Super Jet 1991 SJ vs 2000+ SJ?

Hey, I am looking at buying a superjet, have a few quick questions. Where I live a 2000+ superjet is going for 5 - 9 grand. For instance I can get an 07 for 5800. I have been looking at another 91 model, has been bored out to a 700cc Fiberglassed footwells, Bilge Pump, Works Grate and Ride plate. straight bars and mods to pole. I think I can get it for $2500, my question is, is it worth spending the extra 2500-3500 on a newer ski, reliability wise? Or will I not notice to much of a difference ( reliability, power)
 

BrightE's

Paul
Location
Seattle, WA
That's a complicated question. Every ski has its own story, and maintenance history, and crappy VS. responsible owners.

Reliability in a general sense is hard to base on age alone. Generally speaking, yes, a newer ski, like a newer car, has a lesser likelihood of having faulty or worn parts. But a season or two of irresponsible ownership or a skipping of winterization practices on a newer ski can easily outdo the wear that a babied vintage ski has seen over the years just due to service and care alone. It's best to judge each instance with a case by case means, go check the skis out, make sure they are in good order, and be prepared to pay for that good care.

A well loved 94' superjet that's had a rebuild or two and some seals and bearings changed out on occasion is not going to run any different than an 07.
 
Last edited:
Location
australia
Thanks for the replies guys, but what If there both in good condition and owners have seemed to take care of them? Do I spend more or less

Imo.. Get what you want the first time. RN looks better, more aftermarket parts, hoods, poles etc. The Rn will have more power due to it being 701 already with much larger ports and more room to mod that engine, the 650 is at its limits at 700cc. If you dont care about those things and just after something reliable, and both ski's have been well maintained then pretty much the same in that department. Another option could be to find a square with the 61x engine at cheap price, ride the gelcoat off it, then you will have most parts to transfer to a aftermarket hull later on .
 

Yami-Rider

TigerCraft FV-PRO
Location
Texoma
When i bought my SJ i almost bought a SN, but I know how i am with mods and i didnt see my self wanting to mod out a ski with thousands of dollars that was only worth 1500 to begin with. So i saved some extra $$ and bought the RN i really wanted.
 
The square can ride just like the RN. It does look different tho. Girls might not like your jetski as much I guess.

The squares downfalls are the hood, pole, midshaft, 6m6 cdi, and the 6m6 engine. Everything else is opinion.

The hood needs mods, to not take in as much water as a rn hood, but can be modded to take in LESS than a rn hood if you put in just a little work into your sport.

The pole IS NOT WEAK. Ive rode the ever living :):):):) out of my sj, and have put stress cracks in it, but never snapped it yet. The downside to the pole is the length, and how hard they are to shorten properly.

The midshaft has less rubber area gripping the housing. It is in theory more likely to delaminate, ro whatever you call it for rubber. As far as I know, the bearings is the exact same in both midshafts, so you arent losing any strength there. A 94 should have the bigger midshaft anyways.

The cdi has a higher rev limit on the post 94 sjs, a newbs not gonna notice

The motor on Rn have the dual carbs and better intake. It really isnt a huge difference, and ALOT of surf guys like single carb.

Sorry I wanted to give you my opinion. See alot of fanboys buy a rn, park it on a stand at the shore, and talk about it with their buddies, all the time. I like to ride to ride my ski, and improve my skills, so I give a :):):):) what it looks like.

If you actually ride your ski hard, its NOT going to stay nice. It will chip paint, gelcoat, crack glass, break bars, break nozzles, just in general, destroy your ski fi you actually ride, so I never saw the point in trying to make them super nice. I have one thats cherry with custom paint, and I NEVER ride it because its so clean Im afraid tpo hurt it. So I smash on my other skis, and have a ton more fun


edit; That 91 square is not worth over 2k at all. Worth prob 1500 tops if its in good shape.
 
Last edited:
If you actually ride your ski hard, its NOT going to stay nice. It will chip paint, gelcoat, crack glass, break bars, break nozzles, just in general, destroy your ski fi you actually ride, so I never saw the point in trying to make them super nice. I have one thats cherry with custom paint, and I NEVER ride it because its so clean Im afraid tpo hurt it. So I smash on my other skis, and have a ton more fun

I disagree
 

lazyt747

Cool Beanz
Location
MI
SN's are fine, but like everyone said, it's about what you really want. Are you looking for a turn key stock ski that you don't want to worry about, just do the maintenance on and ride, or do you want to buy something to work on and customize as you go, really getting into the sport? Both you can customize of course, but the RN is going to cost you a lot more initially because of the large price tag and in the long run since you will probably want to mod it from scratch.

IMO get the modded SN and keep up on engine mods, then go to an aftermarket hull and do an engine swap. I really don't see the point of spending 5k+ on a newer ski that is all stock when they don't even outperform the older models that substantially (talking about hulls mainly here and RN's with the 701 swaps).
 
Last edited:

98gti

C@R H@ul3R
Location
NW FL
You really cant go wrong with a SN, they're great skis, I really enjoyed the 2 SNs I had. There are 3 reasons why i have a RN now. Looks, more AM support, and value. I built this one from scratch b/c I didnt have 4-5 K to spend at once. This is the first ski I have built that I could sell today and pocket about a grand, that wont happen with a SN most likely. I really dont plan on getting an AM hull anytime soon, if at all. If you dont plan on getting an AM hull id say get the RN, but if you do within the next year or 2 id get the SN, all the driveline parts swap over the same.
 
Top Bottom