2008 Honda Aquatrax 1500 Turbo
You may come across a used Honda Jet Ski and wonder if it's worth it to buy. You also might be wondering why is there no current year model Honda's.
What happened to Honda Watercraft? Let's talk about it.
What Happen To Honda Watercraft?
As of 2018, there are no new Honda Jet Skis you can buy, only used ones. For a while there was a time where there were many jet ski manufacturers – you had Honda, Tigershark, Polaris, Sea-Doo, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and many more. But today you only have Sea-Doo, Yamaha, and Kawasaki left making new watercraft.
Even though Honda made a really good Jet Ski that was reliable there timing was all wrong.
Honda got in a little too late to the market and what killed them was the Recession of 2008/2009. Honda stopped making watercraft in 2009, and the 2010 models were called off.
When Honda got out of the market it made it hard for dealers that had new inventory to sell them. I've heard many dealers not selling there last 2009 Honda til 2014. It was a tough time, especially for the dealers. So don't be surprised to come across some fairly "new looking" Honda Watercraft with low hours on them. I even know of some owners abandoning them – there are some good deals out there.
Where Honda Went Wrong
While the timing was all wrong in getting into the jet ski world, I would say it wasn't the real reason for Honda to step away. If you ask me the biggest reason they failed was the lack of innovation.
I can not blame Honda for not innovating. In fact, the most significant selling point of what Honda sells are simple, reliable, and honestly boring products that just work. This strategy works perfectly if you're selling cars or lawnmowers but not so well in the Jet Ski world.
The only way you survive in the Jet Ski market is innovation. These are toys above all else and if your toy is not doing something cool then why are you here?
When Honda was stepping out in 2009 Sea-Doo was releasing radically new tech like braking (iBR). This is why Sea-Doo dominates the markets as they are continually innovating and doing new things. Yamaha is also following suit and have come out with there own braking system called RIDE.
Another point was that Honda only sold their watercraft in 4 countries and only a few select dealerships. Honda got in there own way.
Are Honda Jet Skis Worth It?
This brings us to our next point. Are Honda Jet Skis Worth it?
Yes and No.
It is true that I would consider the Honda Watercraft a reliable machine, but that factor gets diminish the further we get away from 2009. 2009 was the last year for Honda Watercraft and the further we get away from that the harder it is to get parts for them.
If you don't mind working on your own machines then go for a Honda, you're going to love it.
You might find it harder to resell it because parts are hard to find for them. Just ask the many dealers that had a hard time selling brand new ones in the crates years after Honda stop selling them.
It was a shame that Honda got out and I'm sure if they stuck it out they could have come back stronger. Honda could have made some cool stuff in the later years.
If you're thinking about getting a Used Honda Jet Ski, I recommend checking out my Used Jet Ski Guide here. I tell you what you should look out for and many other tips.
Will Honda Jet Skis Come Back?
It looks like they won't. Many people say they burned too many bridges, so if they do come back, it won't be like it was before nor should it be.
There have been many rumors about Honda having prototypes with brakes and everything
I love these types of rumors, but it's just hard to believe.
If Honda were to come back, they would need to go more towards the cheaper lineup like the Spark and EX models. In fact, the most prominent reason why Jet Skis have come back around is the innovation of the Spark. The craziest thing Honda can do is make a racing model, but come out with a Rec-Lite model, and you'll have people begging to have it.
If Honda is reading this, please consider coming back. The market can always use more competition and you make good products.
If you're curious how the 2022 SEA-DOO VS. YAMAHA VS. KAWASAKI compare then check out my massive breakdown here.
2008 Honda Aquatrax 1500 Turbo
Source: https://www.steveninsales.com/honda-jet-skis-happen-worth/
