Is this ski worth it?

[UsuallyJon]

Hello all, I’ve been lurking and reading this forum for a few months now and I’ve got to say that this community ROCKS! There is a wealth of information here and I appreciate those willing to give it so readily.

I’m looking to purchase my first ski and would like your advice.

It’s a 1997 RN with several mods for $5500. I’m going to go see it on the water this weekend (June 15/16). I intend to buy a compression tester and test before I ride. Will also look over the ski and see if any obvious problems.

The owner says it’s never given him issues but that the shop who built it advised him to never take it to WOT for an extended time. When I spoke with the owner, he seemed like a trustworthy guy, and I don’t believe he has anything to hide. However, I would like the opinion of this forum.

• Is it normal for a ski with these mods to not be able to handle WOT?
• Are these mods worth the price?
• I'm looking for a fun ski, I don't mind a little wrenching and tuning, but I don't want a project pwc.
• Is there anything else I should look for or ask about?

Pasting the text and photos from the listing here.
Thank you for your help!

1997 Yamaha Super Jet

2nd owner Super clean / new paint done at Caliber Collision
New mat kit / grips
Impeller is a skat trak 12/17
Novi carbs, Riva pipe (when I spoke with the owner he said it’s a wet pipe).
New exhaust tubing
New Throttle cable
Intake hoses.
Completely rebuilt engine bottom & top (Austin Jetskier did the work)
Shortened pole
Bilge pump on bars
Front molded in sponsons
Comes with trailer. Just re wired with new lights and plug.
Super Jet cover
Always run with AmsOil premix and VP fuel 101 or non ethanol.

 

[Big Kahuna]

Unless you know exactly how your ski is tuned (Motor and Carbs) nobody can tell you about how long you can hold WOT. Even racing, you only hold WOT for short periods where you are letting off and then pulling full again.. That ski looks good, but wed can only see what the pics show. Its and older hull, but honestly those years seem to be a bit stronger and the newer ones. Price is not bad.

 

[Myself]

Here's what I can tell you. If the molded in sponsons and paint were done correctly it was 3k at minimum! There will be 150 or more hours just in labor. Cut that in half for........well, half-a$$ work. So yes, should be worth that amount. Not being able to go WOT is a bull$h!t answer from somebody who doesn't know how to tune the setup in. Get somebody to dial those carbs in for you.

 

[Quinc]

My guess would be the compression is above 185psi and he wants to still run 91/92 octane fuel. Depending on compression, squish, and timing you might have to run better fuel if you want to go WOT for more then a few seconds. However, if this is your first standup ski you wont be going WOT for more then a few seconds anyway. =)

Post a pic of the engine.

 

[iangdesign]

Running race fuel means that ski is really built up, things could go sideways if you don't know how to maintain the engine. I'd walk and look for a simpler built ski. Lots of nice RN SJs available in the $5-6k range.

 

[kevbo]

Can he provide any pictures of the ski before he made it pretty?? It could have been damaged and poorly repaired. Saying the engine was overhauled means nothing unless you can see it has a perfect new OEM crank. Those heavy Riva pipes work well but aren't desirable. There are a lot of poorly done restorations out there, you want to be sure not to own one.

 

[sturat]

A little pricey for the current market. Need to see the inside.

 

[UsuallyJon]

Wow guys, thank you so much for your responses! I will definitely keep looking and see if he has before and after pictures. I was eager to buy because this ski is only about 20 minutes from me but your wisdom has helped temper those feelings. If i get more pictures I will post them.

 

[glenn240]

Can he provide any pictures of the ski before he made it pretty?? It could have been damaged and poorly repaired. Saying the engine was overhauled means nothing unless you can see it has a perfect new OEM crank. Those heavy Riva pipes work well but aren't desirable. There are a lot of poorly done restorations out there, you want to be sure not to own one.

What he said, pics of ski, maybe engine when it was out for a rebuild, pics of new parts that were installed, receipts, anything. Some sort of proof. Otherwise it's just some dude telling you something. And me, personally, I never run a modded ski WOT for very long, I am constantly on and off the throttle to match whatever chop I am in. And I have 100% confidence in my abilities and builds. But that's just me, I figure if I am gonna run WOT I will just buy a friggin sitdown.

