New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

[MikeSJ13]

What's up guys, new to the board and completely knew to PWC ownership. After shopping around and looking around, I think I'm stuck between the 2012 Seadoo GTR 215 and the 2012 Yamaha VXR. I was originally looking at the 2012 FX Cruiser HO just for a comfortable fun ride, but the more I look at it the more bulky and old man styled it looks to me with the huge seating etc.

I just wanted to see what your guys opinions were between the two, any advice and pro's/con's would be appreciated.

Mike

 

[The Rooster]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

Welcome Mike. Thats a nice problem to have. They are both rockets bone stock. I'd say it comes down to your personal taste in styling. Good luck, and post pics if you get one.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

Well, they are both fast (upper 60s). The Seadoo in a more complex machine. It uses an Austrian built Rotax engine, has a more complicated closed loop cooling system, and is supercharged, and so you may have some issues to deal with down the road with that. I think they have solved the ceramic washer issue that used to plague their supercharged skis, but I'm pretty sure the supercharger will have to be rebuild after a certain number of hours. The Seadoo will have lots more stuff (trim, brake system, cruise control, etc..). That is also more stuff to break or cause problems down the road. It will also put more of a dent in your wallet. I suspect that the Seadoo will be a better ride in rough water, by a small margin than the VXR. If you are looking for something to take off shore, I'd recommend the RXT instead. It has a better hull.

The VXR is a more simple design (open loop cooling, normally aspirated engine, fewer bells and whistles). If you plan to do your own maintenance this will be a much easier machine to work on. The 1.8L engine on this ski is a proven design, and is pretty bullet proof. It is the most fuel efficient ski on the market that is also capable of speeds above 68 mph stock (also uses 87 octane versus 91 for many Seadoo models). All the other skis that can reach this speed are supercharged and tend to be a lot more thirsty. Down side is that the VXR has a flatter hull, and gets bouncy in rough water. It is a great ski for a lake, but you will get wet and beat up off shore. The FX HO or SHO are better choices for ocean riding from Yamaha.

 

[MikeSJ13]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

Well, they are both fast (upper 60s). The Seadoo in a more complex machine. It uses an Austrian built Rotax engine, has a more complicated closed loop cooling system, and is supercharged, and so you may have some issues to deal with down the road with that. I think they have solved the ceramic washer issue that used to plague their supercharged skis, but I'm pretty sure the supercharger will have to be rebuild after a certain number of hours. The Seadoo will have lots more stuff (trim, brake system, cruise control, etc..). That is also more stuff to break or cause problems down the road. It will also put more of a dent in your wallet. I suspect that the Seadoo will be a better ride in rough water, by a small margin than the VXR. If you are looking for something to take off shore, I'd recommend the RXT instead. It has a better hull.

The VXR is a more simple design (open loop cooling, normally aspirated engine, fewer bells and whistles). If you plan to do your own maintenance this will be a much easier machine to work on. The 1.8L engine on this ski is a proven design, and is pretty bullet proof. It is the most fuel efficient ski on the market that is also capable of speeds above 68 mph stock (also uses 87 octane versus 91 for many Seadoo models). All the other skis that can reach this speed are supercharged and tend to be a lot more thirsty. Down side is that the VXR has a flatter hull, and gets bouncy in rough water. It is a great ski for a lake, but you will get wet and beat up off shore. The FX HO or SHO are better choices for ocean riding from Yamaha.

The VXR would run me $12,000 out the door and the GTR-215 would run me $12,475 out the door. SeaDoo said the service for rebuilding the supercharger is roughly $700 done by the shop and is required every 200 hours of run time. I plan on doing mostly inlet and bay riding, maybe eventually ocean but 90% of the time bay riding.

So for the smaller price difference between the two, which would you guys do?

