Flipping couches for fun and profit

[WFO Speedracer]

Ski looks great!

haha i ended up re spraying my grab handle as well. was tempted to do the sponsons but didnt.

Thanks about time to start on the next two. I really like bringing these old skis back to life and I haven't really liked my work for a while now.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

I have been doing a bunch of work for my friend of mine that also flips couches , I am trying to get some of his stash fixed and gone , he is handling the selling aspect and dealing with the customers .

I did an XLT1200 for him last week , I did the D-plate in the exhaust and the chip and also did the power valves and a new set of seats , it went out the door last night .

Today I am working on a 97 GTI hood and recovering the seats , hopefully I will be done with both by tomorrow , his hood had a hole in it that you can stick your hand through, this one won't be perfect but it will make the ski go down the road and that's what this game is all about .

It had a pretty big gouge in the front about the size of a quarter , I have it as close as I can get it with a epoxy gelcoat kit and yellow colorant , it may get a sticker over it , all I want to do is make this look like a fairly reasonably well cared for 26 year old ski, it has a new engine, rebuilt carbs , new oil lines , new battery and new wear ring in the jet pump , so it should be a good solid ski .

 

[Myself]

Have you found ANYTHING to get the mildew spots out of the yellow vinyl seats? I've tried everything in my shop on my son's XP.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Have you found ANYTHING to get the mildew spots out of the yellow vinyl seats? I've tried everything in my shop on my son's XP.

There is nothing that I know of , I just recover the seat and go about my business .

I used the rest of the gelcoat repair kit to fill in the gouge and sanded it smooth , color was a bit off but you are limited bt the colorant and good luck matching anything yellow , I knew from the get go it would be getting a sticker over it and this one covered it perfectly.

Hood is done , working on the seat now.

 

[Batteryman]

There is nothing that I know of , I just recover the seat and go about my business .

I used the rest of the gelcoat repair kit to fill in the gouge and sanded it smooth , color was a bit off but you are limited bt the colorant and good luck matching anything yellow , I knew from the get go it would be getting a sticker over it and this one covered it perfectly.

Hood is done , working on the seat now.

Thats too bad. I have an original yellow WB1 seat cover I was hoping to save.


I keep finding deals like this for $500-$700. Do you find that in order to get a ski to sell you need a trailer to go with it? Trailers around here go for $500-$1100.

 

[Myself]

Thats too bad. I have an original yellow WB1 seat cover I was hoping to save.


I keep finding deals like this for $500-$700. Do you find that in order to get a ski to sell you need a trailer to go with it? Trailers around here go for $500-$1100.

I've NEVER been able to sell a ski without a trailer. I have actually pulled a trailer from under one of my personal skis to sell a flip ski. BUT....I always price accordingly. For 5-700 bucks that WaveVenture would need to at least have a good engine and jet pump, and only need fuel system rehab and cosmetics. Otherwise you can't make anything on it. I just bought this XLT800 off a customer this morning for $600 with the trailer. Head gasket blew and the water ate up one cylinder and piston. I have a good used cylinder and piston on the shelf. This one will cost me some labor and about $80 worth of gaskets to have it ready to sell. Usually I can buy them like this for 3-600.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Same with me, I can never sell one without a trailer , I used to get $350. to $400 for a used trailer , I won't even sell a used single trailer anymore they are so hard to come by. There are a bunch of idiots around here buying them and making Kayak trailers out of them , I always ask the customer what they are putting on the trailer , as soon as the say kayak I am done, nope don't have any right now , sorry , click !

I like to start out at zero cost on skis if at all possible , those skis don't bring the most money but they usually have the highest profit margins.

The guy was really happy with his seats and hood , his next one up is a waveventure 701 that needs a top end repair , if anyone has a deal on a used cylinder and pistons for a 62T hit me up ..

