Losing a key is one of the most dreadful situations you might experience, but I assure you, it’s not as bad as losing your Sea-Doo key!
Sea-Doo keys work like a car’s push-to-start key. This means that it’s programmed to a specific watercraft. So, unfortunately, trying to get a duplicate key won’t be an option.
How Can I Replace My Sea-Doo Key?
The only way to get a replacement for your Sea-Doo key is to take your watercraft to a trusted dealership. Calling in with your VIN number or trying to produce a duplicate won’t cut it for you in this case.
The dealership will simply program a new key onto your watercraft, and voila! You’re done!
“Why do I have to take my watercraft to the dealership?” You ask. To answer this question, you have to learn how Sea-Doo keys work.
How Do Sea-Doo Keys Work?
A Sea-Doo Key is made up of two parts; a ROM (Read Only Memory) chip and a magnet.
The magnet sends a signal to the ROM to read digits from it and start the jet ski. The ROM has millions of number combinations stored on it, but only specific digits can power the jet ski on. These are the digits that the dealership programs onto the chip.
They basically program the ROM to accept specific number combinations to start the PWC. They also inform it of the key type, whether it’s a normal or learning key. When you remove the key, you’re taking away the magnet from the jet ski, so you’re basically shutting it off.
In a way, what the dealership does is tell your watercraft that among all the possible number combinations, only a specific set of numbers can be used to power it. Looking at it this way, everything that’s important is stored on the watercraft itself. That’s why you need to take the actual watercraft to the dealership when you need key replacement.
Each watercraft can have up to eight number combinations to power it. This is a benefit of people who own more than one because they can use them cross-functionally between these crafts.
Because keys are hardcoded into the ROM chip, you can’t ask the dealership to duplicate a key for you.
The Cost of Sea-Doo Key Replacement
To program a new Sea-Doo key to your watercraft, you’ll probably pay something between $30 and $100.
This number obviously varies depending on some factors like the model of your Sea-Doo, the year of your watercraft, the dealership you go to, and whether this dealership is authorized or not.
In all cases, you won’t be far from the range we mentioned above. Yet, we advise you to try and call multiple dealerships to get a sense of their prices and go to one that charges a reasonable fee.
If you don’t end up going to the dealership with the least price, you at least know it, so you can negotiate the price with whoever you go to. You won’t get a lower price unless you ask for it. Right?
Also, factor in the distance between your current location and the dealership’s. Remember that you’ll have to trailer your watercraft to the dealership, and if you find a cheap one at a country’s distance from you, it isn’t worth it.
How to Avoid Losing Your Sea-Doo Key
Going through the pain of replacing your Sea-Doo key, you probably don’t want to lose it again. Here are a few tips to help you avoid losing your Sea-Doo key.
Spare Key
Just like a key to an apartment, having a spare key is a smart idea to deal with lost keys. You can get one for your PWC if you ask your dealership to make you one.
Next time you go there for maintenance and service, ask them to make you a spare key. That way, you won’t have to drag your watercraft all the way to the dealership when you lose your key next time.
Lanyard
A safety lanyard is a small Id badge that you attach to your key and hang to your clothes so that you don’t lose your key.
Get yourself a bright, shiny lanyard and attach it to your lifejacket so that you have your keys with you at all times. In fact, the law requires you to have a lanyard for your safety so that you can operate your watercraft while you’re not on it in case you fall off.
Key Tracker
A key tracker is a tiny device that you attach to your key to track it. Getting one would be a smart idea so that you can track your keys if you lose them. You need to get a waterproof case for it, though, so that it doesn’t get ruined when it’s in contact with water.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions we received from people who’ve lost their Sea-Doo keys.
Can I call the dealership with my VIN number?
No. The dealership won’t program your key with just your VIN. You have to actually go there and take your watercraft with you for the dealership to program the key.
Can I change the speed limitations of my jet ski?
Yes, if you have your learning key.
As you probably know, the Sea-Doo learning key is responsible for speed limitation for your watercraft by setting its maximum speed to protect the rider. If you still have your learning key, you can go to the dealership and ask them to change the speed limits for you or remove them altogether.
Can I bypass a Sea-Doo with a DESS key?
No, you can’t.
In fact, trying to do this might cause more harm than good. Sea-Doo has a security system where keys are stored in multiple locations and can’t be duplicated to avoid theft, so trying to start the jet ski with a DESS key that isn’t programmed to it is a disaster.
Wrap Up
Try to protect your Sea-Doo key at all costs. If you can’t and you lost it for any reason, you can always go back to the dealership and program a new one.