cost of owning a new jet ski, but the maintenance and other items to keep it going.
At least for this post, I want to cover the current 2024 prices. I also want to discuss the market, show you my calculator to get an estimated out the door number, and answer some questions you may have. So, let’s dig in!
About The Current Year
In the world of jet skis, things have evolved, and boats, generally, have become more expensive.
So, in 2024, you’ll find prices start at $7,000 to $22,000 for the newest jet skis of today.
Now, let’s do the math. The average price hovers around $14,400. To put things into perspective, two decades ago, that kind of money could’ve landed you a halfway decent boat. Oh, the times have changed!
And if you’re wondering, the margins are not that amazing on jet skis.
The Lowest & The Highest Price?
Curious about the extremes?
Well, the Sea-Doo Spark 60HP sits on the affordable end at $6,999, while the Kawasaki ULTRA 310LX reigns supreme as the priciest model at $21,199.
How Much is The Cost For A New Jet Ski?
Below are the combined prices for all the major 2024 jet ski brands.
Make | Model | Price |
---|---|---|
Sea-Doo | Spark 2UP 60HP | $6,999 |
Yamaha | EX | $7,799 |
Sea-Doo | Spark 3UP 90HP | $8,299 |
Sea-Doo | Spark 2UP 90HP Convenience | $8,399 |
Sea-Doo | Spark 3UP 90HP Convenience | $8 999 |
Sea-Doo | Trixx 1Up | $9,099 |
Yamaha | EX SPORT | $9,099 |
Sea-Doo | Trixx 3UP | $9,699 |
Yamaha | EX DELUXE | $10,199 |
Yamaha | VX-C | $10,199 |
Yamaha | SUPERJET | $10,699 |
Yamaha | EX LIMITED | $10,799 |
Yamaha | JETBLASTER | $10,899 |
Sea-Doo | GTI 130 | $11,499 |
Kawasaki | SX-R | $11,999 |
Kawasaki | STX 160 | $11,999 |
Sea-Doo | GTI SE 130 | $12,299 |
Yamaha | VX DELUXE | $12,399 |
Kawasaki | STX 160X | $12,599 |
Yamaha | VX CRUISER | $12,799 |
Sea-Doo | GTI SE 170 | $12,899 |
Yamaha | VX CRUISER HO | $13,599 |
Yamaha | VX LIMITED | $13,999 |
Sea-Doo | GTR 230 | $14 099 |
Sea-Doo | WAKE 170 | $14,099 |
Kawasaki | STX 160LX | $14,299 |
Yamaha | GP HO | $14,499 |
Sea-Doo | FISH PRO SCOUT | $15,099 |
Sea-Doo | GTX 170 | $15,199 |
Yamaha | VX LIMITED HO | $15,299 |
Yamaha | FX HO | $15,699 |
Sea-Doo | GTX 230 | $16,199 |
Yamaha | GP SVHO | $16,799 |
Sea-Doo | GTR-X 300 | $16,999 |
Yamaha | FX CRUISER HO | $16,999 |
Sea-Doo | FISH PRO SPORT | $17,399 |
Sea-Doo | GTX 300 | $17,899 |
Sea-Doo | WAKE PRO 230 | $18,399 |
Sea-Doo | Explorer Pro 170 | $18,899 |
Sea-Doo | RXP-X 325 | $19,199 |
Kawasaki | ULTRA 310X | $19,199 |
Yamaha | FX SVHO | $19,299 |
Sea-Doo | GTX Limited 300 | $19,699 |
Yamaha | FX CRUISER SVHO | $19,799 |
Sea-Doo | Explorer Pro 230 | $19,899 |
Sea-Doo | RXT-X 325 | $19,999 |
Kawasaki | ULTRA 310LX-S | $20,199 |
Yamaha | FX LIMITED SVHO | $20,399 |
Sea-Doo | FISH PRO TROPHY | $20,499 |
Kawasaki | ULTRA 310LX | $21,199 |
Calculate Out the Door Price?
But wait, there’s more to consider! Those prices I just mentioned don’t even cover taxes, fees, and trailer. I get it; it can get pretty confusing real fast.
That’s precisely why I’ve cooked up the pricing calculator that’s based on real-world scenarios, not those useless ones you stumble upon elsewhere on the internet.
Let’s keep it real, folks; the dealership tends to charge prep, freight, and doc fees, so you might as well use the calculator that’s got all that covered.
Where To Find Prices on The Used/pre-owned Jet Skis?
If you’re looking for used or trade-in values, I have a tool for that called “Steven Used PWC Values (SUP Values)“.
I also have a post that goes over other ways to figure out the amount you should pay for a used waverunner here.
The Used Market?
The average cost on used or pre-owned ranges from $2,000 to $15,000 depending on the year, shape, and condition. These jet skis can go for more or less depending on the newness of the model, its condition along with market conditions.
Just watch out for scammers on the used market, they’re on the rise. They’ll rope you into a cheap, too good to be true deal, and run away with your money. I’m getting a lot more emails from people about this, and it seems to be getting worse. They also target people selling, as seen here. Be careful out there, folks!!!
