So awhile back (September) I purchased a PJX hull (off Craigslist). They had 2 up there. A glass version:
And a carbon version:
The glass version was a lot further along in the build. It was turfed, it had graphics, engine mounts, etc. The day I withdrew money from my account to purchase the glass hull, the hull was sold off to another member here on the forums. :-/
I decided to go for the less finished Carbon hull, thinking “I’d rather have carbon anyway… I have all winter to build this bad boy… So what if some things aren’t finished!”
I guess I didn’t realize that this hull was not as “plug and play” as other AM hulls I read people building on the forums (basically the drivetrain components require custom work). Coming from a 90 SN superjet, it’s required a lot of extra parts to purchase to get this project rollin’.
When I started doing the dry fittings (using extra accumulated parts of of the years) it was becoming more apparent at how much more work I was going to have to do to get this thing built. I had casually read about turning down the midshaft to press it into the housing further to work with the stock SJ driveshaft, and I read about how adding an extra wear ring section to the pump allows your to use the stock driveshaft in a “setback” style pump.
A few things I didn’t realize until purchase was the wear ring needed to machined about ¼ inch to have the bolt holes line up. When I realized that, I’m thinking, no problem. I’ll just get it machined… But finding a shop locally to machine it has been a lot more trouble than I thought.
Not having battery or tank inserts on the hull was a detail I had not thought through either. Luckily, an order to JM for some UFO mounts will help solve this issue! Not a big deal, but just some details I never even considered. I’m still pretty new to the sport.
I’ve ordered (what I hope) is the last few things I need to build this. Waiting on a custom drive shaft to come in so the fun can begin! I didn’t like the idea of machining a stock midshaft to press further into the hull, so I’m using a GP800 midshaft with a custom driveshaft. (Also thanks to JM)
I love the way this hull looks. I’ve read great things about the way they ride… I've also heard great things about their predecessor, the xft hulls.
I know I won’t be disappointed when I get this thing on the water for the first time. But getting there is more of a journey than I anticipated. I'm happy with the build quality, and really can't wait to brap for the first time with this thing!
I wanted to share the experience for anyone that was looking to get into an AM hull. Always over estimate your budget!
Will post more as time permits.
And a carbon version:
The glass version was a lot further along in the build. It was turfed, it had graphics, engine mounts, etc. The day I withdrew money from my account to purchase the glass hull, the hull was sold off to another member here on the forums. :-/
I decided to go for the less finished Carbon hull, thinking “I’d rather have carbon anyway… I have all winter to build this bad boy… So what if some things aren’t finished!”
I guess I didn’t realize that this hull was not as “plug and play” as other AM hulls I read people building on the forums (basically the drivetrain components require custom work). Coming from a 90 SN superjet, it’s required a lot of extra parts to purchase to get this project rollin’.
When I started doing the dry fittings (using extra accumulated parts of of the years) it was becoming more apparent at how much more work I was going to have to do to get this thing built. I had casually read about turning down the midshaft to press it into the housing further to work with the stock SJ driveshaft, and I read about how adding an extra wear ring section to the pump allows your to use the stock driveshaft in a “setback” style pump.
A few things I didn’t realize until purchase was the wear ring needed to machined about ¼ inch to have the bolt holes line up. When I realized that, I’m thinking, no problem. I’ll just get it machined… But finding a shop locally to machine it has been a lot more trouble than I thought.
Not having battery or tank inserts on the hull was a detail I had not thought through either. Luckily, an order to JM for some UFO mounts will help solve this issue! Not a big deal, but just some details I never even considered. I’m still pretty new to the sport.
I’ve ordered (what I hope) is the last few things I need to build this. Waiting on a custom drive shaft to come in so the fun can begin! I didn’t like the idea of machining a stock midshaft to press further into the hull, so I’m using a GP800 midshaft with a custom driveshaft. (Also thanks to JM)
I love the way this hull looks. I’ve read great things about the way they ride… I've also heard great things about their predecessor, the xft hulls.
I know I won’t be disappointed when I get this thing on the water for the first time. But getting there is more of a journey than I anticipated. I'm happy with the build quality, and really can't wait to brap for the first time with this thing!
I wanted to share the experience for anyone that was looking to get into an AM hull. Always over estimate your budget!
Will post more as time permits.
