FX1 - Pro-Tech vs. Jet Dymanics Ride Plate, Intake Grates, Sponsons ?, and Riding Technique

[Boz Mon]

I don’t let drag, I could never get it to work for me. I basically fall into the water. Kinda feels like you’re getting punched in Gabe ribs if you do it right. Find some smooth water and practice. A lot of it is just feeling where the ski bites


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[E350]

1. Watched @chixwithtrix 's learn to jet ski videos after skiing yesterday:

https://ridestandups.com/learn-to-ride-stand-up-jet-ski/

Highly recommend it.

2. Tried her advanced turning technique today.
Friggin' awesome. I still fall. Allot. But its fun when I nail it. Inside turn foot forward, rear foot perpendicular in the tray to put pressure on heal or toes as needed depending on the phase of the turn.

3. Found out what body position I need to hook up the pump while running WOT. For me it is head and body low, both feet forward toes touching the front end of the tray, pressure along the length of both feet, arms totally extended, butt way back.

The pump hooks up and stays hooked up like a friggin' rocket!

Until I get too scared and back off the throttle.

Now I know why I saved this picture I found on the internet about Camp Far West racing:

Look at the difference in angle of the hull between the ski in front and the ski in second.

Look where the water breaks on the ski in front vs. the ski in second.

The hull on the ski in front is not pushing water. It is not disturbing the water at all. See the mirror image?

The hull on the ski in second is pushing water, making white water.

The white water is being sucked up by the intake grate.

The pump on the ski in front is the only thing making white water.

The ski in front is sucking up dense green water, making more thrust.

Any comments or suggestions?

BTW, I was helping a guy put his boat on his trailer in the wind this afternoon which was too much for his kid to handle. I told the kid I would hold the boat because I was already wet because I fall allot. The kid said "Yeah, I saw."

 

[kevbo]

He's airborne from hitting a small wave. Look at the splash just behind him.

 

[E350]

Fair enough. Why is the rider in front, leading the pack? It is before the first buoy, the water is relatively flat, there have been no turns, it is just after the hole shot from the beach.

 

[Boz Mon]

He got a good hole shot, kept the pump hooked up, and big balls don’t hurt either.


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[E350]

How does he / do you "keep the pump hooked up" ?

 

[E350]

Quick update and a few questions:

First, I was wrong, the FX-1 will definitely roll you up out of a turn, your body mass just must be low along the longitudinal axis of the ski and you need to hitting the throttle.

Second, it seems to me that the ski prefers to turn sharply by digging in its inside aft corner. And to do that I have my arms extended, inside foot parallel to the tray up against the front of the tray while the outside foot is at the end of the tray sideways to the tray so you can push heel or toe to increase or decrease the digging in of the ski's aft corner. (Which I learned from the tutorials on@chixwithtrix ridestandups.com website.) I am still a crappy rider so finding that happy balance finds me either carving a sharp turn, sliding (drifting) sideways, or falling to either side of the ski. Too much digging the tail in and the impeller comes out of the water. Not enough digging in, the ski slides sideways. The more weight I put on the aft inside corner of the bond rail, the tighter it turns and the more throttle it can handle. So to dig in effectively my butt is way back, like back over the FX-1's bidet spout. . .

Third, riding fast is best while riding low with arms extended butt back feet wherever they can help hook up the pump.

Questions:

A. What do you experienced FX-1 riders think about the foregoing. Am I close?

B. What do you think about putting rear sponsons on the FX-1?

I am looking at these:

https://www.waxracingproducts.com/products/adjustable-billet-sponsons

It would be great if we could get him to do a run in FX-1 purple. . .

 

[TURBO JET]

Keep us posted

 

[E350]

Will do. These are Wax's sponsons:



https://www.waxracingproducts.com/products/adjustable-billet-sponsons

This is why he says you need them:

https://www.waxracingproducts.com/blogs/the-deck/why-do-i-need-sponsons

Also, I just discovered Jet Pilot Australia. Yellow or Orange life vests and other race and surf stuff much better than Jet Pilot USA.

Wax just replied indicating that he may consider other color options. And that he considers the FX-1 his favorite ski and that he has two of them.
The photo of him on a yellow FX-1 which looks like he is rounding a bouy on his website home page is classic.

Looking at my ski, I think white may be better than purple because the sponsons attach to the rear bond line which is also white.




White would likely also look good with the white Blowsion Destroyer front sponsons, if I decide to add those in the future.

https://www.blowsion.com/tubbie-destroyer-sponsons-2008-superjet-and-fx1

Here is a photo of my wife making that same type of turn on her 440 Superstock back in the day:

 

[E350]

After work yesterday, the River was flatter than Bonneville Salt Flats. I was able to get the engine up to WOT rpm for significant amounts of time but I could never really get the pump hooked up. The " 69" GPS app on the waterproof Kyocera DuraForce 1.0 showed 42 mph and 43 mph on two different runs. When I was able to get the pump hooked up by body and foot placement, got the ski up to 45 mph for short periods. I am just too much of a wuss to go for long at that speed because the hull rolls side to side at that speed and falls at that speed have proven unpleasant.