Interesting Pricing Tidbits
I built a tool to calculate what a used machine is worth, and doing so, I have a large database of historic numbers dating back to 1990 to 2024. With this data, I can calculate interesting tidbits through the years.
The Average & Median Costs Over Time
- Average (1990-2024): $10,019.93
- Average (Past 5 Years): $12,923.90.
- Median (1990-2024): $9,399
- Median (Past 5 Years): $12,449
The average price has INCREASED by approximately $3,095 over the past 10 years for jet skis!
In the past 10 years, the cheapest model was the 2015 Sea-Doo Spark 2up 60HP at $4,999! When the Spark came out, most jet skis were twice the price, so it shows how the Spark really brought new life to the industry.
What Is the Best Time To Buy?
Timing the jet ski market can tricky, especially when doing it during the busiest time of the year.
You’re going to pay more, often over retail for a crazy busy market, if you buy when it’s summer and warm out. The opposite can be true, when it’s cold things do get a bit cheaper.
The best time to buy is when the manufacturer releases new models, as the dealership and the manufacturer want them to get rid of the old inventory. The problem is that many dealers don’t have inventory then when demand is high. If they do, it’s for a model that no one wants.
If you’re eye-balling a certain model, I’m sure others are too, especially if the color is nice, so don’t wait and get it as they won’t restart production runs when the time is up!
Haggling Over New Jet Skis Possible?
There is a whole art with haggling, and you can do it on many jet skis on the market. Unless demand is so good that the dealership or guy selling doesn’t want to.
I’ve seen all the tricks and some of them are quite funny… like asking for the sales manger thinking they can give you a better deal is wasting everyone’s time.
There are things you can do to get a better deal on your next machine that I cover in this guide here.
Will Dealerships Come Back To Reality?
When the world shut down in 2020, and we had a crazy time for a few years, supply chains were affected and items like jet ski were hard to get. With people stuck at home, extra money and nothing to do, sales went crazy.
This caused many dealerships to value their inventory high, many fees and other items that customers hate. While it sucked, it was needed because of supply and demand.
That was fine from 2020 to 2023, but even today I’m seeing some dealerships still acting like there are supply chain issues. Many of them got a taste for high-priced sales and don’t want to let go. This is a good thing and a bad thing.
It’s a free market, and they can sell the unit for whatever, but the competition can also sell it for whatever. Something is going to crumble as the high-priced days are dying. This could lead to many leftover models at the years end with great rebates or warranty offers. As someone who worked through the 2009 recession at a dealership, this part worries me as we saw a lot of dealers go out of business. You don’t want to see this a lot, as it’s a domino effect, and it only gets worse. So hopefully, dealerships can come back to reality and start pricing machines according to the market. But hey, “I’m just some guy on the internet.“
You’ll Need Accessories
If you’re in the market for a jet ski, there are a few things I suggest you pick up.
Some of the items are required by law, some keep you safe, and many are just very useful. Check out my accessories post here to know more.
It’s crazy how expensive these things have gotten! Even the used market is high, though cooling down a bit.
Nice info
In 2020, with the high demand for jet ski’s, is it reasonable to pay MSRP for a new SeaDoo, or should I be able to negotiate for below MSRP pricing? Also, they are charging $2,000 for “Freight and Setup” and then lowered it down to $1,500 when I questioned it. $1,500 still seems high to me, especially on a GTR 230 that they are quoting at full MSRP. $500 – $750 seems reasonable to me, but not $1,500. Would love your thoughts. Thanks in advance!
In 2020 all new jet skis and used were going for MSRP plus plus. It’s looking like 2021 is going to be the same. A fair deal would be MSRP plus $1k (if you ask me) but if that dealer has someone willing to pay more it’s a tough position. The dealer could also be playing hardball, have them break down the cost, and email it to you so you can see if the numbers make sense. Things like freight do cost the dealership money, it’s usually about $400-$500. They also have to pay people to put it together and the manufacturer doesn’t help with disposing of the crate so there is a cost in that too. I have a guide that goes over more tips here… https://www.steveninsales.com/new-jet-ski-buyers-guide/
Hi thanks for the great info. I’m looking at buying a 2019 Sea Doo GTX 155 and new trailer for $6,000 AUD. It has 425 hours on it as it was used at a rescue jet ski in Sydney. I am part of the rescue service so know the ski well and know it was very well looked after and serviced as per manufacturers requirements. Last service a month ago. They do get a lot of use as they are on the water for 8 hours a day on the weekends all summer. Hoping that if it’s looked after this is a really good buy. Please let me know. Thanks.
I had to look up the conversion to USD, it’s about $4k USD. That is a lot of hours for 2019 GTX 155 but that is a really cheap price and you know the watercraft and how it runs. Normally I would say no but since you know the history well and that price is really attractive for a 2019 I would go for it. Just know if you go to sell it later you’ll have a hard time due to the hours. That 155HP engine is solid and that body very comfortable. If it was me in your situation I would buy it, that’s not a bad deal.