I wouldn't hesitate to take one out. It would be a blast to chase schools of sandies or stripers on that with one of my kids. Or haul it down to the coast and go trolling or fishing rigs with a partner or two.

But I know for sure I won't stomach the $25K+ it's going to be.

Gunny-
I would be interested in your speculation here.
I've always been leery of used jet skis, because I think many people drive them very very hard and don't take care of them like they should.

Do you think a rig like this, less geared at the "go as fast and hard as you can" sport, and more geared toward fishing and family, might be a safer bet when they start popping up on the used market? Thoughts in general on used jet skis?

Thanks!

Very cool little personal fishing vessel / watercraft. I can see this becoming all the craze where groups of people set out on a day of fishing in a small pod full of crosswaves… I like this concept

Gunny456 said:

---

Bass boats have gone up in price for sure. But we have done a real good job convincing all bass fishermen that they need twin power poles, $6000 troll motors, at least 6 lithium batteries and $15,000-$20,000 worth of electronics to catch fish now.

---

You're dead on! My graphs, FFS, Soundwave, TM, power poles, hydraulic jack plate, lithium batteries cost about 22k retail. That doesn't include installation! (I didn't pay this much because I bought the boat already equipped with all mentioned except the lithium batteries.)

Neighbor in Rockport bought one of the rigged out jet skis for fishing. Thought they were going to hit the flats before finding out about the below. Sold it fairly quickly.

Quote:

---

The minimum operating depth for a WaveRunner is generally 3 feet (0.9 meters), as advised by manufacturers like Sea-Doo, to prevent the jet pump from sucking up sand, rocks, or other debris that can cause expensive damage to the impeller and wear ring. While the craft might physically float in shallower water, starting the engine in less than 3 feet of water creates a powerful suction vortex that can draw sediment and damage components.

---

Cool concept, but I think in reality it won't be very good at anything. Pretty neat toy though!

roynonroy said:

---

Neighbor in Rockport bought one of the rigged out jet skis for fishing. Thought they were going to hit the flats before finding out about the below. Sold it fairly quickly.

Quote:

---

The minimum operating depth for a WaveRunner is generally 3 feet (0.9 meters), as advised by manufacturers like Sea-Doo, to prevent the jet pump from sucking up sand, rocks, or other debris that can cause expensive damage to the impeller and wear ring. While the craft might physically float in shallower water, starting the engine in less than 3 feet of water creates a powerful suction vortex that can draw sediment and damage components.

---

---

Oops… that didn't work

I fished for red fish in the winter low tide with a guide out of Rockport … caught a ton of fish in very little time. Guy had a little short alumacraft with a jet motor- little boat could go across grass with very little water. Anyway- his setup was perfect for fishing the flats

The higher horsepower Waverunners spec. needing 18" for planing I believe. It is expected that this model will be the same or maybe a little less as the final specs have not been released. They have screens to keep most debris out of the impellers. This new model has an easy to access port for cleaning out that filter/screens.
Yamaha builds lots of jet boat models besides the extensive line of Waverunners. They are looked at the leaders in technology of jet drives of this type in the industry.

This is really tempting to me

Got a lake an hour away and a lot less expensive than a boat

MouthBQ98 said:

---

Lighter, drier, can be run relatively shallow, can carry and fish 3 reasonably well, equipped with a Bimini for those miserable summer days, lots of internal storage, 80 mile range (40 round), etc. there are many similar light skiffs in the 14-16 foot range that get overlooked because the tread has been bigger and bigger boats every year.

The idea of fishing off skis has some merit, particularly short offshore hops to structure, but for most fishing, a small skiff will get more done for less cost.

---

I agree with this 100%. If you are JUST looking for a fishing vessel, and you want something smaller than a full sized boat- a skiff will win hands down.

However, where the ski has merit is for versatility or for the family. If you want to take a kid and go chase some sand bass (not a 10 hour day)- this jet ski would be a blast! Making a quick trip to a close rig because the water is green and flat, this thing would be super fun. When the fishing sucks- you could always just tootle around and have fun like a normal jet ski. You could even pull a kid or two on a tube, and use it for family fun days at the lake.

I'm guessing that is the market they are aiming for. It's blurring the lines between fishing and a recreational vessel. I don't know if there is a big enough market there to justify this- but clearly they think so.

Best part of the Crosswave concept is that it curtails the wife, gf or kids from going with you and ruining your trip.
To a lot of folks fishing is an individual pursuit that's its own form of meditation / relaxation that's incompatible with people nagging you the whole time. Seems like the crosswise solves that issue.