Is our sport starting to cost an arm and a leg ????

[arkopellos]

Let us admit... Everyone in this forum has gone through the primary virgin stage of our sport of riding a simple almost stock ski ... And I am sure everyone would agree that the days of the beginning were the most genuine and fun filled days on the water ...fun which left smiles on our faces for days , not because we achieved our first 7 backflips in a row after spending thousands $$ on new machines to literally purchase our achievements and to reach goals of the stars that we subliminally follow and are trying to copy...the very same stars who are hired or make a living on selling us the dream , just to see our faces collaged to their $$$$ insane tricks..sometimes I look at old school and see how far we have come , but now I wonder ; has it become more talent or more bucks $$$....lets take a step back and remember what jet skiing used to be. Let us recollect before a voice on the other end of the line tells us that we have to pay $ 49,000 to pottentially buy into hapiness !

 

[Sanoman]

And l bitched about spending $125 for a Coffman half pipe some 25 years ago. Look at it now.......

 

[SkiPro]

This is a rich mans sport now... No more doing head stands on your 440!

 

[MADMAT]

Flatwater is huge money!

 

[stuntbikemike]

Surf. More fun , less cost. I would pay for more waves.

 

[SkiPro]

I would like nothing more then to ride in the surf atleast once!!
Its quite a drive from Oklahoma to the surf tho.. Maybe one day..

 

[Vumad]

Limited class racing is about $15k, or $10k starting with a used sxr, or if a older rn is okay then about $7k.

Surf riding is about $5k starting with a used rn and mods or $3k starting with a square.

You don't need carbon hulls or huge motors for either of these.

You've just branched off into an expensive area of the sport. It's like you took a dirt bike and added $30k in hydraulics because you don't have access to a ramp.

 

[SmittySX]

Not everyone is blessed with the surf being near them..

 

[stuntbikemike]

Flatwater is really bad ass. I would do it if the account allowed. The power and tech of it is really cool and well worth the money.

 

[stuntbikemike]

It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg unless you want it to, no matter where you ride. I see pretty good deals on here ,so at least you'reat the right place for savings.

 

[Schmidty721]

I am often tempted to liquidate all of my ski stuff, buy a houseboat, and put a cheap stock SN on the back of it.

 

[MADMAT]

If I could afford one I would definitely have a very expensive flatwater ski....now a days for sure!

 

[jetpilot808]

For the cost of a RRP pipe, I took the wife to Cabos for 9 days, all inclusive. It's hard to justify, spending that kind of money just on me....

 

[Pablo]

If u don't had to be the "first" to have some part or mod then a AM hull is the only major investment u need to succeed at flatwater. U can definitely get by with a well tuned SS ported bigbore engine. My old Dasa 771 with oem 44's, ported bpipe and TL was truthfully my best engine. In a light, short hull it was backflip worthy, especially off nice boat wakes. Reliable as hell and not bad on fuel. A well tuned engine doesn't really have to have TL either. A lightened flywheel on an oem ignition or a enhancer/epic work nicely and keep maintenance down as compared to TL.


Sent from yo' momma's house...on her iphone

 

[Scorn800]

This sport really isn't as expensive as a lot of other motorsports. Got to pay to play or just sit on the couch

 

[700Pirate]

I rode a modded SJ for a long time in Surf, big southern hem surf. Jumped on a rickter once and then a few years later a krash hull and I couldnt go back to a SJ. Tried to find a ski that I could tool around flatwater (motor 950cc) and hull under 90lbs. Then also change up for some surf riding etc and try to have a medium where I could dip into both. It will cost you but there are some good deals to be had around if you look.

 

[Wakerider26]

Your days can be just as genuine and fun filled riding a stocker. There is nothing wrong with that. If you are bothered by the fact that is costs a lot of money to have a ski that will perform aerial tricks, then don't spend your hard earned money on one. If you think all it takes to backflip a ski is "more bucks $$$", you're wrong. I tried to buy a backflip once upon a time. Let me tell ya. You still need talent and balls.

 

[Droste14]

I just put 16k into my new ski...

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[Droste14]

The only thing that's really bothered me about my new build this year is when I needed a chin pad for my rrp. 300$ for a chin pad?

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[N3vrSat1sfied]

Yes, flatwater is expensive. Do I think it cost to much? Heck ya. But that is what people are willing to pay and it isnt going to change anytime soon. I would love to have a bigger motor, but in all reality I know my ski (Q8 with 781 JM and mag pump) is more than capable of a FW flip. I think I have a perfect surf set up though (if I still lived down south, but Ill test that out later this month).

However, one thing I have always looked at when thinking about the cost of this sport is, all you really have is the initial investment. Compared to racing MX, you had: new bikes yearly, professional suspension set up and tuning, lots of wearable parts- tires, chain & sprockets, brakes, lots of broken parts- bars, levers, plastics. Then you had all the maintenance items- oil changes, clutch changes, top ends, and of course the air filter. On top of that you had all your gear and supporting equipment (pressure washer, etc). But the kicker is even after all this it still cost you around $100 on race fees to line up on that starting gate on any giving weekend, not to mention the fuel and lodging, oh and the medical bills!!!!!

With jetskis, there is a lot less parts to wear out! Maintenance is much lower. So if you have a decent set up all your really have is the initial cost and a few replacement parts here and there. And the BIG ONE: most lakes are free to get on, or are only around $5. The only problem with this sport is the N3vrSat1sfied mentality of always wanted the next big thing and to compensate for lake of skill with big power.