1990 Square nose superjet build for freestyle

[misuperjet]

Hey guys! Newer to the standup world but I'm going all in on this build. This ski is one I want to try and keep for a long time, if not forever. So I want to build it right and have it be my work horse.

Its a 1990 superjet that is stock currently except an aluminum handpole (factory length), intake grate, and aftermarket ride plate (longer than ideal for freestyle)

This is my plan for the build. Any advice welcome and any insight would be appreciated!

Motor:
I have a 1995 wave raider I just purchased with a 62T motor I plan to swap into it. Hopefully the swap won't have too many road blocks.
For now I want it stock while upgrading the rest of the ski. Later down the road I want to do a pipe, ignition, lighter flywheel, and maybe a head.
I assume I just need to use the factory exhaust from the 650 for now and port the exhaust side to match the manifold?
I hear that isn't the best motor for my setup but I got a good deal on this ski and decided to just go with it.

Hull:
Tray- kickers or diggers with new hydroturf. Maybe add foot straps depending on what I end up liking
Hydroturf on side rails for grip
Hull reinforcements
Front sponsons
Any recommendations for hand grips on the hood for tricks?
Dual sumps with rear mount plate
Foam block for hood
Hood straps
Handpole strap

Pump and Steering:
Worx intake grate
Worx WR315 ride plate
Intake stuffer
9/15 impeller
Maybe use the pump from the wave raider and have a trim setup? Not sure how that will work but if I can, that would be awesome. I will already be in the tray for the footwells so I wouldn't mind getting the plumbing done for trim cables
Stick with the factory nozzle?
OVP steering
Flat handle bar
ODI grips
RRP throttle lever

Again, any thoughts or insights are welcome. I will post pictures of the build and progress this winter as I get things done!

P.S. these pics were right after I took it out of the water for the season. Don't have a stand yet but I'm working on that. Don't judge the messy garage, had to do a lot of vehicle maintenance during the time I pulled it out of the water lol.

 

[King2u]

Skip the foot holds and go wide tray from the beginning!

 

[kevbo]

The only "freestyle" you can do with a hull that long is a roll and hood tricks. You will blow the hood off and cave in the side before you learn how to do a decent roll. Old Superjets are great rec skis but won't survive side landings. Every Square nose SJ that came to our ride spot was destroyed when its new owner thought it would be cool to try rolls.

 

[orangefinger]

above post , i dont second that ...opinions differ

keep you project going its a great ski to start freestyle and get into the sport ...keep the project going

I would replace the intake grate with a used cheaper scoop one as well as cheaper used ride plate ( proteck etc )

I would scratch the stuffer and replace the pump stator with a mag stator ( more veins ) and a decent impeller

Dont need trim in beginning

and I would add aftermarket head and bump compression

if you swap the complete engine take all electrics too, you can change all that later

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Build what you want, how you want because in the end you are the one riding it.

 

[Jhucke]

Read a bunch of primary source accounts on here regarding turning a squarenose into a freestyle machine, VERY common. Many have tried, many have went on to purchasing aftermarket hulls. Mod your superjet, enjoy it for what it is, move on when you're ready.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

There is a lot of bandwagoning on this site , if you are here long enough you will see a pattern, one guy puts a scupper on , next thing you know everyone has a scupper, then they figure out scuppers leak and then it's don't put scuppers on they sink boats.

I saw the same thing happen with Tubbies, front fills on X2's , Carter B rockered noses on Superjets and Blasters . TNT pipes and many other things, my advice don't follow the crowd here because most times they don't know where the hell they are going next.

Take ideas from other peoples builds and build the ski you want, period , don't worry what anyone else thinks or says , after all it's your ski, your money and you are the one maintaining it and riding it , not everyone needs a $30,000 carbon fiber freestyle ski with a 1200 motor, some people just need a good reliable ski with a few mods.

 

[misuperjet]

above post , i dont second that ...opinions differ

keep you project going its a great ski to start freestyle and get into the sport ...keep the project going

I would replace the intake grate with a used cheaper scoop one as well as cheaper used ride plate ( proteck etc )

I would scratch the stuffer and replace the pump stator with a mag stator ( more veins ) and a decent impeller

Dont need trim in beginning

and I would add aftermarket head and bump compression

if you swap the complete engine take all electrics too, you can change all that later

One question though, if i had the trim setup from the wave raider, why wouldn't I want to go ahead and put it in now or at least run the cable/holes for it? While i'm in the tray without the hydroturf on, seemed like a good time to do it so i don't have to rip it up later on.

I am for sure going to swap everything over to the square nose. Electronics and all!

