PWC Maintenance

As the weather warms up, people will start to take their powersports back to the water by getting out their personal watercraft. PWC, whether they’re a Jet Ski® or a Sea-Doo®, provide you with hours of on-the-water fun and high-speed thrills. These machines can give you the same adrenaline burst of a land-based ride, but instead you’re at the beach. What could be better?

Using your watercraft means keeping it in peak condition so it can offer you maximum performance for every ride. That’s why performing regular PWC maintenance is so important. This guide to maintaining your personal watercraft comes courtesy of the folks at Cross Country Powersports in Metuchen & Hasbrouck Heights, NJ. We want your Sea-Doo to work for you all year long, so we’ve provided some of our best tips for keeping it in great shape.

Consult The Owner’s Manual

Your first step in maintaining your watercraft is to check the owner’s manual for your particular model. Jet Skis and Sea-Doos are very different beasts, after all, so it’s essential that you know the details of whatever model you own. Your manual will recommend certain maintenance procedures and also help you to learn where every part is on your PWC. Keep it where you can easily access it and make notes of any repairs or replaced parts.

Break In The Engine Correctly

If you’re the proud owner of a brand-new Sea-Doo personal watercraft, you may be tempted to open up the throttle and go full-speed as soon as you leave the ramp. This is not the best practice, however! Going at high speeds immediately on a new PWC can lead to engine damage. It also isn’t safe if you aren’t familiar with how your model operates yet.

Take your time on your maiden voyage and work your way up to higher speeds slowly. Once you’ve cleared the ramp and gotten into deep enough water away from other users, twist the throttle to about a quarter of full speed and ride like that for about twenty minutes. After that, you can move to half-speed for another half an hour. Ride at three-quarters of full speed for another hour or so, then you can open up the throttle and go as fast as you like, provided nothing is in your way. This will help to break in your engine and keep its function for years to come.

Flush After Every Ride

Regardless of whether you’re riding in saltwater or freshwater, your Jet Ski needs to be flushed out to prevent salt corrosion and algae or debris build-up from doing significant damage to the engine over time. After each ride, but particularly after riding in saltwater, you’ll want to hook up your PWC’s engine to a freshwater source and turn it on. Engage the throttle to encourage the engine to push water out the back, taking all that debris and salt with it.

Don’t flush your engine with saltwater! This won’t do you any good. Also, never twist your throttle directly after you leave a salty body of water, since you could cook the salt into the engine and ruin it. Fresh water is the way to go for cleaning it out.

Keep It Waxed & Covered

To protect your Sea-Doo PWC from sun damage or algae build-up, wax the hull every so often following a thorough cleaning. A good protective coating of wax will prevent UV rays from discoloring or wearing down your hull, and it will also keep algae and dirt from building up over time.

When your watercraft isn’t in use, you’ll want to keep it covered. A sturdy canvas covering will keep leaves, debris, rain, hail and snow off your personal watercraft year-round. This will also keep that wax shine clean until your next ride.

Still in need of a PWC? Visit one of our dealerships today to view our inventory of new and used personal watercraft by Sea-Doo and Jet Ski, among others. Cross Country Powersports proudly serves the cities of Newark and New Brunswick with our locations in Metuchen and Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.