Many jet ski owners ask this question: “can you leave a jet ski in the water?”. There are different factors to consider before answering such a question.
This article tackles all such factors to give a definitive answer to the question. Read on for more about how long you can safely keep your jet ski in the water and why.
Can I Leave a Jet Ski in the Water?
The short answer to this question is yes, though not recommended. However, if you want to know how long would be too long, this depends on the type of water you’re talking about.
More clearly, you can keep your jet ski in fresh water for an entire week with some precautions. However, it would be too risky if you leave it in seawater for more than a couple of days.
How Long Can I Leave a Jet Ski in Seawater?
Seawater is rich with salt and minerals that can cause severe damage to a jet ski really fast. Therefore, although not recommended altogether, you shouldn’t keep a jet ski in seawater for more than two days.
The salt and minerals in seawater will cause corrosion to creep very fast into the metal parts of your watercraft.
Tips to Safely Keep Your Jet Ski in Seawater
If you decide to keep your jet ski in seawater, there are some safety precautions to follow, including:
1. Wash the Engine Clean
Flush the engine with fresh water every day your jet ski is left in the ocean. This helps get rid of the seawater with all its salt and minerals that may cause fast corrosion.
2. Use Corrosion Preventative Compounds
There are plenty of corrosion-preventative compounds that you can use on the metal elements of your jet ski. These chemical compounds will coat the engine and other mechanical parts. They can counter the damage caused by seawater and prevent corrosion.
How Long Can I Leave a Jet Ski in Fresh Water?
Fresh water is a different story. For starters, it doesn’t have all the minerals and salt in seawater. Therefore, it can be safer to leave your jet ski a bit longer in fresh water.
However, this doesn’t mean that freshwater won’t damage your watercraft. It just means that it will take a little longer to do so. Though still not recommended, you can leave your jet ski in fresh water for up to one week.
Is It Safe to Keep My Jet Ski in The Water?
Apart from water damage, there are also other factors that pose risk when you leave your jet ski in the water.
1. Wildlife
Never underestimate the power of wildlife. There are animals and other living organisms in the water that may cause damage to your jet ski.
Muskrats and raccoons may live near waterways. They can cause damage to your watercraft. Muskrats can eat up the parts that keep your jet ski afloat. This causes your jet ski to sink or at least fill up with water.
Scum is another aspect of wildlife that can cause damage to your jet ski. Barnacles, among other creatures, accumulate on the bottom of your jet ski, which slows it down and gives it an unpleasant odor.
When you leave your jet ski in the water, the problem intensifies. With the passage of time, this scum gets inside the cooling system of the jet ski. It can even reach a point where it blocks the entire cooling system and causes the overheating of your watercraft.
2. Theft
If you leave your jet ski in the water, you’re making it more vulnerable to thieves. To avoid theft, secure your watercraft with a cable lock. However, you should still remove anything valuable in order not to attract thieves.
3. The Weather
The weather can also be another element that could cause damage to your jet ski. In the event of a storm, the jet ski you left in the water can get severely damaged.
Moreover, the waves alone can drift and sink your jet skis. To avoid this kind of damage, keep your jet ski out of the water in the case of bad weather.
The sun can also cause damage. Keeping your jet ski in the water means exposing it to the damaging rays of the sun.
These sun rays can cause the color of your watercraft to fade. They can also cause damage to the fiberglass of your jet ski. To avoid the effect of the sun, cover up your jet ski with a waterproof cover.
How to Keep My Jet Ski Out of the Water
So, you shouldn’t leave a jet ski in the water. What are your other options? Probably, now is a good time to think of other measures to take.
One of the best choices is to use a floating jet ski dock. It is a floating piece of rubber or plastic secured to the main dock. The edges are more elevated to allow you to easily load your jet ski to the middle part.
This is a convenient way to store your jet ski. It doesn’t require any cranking, hoisting, or winching.
The floating jet ski dock helps you prevent the damage caused by the weather, thieves, and even wildlife. It helps you keep your jet ski out of the water to avoid corrosion and buildup.
To Wrap It Up
Can you leave a jet ski in the water? Yes, you can but not for long. You can keep your jet ski in seawater for no longer than two days because of all its salt and minerals.
On the other hand, you can leave your jet ski in fresh water for a full two weeks. This is because fresh water lacks the corroding force of the salt and minerals in seawater.
Leaving your jet ski in the water can cause water damage such as corrosion to the mechanical parts. Moreover, it can lead to breakage and physical damage due to storms or waves.
In addition, built-up scum and animals can eat up parts of your watercraft. Therefore, to avoid damage, you can load your jet ski on a floating dock you can attach to your dock.