Other how did you come to be?

[vitalikol]

In 80th ,when I was living in USSR and was about 12-13 yers old I read article in our magazine " Young technition" about Kawasaki standup jetski. I was drawing sketches for couple monthes. And I promissed myself to have one of the skis one day....
Six years ago I bought 97 Seadoo XP, and week later 94 Kawi 750SX. After I bought standup ,I rode Seadoo twice in two years, and sold it. Bought 96 Superjet, but didn't like the way it's handles, sold all skis and bought 06 SXR.
I LOVE it. I am big boy - 6'2" and 205 lb. And love every second I spend on my ski.
I work in construction and it's was a good money till 08. in 2008 I made about 25% less then in 2007 and in 2009 - about 25% less then in 08. in last two monthes I was working 14 day total. It's picked up some this month.
I like to wrench on a ski and would love to do some side work, but it's not many riders ,where I live.
But summer coming and I looking forward for more riding this year and my goals - Barrel roll and Backflip ( not flatwater- surf )

 

[crashnburn86]

Yea construction sucks right now!!! im making 60% less then i was in 07.. And so far this year hasn't shown many signs of anything picking up.

 

[lakeboy183]

you guys hurting in the jobs, come work up here in ND, we dont have enough people to fill all the jobs, the oil money here is crazy, my uncle is making $115an hour driving truck!!!!!

 

[gc4]

Used to ride my cousins old kawi's in the bay on long island when i was pretty young.. always loved them.. finally picked up an sj in 08.. been deeply in love ever since.

Financing.. I don't finance. I'm a student so not much money comes my way to throw at the sj.. I have put aside some dough to finally throw in some footholds and redo the stock turf (two years of stock is enough). Engine mods I will leave to when I have time to learn how to do them myself and a steady cash flow to put that knowledge to use.

This website has so much info and people willing to share insight, it is a great resource.

 

[Boris]

In the late 80's I got to ride a green Kawasaki monster.
I was a kid at the time and only managed to kneel in the tray but did I have a blast and from that day I always wanted one.
Got my first ski (Sea-Doo couch) in the spring of 93 (not much to chose from in those days in Eastern Europe) and terrorised the local waters all summer. Got a 96 XP after that which was for the time an awesome ski and in 99 I got an Ultra.

Saw a square on ebay that was local and instead of picking up the next great part for my GPR I got it instead. Never looked back.
Now I have a Rickter and Trinity in GPR parts that I know I should sell but can't bring my self to do it.

Hell, as long as it's fun, right ?

 

[Scorn800]

Got sucked in on a rental 440 in the 80's. finally scraped up enough loot by 17 and bought a 85 550. Rode it summers in high school and college. Got a sxi pro in 01 and started to ride more & more. Once I got the SXR it was all out addition....carve turns for days.... So much fun to rip.

 

[GReenANt]

in high school i rode my friends SN but wasn't making enough money to get my own ski plus i wasn't quite bored with couches yet (tubing keeps it interesting). Before college i worked all summer and got some graduation gift money a year later i still had most of that and bought my 98 Sxi pro. Would have had to sell it but i worked as an engineering intern the next summer and fall and actually made enough money for some footholds.

I graduate in May and have a job lined up as soon as i have enough cash i am gonna buy a RN

 

[cattledog]

i came from a roadracing background i raced production rd350lc started racing in1982, roadracing bikes and jet skis have lots in common once your hooked your screwed , i got my first ski a 1991 550 brand new, then of course i started racing in 1993 bought a sn in 1995 and had it for 14 years, i am a heating and ac mechanic self employed, i have owned a yamaha two stroke for the last 30 years being a rd350lc ,rz 350, tzr250, tdr 250, sn, rn, blaster

 

[Patrick Star]

I started when I was running out long lines with my buddies TS650. Then I built a Jammer a few years ago when I was stationed in Corpus Christi. I then bought an '01 XPL from Gulf Coast Marine and it locked up stortly after becuase the mechanics didn't tap out a bolt for the oil pump and left it to hang on with one bolt... Stop, I'm not going on a rant again, breathe...

OK, so I got back on my jammer and made myself learn to use the 32 horses in the surf, then I got me a '93 SJ and smashed it as I learned to ride stand ups better. Now I'm in Diego Garcia and slowly building me a Super awesome jet on a nice '93 virgin hull and once I'm of the Navy and get a real job I'll be building me a round nose in the years to come using the parts from this build.

 

[227]

Early 80’s I was invited to a church sponsored youth group party at a local lake. Somebody there had a pair of Kawi 440’s and was letting everyone have a turn riding them. I was hooked. Bought my first ski, a js550 in 1986 and soon after got into racing. I discovered surf riding in the early 90’s and eventually moved to Oceanside in 2001 specifically to live at a beach where I could ride my ski in the surf. After 24 yrs and going through at least 10 different skis I’ve never gotten burned out and am still stoked to ride! I am a self employed contractor and currently I clean and recondition foreclosed homes for several banks so I have been fortunate to keep fairly busy in the current bad economy.

