Converting race ski to freestyle

[ozzo098]

I have a 96 SN that was built to race back in the late 90s early 00s. This was my first summer riding it and it rips. A lot of the parts are worn and need replacing though. I lake ride and don't race but enjoy messing around in waves and boat wakes. I plan on giving it a face lift this winter, the intake grate is cracked, the pump/impeller needs to be gone through, the bumpers and turf replaced and some fresh paint. The engine is solid, just needs a good cleaning.

The front "sponsons" don't seem to add much width/ boyouncy and I'm guessing they're just for hull reinforcement. The rear carbon fins are pretty beat up. The ride plate is long.

I guess my questions are is it worth buying a new ride plate or just cutting mine? Should I remove and patch the carbon fins? What intake grate should I go with? Any suggestions on what to do with the sponsons? I'm just not of fan of how they look, especially if they're not doing anything for performance. Also what is the length of the stock hand pole? I think mine might be chopped a bit but can't tell.

How much of a difference will the ride be after these changes? I feel as though the ride plate will be the only noticeable difference.

Thanks!

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[MADMAT]

Whats under the hood?

 

[ozzo098]

701 with a bunch of bolt ons. These are old pictures from when I got it but since then I've replaced the starter, rebuilt the carbs, new fuel lines and filters, and new cooling lines.

I've cleaned it up a bit since then.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Big Kahuna]

Cut that plate so it sticks out about 1" Past. This will let the ski be looser but still be able to rip up lake chasing boats. The front sponsons do help with turning some, not as aggressive as Tubbies. Do yourself a huge favor. Pull that motor and clean everything. Engine, Hull, etc etc..... From there, install some footholds and turf.

 

[MADMAT]

Man I had all of that once. Hated it bad!!

Cut that pole 5"

OEM flame arrests.

MSD.

Low end prop/bore nozzle.

See how it feels and then maybe ditch that pipe for a B pipe and higher compression domes.

IMO.

 

[MADMAT]

Cover the holes on the front of the hood too..

 

[ozzo098]

Which intake grate is the way to go? And what holes in the hood are you talking about?

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[ozzo098]

Cut that plate so it sticks out about 1" Past. This will let the ski be looser but still be able to rip up lake chasing boats. The front sponsons do help with turning some, not as aggressive as Tubbies. Do yourself a huge favor. Pull that motor and clean everything. Engine, Hull, etc etc..... From there, install some footholds and turf.

I've seen some D cut ride plates, would that make it more aggressive than just a straight cut? Or not enough to make it worth it? I'm skeptical on doing the footholds myself but this is the time to do it I guess.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Vortex]

Hard to go wrong with jet dynamics or worx grates.

If I were you I'd get a lowered light weight hood and nose and low bracket. Nice upgrade for the round nose. And put blowsion/etc sealed bearing steering on it if it's not there already.

 

[ozzo098]

I should have also stated that I'm on a small budget, I'm trying to do as much as I can without spending a lot, it's a great ski but I'm planning on buying an aftermarket hull down the road (couple years) and doing a transplant. I just want to make the SJ a bit more fun until then.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Big Kahuna]

Worx grate you have is perfect. Hurricane Ind has a great hood for a really good price. Hit up Fast Elements, They are in your neck of the woods, Believe they have a lowered bracket. Also they have a good steering system that uses OEM Bushings. This will move you about 3-4" closer. Same effect as shortening your pole.

 

[Req]

I`m building a high port 62t cylinder right now (close to race porting) and here is what I am doing for freestyle/rec use to get it in the meat of its power.

Low end prop for sure. I have a Concord big hub 9/15 (YQ-CD) which is super low pitch, lower than the hooker 9/15 from what I understand, also more affordable. This will allow you to skip the anemic low end that race setup is causing and get into the meat of the midrange. Some people notice a slight spool up compared to the hooker however mostly those that blip it a lot are the ones that dislike it. Max speed will go down but who cares, more than 45mph is sketchy on these things anyways. If you slip the prop cut it back to set it closer to the stater veins, sort of like changing the stall on a torque converter.

Compression is also a must. I would go for 35cc domes but you likely have something in that range already. When you pop the head you can look for markings on the back that will tell you the size dome it is.

(Edit) Talk to someone about compression on the dry pipe, I understand it changes the requirements since you can you melt pistons faster.

I think with those two things you will get a much livelier ski that suits normal riding a bit more than racing. I wouldn't do much else other than shorten the ride plate to tune the skis attitude. If you are a bigger guy you may need the length, if you are 180 or less its likely too long. Another free mod is to hack your pole down to improve ergonomics and change your weight distribution. My pole is about -12 with my cut pole and steering taken into account.

 

[Vortex]

Hang on to that old sj hull id leave the tray as is. You may want to have a fast ski/cruiser once you step up to a full a/m freestyle hull. The hood/nose can be found cheap look for a used one

 

[Vortex]

Btw that's not a dry pipe it's a Riva spec 2. You can see the water jacketed "head pipe" section of the chamber.

And imo don't under prop it, you don't want to be spinning...spinning ain't winning

 

[Big Kahuna]

I had one of those Concorde 9/15's. Ran it 1 time and pulled it. Just did not work on my setup. Way to low. May be fine on non ported motor.

 

[ozzo098]

Worx grate you have is perfect. Hurricane Ind has a great hood for a really good price. Hit up Fast Elements, They are in your neck of the woods, Believe they have a lowered bracket. Also they have a good steering system that uses OEM Bushings. This will move you about 3-4" closer. Same effect as shortening your pole.

I like the grate but it's cracked... Hard to see

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[ozzo098]

I don't know what prop is on it now but I'm sure it's higher pitch for race like everything else. The low end feels pretty strong to me now as is but I'm coming from a js550 hahaha

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Big Kahuna]

you can get that welded.

 

[Vortex]

Maybe a good welder can fix that grate?

Ecwi might be something to think about for that pipe.

 

[TheBuzzard]

if its an old race boat and its all setup for that, don't try and turn it into something its not. every change you do, is not going to do much. I have an old race SJ similar to that and I tried to change it. it didn't really work any better. don't cut that rideplate, its not going to improve anything. get that intake grate welded for a few bucks and run it. if you want to do barrel rolls or nose stabs, you probably should get footholds. you aint never going to backflip that stock hull so don't even think that far ahead. those front sponsons do add stability, but they will rip off there if you jump the crap out of it. same with the rear hull extensions.
if you want to start doing rolls or stabs, crank the bars and gas it off every boat wake. never jump straight ever again