- Location
- Philly, PA
Gentlemen,
I'm a recreational summer rider who likes to jump waves in the ocean in South Jersey...I'm not a motorhead and unfortunately don't have the time to do work myself. I have a 93 Waveblaster that previously had a Factory B Pipe, K&N air filter, ride plate, etc...it had some problems last year so I brought it all back to stock with the following setup:
Stock Yamaha 701 motor
Stock exhaust
Stock Waterbox
New Carb
New Primer Kit
New Yuasa Battery
New Exhaust Hose ($110 hose!)
Refurbished Start/Stop Switch
Aftermarket Ride Plate (from previous owner)
Last weekend it blew a starter...teeth broke off and everything. When my mechanic took a look at the motor he found scouring inside and a blown crankshaft gasket. He thinks water could have gotten in there and thinks I'm gonna get stranded out there soon. Sometimes after a long day of riding some water does get in the hull; seals don't look cracked or anything...maybe some just gets in from the ports on the side of the hull itself and since the ski gets sidemounted it gives the opportunity for some water to get in there? The flywheel looks good and although the bendix gear is slightly worn he thinks it's fine...no missing teeth on that. So, here's my situation. Either I get the motor rebuilt by my mechanic, bored out, etc for $900 or I get a replacement 701 motor from SBT installed for $1100+ shipping. I'm pretty sure he's marking up that motor a lot because I don't think it's more than $500-700 from SBT. I have a few options that I would like your help with:
-Replace with a refurbished SBT 701X, 701T, or 701S. Not sure what the differences are between these motors...I think I need the X as a match to my current setup; the T means twin carbs (more desirable I'd think but higher priced - maybe came with later Blaster models?), and the S I have no idea...the SBT website doesn't offer much help explaining. Would there be any extra needs between any of these models? For example, any additional electronics needed, stator, mounting hardware, etc.? Would the coupler match up to all of these motors?
-Replace with a refurbished SBT 760 motor...but I think SBT only does even swaps, right? Is there a way to get an upgrade from them? If I could upgrade to the 760, what would that involve (same questions as above with the electronics, coupler matching, and plate hardware).
-Replace with a refurbished SBT 800 motor...same questions as above.
-Replace with a refurbished Kawasaki 1100 motor...same questions as above. Not sure about this one since it would mean Frankensteining all different makes and parts together....maybe that's what I would be doing with any of these other motors besides a 701X? I want a solid ski that I won't have to work on much after this and would be easy for my mechanic to work on...that way most fixes will be easy and somewhat cost-efficient. I certainly wouldn't mind the extra power with a bigger motor...but that could also be enhanced if I put a pipe on it and rejet the carb as an option.
-Find another Waveblaster and buy it. I know my 93 isn't as desirable as the newer model Waveblasters but I think they're worth almost the same dollarwise. This would just be another ski with old parts though. I think I'd rather have new parts then keep buying old stuff. Getting tired of getting towed in. I may be put on a 6-7 month project in Miami next year and I'd rather not get stuck in the ocean down there.
The Yamaha starter itself is $410 from my mechanic and the aftermarket ones are $250. Both seem very pricy...again, seems like he's really marking up these parts. Does anyone know anything about the Yamaha vs the aftermarket parts? I would think Yamaha is tried and true...he says the aftermarket parts are just fine and he's never had a problem with them. He recommends them to save a couple hundred bucks on this starter.
So, as you can see, I have a lot of options to consider. Either way, it looks like this will cost me $1000-$1500 so I want to make it a good, solid ski that won't need much work at all int he future.
Thanks for all your help...happy riding,
Joe
I'm a recreational summer rider who likes to jump waves in the ocean in South Jersey...I'm not a motorhead and unfortunately don't have the time to do work myself. I have a 93 Waveblaster that previously had a Factory B Pipe, K&N air filter, ride plate, etc...it had some problems last year so I brought it all back to stock with the following setup:
Stock Yamaha 701 motor
Stock exhaust
Stock Waterbox
New Carb
New Primer Kit
New Yuasa Battery
New Exhaust Hose ($110 hose!)
Refurbished Start/Stop Switch
Aftermarket Ride Plate (from previous owner)
Last weekend it blew a starter...teeth broke off and everything. When my mechanic took a look at the motor he found scouring inside and a blown crankshaft gasket. He thinks water could have gotten in there and thinks I'm gonna get stranded out there soon. Sometimes after a long day of riding some water does get in the hull; seals don't look cracked or anything...maybe some just gets in from the ports on the side of the hull itself and since the ski gets sidemounted it gives the opportunity for some water to get in there? The flywheel looks good and although the bendix gear is slightly worn he thinks it's fine...no missing teeth on that. So, here's my situation. Either I get the motor rebuilt by my mechanic, bored out, etc for $900 or I get a replacement 701 motor from SBT installed for $1100+ shipping. I'm pretty sure he's marking up that motor a lot because I don't think it's more than $500-700 from SBT. I have a few options that I would like your help with:
-Replace with a refurbished SBT 701X, 701T, or 701S. Not sure what the differences are between these motors...I think I need the X as a match to my current setup; the T means twin carbs (more desirable I'd think but higher priced - maybe came with later Blaster models?), and the S I have no idea...the SBT website doesn't offer much help explaining. Would there be any extra needs between any of these models? For example, any additional electronics needed, stator, mounting hardware, etc.? Would the coupler match up to all of these motors?
-Replace with a refurbished SBT 760 motor...but I think SBT only does even swaps, right? Is there a way to get an upgrade from them? If I could upgrade to the 760, what would that involve (same questions as above with the electronics, coupler matching, and plate hardware).
-Replace with a refurbished SBT 800 motor...same questions as above.
-Replace with a refurbished Kawasaki 1100 motor...same questions as above. Not sure about this one since it would mean Frankensteining all different makes and parts together....maybe that's what I would be doing with any of these other motors besides a 701X? I want a solid ski that I won't have to work on much after this and would be easy for my mechanic to work on...that way most fixes will be easy and somewhat cost-efficient. I certainly wouldn't mind the extra power with a bigger motor...but that could also be enhanced if I put a pipe on it and rejet the carb as an option.
-Find another Waveblaster and buy it. I know my 93 isn't as desirable as the newer model Waveblasters but I think they're worth almost the same dollarwise. This would just be another ski with old parts though. I think I'd rather have new parts then keep buying old stuff. Getting tired of getting towed in. I may be put on a 6-7 month project in Miami next year and I'd rather not get stuck in the ocean down there.
The Yamaha starter itself is $410 from my mechanic and the aftermarket ones are $250. Both seem very pricy...again, seems like he's really marking up these parts. Does anyone know anything about the Yamaha vs the aftermarket parts? I would think Yamaha is tried and true...he says the aftermarket parts are just fine and he's never had a problem with them. He recommends them to save a couple hundred bucks on this starter.
So, as you can see, I have a lot of options to consider. Either way, it looks like this will cost me $1000-$1500 so I want to make it a good, solid ski that won't need much work at all int he future.
Thanks for all your help...happy riding,
Joe