 

[Fireman431]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

I have the SeaDoo RXP 215 with the super charger, but I also sprung for the 5 year maintenance package ($500). They cover it tip to tail, including any supercharger issues. Cheaper than a single rebuild. I also have the Yamaha, but mine's a 2004. The Yam is a comfortable ride, but doesn't turn quite as sharp as the SeaDoo. The SeaDoo is faster out of the hole, but gets a little more squirrley on WOT. Take a demo ride on similiar models and see which you want. Or hell, get both....I did...

 

[gtr215]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

i personaly just bought a new sea doo gtr215 2 weekends ago, also new to the thread. This is also my first pwc ive ever owned i just traded in my r1 in on it. i got a chance to finaly take it out last weekend and what a blast, in sport mode it dam near jumps out the water. reverse is real nice works real well, the braking is pretty nice to. very very stable on the river i personaly highly reccomend it. I also looked at the yamahas to because i was trading in my yamaha r1, didnt dig the style much and wasnt pleased with the yamaha financing. my vote is on the sea doo

 

[Ernest T]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

The VXR would run me $12,000 out the door and the GTR-215 would run me $12,475 out the door. So for the smaller price difference between the two, which would you guys do?

Between those 2 choices I'd go with the SeaDoo. It will cost you more to maintain and ride, but it will be the better riding ski, plus you get all the extra features. If you want something that will be a great rough water/ocean type ski down the road, look at the 2012 Yamaha FX HO or SHO. They will cost you more now, but no comparison to either the VXR or GTR in rough water.

 

[MikeSJ13]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

Between those 2 choices I'd go with the SeaDoo. It will cost you more to maintain and ride, but it will be the better riding ski, plus you get all the extra features. If you want something that will be a great rough water/ocean type ski down the road, look at the 2012 Yamaha FX HO or SHO. They will cost you more now, but no comparison to either the VXR or GTR in rough water.

Yeah I mean, this review scared me a little- http://www.fzwaverunner.com/2011/12/comparison-yamaha-vxr-vs-sea-doo-gtr-215/ , but yet it is a Yamaha fan-boy website in the first place.

The Supercharger needs a ~$700 rebuild every 200 hours, comes with a two year warranty like the Yamaha VXR. The extended warranty is $700 for 4 additional years through RPM1. I'd definitely look into a maintenance plan.

If it's true to the 200 hours, that would take me quite awhile to hit. I'm sure the general winterizing maintenance and pumping out the oil is the same on both models?

The SHO is out of my price range and I haven't looked at the FX HO, I was looking at the Cruiser HO, maybe I'll look at the FX HO.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

I'm sure the general winterizing maintenance and pumping out the oil is the same on both models?
................... maybe I'll look at the FX HO.

Maintenance is harder on the SeaDoo, and my mechanic friend has told me that the newer ITC and IBR equipped skis are even harder to do simple things like oil changes on than the older models........that is why they increased prices on routine maintenance. I'm not saying you still couldn't do it yourself, but compared to the Yamaha the SeaDoo is going to be harder for the do-it-yourselfer. Plus SeaDoo skis have additional pump oil system that has to be changed, then you have to service the closed loop cooling system, etc., etc..

Take another look at the FX HO. Its as fast as the supercharged GTR, without the headaches of a supercharger, plus much better fuel economy on 87 octane. Easy to maintain yourself, and it will totally out ride either the SeaDoo or the VXR in any rough water.........You will be glad you spent the extra bucks.

 

[MikeSJ13]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

Maintenance is harder on the SeaDoo, and my mechanic friend has told me that the newer ITC and IBR equipped skis are even harder to do simple things like oil changes on than the older models........that is why they increased prices on routine maintenance. I'm not saying you still couldn't do it yourself, but compared to the Yamaha the SeaDoo is going to be harder for the do-it-yourselfer. Plus SeaDoo skis have additional pump oil system that has to be changed, then you have to service the closed loop cooling system, etc., etc..

Take another look at the FX HO. Its as fast as the supercharged GTR, without the headaches of a supercharger, plus much better fuel economy on 87 octane. Easy to maintain yourself, and it will totally out ride either the SeaDoo or the VXR in any rough water.........You will be glad you spent the extra bucks.

