Looking to buy Freestyle ski but need advice

E350

E350

Site Supporter
Location
Sacramento Delta
10-4. I agree with reliability being the most important attribute in an engine. But does the 701 feel like it has more power in the fs2 than it does in the SJ oem hull. (I.e., because the AferMarket fs2 hull is lighter? I like the power of the 701 in our SJ but it feels like it could have more power at my 203 lbs. (I should be 195 lbs.)
 
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Lumberjack

Lumberjack

Location
Saskatchewan
E350 said:
10-4. I agree with reliability being the most important attribute in an engine. But does the 701 feel like it has more power in the fs2 than it does in the SJ oem hull. (I.e., because the AferMarket fs2 hull is lighter? I like the power of the 701 in our SJ but it feels like it could have more power.
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My SJ has a stock 701 and the piped 701 in the fs2 feels WAY better. Hard to explain but if you tap wot in my fs2 the whole ski will pop out of the water 1-2 feet. you hit wot with the stock SJ and it kinda just water wheelies. The fs2 is probabaly only 20 or 30 pounds lighter but the hull shape and length is another factor.
 
Jtedford

Jtedford

Location
Estevan, Sask, Canada eh
From my 2 cents, I am very new, and also came from a spark, as well as a couple other high hp couches, great for the family and pulling tubes,, but got bored quickly with the trix. And , sitting on you tube , you see guys busting backflips and sick 540's.. make it look so easy... and I decided.. YUP.... doing it. I came from a long background of moto X and mountain sledding.. so , really.. how hard can this be, get on and start busting tricks.. well..... after drinking my first 300 gallons of water and a very hurt ego..... I realized... There is allot more to it.. I was able to track down an 02 super jet that has been modded, footholds, pole, engine mods etc. That was enough of an eye opener and is a great learning ski , in order to get my body and brain trained. Will I be building a different backflip bustin powerhouse... Hell yes... but cant justify throwing all the $$ at it when I am just learning a 180 nose stab and frankly, just getting my ski legs.. waste of good iron untill my skill level is ready.. and I learn more about ski's in general, parts, set up, tweaking here and there to feel the difference. Just something to consider. From another newbie that wants a trick ski... LOL. Cheers!
 
Brian Tobin

Brian Tobin

Location
Lake Hopatcong
wanderer1 said:
Maybe off topic here but this whole pump gas thing boggles me. So people want the high dollar lightweight/strong carbon hull, bad ass high energy ignition, billet stroker PV ported engine, big modified carbs, big pump with kick ass trim, dry pipe make me a star ski but then want to skimp on fuel? This whole pump versus race gas thing has got to stop. It's a dead horse that called me and said stop beating it. The fuel is not that much and the quality is what you are paying for just like the ski. Pump gas quality varies state to state and station to stAtion so it is not a valid metric. Move on to a topic or metric that has not born out a self evident answer. Have a great day and hope ya find what ya want.
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Yeah I get avgas for $5 flat per gallon here in NJ.
 
Brian Tobin

Brian Tobin

Location
Lake Hopatcong
If I were you I would 100% start with a super jet... You can have plenty of fun on that for a full season. After that buy an aftermarket hull over the following winter and use your SJ as a doner. Put that engine inside and some upgraded parts and you will be flatwater flipping!
 
Mdavies_02

Mdavies_02

Location
Stouffville, Ontario
To whoever mentioned going to Havasu or another ride to hop on a variety of skis, I feel like it is almost a waste of time at this point. Almost every time I ride I let a stranger try my ski, and maybe 1 of 10 can go for a cruise on their knees and 1 of 100 can actually stand up and ride it properly.

In my eyes the OP needs to spend at least 100 hours in a tray ( ANY TRAY ) to decide what he likes and what he is capable of. I bought my first ski (650sx) and rode every day after work for 13 days straight in the summer. Spent more on gas that year than I did on the ski. Perfect way to learn.
 
SXIPro

SXIPro

JM781 Big Bore
Location
Here on the 'X' mostly
SuperJet 1st. Learn to ride first. There are a million tricks you can do on a stocker or even a stocker with a pipe. You could ride one for years and never get bored learning tricks and just trying to improve your riding in general. I see all these guys on mega-dollar skis, back flipping everywhere, but that's all they can do. They can't even 'ride'. Talk about boring. It doesn't take a lot of skill to squeeze the trim lever and squeeze the throttle. Don't be a one trick pony, become a good rider. Skills before bills.
 
