Front sponsons on the FX-1 ?

[E350]

Hey all you FX-1 guys and gals:

I am seriously considering buying the Blowsion Destroyer Sponsons - 2008+ Superjet/FX-1 - White



1. @FX1Dave / @wavewarrior has mad skills and can do anything with his FX-1 and he has no sponsons. So, I know that sponsons are not necessary for those with mad skills. I am getting better, so should I just pass on front sponsons and tough it out?

2. Or does the FX-1 benefit from front sponsons?

3. If so, how so, i.e., what will the effect be?

4. What is the best position on the FX-1 ?

5. Are the Destroyer sponsons "adjustable?"

@kevbo says sponsons "'pull down' whenever they touch fast moving water." What does that mean?

@wydopen likes sponsons as low as possible? Why? And not up under the bond line. To allow the bond line to still grab water to carve? (Like green face of wave?) @wydopen also has an FX-1 what do you like and don't like about front sponsons on the FX-1?

@fastgtfairlane and @Freakie say that the low position creates chine walk on flat water at speed. That does not sound good.





Related +08 SJ thread:

Sponson position for surf???

Hey guys, I got a 2010 superjet I’m putting pro watercraft front sponsons on. My question is for a surf free ride setup where is the best position I figure there are three possibilities. 1- flush with the bottom of the hull 2- flush with the inside of the rails 3- something in between the above...

www.x-h2o.com

Thanks for all your help.

 

[wydopen]

Personally I would get the older tubbie's that you screw/glue on...the 08+ sj already has small built in sponsons so I dont think those are as big as the originals or the destroyers they make for the pre 08 superjets...I would imagine the reason they are advertising them for the fx1 is the destroyers have a rigid back so you cant flex them to fit different hull shapes like you can with the originals and they probably fit the fx1 better than the destroyers for the pre 08 superjets...looking at the picture they look pretty flat on the side which kind of defeats the purpose...

I like them flush with the bottom so there isnt an extra edge to catch when you are on a wave..it basically turns the front of the ski from a 90deg angle to a round continuous rail like a surfboard... if you are just riding flatwater mounting them up a little like the instructions say will be fine....

For me after riding with them I would prob choose not riding at all then having to ride a ski without them..they are that much of an improvement...my waveriding improved 10x just by gluing a set on my old squarenose....always trips me out that people make these aftermarket hulls and leave the sides flat in the front like a stocker...

 

[E350]

Or how about these Prowatercraft Performance Sponsons?

Performance Front Sponsons - Pro Watercraft

Performance Front Sponsons for any standup watercraft.

prowatercraftracing.com

@Flash-FX How do these compare with your home brewed sponsons? How many beers do I have to buy you to send me a template of yours?

Cross reference to post # 135 in Flash-FX thread here:

FX1/144mm Bottom Replacement

I noticed those things were HUGE I want to put a few rides on my F1 and then add some sponsons..... Which have you guys deemed the best for the fx platform??

www.x-h2o.com

 

[SALTDOG]

They will make you much more stable in the surf and like Wydopen said-mount flush with the bottom. The bigger ones are really nice in the surf, don’t know who sells them, Tom21 used to make and sell a bunch. I’d go with the screw and glass on model.

 

[wydopen]

Or how about these Prowatercraft Performance Sponsons?

Performance Front Sponsons - Pro Watercraft

Performance Front Sponsons for any standup watercraft.

prowatercraftracing.com

View attachment 411457

@Flash-FX How do these compare with your home brewed sponsons? How many beers do I have to buy you to send me a template of yours?

Those don’t look like they would fit the fx very well….sides of fx have more rocker than a sj and it doesn’t look like they fit that sj as well either.

 

[E350]

SALTDOG, About a week ago, I pm'd @tom21 because I heard great things about his sponsons for the FX-1, but he hasn't responded. So, I assume that he is not making them anymore. Not true! See post #16, below.

I would prefer to buy them.

wydopen, and SALTDOG thank you. If I can understand what the best design is, I can make them.

The 1970's Whitewater slalom race kayaks started out designed pretty narrow, because narrow is fast. Then for recreational ww kayakers they developed a flatter design because the wider surface wants to stay on top of the water and you can carve them on their side to enter and exit an eddy (where the current flows upstream). Then they went crazy about 15 years ago and went too wide which gave the kayak great primary stability. But made it very hard to roll (dynamic stability) back up once they were upside down. (A kayak's most stable position is upside down...) So now they are less wide.

In 1976 I glassed up my first whitewater kayak and four more from a mold stolen off the German's Letman IV from the 1972 Olympics. So, I probably still can do some decent glass work.

So, if someone can describe the design of the ultimate surf front sponson for the FX-1, I can probably design and shape it with the Divinycell which @Flash-FX linked in his thread above.

Any design suggestions for the profile (width) ,length, height?

Vinyl Foam: Divinycell 5 lb. Density

Looking to make a strong composite part? DIAB closed cell vinyl foam is an ideal sandwich core where ultimate laminate strength is critical. With compressive strengths over 200 psi, the 5 lb./cubic foot foam offers more strength to a laminate than other lightweight core materials, like...

www.fibreglast.com

 

[waxhead]

They rock with sponsons on.
I would not run with out them

 

[PAUL C]

I have Tom21 sponsons on my fx1 and they are great. I mounted them 1/4 inch above the bottom edge of the hull. It got rid of the chine walk and the high speed slide that throws you off at 50mph. It also carves better and doesnt jump straight up like it did before. I have a set of the pro watercraft sponsons for my superjet and they are way thinner than the tom21 tubbies are so I dont think they would do as much to help the problems the fx1 has. I also have a set of blowsion tubbie 2s. After I got them I should have sent them back the quality is so poor. I wouldnt mount them on anything.

