Other Fiberglass repair

[SubiacoCGB]

I'm new to stand up jet skis and I'm thinkin about buying a Kawasaki 650. I'm thinkin a Kawi 650 would be a good starter ski for me since I'm a big dude (6'6", 255lbs, but in pretty good shape). The 650 should probably have enough power to keep me happy for a while and the bigger hull is probably good for my bigger self.

So this 650 I'm looking at has aftermarket prop, pipe, and waterbox, and has just been painted and the guy glassed over the fire extinguisher hole and fixed an area on the tray (where you stand) that his heel had damaged/broke. Is a hull with a history of fiberglass damage on the tray there bad news? Is this going to be a neverending problem or is it a pretty simple fix that is probably nothing to worry about as long as the guy knows what he's doing?

Thanks for reading my long frickin post and thanks for your help in advance. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Cannibal]

It's fine as long as he knows what he's doing and used epoxy resin not cheap resin from Home Depot or an auto parts store.

As far as a 650 is concerned, I'd skip it. They don't ride well. I can't say I've ever heard anyone say they actually like them.

If your budget is low, you can find a 750sx usually pretty cheap, but a square nose (90-95) Superjet is a much better building block. 94-95 have a 701 engine while the 90-93 are 650.

If you can hold off a bit longer and save up some more, go 96+ Superjet or Kawasaki SXR. The SXR is the largest of the standups and are very stable and might be better suited for your size.

What you really need to do is find someone guys in your area and see if you can ride a few different skis. If you are dead set on that 650sx, don't sink any money into it, you will be upgrading fairly soon.

 

[SubiacoCGB]

Thanks again Cannibal. The thing is that I can get a 650 ($850 - $1200) for about half to a third the cost of a superjet or a 750 ($1500 - 3000). I also asked a buddy about super jets and he said he hated them. He said they are way too heavy. The other thing is the super jets seem to be a lot less common. Would they be hard to get parts for?

Anyways, I appreciate your help. Could you be more specific about why the 650s are so bad?

 

[txsuperjetfreak96]

kawis have always been way heavier than a superjet. im 5'9 220 pds, i have a 96 sj, even in stock form i could whip it around.

 

[Krashtestdustin]

i personally own both a 89 650sx and a 91 superjet (with a 701 dropped in) and i used to love the 650 but ever since i got the superjet i dont think ive set foot on my 650sx i just let my friends ride it. the superjet in my opinion is a much better platform all around in every aspec (ex: stability, carving, low speed cruising (virtually impossible with on the 650sx with a unexperienced rider in my op, freestyle, racing, i mean the list never ends) and as for getting parts easily the superjets blows the kawi out of the water, its almost impossible to find "new" parts for my 650sx. but one good thing i can say about the 650sx from my experience is its a really reliable engine platform, ive never had a single problem out of it other than a stator going bad once in and ive had the ski for about 3 years

 

[SubiacoCGB]

So I'm lookin at a 1990 Superjet 650 tomorrow night. It looks pretty clean based on the pictures I've seen and it's got blowsion footholds, an intake grate, scat prop (I don't know what the significance of that is, I don't think it's steel), a bilge pump and a couple other things. I'm thinkin its a pretty good deal and that I might jump on it.

Is there anything wrong with it being a 1990?

 

[Matt_E]

Hard to say whether it's a good deal without a price

 

[SubiacoCGB]

I'm lookin at a '90 Superjet tomorrow evening. I'm thinkin it might be something worth jumping on. It's got Blowsion footholds, an intake grate, bilge pump, scat prop, and a few other things. He says its been dependable, but no real upgrades to the engine and it hasn't been rebuilt recently.

Any thoughts?

 

[SubiacoCGB]

He's askin $1400.

 

[Matt_E]

It's not a terrible price depending on your local market and availability. Maybe a bit high - I'd say $1,000.

 

[SubiacoCGB]

Thanks matt_e

 

[SXIPro]

That would be a really decent price if it had the 701 instead of the 650. Find out if it has an aftermarket pipe. That will really help the 650 out.

