With the weather heating up and thoughts turning to summer holidays, many people will be getting their jet ski out of storage and preparing it for another summer of fun. However, with your jet ski being stored for such a long time, it might not be run exactly as it should and you may have to put in a little work before you can take it out. This quick guide will run you through a few checks to go through before you set off.

Hopefully, when you stowed your jet ski away for the winter, you winterized it (i.e. filled the tank with a stabilizer/fuel mixture). If you did this, you shouldn't have too many problems getting it running again. However, if you didn't (and who can say they've always done what they knew they were supposed to do?) you might have a few problems.

Task 1: Checking the Lines Run the tips of your fingers up and down the fuel line. Be very sure that there are no cracks in it. Also check there are no areas where cracks may develop (areas that have been worn thin over the winter). Once you have done that, perform the same checks on the cooling lines to check they are holding up well.

Task 2: General Cleaning Leaving you jet ski to sit over the winter will most likely mean that it will have some cobwebs, dust and other detritus on it. Give the outside of the jet ski a good once over. In particular, check the exhaust is entirely clear.

Task 3: Check the Spark Plugs The spark plugs of your jet ski are very vulnerable to moisture. After being left over winter, there's a fair chance that rust may have developed in this area. Have a good look over the bores to check that this is not the case.

Task 4: Carburettor Check Dust is the main enemy over the winter when it comes to the carburettor. Be sure to remove any dust to ensure that your engine is not damaged.

Task 5: The Gas Tank How much of a problem you face with this stage depends on how thoroughly winterized your jet ski was. Empty the fuel in the tank and run some fresh fuel through the engine. You might find that some areas are clogged. Hopefully, running the new fuel through will dislodge these. If the clogged areas need an extra bit of work, try adding some STA-BIL to give it an extra going over.

This process of summerizing your jet ski should set you up for an enjoyable summer. Be sure to follow a maintenance regime after every trip and you should have plain sailing all summer.