Phone 09 299 1064 Email info@skimd.co.nz
Welcome to Ski M.D. We are based in Auckland operating an advanced workshop specifically designed to service and repair jetskis. We are Auckland's leading independent PWC service specialist & offer free unbiased advise for new and used PWC buyers. We have all the high tech diagnostic equipment and by far the most technical experience in watercraft. Experience the difference at Ski M.D. Bookings essential.
WINTER SHOP HOURS
Monday-Friday 8am - 5.00pm
Early & late pick up's/drop off's by arrangement, just give us a call!
Parts & accessories are available 24/7 on www.jetskijunk.co.nz
"Winterize your jetski and get free stuff now"
Save your jetski engine and battery from death caused by lack of winter use with a winterize at Ski M.D. during April or May and I will GIVE YOU A BATTERY SMART CHARGER. Nothing hidden here, just a good deal and the total cost to you is $130.00 inc GST. Call Kevin to book now 2991064.
Stock Up On Some Winter Woolies
Winter gear is now out - full options of jackets, pants, gloves and shoes to keep you warm on these chilly days.
Also check out some of the Jetski Junk $1 NR clearance sales... some expensive gear going at stupid prices....
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=593236075
Full range of winter accessories in the Ski MD shop..
Westpac Chopper Appeal Is On
May is the Westpac Chopper Appeal month and we think the Westpac Chopper does a pretty important job even if you never want it to be visiting you!
Making a $3 donation is as simple as texting "CHOPPER" to 3181. Or you can make a bigger donation using online payment or Westpac Hot Points by going to the website www.chopperappeal.co.nz
The YAMAHA Festival of Freeride
Been, Gone, Done, Killer event a credit to all those who made it happen.
http://vimeo.com/64669912
Yamaha Grow While Others Cease Production
With the entire PWC market being affected heavily by the world wide economic slump, it is positive to hear that one of the PWC producers are growing and expanding....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yjyR-mUa7I&feature=player_detailpage&list=PL9BE7CFAE70B0D561
The Jetski Doctor's Tips For Winter
The winter is hard on PWC's for the reason they do get neglected despite all good intentions. Here are the basics:
1. Make the choice now (April/May) to either winterise your ski OR commit to starting/riding it at least once every four weeks. Check your owners manual for winterise method or contact your local service agent. Fogging Oil can be purchased online through www.jetskijunk.co.nz if you are self-winterising.
2. Love your battery: the most common part to fail on your ski is the battery. Without maintaining full charge, your battery will suffer damage and die. This can take as little as 3 weeks. If you are choosing the start-up method over winter (above) you will need to top up your battery with an external charger if you are not riding your ski for a more than 2 hours. Most battery chargers are 'smart chargers' and can be left on over winter to maintain the battery through pulse charge - check with your supplier - prices start from $99.
3. Get your jetski serviced! This is the BEST time to talk to your local service agent about servicing your ski, you can also get them to winterise it at the same time for minimal extra charge if you don't intend to ride over winter. Servicing your ski now, means your craft sits with fresh oil in the engine instead of tired/contaminated oil (4 stroke).
4. Address any repairs or touch-ups: check out pricing on damaged body work or broken parts. Often genuine parts take a few weeks to come from Japan/Canada/USA and it's better to have the delay now and not 2 weeks before Christmas holidays. Contact your local agent or JetskiJunk.co.nz who can give you genuine or aftermarket options where available.
5. If you are going to up-grade your current ski - this is the best time to buy. You will have a better choice of craft on Trade Me to choose from and local shops will have plenty of time to do the "pre-purchase inspection" for you. On the flip-side, this is not a good time to sell so if you can finance the change over until November when it is peak selling season and ski's can fetch up to 20% more.
Organised Recreational Rides In Auckland
Jetski enthuisiast, Grant Wilson, has begun organising recreational rides for anyone who cares to join in with the next one on April 14th departing Westhaven boat ramp at 11am. No need to book just turn up on the day. Keep a close eye on his website for the next ride www.nzjetski.co.nz
Jetski Shopping 101
One of our most popular services at Ski MD is helping new jetski owners buy their first jetski. Here are a few tips for winter 2013 to get you started:
1. Read the current "What's the hot ski to buy" article just a bit further down the page for our latest top recommendations.