 

[WFO Speedracer]

The ultimate goal here is to totally change my current business model , I have decided it is time to go big or go home , I have a name picked out , Lake Martin Best , it stands for Buy , exchange , sell and trade , I have the perfect location , it's on the way to the lake , I want to do a used jet ski sales lot with the hokey banners and the whole bit , that way when you see it you will know exactly what it is , all of the old jet ski hulls are getting stacked up beside the fence so only the bottoms of the ski are visible from the road , this will also allow me to do signage on the ski bottoms using large very visible vinyl letters , kind of like a Cadilliac ranch but with jet ski hulls, hopefully it will be something very interesting and unique.

I have a guy with a boom truck lined up to move everything and a guy with a bobcat and a brush cutter to clear the lot once the skis are moved, I now also have someone to help me get the place sorted out. The guy I have been doing seats, cosmetic and mechanical work that also flips ski for wants to go in together with me and do this project.

In the building I want to do some rustic and driftwood furniture , I have a full woodworking -cabinet shop at my house down here , I have a background in woodworking and have made tables that sold for quite a bit of money, I also have the skills to do river tables since I have the composites background.

I may even do some art from local artists , there is no place around to my knowledge that does this kind of thing anymore , I will keep one of the LRV's or SUV's to collect driftwood with plus I just like them and on Lake Martin if you don't want to get beat to death you need a ski that big to ride there comfortably.

I want at least 10 skis to choose from at a time ,they don't all have to be mine , I can do consignment and Doug will have skis he wants to sell as well, I will open the lot up so it's a drive through type deal with some places to park inside the fence , so the ultimate for goal next year is to sell between $50,000 to 100,000 worth of skis , at a median price of $2500 per ski that is 20 skis to get to $50,.000 obviously $100.000 is 40 skis.

But that can change quickly if you add in four stroke skis at $4000 -5000 a pop and Yamaha SUV's and XL1200'S which also bring in $4000 -5000 a pop , I have about four or five four stroke skis , two Yamaha SUV'S , about four XLT1200.s and two Seadoo LRV's here available to fix and sell already. I would like to ratchet it up to sell newer and newer skis each year thus increasing profit potential , I will also continue to work on skis but most likely I will scale it back to quick service, oil changes, jet pump wear rings, Car jobs , starter replacements , IE stuff that actually makes money instead of chasing my tail trying to diagnose ski that are probably a lost cause anyway.

Right now I am doing ATV's I repaired one yesterday and took in a Honda Foreman 500 for brakes a tune up and a starter replacement and I have a Coleman side by side that came in for a top end job, it either has a severely burnt or slightly bent intake valve.

 

[Myself]

Keep me updated on your new venture if it pans out. Wife and I are almost debt free and have been thinking of doing something similar. Joe Customer just isn't the same anymore.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Keep me updated on your new venture if it pans out. Wife and I are almost debt free and have been thinking of doing something similar. Joe Customer just isn't the same anymore.

Joe customer sucks , between my contacts and Doug's we have a massive amount of places to get used parts and even whole skis from , his forte is picking up skis , parts and dealing with idiot customers , mine is rebuilding engines and restoring skis this might actually just work.

 

[Batteryman]

I've NEVER been able to sell a ski without a trailer. I have actually pulled a trailer from under one of my personal skis to sell a flip ski. BUT....I always price accordingly. For 5-700 bucks that WaveVenture would need to at least have a good engine and jet pump, and only need fuel system rehab and cosmetics. Otherwise you can't make anything on it. I just bought this XLT800 off a customer this morning for $600 with the trailer. Head gasket blew and the water ate up one cylinder and piston. I have a good used cylinder and piston on the shelf. This one will cost me some labor and about $80 worth of gaskets to have it ready to sell. Usually I can buy them like this for 3-600.

I appreciate the advice Myself and WFO Speedracer. I passed on the waveVenture and ended up with a WBII with a trailer.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

I am trying to get all the customer stuff wrapped up right now and then I will get back on these sales skis , as long as I have five or six ready to rool by Spring I should be good .