2021 Yamaha WaveRunner FX HO — Should You Buy One?
Typical asking price: $11,000–$15,000. This is one of the more reliable vehicles in its class — here's what to watch for anyway.
Kestrel Take
The luxury touring WaveRunner with the naturally aspirated 1.8L HO engine — big, stable, loaded with features, and no supercharger to maintain (unlike its SVHO sibling). One of the best used touring skis you can buy. Hours, flushing, and the electronics package are the inspection.
What we checked
Not checked against public records
Personal watercraft fall to the Consumer Product Safety Commission rather than NHTSA. Its recall feed rarely names a specific model year, so we have not wired it in — matching on the brand alone would attach other people’s machines to this page. What follows is our own write-up, and it has not been reconciled against an official record. Treat it as a starting point, not a verdict.
Known Issues for the 2021 Yamaha WaveRunner FX HO
Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.
Verify use and flushing habits on a saltwater ski.
Repair cost (estimate): $300-$2,000
Source: not yet checked against public records.
The feature-rich touch dash and connected systems can fault; verify all functions.
Repair cost (estimate): $200-$1,000
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Storage kills batteries and gums fuel.
Repair cost (estimate): $50-$300
Source: not yet checked against public records.
Walk-Away Red Flags
- ✗Salt use with no flushing
- ✗Dash or electronics faults
- ✗Worn wear ring
- ✗High hours, no service
Good Signs
- ✓Freshwater or flushed
- ✓All electronics working
- ✓Naturally aspirated HO — no supercharger
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Known issues on this page are based on documented owner reports, NHTSA complaints, class-action records, and manufacturer technical service bulletins. Individual vehicles vary. A pre-purchase inspection by a trusted mechanic is always worth doing.
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