Personal Watercrafts (PWC's)
Buy and sell jet skis in Guatemala.
A jet ski in Guatemala lives either on a highland lake or on the Pacific, walked out through the surf over black volcanic sand, and the coast is far harder on its pump. You will find light two-seaters, three-seat craft that tow a tube, supercharged flagships and the odd stand-up from Yamaha, Kawasaki and Sea-Doo, new and pre-owned. Some used skis were bought in the United States and brought down, so the hull number and the papers behind it count for as much as the hours. A coast ski and a lake ski of the same year are rarely worth the same.
Rec-lite, three-seat and supercharged jet skis:
each suits a different rider, and a first craft is easy to get wrong. Rec-lite skis such as the Sea-Doo Spark or the Yamaha EX are short, light and simple, with room for two and an engine that cruises happily but runs short of breath towing an adult on a ski. Full-size recreation models like the Yamaha VX, Kawasaki STX or Sea-Doo GTI seat three, pull a tube without strain and suit most families. Luxury and performance craft such as the Sea-Doo RXT, Yamaha FX and Kawasaki Ultra add bigger engines, often supercharged, and longer hulls that stay settled in a Pacific swell. For fishing, or for taking a family and gear across a lake, a small power boat does the job better.
Beach launches, the jet pump and the cooling loop:
how a ski gets into the water matters more than its horsepower. With few harbours on the Pacific coast, skis there go in off the beach, and the black volcanic sand is fine and hard. Started in shallow water, a ski pulls that sand through its intake, scoring the wear ring and blunting the impeller until it loses its grip on the water. One walked out to waist depth before starting, or kept at a lake dock, or launched from a trailer at a ramp, keeps its pump far longer. Cooling decides how much the salt matters. Yamaha and Kawasaki engines are cooled by the water the craft floats in, so an unflushed ski corrodes from the inside, while recent full-size Sea-Doos run a closed coolant loop that keeps the sea out of the engine.
What a new jet ski costs and what a worked one is worth:
an entry-level rec-lite starts around Q100,000 new, and supercharged flagships cost roughly twice that. Used, the pump and the hours move the price more than the year does. A lake ski kept under a cover, flushed after every ride and fitted with a fresh wear ring holds its value well. One that spent its seasons going off a Pacific beach, or working a rental fleet, should be priced to cover a pump rebuild and whatever corrosion comes with it. A flood history knocks the value down again however clean the plastics look.
Pump scoring, hull water and a flood past:
read the hour count on the display, then look into the pump from underneath: a bent intake grate, nicked impeller blades or visible gaps around the wear ring all mean sand and stones. Lift the seat, where standing water, salt crust on the exhaust or green connectors need explaining. A ski bought at a salvage sale in the United States may have been written off after a flood, which shows as a line of dried silt inside the hull, mud in the air intake and corroded wiring. Match the hull identification number on the stern to the papers, and walk away from one that has been ground off or restamped. On the water it should start cold, get on plane cleanly and hold full throttle without the revs climbing as the speed drops. A Sea-Doo needs its coded key, since a replacement must be programmed to that craft.
A jet ski listing with its pump, papers and keys:
give make, model, year and hours, then say how it went into the water: off a Pacific beach, from a trailer at a ramp, or from a lake dock. List what has been replaced, such as the wear ring, impeller or battery, and say plainly if it was imported used. Photograph the open engine bay, the pump from below and the hull number. State how many keys or lanyards come with it and whether the trailer is part of the deal. Someone driving down from Chimaltenango will want to watch it start cold and run, so say where it can be put in the water for that test.