Big Kahuna

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
SXIPro said:
SuperJet 1st. Learn to ride first. There are a million tricks you can do on a stocker or even a stocker with a pipe. You could ride one for years and never get bored learning tricks and just trying to improve your riding in general. I see all these guys on mega-dollar skis, back flipping everywhere, but that's all they can do. They can't even 'ride'. Talk about boring. It doesn't take a lot of skill to squeeze the trim lever and squeeze the throttle. Don't be a one trick pony, become a good rider. Skills before bills.
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What the guy above says.
 
mike b

mike b

Michael "Mayhem" Bevacqua aka MikeyChan
Location
California
Mdavies_02 said:
To whoever mentioned going to Havasu or another ride to hop on a variety of skis, I feel like it is almost a waste of time at this point. Almost every time I ride I let a stranger try my ski, and maybe 1 of 10 can go for a cruise on their knees and 1 of 100 can actually stand up and ride it properly.

In my eyes the OP needs to spend at least 100 hours in a tray ( ANY TRAY ) to decide what he likes and what he is capable of. I bought my first ski (650sx) and rode every day after work for 13 days straight in the summer. Spent more on gas that year than I did on the ski. Perfect way to learn.
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I mentioned that because that is what I did and why I picked the hull that I did right after Havasu. I have seen a few other people do this as well including my buddy who chose a different hull than what I pushed him to get. It doesn't take a ton of time on a ski to figure out whether you like it or not. NOW, i will give it to you that he has not ridden a standup or have much experience on a flatwater boat so he may not be able to ride and test a ski properly. Ive never given my ski to someone who rides on their knees, always someone who knows how to ride IF I even let them. Usually I just say no unless I know the person. Either way it is a cheap way for the OP to test out a few skis whether he rides them or just idles around, atleast he will figure out what he can not handle. Plus even OEM skis he can test out first to get used to a standup and then get some time on a tray and wait for Monday when he can test out all of the AM flatwater boats.
 
Big Kahuna

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
If someone has almost no experience then going to WF or Freerides to test out different ski's is not a good idea like wanderer said. But if you got someone who has been on a SJ or SXi for a good while, has decent riding abilities. Then Yes, You need to go test every hull you can.
 
bored&stroked

bored&stroked

Urban redneck
Location
AZ
I don't want to flat water flip, or barrel roll. I like chasing boat wakes and jumping high more then anything else. I have not found an aftermarket hull I like better then a 90-2007 superjet for that. My buddy FR2 rickter with a 900 something and 148mm pump is too much for me to handle honestly, would take a full summer to really start enjoying it.
 
Big Kahuna

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
Stick with a SJ B&S!!!!!!!! Honestly, I started to sell my Freak back in June for same reason, Though, I still like to roll, could do that back on a SJ. But it would be a SJ set up for stock class racing! Doable, but not easy. But I kept my freak.
 
Lumberjack

Lumberjack

Location
Saskatchewan
Superjet is a great choice for %95 of riders. I moved onto an fs2 evo after a year on my superjet and could never go back but for others the fs2 hull may ride to aggressive for them especially if you're just starting out. You can't quite ride as "lazy" as you could on an SJ But still easy enough that you can RIP it all day when you have experience.

A freestyle ski is about 10x as hard to stay on compared to an FS2/superjet etc
 
H

Hedikallel

Location
San Antonio
Speaking of the FS2 Evo(2014): I’m looking at buying one for flat water riding down in Texas, no salt water. I’m coming off 4 different SJ, heavily modded and I’ve been riding for 4 years now actively. I found a 14 FR2 with porter 701 motor, b-pipe and other goodies for around $12k. Well worth it for the price, and thrill of advancing my freestyle riding is my question?
 
Big Kahuna

Big Kahuna

Administrator
Location
Tuscaloosa, AL
Hedikallel said:
Can you be more specific: why would it be too much ski and motor?
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There are people who have actually little to no experience and they buy a ski with a 1200cc motor and expect to be able to just hop right on and rip it up............... Its like hoping on a YZ-80 with no experience of the how a powerband kicks in. You end up on your butt.......... I know I did
 
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