 

[Tmart]

That deal is a little better. Around 1000 would be good b/c as time progresses, you're gonna want to put a 701 motor in it. Around 600 bucks

 

[Snivilous]

I like the 650sx

Though I've never ridden a superjet. 650sx also weighs less than a superjet and has a higher cc/weight ratio as I recall.

 

[Tmart]

I like the 650sx

Though I've never ridden a superjet. 650sx also weighs less than a superjet and has a higher cc/weight ratio as I recall.

dude, 650sx sucks any way you look at it

 

[icecoled007]

$1400 is decent price. I have owned rn sj, sn sj, 650sx, and sxr.

I have ridden every standup aside from custom hulls and an octane.

Im 6'5" 210~ I love the sxr it fits me so well. Its definitely a big guy ski. Im the most comfortable and would never sell that ski. However the sxr gets boring because of the weight and not being able to jump it. (Trinity hull i think would be awesome) the sxr has so much clean power all the way through.

My rn sj is fun for wake chasing and subbing. My sn sj has tubbies and i think is key for guys like us. It handles like a dream and is light. Definitely look into zero sponsons in the future.


Skip the 650 and save for a sxr or sj. You will be much happier. Sxr i would say is your ski but they are not exactly easy to find and are not very cheap.

 

[SubiacoCGB]

Thanks 007. I'm thinkin sn sj is the way I'm going to go. There's an SXR for sale, but the guy's askin $4000 for it, and that's way out of my budget right now. Plus, although there are some people who really like 650sx's, the vast majority of responses I've gotten and just about every person I talk to says Superjet is the way to go. A couple quick questions though...

What are zero tubbies? I looked on Blowsion and found their Tubbie Destroyer Sponsons, but haven't been able to find anything about the "zero sponsons". Is zero a brand? Also, what are the specific benefits of tubbies?

Also, what are the main differences between the rn sj and sn sj. Is the round nose just more powerful, since it has the 701 or does it ride differently too?

 

[Cannibal]

#Zero is a guy here that sells them: http://www.x-h2o.com/threads/49648-...made-for-the-RN-amp-SN-Tubbies-Front-Sponsons

The SN and RN 96-07 have bascially the same bottom deck. There are some differences in handle pole mounting so some can point out that they can feel a difference in the ride, but for the most part, the differences are looks.

I'd suggest getting a SN, don't do anything to it (maybe footholds, bilge pump, but just little stuff), and just ride the piss out of it for the summer.

Make sure you love it before you dump a bunch into it. Make every attempt to ride other skis and pay attention to what they have on their hulls and the effect of each part. Then next winter, start saving up a bit to make some improvements based on your experience.

 

[jetskidan]

I like the 650sx

Though I've never ridden a superjet. 650sx also weighs less than a superjet and has a higher cc/weight ratio as I recall.

the 650 that you have probably has more power than any other 650 out there.. i mean, your the only person that i heard of putting nitrous in a jetski. 650's are good to start on though, very reliable, and very stable compared to a superjet. i would take my SJ over a 650sx though!

 

[SubiacoCGB]

So there are two different SJs I'm planning to check out tonight. Both are out of what my original budget was going to be, but I'm thinking either will be a better decision in the long run. The ads are listed below. Right now I'm leaning toward the 90 since it's $600 less asking price, but I perhaps the 93 is a better deal overall in the long run. Any thoughts or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. By the way... what are B-pipes all about?

1990
90 yamaha super jet, 650 cc, blowsion foot holds, aluminum handle pole, bilge pump, intake grate, impeller (I think its a skat, but not stainless).
This ski looks pretty clean, but is more basic. The guy is asking $1400


1993
this is a very clean 1993 super jet. it has all the best aftermarket parts like an $800 factory B-pipe , skat trak stainless steel prop , protec extended ride plate & intake grate , pro-tec CDI ignition , triton polished head , bilge pump & handle bar switch , K&N flame arrestor , boyesen power reeds and more. the motor is very fresh and has been recently rebuilt with low use since the rebuild. the cylinder was ported and this 650 rips like a 701. very nice , clean and reliable jetski.
This ski sounds like it has a lot more upgrades and was recently rebuilt. The guy sounds real firm on $2000, no less.

Which one sounds like the better ski to start off with? Is the more expensive one worth the extra cash or should I get the other one and upgrade it on my own?