 

[Liquid Graffix]

I had never been on a stand up jet ski till 1999. I got a job doing a live stunt show and we had 3 Kawi SXI Pro's in the show. I got a chance to practice on the skis everyday in between shows and started hitting the ramps before the end of the season. Basically I spent 3 summers getting paid to learn to ride. A few years after the show closed, I bought two of the skis from the show from a buddy who was able to pick them up. They needed a lot of work and thats how I started wrenching. I would go into a local ski shop and ask questions and told the owner that if he ever needed and extra hand around the shop that I was available. 2 months later I got a call from him and I've been at that shop ever since. Now I have 2 SJ's and an X2, and I wrench on all of my buddies skis and help them out when I can. I would definitely say I'm addicted to jet skis. At one time, I had about 7 skis in my garage. Since my 12 step program, I'm down to 5...

 

[MADMAT]

Great thread man!

I went and worked for my Uncle in Indian Point, Mo. on Table Rock Lake during the Summers of 84-86.

The family that owned the restaurant that my Uncle leased also owned Stillwaters resort on Table Rock Lake. They had a red 550 and a 440 just sitting at the rental dock. NO ONE ever ever rented them so they told me I could ride them as much as I wanted as long as I replaced the gas. From that day forward If I was not working I was riding!

Then went through a bunch of dogs.....650....SXi...SXi Pro....I was about to go get a new ski and my buddy Rick said dude you gotta try a SJ....they are lighter and the pumps are bigger....it made sense to me and I bought one. That is where the addiction really began for me......as soon as my pump left the water for the first time ...I just wanted more power...less weight...more height...more carnage!! And then all the vids on the X and PWCToday and the others...then Daytona! PRICELESS!

 

[sledder88]

It all started for me 4 summers ago. Parents were building a cabin so i decided i needed a new toy for the cabin. Was browsing the local classifieds and ended up with an 89 X2. Rode that all summer. The friends rode it and thought it was a blast. Next year one buddy bought 2 kawi 550's from down south. We rode those and the X2 all summer. Last year i bought 2 98 RN's from Denver area, 36 hour round trip, kept one and sold one to pay for the trip and part of the other one. My buddy picked up a SN for last year and sold one of his 550's to another friend of ours. No new skiis for me this year but my buddy wants a RN now. Stand ups are very few and far between where we are but we are slowly repopulating the area.

I work as a manufacturing engineer technologist and clear snow on the side in the winter. Day job pays the bills, side jobs feed the projects.

 

[OCD Solutions]

I was hooked when a rental company appeared on our local lake back in 91' with a pair of XP's. It was a couple years before I could afford to buy my own though and I finally bought a 93XP in 95 then upgraded to a brand new leftover 98 GSXL in 99. The summer of 2001, I was moving for work and passed thru a little town where a 92 SJ was sitting on a trailer on the side of the road for sale. It was done for racing and had everything on it I could ever imagine needing and bought it on the spot, rolled up the door on the uhaul and threw it in on top of my couch. It was the beginning of the end. LOL. I rocked the SN till I picked up an SXR in 06.

When I first moved down to the states last year I left my 3 skis back in Canada and needed something to ride so I picked up a nice 96 SJ and was so hooked that I picked up another 07 hull and build it up from scratch. I already knew I would never ride the SN or the SXR again so I listed everything for sale. I still had the GSXL so I picked up a GP800 for the wife so we could ride them together but she was already hooked on the Superjets so I put the couches up for sale as well. We had 7 skis in the yard just a few months ago but are now down to 1 superjet and will soon have a Matrix to balance out the trailer again.

I've been able to afford my habit since starting an electrical apprenticeship back in 91, 4 days out of high School. I was a journeyman by 21 and quickly advanced to an Electrical Leadhand at a Gold/Copper mine by the age of 26. I quit once i had my instrumentation ticket and went to work in OSB manufacturing where I am still working, only now as a PLC Specialist. The nice thing about the electrical field is that it allows one to continue to advance as much as one has initiative. It's a great balance of working with ones hands, body and mind and is a very challenging field of work. I only wish I had more time to spend riding instead of working.

It's been a pretty fun road so far and i can't wait to see where it's going to lead in the future.

 

[lakeboy183]

nice, everyone here works so hard for what they got

 

[ryan]

rode my 1st ski in 1988 440 super stock. got my 1st 550 the next day. ben in the watercraft repair buzz ever since!!!

 

[Pro-pulsion]

I started out 18 years ago by just hanging around a Jet-Ski rental place. I would rent one once or twice a month at $30.00/half hour or $50.00/hr. depending on how well I was doing. Then I picked up my first Kawi JS300. I had it for a few years then traded it up on a 92 650sx. I had that for about 7 years and traded up for a 96 Sea-Doo XP800. My now ex-girlfriend, at the time showed interest in the sport so I bought something we could both get out on.