Thanks for the info. Everything I read shows the GTR as being faster, but top speed is by like 3 mph and 0-60 is by .3 seconds. I'm not going to go with one model over the other because of top speed, and I'm not racing, so that doesn't put the Seadoo above the FX HO to me. My biggest things are the handling and maintenance. I don't mind the SC rebuild since it's every 200 hours now, but I didn't know if there were other things more required on the Seadoo than the Yamaha besides the supercharger aspect. I saw both can run 87, 91 preferred on Seadoo, but I don't mind the 20 cent difference if I'm actually gaining performance out of it.

 

[Ernest T]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

If handling and maintenance are the 2 biggest factors, the Yamaha wins hands down. The hull on the GTR is flat by comparison to the newly designed hull on the 2012 FX HO which has a "V" shape all the way to the pump inlet. The GTR will be a bouncy wet ride, the FX HO will plow through rough water. A better comparison would be between the Yamaha FX HO and the SeaDoo RXT or GTX hulls which use the more modern T3 hull design and perform better in the chop, but even then the Yamaha will be the better ski in any rough water condition.

 

[MikeSJ13]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

If handling and maintenance are the 2 biggest factors, the Yamaha wins hands down. The hull on the GTR is flat by comparison to the newly designed hull on the 2012 FX HO which has a "V" shape all the way to the pump inlet. The GTR will be a bouncy wet ride, the FX HO will plow through rough water. A better comparison would be between the Yamaha FX HO and the SeaDoo RXT or GTX hulls which use the more modern T3 hull design and perform better in the chop, but even then the Yamaha will be the better ski in any rough water condition.

I found a 2011 left over RXT-X 260 for $13,100 out the door with a loadrite 2200, all brand new. I think I'm leaning toward that way, especially with the closed loop cooling and only doing salt water use. The hull difference should take away from the FX advantage. Now I think it comes to storage and gas?

 

[Ernest T]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

You will definitely be happier with an RXT in the ocean over the GTR. Don't let the closed loop cooling system lure you into a false sense of security. You still have to flush after every ride in salt water if you want it to last. I'd spray all the metal parts down with some Fluid Film before you ride it and every month or so............especially the drive shaft which tends to rust quickly on the SeaDoo models for some reason.

 

[Skipper812]

Re: New to PWC, stuck between 2012's Seadoo GTR 215 and Yamaha VXR

If handling and maintenance are the 2 biggest factors, the Yamaha wins hands down. The hull on the GTR is flat by comparison to the newly designed hull on the 2012 FX HO which has a "V" shape all the way to the pump inlet. The GTR will be a bouncy wet ride, the FX HO will plow through rough water. A better comparison would be between the Yamaha FX HO and the SeaDoo RXT or GTX hulls which use the more modern T3 hull design and perform better in the chop, but even then the Yamaha will be the better ski in any rough water condition.

I concur with Ernest T
Higher pro active maint on Sea Doo = $.The closed loop cooling is an advantage to stop corrosion @ internal engine components.Salt/fresh water will still flow thru IC/exhaust & waterbox.So diligent flushing is still required after every ride.
Same thing appllies to the Yami but engine internals will be in harms way if you ride in the "salt".Diligent flushing will negate the corrosion(consider salt neutralizer with yami).So..all things being equal on the flushing aspect.Being the owner of a SeaDoo,Yami & 2 Kawis PWC & riding various other models I've come to the conclusion (IMHO) that Yami has the superior pump/hull design & Kawi 2nd,But the SeaDoo engine(rotac) is above the rest "if" diligent PMs are performed on SC.SeaDoo recommends 200 hours on the SC,well depending on your riding style(chop/unhook/racing),take that number to 100/75 hours.FYI: a few "enthusist" are putting SeaDoo SC motors into Yami GPR hulls.
To sum it up>>YAMI