Jet skis and their trailers come in different sizes and weights.
And you probably need to know if your car or truck can tow a jet ski, right?
The good news is that I have compiled a list of all Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki weights below. Please keep in mind that these numbers are without gas and gear.
Jet Ski Weight – Average, Min, Max
A jet ski weighs between 375 and 1,089 pounds. The average jet ski weight is 732 pounds.
The lightest standup jet ski is the Yamaha SuperJet at 375 pounds. The lightest sit-down jet ski is the Sea-Doo Spark 2up at 410 pounds. The heaviest jet ski is the Kawasaki ULTRA 310LX at 1,089 Pounds.
The advertised weight of a jet ski doesn’t always include fuel, gear, and other items that go along with a fully ready PWC.
Sea-Doo – Yamaha – Kawasaki
| Make | Model | Weight (lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| Yamaha | SUPERJET | 375 |
| Sea-Doo | Spark 2UP 60HP | 410 |
| Sea-Doo | Spark 3UP 90HP | 425 |
| Sea-Doo | Spark Trixx 2UP | 428 |
| Sea-Doo | Spark Trixx 3UP | 439 |
| Sea-Doo | Spark 2UP 90HP iBR | 444 |
| Sea-Doo | Spark 3UP 90HP iBR | 446 |
| Yamaha | JETBLASTER | 549 |
| Kawasaki | SX-R | 551 |
| Yamaha | EX | 578 |
| Yamaha | EX SPORT | 584 |
| Yamaha | EX DELUXE | 600 |
| Yamaha | EX LIMITED | 602 |
| Sea-Doo | GTI 90 | 668 |
| Yamaha | VX DELUXE | 675 |
| Yamaha | VX CRUISER | 679 |
| Yamaha | VX LIMITED | 697 |
| Yamaha | VX-C | 701 |
| Yamaha | GP1800R HO | 717 |
| Yamaha | VX | 719 |
| Sea-Doo | GTI 130 | 739 |
| Sea-Doo | GTI SE 130 | 739 |
| Sea-Doo | GTI SE 170 | 739 |
| Sea-Doo | WAKE 170 | 747 |
| Yamaha | GP1800R SVHO | 754 |
| Sea-Doo | GTR 230 | 774 |
| Yamaha | VX CRUISER HO | 776 |
| Sea-Doo | GTX 170 | 776 |
| Sea-Doo | RXP-X 300 | 780 |
| Sea-Doo | FISH PRO SCOUT | 783 |
| Yamaha | VX LIMITED HO | 794 |
| Sea-Doo | GTX 230 | 805 |
| Sea-Doo | GTX 300 | 819 |
| Sea-Doo | WAKE PRO 230 | 829 |
| Sea-Doo | RXT-X 300 | 829 |
| Yamaha | FX HO | 840 |
| Yamaha | FX CRUISER HO | 842 |
| Sea-Doo | GTX Limited 300 | 849 |
| Sea-Doo | FISH PRO SPORT | 858 |
| Yamaha | FX SVHO | 858 |
| Yamaha | FX CRUISER SVHO | 860 |
| Kawasaki | STX 160 | 864 |
| Kawasaki | STX 160X | 864 |
| Kawasaki | STX 160LX | 877 |
| Yamaha | FX LIMITED SVHO | 877 |
| Sea-Doo | FISH PRO TROPHY | 898 |
| Kawasaki | ULTRA LX | 932 |
| Kawasaki | ULTRA 310X | 1032 |
| Kawasaki | ULTRA 310LX-S | 1065 |
| Kawasaki | ULTRA 310LX | 1089 |
To see more info on jet ski weight from each manufacturer…
Keep in mind the weight above doesn’t always include the gear and gas.
Trailer Weight & Capacity
On average, a single jet ski trailer weighs 150 to 300 pounds and has a weight capacity around 1,800 pounds.
A double jet ski trailer can weigh 300 to 600 pounds and has a weight capacity between 2,000 to 3,000 pounds.
A 4-Place jet ski trailer weighs around 1,200 pounds and can carry up to 4,200 pounds.
Tip: If you’re going to get a trailer and have the option of a Triton Aluminum Trailer, then get it. Sea-Doo, Karavan, and many others make trailers, and they work just fine. But I always have the best luck with Triton Trailers. I find that the Aluminum trailers like the Triton’s are lighter and hold up better to rust.