 

[Pro-pulsion]

Another little known thing to keep in mind is that the throttle shafts on those Novis are probably getting old and worn out. My experience was that Novi stopped responding to purchase order requests a few years ago so those shafts are definitely going to be worn unless the ski has hardly ever been run and the carbs were new on that engine. When looking at the engine, where the throttle cable connects to the carbs , try to push and pull the throttle shaft toward the cylinders and back toward the hull. If you get a sloppy amount of play, the throttle shafts and butterflies are toast. They're going to need to be replaced and tuning will be out the window until they are replaced...I tried to get a set of new butterflies from Novi a few years ago, emailed multiple times over a span of 4 or 5 months, never got a response. I'm not sure Novi is even in business anymore. Since then I have avoided anything to do with Novi and recommend avoiding them to anyone that comes to me to get ski work done. A carb is no good if you can't tune it or get repair parts for it. In the end it'll just cost you more to replace them with something more mainstream like a new set of genuine Mikuni SBN46 carbs or if you really want to burn the cash, a new set of Full Spectrums. Aftermarket carbs can be a great thing until you need to get the proper replacement parts and they're either out of business or that model is NLA.

 

[E350]

2001 yamaha 701 superjet - boats - by owner - marine sale - craigslist

Yamaha super jet 701 Big board kit installed by ski clinic Registration up-to-date New cover Ready to ride Comes with PVC stand and trailer hitch hauler $5500 obo text Mike...

sfbay.craigslist.org

 

[E350]

2004 Super Jet for sale by a member here:

** SOLD ** Superjets

Rochester, NY All stored in attached garage when not being used. Garage never goes below freezing. Fogged engine, drained fuel, and greased rubber parts each winter. Always used 93 octane fuel with Castor 927 high performance racing oil. ** SOLD for $2,500 ** 1993 Superjet (white) mostly stock...

www.x-h2o.com

 

[UsuallyJon]

2004 Super Jet for sale by a member here:

** SOLD ** Superjets

Rochester, NY All stored in attached garage when not being used. Garage never goes below freezing. Fogged engine, drained fuel, and greased rubber parts each winter. Always used 93 octane fuel with Castor 927 high performance racing oil. ** SOLD for $2,500 ** 1993 Superjet (white) mostly stock...

www.x-h2o.com

I appreciate you linking the post here. I haven’t given much thought to buying a ski in another state (I’m in Texas) because I wouldn’t be able to look at it and shipping seems like it would be expensive. Is buying sight unseen a common practice within the forum?

BTW I see your van in your photo. I have an E450 ambulance that we are converting to a camper van nice to see other campers around

 

[E350]

Yes and also converted to 4x4.

Damian is moving from California to Oklahoma and is bringing a ski back from Fort Worth, TX to me in CA.
Contact him for a price.

Damian O'Keefe
Hollister, CA 95023
831-245-9586

I found him on Uship.

It is better to buy a better (i.e., fewer hours more stock) ski farther away from your home than it is to buy a lesser ski closer to home. For instance, I bought my FX1 in Minnesota and had it shipped sight unseen (except for a crap load of photos) to me in California. Perfect ski.

So, you it may behoove you to call the out-of-state sellers and talk to them about their skis. Ask everything you can ask about the ski and about the seller. Confirm everything in writing via email (not text). When you get serious have the seller send you a copy of their driver's license. Confirm addresses on Zillow or google maps, etc., etc.

I am just saying, be open minded.

 

[UsuallyJon]

Yes and also converted to 4x4.

Damian is moving from California to Oklahoma and is bringing a ski back from Fort Worth, TX to me in CA.
Contact him for a price.

Damian O'Keefe
Hollister, CA 95023
831-245-9586

I found him on Uship.

It is better to buy a better (i.e., fewer hours more stock) ski farther away from your home than it is to buy a lesser ski closer to home. For instance, I bought my FX1 in Minnesota and had it shipped sight unseen (except for a crap load of photos) to me in California. Perfect ski.

So, you it may behoove you to call the out-of-state sellers and talk to them about their skis. Ask everything you can ask about the ski and about the seller. Confirm everything in writing via email (not text). When you get serious have the seller send you a copy of their driver's license. Confirm addresses on Zillow or google maps, etc., etc.

I am just saying, be open minded.

Word.
We want to do a ujoint conversion on our when the buildout is finished.

Thank you for your insight on out of state buying