- Location
- West Roxbury, Boston
If you could go back in time and assist yourself buy your first ski, what advice would you give?
If you could go back in time and assist yourself buy your first ski, what advice would you give?
- Thread starter HarryConnolly
- Start date
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
- Location
- Alabama
I would change very little , mostly because I have never bought a new ski , I always built my skis so they ended up exactly like I wanted them, at least at the time anyway , I would tell myself not to flatdeck everything but hey it was fun while it lasted.
The closest I ever got to buying a new ski was the Thunderjet demo I bought , it was a brand new hull with a brand new engine that I personally built and for $300.00 it was a a steal , there was no way I was no way I was turning that deal down.
The closest I ever got to buying a new ski was the Thunderjet demo I bought , it was a brand new hull with a brand new engine that I personally built and for $300.00 it was a a steal , there was no way I was no way I was turning that deal down.
OCD Solutions
Original, Clean and Dependable Solutions
- Location
- Rentz, GA
I wouldn't change a thing either. I had buddies with 440's and 550's but I lucked out and found a 92 SJ with a ported 701, Coffman pipe, AC pole and a ton of little things done to it. It was a great starter ski to do all my learning on and damn near bulletproof.
So, my advice is and always will be, "get a Superjet", learn the basics, learn to ride, learn to wrench.
So, my advice is and always will be, "get a Superjet", learn the basics, learn to ride, learn to wrench.
Mike W
Infidel
- Location
- North Florida
What I would tell that guy? Pipe, prop, head, rideplate, intake and steering. That’s all you need son. And you don’t need 10 skis.
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"stick with the 701 superjet with a b pipe and a trailer for 300$ and don't get caught up in the AM ski world"
I love my freestyle ski, but you need 15-20k to have fun if you don't have a boat wake. And you have more repairs that are much more expensive than a 701 rebuild. It's addictive though. I wish I could be happy with a stock superjet but once you're bit by the AM world it's too hard to stop...
I love my freestyle ski, but you need 15-20k to have fun if you don't have a boat wake. And you have more repairs that are much more expensive than a 701 rebuild. It's addictive though. I wish I could be happy with a stock superjet but once you're bit by the AM world it's too hard to stop...
Quinc
Buy a Superjet
- Location
- California
Buy a SJ and put the rest of the money into bitcoin and apple stock.
- Location
- La Crosse, WI on the BIG River
In 2004 I could have bought an SXR 800 for $5000 new, but I decided to invest in my 1985 550....I learned everything NOT to do a Jet Ski from that 550.
In 2012 I bought a new 2011 SXR 800 for $8000 and haven't looked back. Rebuilt it once after wearing out the first engine in 2018. Dream machine for me and ultra reliable.
SXR 800 is a real fiberglass hull with open gunwales and closed cell foam. With added versi-plugs and a wider tray, the SXR pulls ahead in comforts and reliability. SXR can drop weight by removing the hood liner, replacing rubber with hydro turf, and a dozen other easy mods that all drop a pound or three. I was able to knock 53 pounds off of my SXR.
Superjets weigh less from the factory....then they soak up water because Yamaha used stickers to seal the tray area.
Only issue I've had with my SXR is the handlepole. Went with an RRP an never looked back.
SuperJets are GREAT skis, but they do have issues with the hull and electrics.
In 2012 I bought a new 2011 SXR 800 for $8000 and haven't looked back. Rebuilt it once after wearing out the first engine in 2018. Dream machine for me and ultra reliable.
SXR 800 is a real fiberglass hull with open gunwales and closed cell foam. With added versi-plugs and a wider tray, the SXR pulls ahead in comforts and reliability. SXR can drop weight by removing the hood liner, replacing rubber with hydro turf, and a dozen other easy mods that all drop a pound or three. I was able to knock 53 pounds off of my SXR.
Superjets weigh less from the factory....then they soak up water because Yamaha used stickers to seal the tray area.
Only issue I've had with my SXR is the handlepole. Went with an RRP an never looked back.
SuperJets are GREAT skis, but they do have issues with the hull and electrics.
- Location
- the jetski grave yard
Depends on what you are wanting to achieve . I'd Bypass a bunch of lower rungs of the ladder and get a quality capable hull that has enough power to make up for your lack of knowledge on how to do barrel rolls and backflips. All I wanted to do was jump and get air. Rolls next and then flips. Every step on the ladder costs money so get to the top as fast as you can by jumping over junk skis
bored&stroked
Urban redneck
- Location
- AZ
Dont waste time on kawi anything
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
- Location
- Alabama
I do not consider any of my time riding , modding or repairing Kawis wasted, I work on and repair way more Yamaha's then I ever have Kawis and I worked at the Kawi dealership for years., that goes for bikes, ATV's and PWC's
- Location
- Lake Lanier
I never would have bought my first standup ski without lake testing it first. It was a very nice condition JS 550 that started right up out of the water. I didn’t know much about them so I trusted him and went off condition of the ski as a whole. When I took it to the lake a few days later it would never start in the water and ended up being blown up with bad compression and crank seals so that cost me a year of riding because I was pissed off and shoved it in a corner.
- Location
- La Crosse, WI on the BIG River
My 1990 Kawi TS is a great time. Nothing like going for a morning coffee cruise, or taking the dog with(he outgrew my standup).
WFO Speedracer
A lifetime ban is like a lifetime warranty !
- Location
- Alabama
PP550's suck , I had a 440 it was great, when I JUMPED TO 550's I went with a new reed valve engine and never looked back
- Location
- Lake Lanier
I didn’t know that then . Hindsight
hornedogg79
dodgin' bass boats
Just because someone has a large post count on xh2o or has been doing this since the 70's, doesn't mean anything. Trust your own eyes and ears. Don't follow trends. Find riders you want to ride like and learn all you can about their ski.
Finding a group of local riders with any experience can be a chore these days. I was in it for 10 yrs before I finally started bending impellers and boring nozzles. There is a lot of thrust to be gained right there. Most kids I see now are more interested in their tattoos than actually learning about skis.
- Location
- La Crosse, WI on the BIG River
I miss riding with OTHERS. I hit my 30s and so did lots of them....my local buddy made it out maybe 4 times this year. He got married last year.