2. Go the our SMART STUFF page and read Buying Your First Jetski - this covers the basic FAQ.
3. WINTER is the best time to BUY as demand is not high and people wanting to sell will be more negotiable.
4. Go to www.jetskijunk.co.nz and establish what you will need to spend on accessories to get you started. This is a good place to get a line up of prices on everything from life jackets to flushing fluid and because it is 100% Kiwi - it's also a good place to buy and have goods shipped to your door!
5. Lastly, get a pre-purchase inspection done before you buy - it's no guarantee but a 99% chance of getting something that won't be dubbed "the lemon".
Benelli..... Question......Will NZ see them?
For the best part of five years the team at Ski M.D. have been excited by the prospects of the new kids on the block "Benelli" launching the latest technology on the market, which was featured at the boat show in Auckland last May, but to date still no sign of these machines hitting our shores. After hunting their own facebook & promo pages, it looks as if very little is happening for this company on the water to date. I do hope we get to see these huge HP machines on the water in NZ sometime soon.
NEW NEWS!! I hear that the Christchurch distributor may have some stock and are getting ready to unleash them on the NZ market........................I WANT ONE................. :-)
Servicing Costs In Black & White
We get asked all the time what the costs of a service are and customers are often confused as to the vast difference between prices at different service agents. To put it in a nutshell and keep it in the four stroke era, we can suggest the following would be a fair price/value guideline;
Sea-Doo (4 stroke)
A Sea Doo 4-Tec service including spark plugs, oil filter and oil with a good check over including jet pump removal for greasing of the drive line splines and a full diagnostic download is $350.00 inc GST. If the supercharger is due for a rebuild that cost will go out to $1000 including the service as above. Other common 'consumables' are the plastic jet unit liners (wear rings) at $100-150, oil cap o-rings at $10-15 for the 3, and coolant top ups.
Yamaha (4 stroke)
A Yamaha which is a four cylinder engine with all the same service requirements and once again including spark plugs, oil and oil filter plus a diagnostic download is $350-385 depending on model. Again it's jet pump out and all trim etc lubed up for long life. No extra costs on supercharged Yamahas as the chargers do not require service at prescribed intervals.
Kawasaki (4 stroke)
Kawasaki craft are as per Yamaha at $380 inc as they are also four cylinder and parts prices are about the same. Supercharged versions may require belt changes which will add to this cost. Ultra 300 also have an interim oil change every 25 hours so this will be a $120 between services cost.
We see some customers come in with routine service bills from marine shops that are quite simply out to lunch, so before you drop off your craft, ask the price and "WHAT WILL YOU GET" for your money? Check also that they have the correct diagnostic tools to check for faults correctly.
Most two stroke craft have made it to the point now where it is more logical to do repairs as required than services as such. We all know they eat a battery a year due to the off season lack of use and a set of plugs to kick off the season with a compression test is a good starting point. Expect to pay a couple of hundred dollars to get that done and knock off a couple of rough edges to kick start the season. Pump bearings and liners are ongoing items at the age of most of these craft.
Remember it's your hard earned and while jetski's are not quite as complex as helicopters, the results can be just as bad when the engine stops so ensure your dealing with someone who has in-depth experience in your model of craft.
Whats The Hot Ski To Buy?
At Ski M.D. we are called on a daily basis asking which PWC is the one to buy. It is well known that Ski M.D. have no affiliation with any of the brands from a sales point of view although we are happy to broker the best deals on "any" brand purchasers choose. If you are looking for new and top end, we find the following....
Kawasaki 300 Ultra is the open water and horsepower king. It is a big three seater with a 1500cc engine and all the usual bits and bobs. These things take off like a rocket and punch through the ocean like nothing else. We have helped a number of customers in to these craft and we have had no warranty claims to date. I rate this ski as my money no object number 1 machine. I have ridden these a lot and if you are nice on the throttle, they are good on gas. If your a rev head, you will use it as you would expect. Two years warranty on these craft.