At WOT when the pump is not consistently hooked up, it seems like the impeller kinda pulses as the ski slaps the water, grabbing and then not grabbing water, maybe pulling green water then cavitating? When it does this the engine also pulses, reving without a load then pulling a load. I can almost hear the wrist pins in the pistons slapping when the impeller loses its load.

Jet Maniac and others have said that the original oem impeller cavitates.

1. Is there a better impeller for the stock 122mm? pump which will stop this from happening?

I am running the Pro-Tec top loader intake grate with the Pro-Tec extended ride plate.

2. Is there a better intake grate which will more consistently feed green water to the impeller?

I am also going to post up a thread asking about sponsons in the race forum. Primarily about rear sponsons for hard cornering, but if you have any suggestions now for increasing stability at speed, please let me know.

 

[waxhead]

Will do. These are Wax's sponsons:

View attachment 397510

https://www.waxracingproducts.com/products/adjustable-billet-sponsons

This is why he says you need them:

https://www.waxracingproducts.com/blogs/the-deck/why-do-i-need-sponsons

Also, I just discovered Jet Pilot Australia. Yellow or Orange life vests and other race and surf stuff much better than Jet Pilot USA.

Wax just replied indicating that he may consider other color options. And that he considers the FX-1 his favorite ski and that he has two of them.
The photo of him on a yellow FX-1 which looks like he is rounding a bouy on his website home page is classic.

Looking at my ski, I think white may be better than purple because the sponsons attach to the rear bond line which is also white.

View attachment 397505


White would likely also look good with the white Blowsion Destroyer front sponsons, if I decide to add those in the future.

https://www.blowsion.com/tubbie-destroyer-sponsons-2008-superjet-and-fx1

Here is a photo of my wife making that same type of turn on her 440 Superstock back in the day:

View attachment 397506

Hey man, yeah thats my fx1 leg dragging a turn
I love that ski it is such a blast to ride. tubbies and rear sponsons make the fx1 awesome.
i am running a shredmaster palte which really makes it turn hard but when the back lets go its gone. The jetdynamics plate is awesome as well and im sure it made from velcro. you can not get the back end to come out when you have the jet dynamics plate on it

 

[E350]

Wax did you change your impeller from stock impeller?
If so, what do you recommend?

 

[E350]

Well my wife was disappointed that her 43 mph on her 1994 SN SJ was slower than my 45 mph on my 1995 FX-1. However, neither times were too shabby given the max speeds published in the Yamaha Service Manual for these skis:



I am really happy that we are approaching the published max speeds, since I mix our premix at 40:1.

I am getting more used to the instability at speed, but I am still a wuss when the ski pulls away when the pump hooks up.

Over the past two weeks, I practiced my counterclockwise turns till I got my fall rate down to about 25%.
Today, I started practicing my clockwise turns. My fall rate on that side is about 110%.

I really want to find a rear sponson to leverage against in tight turns at speed.

If anybody has impeller suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated.

 

[E350]

46 mph Baby!

 

[TURBO JET]

After work yesterday, the River was flatter than Bonneville Salt Flats. I was able to get the engine up to WOT rpm for significant amounts of time but I could never really get the pump hooked up. The " 69" GPS app on the waterproof Kyocera DuraForce 1.0 showed 42 mph and 43 mph on two different runs. When I was able to get the pump hooked up by body and foot placement, got the ski up to 45 mph for short periods. I am just too much of a wuss to go for long at that speed because the hull rolls side to side at that speed and falls at that speed have proven unpleasant.

At WOT when the pump is not consistently hooked up, it seems like the impeller kinda pulses as the ski slaps the water, grabbing and then not grabbing water, maybe pulling green water then cavitating? When it does this the engine also pulses, reving without a load then pulling a load. I can almost hear the wrist pins in the pistons slapping when the impeller loses its load.

Jet Maniac and others have said that the original oem impeller cavitates.

1. Is there a better impeller for the stock 122mm? pump which will stop this from happening?

I am running the Pro-Tec top loader intake grate with the Pro-Tec extended ride plate.

2. Is there a better intake grate which will more consistently feed green water to the impeller?

I am also going to post up a thread asking about sponsons in the race forum. Primarily about rear sponsons for hard cornering, but if you have any suggestions now for increasing stability at speed, please let me know.

I did have a jet dynamics or similar intake grate where it had a scoop that sat lower and it was always hooked up but the down side was you had to be careful in the shallows it could ruin your pump
I am now running a protect might buy a jet dynamics I’ll give you feed back