Things You Need To Tow A Jet Ski Trailer
If you’re going to be towing a jet ski and trailer you’ll need to have the proper gear. Here is a list of items you should have if you want to be towing any trailer…
Hitch – Every car or truck needs a hitch if you want to tow. The hitch is the part that attaches to the vehicle and where the receiver connects to. Some trucks or SUVs will come with a hitch, but if you don’t have one then you need to have one installed. Here are some hitches if you need to get one. (Amazon Link Ad)
Receiver – After you get the hitch you’ll need the receiver. The receiver is where the tow ball is attached to and plugs into the hitch. Make sure to get the receiver that is the correct size for your hitch.
Ball – The ball is what the trailer latches to when connected to your truck. Jet ski trailers use either a 2-inch or a 1 7/8 inch ball. The 2-inch ball is the most common especially for newer trailers. Not sure which one to get? Get both, here is a ball receiver combo with both ball sizes. (Amazon Link Ad)
Receiver Lock – You may lock your trailer down at the coupler but it’s nothing for a thief to unlatch the receiver and plug that into their truck and drive away with your trailer. With a receiver lock like this one here (Amazon Link Ad), you can keep that from happening.
Light Adaptor – You know the number 1 thing most of my customers would forget to buy when picking up their new jet ski on a trailer? The adaptor for the lights. Jet ski trailers use a flat connector and most cars built within the last 10 years use the round light connector. In most states, you need lights on your trailer if you want to be legal. You want to get a trailer light adaptor like this one here (Amazon Link Ad) so it works with your jet ski trailer.
Check out many more jet ski accessories here!
Towing With A Car
With the proper hitch and accessories, most cars can be adapted to tow a watercraft just fine. But you must be very strict about tow capacity when it comes to a car since it can’t tow as much as a truck.
If you have a car and want a jet ski or a pair of jet ski’s then the best option is to either go with a Sea-Doo Spark or a Yamaha EX since they’re the lightest watercraft on the market.
Sea-Doo even has a video showing them towing a pair of Sparks behind a Car.
I even had a few customers tow a single Spark behind their Prius and Mustang before.
The reason why it’s so important to follow your car’s recommended towing capacity has to do with braking and getting out of ramps. If you haul something too heavy, then your car might not be able to stop correctly and people can get hurt. Another factor is that ramps you’ll use to launch your watercraft can be steep and too heavy of a load can make it impossible to get out of the ramp. Or even worse, the load could pull your car down into the water and sink it! This is why it’s important to follow the towing capacity of your car or truck!
Tips – Backing Up The Trailer
Backing up a jet ski trailer can be hard, especially if it’s a single trailer. Or hooking up to the trailer is super hard if you don’t have a backup camera.
To help, I’ve created a guide showing you how to launch a jet ski from a trailer.
To make backing up the trailer easier, you can buy boat trailer guides (Amazon Link Ad). These guides are made for boats to guide them in from the water, but if you get long enough ones, it also allows you to see where the sides of your trailer are when backing up. Plus, it helps with loading the ski too as it can keep the rear from swinging away when you’re trying to load up.
As for hooking up to the trailer, you can get hitch rods like this here (Amazon Link Ad). These things allow you to line up your truck to the trailer and remove the guesswork.
More On Trailer Accessories
Did you know many trailers you buy won’t have a tongue jack? A tongue jack is needed if you want to easily get the trailer off the ball of your truck.
There are many other accessories you should look into getting for your jet ski trailer. I have a list of the must-have trailer accessories here.
Thanks…very informative. One question; Is there a way to know the tongue weight based on the weights you’ve given here?
Thanks, Terry
The weights given in the post are not exact numbers, they can vary depending on the watercraft. The tongue weight can also vary too and there is no exact number to give. If anything, I like having a heavy tongue than a light one to keep bouncing from happening. To help with the weight of the tongue I get a Tongue Jack which saves the back. As a general rule, always assume the trailer is tongue light when approaching it. I’ve been smacked and trailers noses flung up in the air because the trailer was light when got on it or took it off the ball. Better to be safe than sorry.