Jet boats
No prop, shallow draft, big swim platform: Yamaha's playground, with Sea-Doo's Switch pontoons rewriting the entry tier.
What the category is on the used market
Yamaha effectively is the modern jet boat market — the AR/SX lines are the best-selling runabouts in the country, offering wake-capable family boats well under inboard money with the brand's engine reputation attached. The vintage tier (1990s Sea-Doo Speedsters and Challengers) is a separate hobbyist market at a fraction of the price.
What to inspect before money moves
Jet-specific first: wear ring and impeller condition through the cleanout ports, intake grate damage from rocks and debris, and verified hours via dealer diagnostics rather than the dash. On twins, confirm both engines show similar hours — a big mismatch means a replacement or a problem.
Sea-trial the handling, especially docking in wind: single-engine jets steer with throttle, and not every family adapts. Naturally aspirated engines are the durability pick; supercharged variants need their service file.
Value and resale character
Yamaha jet boats hold value well against sterndrive competitors and stay very liquid under $45K. The fast-selling configuration is the naturally aspirated 19–21 footer with documented hours. Vintage two-stroke jets trade on mechanical condition alone — cheap to buy, rewarding for the wrench-inclined, illiquid for everyone else.
Written by a BoatVerdict analyst · Updated 2026-06-11
Jet boats we cover in depth (2)
Key makes in this category
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