After her, I blew up the XP, built a ski cart and it sits in the back of the garage while I work on and ride my replacement 92 650sx. As a kid I saved everything I could to get that 300. I started working at Canadian Tire and eventually moved into working for a marine dealer where I was enrolled into a small engines apprenticeship. I did my time, went to school and picked up my license, moved around a bit and am now working in a machine shop as a labourer. The pay isn't bad at all, but there were times where I didn't know how I would get through the week. I had the XP up for sale hoping to get a bit of a breather from the economic crash, but I won't part with the sx, the stand-ups are where it's at :biggthumpup:

 

[jMike]

Bought a '92 Laserjet 550 outta the classifieds, went to the lake, it sank while I treaded water holding the handlebars. Drug it to shore loaded it up and drove to Kawasaki and bought and SXR same day..

I do Inspection and NDE, mainly on pressure equipment and storage tanks. Busy as always. and either I have a lot of time or a lot of money but rarely both...

 

[SJBrit]

I used to slalom ski all the time, but got tired of always needing someone to drive for me. One day when my wife wouldn't drive the boat I had a little temper tantrum and decided I needed a water sport I could do on the lake that didn't need anyone's help. I had ridden a stand up one time a few years before, so I decided that's what I'd buy. This was in '03 - I looked at the SJ and the SXR and figured the SJ must be better since it was lighter and more expensive! Bought a new one not knowing what the %@# I was doing, and it's all been down hill from there!

I'm the Chief Technology Officer at our company, so my pay is pretty good. I worked may arse off through college and all through my career, so I'm enjoying the fruits of my labor (when I can spend the money on my ski faster than my wife can spend it on her horses!!!). I figure all the long hours and stress have to be worth something.

 

[scottie mac]

In 92 I was so big into water skiing that I went out and tied myself to a 22K loan and bought a brand new ProStar 190 Mastercraft ski boat. That was the first week of July, 92. From then until November when I winterized it, I put like 80 hours on this thing. We either skied or cruised pretty much non stop for the entire second half of the summer. In the spring of 03, Joe tells me he wants to buy a jet ski. I had a fit, my argument was he should use his money to help out with the boat with a boom, etc. Needless to say, that argument didn't work. He got a 93 SeaDoo XP. I begrudgingly rode it and thought, huh, not too bad. But, still, not as good as a nice ski boat. Later that year, I got a chance to ride a Waveblaster and that was all she wrote. 80 hours in the first 4 months of owning that boat. When I FINALLY sold it, it only had 125 hours on it 4 years later. D@MN jet skis. Nothing is worse than paying a monthly payment on a boat you have no intention on using. I had ridden 440s and 650s earlier in life, but never really cared for them. The Blaster changed everything.

That blaster got abused for 4 years. If I wasn't on it, Joe was on it. If he wasn't on it, the wife was on it. If none of them were on it, one of my freeloading buddies were on it. Finally, in 97, the wife says the most wonderful thing ever..... 'I want a stand up' So, I bought her a new 97 SJ. It stayed stock for about 3 weeks. Added a pipe, head and rode the snot out of it for about 8 years. Over those 8 years, I completely overhauled the ski, added a R&D wet pipe, 46 Full Specs, a Vilder Ignition, that poor ski probably had a million hours on it when I sold it. I was hook on Yamaha reliability because of that ski.

From 93 til now, I have had the priveledge to own or race 3 Superjets, 8 blasters (I still own 5, including my mod carbon one) a Polaris Pro 785 (finished 2nd at Havasu on that) a GPR triple piped monster built by Hedlund, a blaster 2, got to race a Team Kawi STX1100 superstock (still the nastiest thing I have ever ridden from 0-40mph) 2 SXRs (stock and limited) and a new style kawi x2. Man, when I list it out, I realize how much friggin money I have dropped in this sport. But, it has been worth it. All my HS buddies are all fat and unhappy, lol. Would rather have dumped way to much money in this sport and be in decent shape, enjoying myself the entire time, than end up like that. I have finished 2nd overall at the World Finals, 2nd over all at the US Nationals and won three National Titles. But, more important than that, I have met some wonderful people who will be friends for life. I can honestly say, I would rather spend time with my friends I have met in this sport than pretty much anyone other than my family. I have also been privileged to work with some great minds who have helped me in ways beyond imagination.

Currently, I have the 5 blaster - 1 full mod, 1 surf, 1 spec, 1 play limited for the wife and 1 951 hybrid. I am also building a sxr1100 to play around with. Only problem is, I have two bad knees, so who knows if they will stay around or not. We (the inlaws and sisters and brothers in laws) have 2 GTX supercharged Doos at the beach house. I know most on here would think that is sacrilegious, but they come in handy when you just want to go for a ride and get away.

As for work, I was the warehouse manager for my parent's art company, I was the manager for a powersports dealership and I am currently a Sr. Marketing rep for an insurance company. I am still hoping to hit the lotto, lol.

Scottie