Buying Older Skis, need advice

[BennyB]

I'm looking for some advice for buying some older skis. As my kids have gotten older and taken to riding pretty well I'd like to have a few more so we can all get out and ride and also for friends to get out on.

A little background. I originally tried to get into this sport late summer of 2016 knowing nothing ahead of time other than it looked like a lot of fun and I had been interested for years. I bought an older kawasaki from a guy that that definitely took advantage of my lack of knowledge and I would say I got ripped off and had nothing but problems with it (un-rideable in the condition it was in) and not enough ability/knowledge to figure anything out. Got rid of it, took the loss and bought a brand new Superjet the following year. Best choice I could have made. I have since learned a lot, but definitely still have way more to learn. So I now currently have my 2017 Superjet and a 2018 Krash Foot Rocket (Krash will probably be for sale soon). I also recently picked up an old JS440 for my first project ski, just haven't decided exactly what I want to do with it yet.

As I look around, I find that skis in my area (Utah) are priced all over the place. For example, a 2001 superjet with nothing more than an aftermarket pipe and flame arrestors for $7,800... I paid $8,299 for my superjet brand new from the dealer in 2017. Mid/late 80's kawasakis anywhere from $1,500 to $5,000 plus. Early 90's superjets in the $3,000 plus range.

I don't necessarily need super nice skis but how much should someone expect to reasonably spend on an 20-30+ year old ski that runs?

Also, where are some good places to list skis for sale and search for them to buy? I'll probably be looking to sell my Krash in the near future but not sure there's much of a market for it here.

Sorry for the long winded post, thanks for any advice!

 

[kevbo]

All old skis should be considered just a pile of parts. Familiarize yourself with what various parts cost. 440-550 share the same hull and are not great without a 650-750 -800 drive line adapted. It can be done but its a lot of work. Most 650-750-800 parts interchange so its easy to make old 650 hulls run the same as an 800sxr. All two-stroke superjet engines and pumps interchange. I budget $3k to make an old ski mechanically new and run 50 MPH. That price is in parts alone so there is some value in knowing how to do the work. Almost all riders have a consumer mentality and never want to spend more than the ski will sell for. That is what it takes if you want to make a 30 y/o ski last another 30 years.

 

[BennyB]

All old skis should be considered just a pile of parts. Familiarize yourself with what various parts cost. 440-550 share the same hull and are not great without a 650-750 -800 drive line adapted. It can be done but its a lot of work. Most 650-750-800 parts interchange so its easy to make old 650 hulls run the same as an 800sxr. All two-stroke superjet engines and pumps interchange. I budget $3k to make an old ski mechanically new and run 50 MPH. That price is in parts alone so there is some value in knowing how to do the work. Almost all riders have a consumer mentality and never want to spend more than the ski will sell for. That is what it takes if you want to make a 30 y/o ski last another 30 years.

Thanks for that info on those. And you're right, I've definitely learned you can't have the mentality of being able to sell it for everything you put into it. Put into it what you need to have fun riding it is the mentality.

 

[BennyB]

I was looking for some cheaper skis when I came across this 90 superjet that looks to be in great condition and has been left totally oem/stock. Guy says has only had a carb rebuild and runs great. Wants $3k which seems like a lot for a 35 year old ski. Is that high or is that about what these things should be going for in decent condition?

 

[faceplant2]

I have an identical 90 Superjet. Same condition. If I were selling, I would put it up for $3000 . Would I get that price? Don't know.

 

[kevbo]

This has become the problem with old Superjets. They are worth more as a running ski than all their parts would sell for. Their advantage it that is the easiest to ride and they make the most thrust. You can still find old Kawasakis sitting in the weeds that are cheap enough to build on. Just less pull and harder to ride.

 

[BennyB]

I have an identical 90 Superjet. Same condition. If I were selling, I would put it up for $3000 . Would I get that price? Don't know.

Haha ok good to know thanks

 

[BennyB]

This has become the problem with old Superjets. They are worth more as a running ski than all their parts would sell for. Their advantage it that is the easiest to ride and they make the most thrust. You can still find old Kawasakis sitting in the weeds that are cheap enough to build on. Just less pull and harder to ride.

