Alright so I'm new to everything suzuki and have no mechanical experience but tons of friends who do. What I want to know is if it's worth getting a sami and doing an engine swap or possibly getting an old toyota 4x4. My purpose is to tow a single jetski trailer or possibly double. So I need to be able to go through some soft sand and rough terain. What do you guys think?

For a tow rig I would lean twords the Toyota over a Sammy.  Maybe a newer GV with a V6.

I towed a double ski trailer on a regular basis with my 89 Kick when I was in college. It did fine, BUT, it was towing the 1-2 person sport ski's not the larger 3 person ski's.

Zig

Yeah if I need too I want to be able to tow a 3person ski or 2 of them. But if I want to do a conversion to a diesel it requires lots of work it looks like and gets expensive. And have to swap out the whole drivetrain for toyota drivetrain. I want a zuki but I feel if I want that tow capacity the zuki wont be able too until it has a more powerful engine and more money into it. But I live in a big city were rust doesn't affect me that much so I can easily get a 88-92 toyota 4x4 with rebuilt engines for the same or sometimes cheaper price then a rebuilt zuki.

Also, as of now I'm only pulling a 1 ski 2 seater and total wieght with trailer is prob under 2k lbs. Could even the basic 1.3 pull it out of the water and up a hill?

Also if I do a diesel swap would I be able to keep the sammy tranny on there and axels if I'm not rock crawling?

Also, as of now I'm only pulling a 1 ski 2 seater and total wieght with trailer is prob under 2k lbs. Could even the basic 1.3 pull it out of the water and up a hill?

gearing....

What woul dbe the best ratio gearing say for like 31s'

A 4.8:1 transfer case brings you right into stock gearing with 31: tires on a Samurai.  If your wondering about gearing I would take a look at a Gearing or Transmission Calculator.  You can take a look at your current gearing, the stock gearing, and play around with the options to find one that is going to work best for you.

http://www.solemnwarning.net/transmission/

Samurai is an SJ-413, since the creator is in the UK.  But it has the standard transfer case options pre-programmed in.  Stock ratio is a 3.727.

Another good one is http://www.lepayne.com/gears.html as it shows you the percentages compared to stock.

I'm not sure how to use the ratios and such. I'm a greenhorn when it comes to vehicles. But I've been searching through alot and since I'm not going to be rock crawling or anything I think I might be willing to invest in a diesel and acme kits to make it easier on myself. This is what I'm think of buying to do the swap in http://phoenix.craigslist.org/cph/cto/2425306486.html
or
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/2415752853.html
or
http://tucson.craigslist.org/cto/2423315680.html

I'm really looking at tin tops or doing a removable hard top. I appreciate the help you guys have given me.

+1 for the Yota...

I'm new myself and don't know much about Samurais or mechanics for that matter -- but I do know about practical and functional decision making and when you take into account your wants the Samurai does not fit the bill.  There are numerous other vehicles that are tow ready and sand friendly that will do just fine -- such as a Yota and the curse word on this forum...aJeep.

The Samurai is a hobby in itself especially when you consider an engine swap and other cool mods that one can do... if jet skiing around remote locations is your hobby then the Samurai and VW swap will just take away from it...and your money.... And if you have a  in the car -- she'll want a better AC and a more comfortable ride.   

For me the Samurai has turned into an endless pursuit of troubleshooting and a 5 day ship time in receiving parts from the West Coast folks.  but it's my hobby so I'm cool with the tinkering around.... give ya an example...I broke my transmission shifter locating bolt last night trying to install a bushing or whatever its called...so now it's parked for 8 days until the part arrives because my local Autozone doesn't carry it...so no -- my samurai will not pull your jetski up a hill right now..LOL

Haha yeah Ibet it wouldn't. I wouldn't use it to tow all the time. More of a daily driver and I like the idea of a challenge and something to learn on and have a daily driver if I want it to be. I have a motor cycle now and would like a samurai to drive through the rain instead of a bike. Wanted to know if I could tow the jetski we owned. If not I can borrow my dads truck.

Cool -- then rock on with it!    Go to the websites that Drone linked and understand how gearing affects your RPMs...that's the ticket to a blended daily driver/off-road toy.  You may not get what it's telling you at first -- but spend some time with it and it'll click.  Basically it'll tell you at what speeds you will be traveling at a specified RPM....very important if you have a commute on an interstate and need to go 60+ mph. 

Alright awesome. My friend who has all the tools offered to help me with it too. Just gotta bring some beer for him haha. I
ll definitely tinker with it. I live right off a highway so highspeed will be key.