Rusting drive shafts

[JayB]

I am looking into an pwc, probably used. I have watched MANY Seadoo repair videos, by Calas World and others, and quite a few Yamaha videos. I have noticed a Seadoo drive shaft can go from new to totally rusty in 2 years (Salt water. Yes, maintenance must be done to help prevent this). However, every drive shaft I have seen coming out of a Yamaha has minimal to no rust. (I have to review some Kawi videos as well) Am I wrong? Also, why can't anyone come up with a very rust resistant metal, perhaps titanium to use for drive shafts?

 

[steelhorse454]

Yamaha is the way to go if you want longevity, and I have had several......
Someone once told me, "have you ever seen a jet ski rental place use Seadoos?" Most if not all use Yamis...
Just my 2 cents....

 

[XylaFaye]

You're not wrong, Yamaha shafts are typically stainless steel, which holds up much better in salt water than the carbon steel shafts Sea-Doo uses. Titanium would be great for rust resistance, but the cost would be prohibitive for a production PWC. It's all about balancing cost and performance for the manufacturers.

 

[JayB]

I cannot believe Seadoo does not use stainless for their drive shafts
I thoughtit was just inferior stainless!!!!! WTF!! Having watched so many Calas World videos (he only services Seadoos) I can see why he is so busy. Everything rots out in 3 years!

 

[tdonoughue]

...a serviceman's dream. Or for the manufacturer supplying him the parts. The disposable razor model.

Worse: no place to put an anode on a driveshaft.