So basically if I don't want to spend thousands on old skis then I need to commit to some projects which would probably end up costing maybe as much... it's too bad that old stand-ups go for thousands while you can find old running couches for hundreds... I guess thats just the market now?

 

[kevbo]

You cant bet that a standup has never been sunk and put away wet without seeing the engine in pieces. So buying the last twostroke Superjet is now iffy. All running Superjets carry a several thousand dollar premium over their parts value. I always budget a new OEM crank and fresh bore/pistons at minimum. Most riders want a ski NOW so they bid prices up. Its not historically the best time to get into this hobby, older aftermarket hulls are still overpriced.

 

[BennyB]

That's a valid point, thanks

 

[ErieOne]

It's a balance....buy older skis and you may be putting more money into them to get/keep them running. Buy slightly newer and you'll still be putting money into them to keep them running, just not as soon lol! Know the skis you're looking at and research what to look for. It's always gonna be a crap shoot. But I'm still to the point where I'd rather spend the time and money fixing the 2 strokes cuz I think they're way more fun than the 4 stroke stand up boats.


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[BennyB]

Yeah for sure, have no interest in the 4 strokes. Saw the kawi 1500 in person once when it first came out and couldn't believe what a tank it was. I haven't even seen a 4 stroke superjet in person yet

 

[E350]

I was looking for some cheaper skis when I came across this 90 superjet that looks to be in great condition and has been left totally oem/stock. Guy says has only had a carb rebuild and runs great. Wants $3k which seems like a lot for a 35 year old ski. Is that high or is that about what these things should be going for in decent condition?

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That 1990 650 Square Nose Super Jet is reasonably priced at $3000 and would be a steal in the current market at $2500.

 

[BennyB]

So it's looking like the market really is just worse than I thought. I guess without any of the major companies making 2 stroke stand ups anymore everything will just continue to go up as they become more obsolete over time

 

[kevbo]

Prices are beginning to ease. They spiked up during COVID. Be as patient as you can afford to be. Old Superjets are usually overpriced. That 90 model will need, at minimum, a 701 cyl and impeller to run about as good as a newer one. Its 34 year old crank is likely rusty, maybe not, stranger things have happened.

 

[Sanoman]

3k for and old square seriously

 

[Big Kahuna]

That SN is mint!

 

[KMN]

701 SNs in nice condition are a great value at 3k. You can still have a ton of fun on them and as a whole will last forever. Parts are easily available.
As with buying anything, patience is key and waiting for the deal to come to you.
Newer 701 Superjet’s, closer to 2020 represent the last of the formula that had made the Superjet one of the greatest motorsports machines of all time. Value is highly dependent on condition as I’ve seen 20 year old machines in better condition than 1 year old machines. In watercraft if it’s taken good care of can have almost no wear to the hull. I’ve got a pair of 95 Superjet’s that are quite nice, almost all original and they work as they did when new. I’ll probably keep them for a long time.

 

[Pro-pulsion]

The 92+ Kawi 650sx can usually be had for a pretty low price and there's a fair bit of free mod work you can do to really improve it. There are also a fair number of light expense mods you can do to further improve it. The only downside to Kawi that I personally have seen is parts support. Those early to mid 90's and through to about 2012 have seen a lot of parts support dry up from the OEM side. There's a very limited base of aftermarket parts but your last option is the used market and it's drying up too for the older stuff. Yamaha on the other hand still has a lot going and for a good long time yet to come because much of their platforms use the same pumps, engines, body parts and with SuperJets the last one made was what? 2020? So parts for that will still be available from Yamaha for a long time and much of its parts can be used on 1996+ round noses, the crank is the same from the 650 to the 760, motor mounts in the 650 and 701 are identical, couch mounts can be used with sometimes a little finessing. In my belief Yamaha is the clear winner when it comes to parts availability and direct replacement long term. Just a little something to think about if you consider weighing older skis and repairing options.

 

[Sanoman]

Still “hip to be square “ lol