Called to rent a jet ski

Was going to rent one few hundred yards down the canal. Rates were 173 dollars per hr. I cannot believe people pay that much. If they said three hr. is 300 or a day rate. Ride for 4 hr. Your looking at 692 bucks. The rentals are all over the bays like gnats & green flies. In NY you need a personal watercraft course I would bet 90 percent or more don’t have. Many if not most are totally idiots.

That’s nuts. Last one I rented was $50 an hour and I thought that was a lot. They charge that much because people pay it. I won’t be one of them.

Me either.

Several sons of friends bought jet skis back in the 90’s. They all got bored with them pretty quickly and got rid of them. Maybe the hourly rental prices are high to offset the fact that they don’t get too many repeat customers?

Unlike a kayak a jetski is not worth owning. Renting one (at a good price) is a much better deal. No heavy price, no trailer, no storage problems, no engine maintenance, no yearly taxes, etc.

I’d still rather be in my surfski.

I guess it depends how much you use it. I’ll call another place in the morning. I was in Daytona Beach when Kawasaki was testing them before one was sold. We asked the guy what it was about 1974 or 5

No clue but place is empty on weekends. They have a dozen there anf many more at another location.

Looked at another place 120 per hr. plus insurance and tax. 173 was insurance and tax. I guess insurance is nuts when renting them out.

Wrong forum to ask about jet ski pricing!

Yes but as they whizz by my kayak with 12 or more rentals in one group how do they afford it? Most of the time 18-30 year olds?

They live in their mothers basement and have no bills besides their cell phone.

A new one runs from $ 5 to $ 17k. So they are renting for a payment. A study in Adventure Kayak magazine said that millennials tend to rent for the experience not the buy and have. Maybe that’s why so many appear to be new, they are all new operators .

Anyway, I thought jet skis were old hat; wave runners are a much bigger deal around here.

Follow the money trail for jet ski rental, and the trail typically ends at mommy & daddy.
That should give you an idea of the mind set & maturing of the majority of those renting them.
Most renters are a hazard to others & to themselves
Lots of tourists who flock to this area on summer weekends & rent jet skis end up in hospitals and in some cases the funeral home.
Mommy & daddy pay for that too.

Locals call them lake lice; I don’t disagree.

BOB

In CO at one state park years ago, a large bunch of tweeners and teens rented jet skis and powerboats. They had arrived at the park in stretch Humvees, and proceeded to do various kinds of criminal activities. Turned out their “supervisors” ran one branch of a national magazine-selling scam. They sought out wayward young guys in cities and lured them to “work” for them while living well under their wing.

Before the filthy facts were ferreted out, a lot of us wondered just how these scuzzy looking guys had gotten so much money. One of the older young guys was bona fide nuts–was hauled away with a head injury after a fight, literally strapped down, kicking the walls of the ambulance and screaming. M1 I think was the term for his state.

That branch of the “business” had several addresses given as Gig Harbor, WA. Maybe there is one near you.

@magooch said:
Anyway, I thought jet skis were old hat; wave runners are a much bigger deal around here.

I meant to really lump them all together. Rentals I would are two person wave runners.

And now for your entertainment …

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5L6xzIsESw

Wow, that’s some rough water.

And the folks who swam out to help were brave souls indeed.

I am just now reading this for the first time and cannot believe how much people charge for a rental!!
Not trying to knock Jet skis as I used to own one…but it really did not take long before I got extremely bored with mine and sold it…Every time I go Kayaking in the Lake sometimes I am surrounded by them. These things haul arse…I mean they are very fast and much faster than the Jet Ski I used to own about 8 years ago. They have come a long way but I will still say this…at first it looks extremely fun…which I am sure it is…but I notice a pattern where these Jet Ski’ers just go back and forth as fast as they can and that is it. I still think that once I got used to the speed of these Jet Skis I would eventually be bored with them all over again.
I was thinking about renting one out…a really fast one…but I am doubting I will be doing that if prices are going to be jacked up just to rent one for several hours or so.

I do make sure I wear the World’s most brightest Neon Orange shirt that can probably be seen from outer-space out in the Lake when I am around Jet Skier’s (amongst other huge water crafts) so that they can definitely see me and honestly these Jetski’ers have all been very respectful towards me and I get major compliments on my Kayak everytime one of them rides over to check it out…I even had one guy wanting to take a picture of it…sure we have many Kayakers like myself who are more into the “touring” style and not recreational (honestly though in the South the majority are 370 pounders in huge recreational Kayaks (I am not hating good for them just to get out the house)…but it really makes me feel good when I get compliments about my Kayak and how good I look at Kayaking even though I know as a newbie my form still is not perfect…and I am seriously just thinking to myself “I want your Jet Ski but I cannot afford basically a car note each Month just to have something that can go very fast in the water…then stop or turn…then repeat…then bored”.

Again not knocking Jet Ski’s if I had the money I would own one but seriously I truly love my Kayak more than anything when it comes to being in the open waters and even the many Rivers and Swamps we have…it is so peaceful and extremely therapeutic just being out there in my Jackson Journey 14’ just taking in the sun and knowing that the only thing separating me from the waters is this somewhat narrow 25" wide contraption with only my body as the engine…it gives me a rush.
I do not see a Jet Ski giving me this rush…definitely more adrenaline but not that escape feeling it is almost like a form of meditation being in a Kayak far out in the waters…

I know I get all poetic when talking about Kayaking but I am so glad that I stumbled upon it. I’ll bring my Jaybird X3’s and iPod with me and just relax in the Lake all (and when there are no jet ski’s) and I’ll just have this ultimate feeling of being isolated and free from the World and people. Kayaking is definitely a beautiful sport.

Well, if you had a WaveRunner ,jet ski is old school, you could dress it up with rod holders, cooler, GPS chart plotters and go offshore fishing. I kid you not .