Advise on buying first standup

[MikeB]

Want to get into the stand ups and looking for some advice on what years, sizes and brands would be good to start out with. Hoping to spend under 1,500. Have been scouring this forum and craigslist for the past couple of weeks and not finding a lot of standups out there in the Chicagoland/Indiana/Michigan area. Any advice on the best places to find a good one?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Pro-pulsion]

Welcome aboard Mike, glad to have you here I've always wanted to say this...allow me to save a boat load of posts and search for a 96 SuperJet if you can. They can be found for under 2k. Mine was But even in stock form they are a really great ski. If you can find a decent condition 95 or slightly older 701 or 650 SuperJet, still a good ski...same bottom deck as the 96-07

 

[Mike W]

Welcome to the X.

What kind of riding do you plan to do? Surf, chasing boat wakes, freeride, freestyle? Generally speaking, a Superjet is best at freestyle/freeride. SXRs are better for carving and racing. There are plenty of guys that use SXRs for Freeride as well.

 

[mthomps]

Buy an SN 650 or 701 superjet. On your budget it might be hard to find a 701, but the 701 is a more powerful motor. Trust us. Superjet

 

[bird]

@boostedegos @stagesrt4 @rhugo21 help this guy out, he's in your area. Newb!

 

[stagesrt4]

message me and Ill walk you thro it

I know of most every jetski for sale in the IL IN WI area

 

[boostedegos]

Want to get into the stand ups and looking for some advice on what years, sizes and brands would be good to start out with. Hoping to spend under 1,500. Have been scouring this forum and craigslist for the past couple of weeks and not finding a lot of standups out there in the Chicagoland/Indiana/Michigan area. Any advice on the best places to find a good one?

Thanks,
Mike

@stagesrt4 will help you find something. If you want to go cheap and enjoy wrenching pick up a 550 to get started. Otherwise your budget will limit you to a 90-95 Yamaha Superjet or a Kawasaki 650sx.

 

[King Kang]

@stagesrt4 will help you find something. If you want to go cheap and enjoy wrenching pick up a 550 to get started. Otherwise your budget will limit you to a 90-95 Yamaha Superjet or a Kawasaki 650sx.

That's good advice. Your budget it pretty low, but your market might have a 650 SN for sale in your price range. In my market, you'd need another $5-$800 to get one. A 550 is a fun starter ski, but not really in the same league as a SJ. The hull is much smaller and more playful, but the motor is so much less powerful and the pump is just pathetic. The 550SX is better than the JS550, but seems to cost about $400 more on average (in my market at least.)