Yamaha FXSHO are supercharged three seaters that are fast and light and benefit from Yamaha's reputation in reliability long term. A solid four cylinder twin cam 1800cc engine is class topping in cc's which we all know " there is no substitute for cubic inches". Simple mechanical reverse on the 2012 model takes all the electro gizmo tech away from salt water applications and ensures long term happy ownership with minimal on-going repair costs. Yamaha stand behind there product in a fashion beyond expectation as they value the fact they are synonymous with reliability. 3 years warranty on these craft.
If you are looking for used machines at a lower cost, the best machine to date in my opinion has been the Sea Doo GTI 130 from model year 2007 to 2010. These lower spec three seaters have the three cylinder 1500cc Rotax engine and not a lot of bells and whistles which make them reliable as can be. Good speed, fuel economy and low annual service costs if they have been looked after make them a top pic. You should be able to find one of these from $7000 - $11000 and should not be disappointed.
Note, no new model Sea Doo's have been made available to us for evaluation to date.
JetskiJunk.co.nz: NZ Made And Turning Heads Worldwide
Jetski Junk, the new online store for PWC parts and accessories, was launched last September 2012 and has apparently exceded all expectations for sales to date. Although it is still in the early stages, orders have been rapidly flowing in to meet demand from smaller towns around NZ where no local boat/jetski shops exist.
The Jetski Junk team have already been approached by multiple overseas suppliers wanting to have their stock featured and sold through Jetski Junk. This is fantastic news for NZ customers who will find listings for more and more parts available locally without the need to make risky international transactions.
There is an estimated 400+ products still to be loaded onto this new site, which will be undertaken in a masive project due to start very shortly. Watch this space! www.jetskijunk.co.nz
NZJSBA Awards Rider Of The Year 2013
The governing body of PWC racing events, the NZJSBA has awarded this years Rider Of The Year to Brad Clarke from Christchurch.
Brad is also the manager of the Christchurch Sea-Doo dealership which took out the top position for sales during the 2012/13 summer.
Aside from the career success, Brad spent last winter training hard at his local gym during lunch breaks, buffing up to attend the 2012 Worlds in the USA. At the end of the week, he walked away with a World Title - joining the select few New Zealanders who ever have.
Brad also supports and compets in his local events in Christchurch where the club racing attendance is the highest in the country.
Congratulations Brad!
The Go-To Place For PWC Events
This website is one you need to lock into your Favourites if you have not done so already:
This is the go-to place to check what is on all around the country for PWC events, complete with calender marking upcoming dates. This site will alert you to club races, national races, social rides, charity rides and fishing comps, as well as a host of other jetski-related info.
The NZ Jetski website is supported by the local advertisers, so please support those who advertise or if you have a jetski related product/offer - get in touch with Grant - you can secure a spot for as little as $75 and be seen where it counts.
Ski M.D's "Quick Look" At The Christchurch PWC Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVTTU8z7nfQ
Let The Warranty War Begin!
Sea-Doo lead the way with their 2 year warranty which has been in effect for a few years now. Both the other major players in the NZ PWC market, Kawasaki and Yamaha, have also come to the party, with Yamaha going one up on it's opposition by diving into the 3 year warranty plan.
All three manufacturers have strict servicing rules which owners must comply with in order to receive this warranty, but there's no doubt Yamaha are comfortable leading the field with their current range being consistently the world's most reliable brand. It will also add to the debate over grey imports which were previously worth the risk of not having the 12 month warranty, but now that it's 3 years..... will it makes private importers think twice?
Kawasaki 300HP In Production
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi4ejb1Y2BQ&feature=related
The first of the Kawasaki 300X's are on the water dominating the open water race scene worldwide and proving very successful as a jetski fishing platform. View the photos of the 300X in action at the racing around the North Island on our 'Photos' page.
2012 Kawasaki 300X - now in stock - contact us for more information.
Disclaimer....Any and all products named on this website are the property of theirregistered owners.Ski M.D. are proud to be an independent personal watercraft service centre.