noob... dont drown me

J

JustaSplash

Location
Florida
So I recently moved from Missouri to florida. In Missouri I played with jet skis and crotch rockets almost daily. Getting older and my new location I've gotten away from being a speed demon to just wanting to have fun.

I live 15 min from the beach (atlantic) side and have become more interested by surf riding , mainly freestyle than anything. I know this has been asked more times than you can count on a calculator but before you get mad at me asking read the rest of my question..

I know for the average rider the superjet is a better ski for freestyle but I'm not the average rider... I'm 6'1" and 250lbs. I also haven't been on a stand up ski for 20 years... Last I rode was a kawi 440 when I was 11. So let just chalk that up to never havening been on a stand up lol.

Not looking to compeate , just go out , throw a ski around in the surf and have fun. My goal (like every other noob) is to be able to comfortably pull off back flips and barrel rolls.

From what I've been told , the fx-1 is lightinger than a superjet and is considered by some to be better for freestyling. I know little about the motor in those so I'm unsure if it will even hual me around lol.

Obviously the superjet is a solid option as well. Here's where I'll probably be drowned... The sxr is the other option. I know most on here are yamaha bias BUT most of stand up riders seem to be sub 200lbs also. Considering its for surf riding and I'm a bigger guy , what ski would best for my needs?

I know most will say go try them but I don't know anyone here and no way to try any of them. Also , I'd like something I can build and make my own. I love working on my own stuff and am looking at this as just as much as a project to work on as I am a weekend hobby.

I don't mind buying a hull here , building a motor , ECT , ECT. I'd rather it be a older ski just for that reason. Again , sorry to beat a dead horse but there no real information I've found for bigger riders. Thanks in advance
 
Little_Franny

Little_Franny

Location
Cape May Court House, NJ
Stay away from an SXR if you intend to spend more than 25% of your time in surf, without severe hull hacking its just not a great choice.

Not sure what your definition of freestyle is but most here would put freestyle and flatwater in a similar category, and an sxr or fx1 isn't that, they are a recreational ski. Flat water freestyle skis will be super short and light, not great in surf or for a bigger beginner.

Superjet is best choice for rec and surf riding due to low cost, high availability of parts (fx1 has some very specific parts not shared with any other ski), and ride quality. An fx1 can be an awesome ski but really needs a 144 pump to make is shine.
 
K

kennyfree

Location
South Africa
My old man at 56 bought an SJ. Suits him perfectly similar height and weight. He is a very good rider been in the sport 30 years. He wanted something to ride and not wrench.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
J

JustaSplash

Location
Florida
I'd venture to say I'll take to it quickly. I was up on the 440 with in 5 min of getting it and carving as hard as I could push it by the end of the weekend. But I also race motorcycles and do motorcross so I have good balance and know how to use my side/weight to my advantage.

If the ski ever sees fresh water again it will only be if I haul it back to Missouri with me. It will be 99.9% surf. Thankfully I have a few friends that are buying sit downs but I'm just down with those for awhile. Plus , they never been on one much less rode one in the surf so I'm not worried at all about keeping up if I need to. Most likely there only getting sparks any how lol
 
J

JustaSplash

Location
Florida
Vero beach but I'm on treasure island quite a bit as well. I don't mind the wrench time at all tho. Actually looking forward to it. My game plan is to sell my crotch rocket and buy the ski. Just no point in having one here but it's my tinker toy so the wrench time almost needs to be there any how.

I eventually plan to build a second ski that's a bit faster and more stable but for now my focus is something I can really throw around and have fun with. The sxr 1100 swap has my attention but that's down the road
 
J

JustaSplash

Location
Florida
Tring not to spend 7k on my first ski. Second or third maybe but not my first go around. I wouldn't mind having 2 or 3 for when friends come down tho.
 
smoofers

smoofers

Rockin' the SQUARE!!!!
Site Supporter
Location
Granbury, TX
Superjet all the way for what you want to do. I'm 6'2" 265lb and ride a squarenose SJ with a limited setup 701. It's a great rec ski and surf boat and has zero problems hauling a rider my size. I haven't landed a back flip or roll yet, but I'm getting close. My goal is to be able to backflip my stock hull before I ever consider buying something else. If you really want to understand the difference between an SXR and superjet, go meet up with some locals (the X is a great place to find them) and ride both. SXR is a fun ski but definitely not great for surf.
 
J

JustaSplash

Location
Florida
My thoughts right now are to find a sj with a dual carb 701 in it in need of repairs and tear it down and start from scratch. I like painting and have rebuild many motorcycle motors so I can see a ski motor being much of a challenge. Hoping to be able to do the first one on a budget of 5k-6k. I think if I can find one cheap enough it would be doable. Especially if I can find one that has some useable bolt on stuff all ready done to it.
 
smoofers

smoofers

Rockin' the SQUARE!!!!
Site Supporter
Location
Granbury, TX
JustaSplash said:
My thoughts right now are to find a sj with a dual carb 701 in it in need of repairs and tear it down and start from scratch. I like painting and have rebuild many motorcycle motors so I can see a ski motor being much of a challenge. Hoping to be able to do the first one on a budget of 5k-6k. I think if I can find one cheap enough it would be doable. Especially if I can find one that has some useable bolt on stuff all ready done to it.
Click to expand...

That's a solid plan and I fully encourage you to follow through with it!

If I have any advice to give as far as motor building and having a successful ski it would be this:
-ALWAYS pressure test a motor after a rebuild
-ALWAYS pressure test your carbs after a rebuild
-Use OEM Mikuni carb parts
 
J

JustaSplash

Location
Florida
My thoughts right now are to find a sj with a dual carb 701 in it in need of repairs and tear it down and start from scratch. I like painting and have rebuild many motorcycle motors so I can see a ski motor being much of a challenge. Hoping to be able to do the first one on a budget of 5k-6k. I think if I can find one cheap enough it would be doable. Especially if I can find one that has some useable bolt on stuff all ready done to it.
 
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