Read a bunch of primary source accounts on here regarding turning a squarenose into a freestyle machine, VERY common. Many have tried, many have went on to purchasing aftermarket hulls. Mod your superjet, enjoy it for what it is, move on when you're ready.

I've been reading up on a bunch of topics and forums for these types of builds. I want to learn the ski and modify it accordingly before I buy a really expensive one. That way, I am not just learning the basics on a ski that is overkill for my skill level. I plan on always keeping the squarenose so I wanted to make it pretty awesome. Once I get another ski, I plan on learning the big tricks like backflips and barrel rolls. This build is really about me doing, and getting good at, hood tricks, submarine, 180 nose dives, tailstands, and other old school tricks that just require a lot of tray time. I know it's not the best ski for modern freestyle but that isn't really the purpose of this build. I should have defined "freestyle" a little better from the beginning.

Does anyone have any ideas or directions to point me for good ideas on hood holds/grips for hood tricks?

 

[kevbo]

How big are you? That will determine how much you can cut off the rear and how long the pole needs to be. Get an idea of what youre in for by simply removing the ride plate and see if its still planes well enough. Start whittling away at the rear of the hull until it gets a little hard to plane. Then shorten the pole. Any ski that can flip without a big wave will be too short to ride fast, they just start hopping. Plus the rider is put into a precarious riding position with the required 2 foot long pole. Take your time and get some experience. Remember the square nose superjet has very weak sides so rolls must be landed on the bottom, not the sides.

 

[TheBuzzard]

Yea rolls and nose stabs are about it on any oem hull unless you ride ocean waves at 4' or more. If you don't mind destroying your hull, I suggest you never jump straight again. Cranking the bars and gassing it is the only way you are going to figure rolls out. I didn't really read what you said you were planning but AM parts are expensive and even after all that money, the hull is going to be the limiting factor in your freestyle progress. Forget about putting trim on any stock hull unless you ride big surf

 

[WFO Speedracer]

The problem with all of this is ones mans definition of freestyle may be hood tricks and barefooting off the side of the ski, I can do both including Australian backwards barefoot , another guys idea of freestyle is barrel rolls and backflips , the two require radically different skis , some of you guys need to find out exactly what a guy wants to do before recommending he sell his firstborn for something he may or may not ever be able to use to it's full potential.

 

[Jhucke]

The problem with all of this is ones mans definition of freestyle may be hood tricks and barefooting off the side of the ski, I can do both including Australian backwards barefoot , another guys idea of freestyle is barrel rolls and backflips , the two require radically different skis , some of you guys need to find out exactly what a guy wants to do before recommending he sell his firstborn for something he may or may not ever be able to use to it's full potential.

No one told him to sell anything.

Edit: to answer his question for hood holds and grips, get your tools out because you will have to cut your stuff up yourself. No one sells hoods with handholds anymore especially for a squarenose.

 

[bored&stroked]

-62T motor is great for a superjet don't worry. Its port timing is higher then a 61x but lower then a 64x [760]. You'll need to put M8 helicoils in the exhaust manifold holes to use the 650 and 99% of aftermarket exhausts, no biggie.
-Front sponsons are for turning, not for freestyle. I can't stand them on squares.
-Of course footholds. Always.
-raider pump and superjet pump are the same thing. Raider trim doesn't move nozzle enough to be worth the effort swapping it IMO.
-No point in swapping electronics besides the CDI. Everything else is the same basically. 701 cdi has a higher rev limit hence why its worth the effort. Use the raider electonics as backups.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Learn to ride it then figure out what you need. Front Sponsons only if you are turning it into a bouy chaser. This is a great ski to learn on. Plenty of Info here to learn from. Also, Trim is about the last thing in the world you need....................

 

[Myself]

Must be a ported monster already........I see a damn primer.

 

[Jhucke]

How much are you gonna be bulldogging on the hood and doing reverse barefooting? 0.1% of the time? Put tubbies on it so it actually handles when you’re turning. Definitely not just for racing, awesome mod for rec riding.

 

[kevbo]

Keep in mind some tubbies will be grabbing all the time if their mounted too low. They can make the ski very annoying to ride until you are actually turning at high speeds. It looks like your hull is in good shape so enjoy it for what it is. I have had one since 1993 and still enjoy riding it. Make mods out of necessity instead of following the crowd. Most of the crowd are just kids with their first ski doing a bunch of stupid things.

 

[Myself]

Most of the crowd are just kids with their first ski doing a bunch of stupid things.

Like installing a primer!

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Primers have their place the problem is the primers are not what they used to be, I use the bulb style Dapco and have had very few issues with those the plunger type, yep lots of failures.

 

[kevbo]

They were great in the 90s. The new plunger primers are so bad I put the chokes back in!