 

[E350]

@waxhead what sponsons do you run on your FX-1 ????

I know you sell rear sponsons, but I have scoured your website:

Vintage 550 Jet Ski Parts - Wax Racing Parts

Wax Racing Products designs and builds amazing quality parts not only for your Kawasaki vintage 550 Jet Ski but Yamaha and See-Doo. Visit now!

www.waxracingproducts.com

and I don't see front sponsons for the FX-1.

I know you know how to ride an FX-1:



So, what sponsons are you running/do you recommend?

@PAUL C do you have any suggestions for how to get hold of @tom21 ?

 

[waxhead]

@waxhead what sponsons do you run on your FX-1 ????

I know you sell rear sponsons, but I have scoured your website:

Vintage 550 Jet Ski Parts - Wax Racing Parts

Wax Racing Products designs and builds amazing quality parts not only for your Kawasaki vintage 550 Jet Ski but Yamaha and See-Doo. Visit now!

www.waxracingproducts.com

and I don't see front sponsons for the FX-1.

I know you know how to ride an FX-1:

View attachment 411459

So, what sponsons are you running/do you recommend?

@PAUL C do you have any suggestions for how to get hold of @tom21 ?

I was using old copy screw on tubbies. you are right we do not do tubbies

 

[PAUL C]

I epoxied mine on because I didnt want any screw holes thru the hull. Then I glassed over the top. Still holding after 5 years.

 

[E350]

Apparently these are the @tom21 sponsons. Seem pretty impressive. @Big Kahuna do you have any suggestions on how to get ahold of @tom21 or where I can buy his sponsons?


From:

FX-1 - Tom21 tubbie install. Help on placement

Got a set of tom21 bolt on tubbies for the fx1. I’ve put on a bunch of Superjet destroyers and they fit great. I’ve having issues on where to place the Tom21 sponsons. If I run them like destroyers (all the way forward and down to the bottom) they don’t fit the curve at all. The only place I...

www.x-h2o.com

 

[Big Kahuna]

Nope.

 

[brapperdoodle]

This could be BS and trying to sell parts but it seems like Harry prefers sponsons...

 

[E350]

Holy crap! @brapperdoodle ! That rang true as a bell! Thank you for posting!

Also just found your "FX-2" build thread. I see that you have chosen the tom21 sponsons too:

Back From the Dead - Yamaha FX-2

I don't know what's going on, I haven't been able to get texts in a few days... Sending them no problem Time to get ride of the flip phone if you cannot text.......... What length of tube do you need for exhaust? If you can get by with 26", RRP Handlepole Tube could be used. There...

x-h2o.com

 

[E350]

Great News!

@tom21 pm'd me this morning and said that yes, he can make a set but that he has a backlog of work so it will take him a bit.

I am willing to wait.

I decided to go with his bolt on version because I figure that I can always epoxy them into place if I need to and the bolts may actually reduce the number of straps and shims which @PAUL C shows in his excellent photo above.

Thanks to everybody for their advice and to anybody who used their inside connections to help me make contact with @tom21.

Really appreciate it guys.

Have a friggin' Blessed Day!

 

[VXSXH20]

I have tubbie 2s, ProWatercraft and tom21 sponsons each on of my 3 skis. The Tom21s are on my fx1. They are thicker than the prowatercraft units and shaped differently at the front of the sponson. Mine were also foam filled on the backside whereas the PW sponsons are solid material. ( I did have to sand and touch up some low filled foam spots on the tom21s to get them trued up to the fx1 hull. But I expected to do so)

Boat#1 FX1 - The tom21 fit pretty well and improved stability hands down- less pitching me off and can take the weight into a turn. power out and hold it when the pump is loaded up. less powerslides and cavitation. But I can still whip it in to a powerslide easily with little effort for the fun factor.

Boat#2 - Blowsion tubbie 2s I have ride "ok" but I think it has more to do with my longer ride plate than the tubbies. They didn't change the way my hull rode in any seat of the pants test. It actually feels like it turns flatter. Subtle WOT nose hop and I have wiped out many times at top speed on flat calm water

Boat#3 Same hull but with prowatercraft sponsons installed per Hagest .. same worx ride plate and intake grate- same length pole/bars etc. AS above. But feels like it leans and carves better. WOT improved tremendously over blowsion tubbie 2s. When I get up on the pipe and wot. The hull levels out from side to side and straight as an arrow!

I prefer toms on the fx1 and they are near flush to the bottom of the fx1 hull..within 1/8 in or so.

 

[kevbo]

What is your height and weight? Small riders may want to mount them a little higher so they dont grab in straight line runs.

 

[E350]

5’ 11” 200 lbs.

 

[JeskiBoji]

after doing some long rides this weekend on the fx1 I was looking at some blowsion tubbies but then this thread popped up. if I can get ahold of a set of Tom’s that would b sweet! I’ll try to pm him but I understand he’s busy