Best way to spend $10,000 to $15,000 on a flat water ski

Jcary85

Jcary85

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Glenmoore pa
Hey All,
This will be a very broad question with lots of opinions I'm sure, so I apologize in advance....

In April, I'll be allocating approximately $10,000 - $15,000 (depending on whats needed) to build/buy a flatwater ski. My goals are to have enough power to backflip pretty easily on flatwater and have something that is reasonably reliable. Pretty typical goals I think....

My current plan to achieve this is quite vague. How far off are my $$ estimates? Are there better options?
  • Buy a used hull/pole combo - ~$3500
  • Buy a used 1000cc (ish) motor - ~$4500
  • Buy a user intake/carb/arrestor setup - $1500
  • Buy a used pump of some sort - ~$1500
  • Used or new Pipe - $1000
  • Other misc stuff - fuel tank, couplers, engine mounts, steering, turf, etc etc - ~$1000
Are there any new 1000cc engine packages that fall in this price range? How about any of the other stuff? What is worth buying used and worth buying new?

Any help is greatly appreciated, and sorry for the vague question :)

-Jordan
 
SmittySX

SmittySX

Location
Cleveland, Ohio
  • Buy a used hull/pole combo - ~$$5000 +/- (If you want anything nice itll be more)
  • Buy a used 1000cc (ish) motor - ~$4000 +
  • Buy a user intake/carb/arrestor setup - $1500
  • Buy a used pump of some sort - ~$1500-$2500 (assuming 155mm)
  • Used or new Pipe - $1000-$1400
  • Other misc stuff - fuel tank, couplers, engine mounts, steering, turf, etc etc - ~$1000 (probably more)

    Sending the ski out to be tuned correctly and buying the parts your tuner says to buy after you spent all your money = priceless
 
Jcary85

Jcary85

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Glenmoore pa
Ah good point about electrical system. That brings up that whole debate. I hate the idea of total loss and having to charge batteries and what not but i guess thats the way to go. IDK, topic for another thread i guess.

Even with those updated estimates, its pretty close to my budget. Sounds like my goals are pretty achievable for my budget, right?

Finally, yes, I might just buy something already built. I do KINDA like knowing exactly how stuff is put together, but it might be the way to go if the right deal pops up (I'm very mechanical - have a 2 post lift in garage, welders, tools, and a lot of wrenching experience, etc).
 
MarkWalker

MarkWalker

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Location
Buffalo NY
Find a complete ski. Buying and shipping piece by piece always cost way more. You may have to bump up your Hull/Pole estimate a bit also.
 
Jcary85

Jcary85

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Glenmoore pa
Jcary85

Jcary85

Site Supporter
Vendor Account
Location
Glenmoore pa
ha - I don't wanna start this whole topic really, but they have ONE video of it flatwater backflipping off a big wake by a guy with tons of experience and he BARELY gets it around. If it's that hard to flip, I really don't want it. I would ABSOLUTELY be all over it if they had some more flatwater flip videos. I know thats kinda dumb, but thats what I wanna do :shrug:
 
SpaceCowboy

SpaceCowboy

breaking something
Location
Ypsilanti Michigan
Jcary85 said:
Hey All,
This will be a very broad question with lots of opinions I'm sure, so I apologize in advance....

In April, I'll be allocating approximately $10,000 - $15,000 (depending on whats needed) to build/buy a flatwater ski. My goals are to have enough power to backflip pretty easily on flatwater and have something that is reasonably reliable. Pretty typical goals I think....

My current plan to achieve this is quite vague. How far off are my $$ estimates? Are there better options?
  • Buy a used hull/pole combo - ~$3500
  • Buy a used 1000cc (ish) motor - ~$4500
  • Buy a user intake/carb/arrestor setup - $1500
  • Buy a used pump of some sort - ~$1500
  • Used or new Pipe - $1000
  • Other misc stuff - fuel tank, couplers, engine mounts, steering, turf, etc etc - ~$1000
Are there any new 1000cc engine packages that fall in this price range? How about any of the other stuff? What is worth buying used and worth buying new?

Any help is greatly appreciated, and sorry for the vague question :)

-Jordan
Click to expand...

Buying used is a good way to go...but you really need a plan of what you want to run. If you want a DVX, Helium, FV Pro, Ricky, or a Phantom the $3500 dollars on a hull/pole combo would never do it. I made a huge spreadsheet to log my build and you're missing a lot of stuff that adds up quick. If you want a power factor pipe expect to be in the 1300 dollar mark.

bolts, impeller, electronics, trim, nozzles, battery, starter, front cover, bendix, steering and throttle, just to name a few. 15k is a good start but I bet you'll be spending more or wanting more.
 
Citizen

Citizen

Location
Coeur D' Alene, ID
Jcary85 said:
ha - I don't wanna start this whole topic really, but they have ONE video of it flatwater backflipping off a big wake by a guy with tons of experience and he BARELY gets it around. If it's that hard to flip, I really don't want it. I would ABSOLUTELY be all over it if they had some more flatwater flip videos. I know thats kinda dumb, but thats what I wanna do :shrug:
Click to expand...

They had one of their higher end tricked out RTP models at havasu and apparently no one could get it around on flatwater. This included some of the worlds best riders. These RTP obviously make some people very happy, but for a dedicated flatwater ski you will be very disappointed. Spend a little more and get something proven.
 
cpolaris502

cpolaris502

Location
Minnesota
Citizen said:
They had one of their higher end tricked out RTP models at havasu and apparently no one could get it around on flatwater. This included some of the worlds best riders. These RTP obviously make some people very happy, but for a dedicated flatwater ski you will be very disappointed. Spend a little more and get something proven.
Click to expand...
I disagree with the first sentence, but agree with the latter part of your post. The 50 Cal is absolutely awesome for boat wakes and surf. Not ideal for strictly flat water.

+1 for buying a used ski RTR. I put my XFS together with 100% used parts and still went over your budget, which is the same budget I originally planned for. But it was easier to swallow by spreading it out over a few months.
 
eastcoastjumper

eastcoastjumper

James
Site Supporter
Location
Long Island
I recently built 3 out flatwater hulls over the last year and a half. swapping hulls and upgrading a few parts along the way.

My best advice, buy the best hull you can afford. get a pole that fits it right. buy the best trim, buy the laydown pipe, buy a 155 pump, use new or as close to new oem parts for the rest of the build and get a healthy smaller motor to start. Youll be able to flip it off boat wakes no problem, and maybe even flatwater flip the smaller motor if you learn quickly.

For 15k you might be able to score a lightly flatwater ski that has the same setup i just mentioned, but they are sometimes far and few between. @Philip Clemmons has a sick 701ish dvx he just built that is pretty much the setup youre looking for to start off on

for less than 10-15k youre gonna get outdated older hulls(that no one wants anymore thats why they are selling them), motors with a bunch of time on them, or worn out parts, etc.

look into the best of the best and educate yourself before you waste money and end up doing it again and again
 
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