baxt3r
BBQ
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
Let me begin by saying I have never actually ridden an aftermarket hull, so I had no real clue what to expect other than what I have read in countless pages of however-many threads here. The hulls du jour were a -2 SuperFreak and a Backie Chan. Both had 701cc engines with B-Pipes. I'm going to try to put into words the chicken scratch crap that was going through my mind. It might get ugly or I might lose you, or myself.
The first ride was the Freak. I'll start by saying I hate riser bars (Hi Steve :wall
. The SuperFreak had riser bars. I pushed the little green button and off I went. The first thing in my mind was "damn, this tray is wide. But, hey, this thing is pretty stable." I was trying to kick into my footholds, but I left them on my RN that was on the beach. Oh, shoot. The footholds are further forward in this thing. It took a little adjusting to get used to the idea that some loon screwed up and mounted the holds that far up in the tray. Now that I have my feet somewhat in the holds, I'm admiring the stability of this hull (while still hating the damn riser bars). The ride was very nice. I even liked it. It turned great and rode......do I really need to go on with this one? Everyone knows what a SuperFreak rides like, right? This hull handled minor chop well and I was confident with most every move I made. I really can't think of anything else to say because this hull rode great. It's like Goldilocks and the bed. It really was just right.
On to the Backie Chan. After looking at this hull floating in the water, I figured I would jump on it and immediately fall of it because it was too damn short. Hit the little green button and we're off. What's this? I'm still in the tray and the nose isn't pointing at some distant constellation? Impossible! This thing is stable like nobody's friggin' business. Coming from a full-length RN, this thing is tiny. Like barely there bikini, tiny. Turns on a dime (and will throw my ass off for a nickel (in the Chan's defense, I suck at this jet ski thing)). I did have to get used to the footholds being forward and the width of the tray, but I guess that's just a part of the new aftermarket hull thing. I was able to nearly come to a stop and remain standing in the tray with some effort, something that takes a lot of effort on my RN. This hull wanted to pop right out of the water with minimal effort and power. The nose didn't feel like it wanted to come up on me. I will say that I was being very conservative on this ski (read: afraid to embarrass myself) since it wasn't mine. I didn't really do much wake jumping but I have to say that I am confident that I would become comfy on this ski with just a few hours in the tray. This ski inspires confidence in me (my therapist told me to be confident, too).
Both hulls were great to ride and it taught me a bit about my riding (mainly that it sucks). Coming into this, I truly expected the SuperFreak to be my preferred hull, but I have to say I am stuck between the two. The Freak and the Chan are great hulls to ride. Neither were nose-high like others have said, which is nice since I am 6'2" and 230 pounds. I now have to stick my face into another beer and realize that I posted a bunch of useless drivel. It's okay. I won't remember it in the morning.
And now, on with a arguing, flaming, and other requisite BS.
Added: I did get a chance to ride Josh's Rickter, but it didn't last long. I got about 50 yards away from the boat ramp and stood up....I thought I had ripped the pole off of that ski because it was so loose. I've become accustomed to a stiff/tight pole setup so a loose pole would not really give me much of a chance to get a feel for the hull. The Rickter is a nice hull, but I can't really give much of an opinion on it.
I tried to grab some screenshots of what these skis look like while riding them. They're not all that great, but it might give you an idea if you've never been on one.
RN
-2" SuperFreak
Backie Chan
The first ride was the Freak. I'll start by saying I hate riser bars (Hi Steve :wall
. The SuperFreak had riser bars. I pushed the little green button and off I went. The first thing in my mind was "damn, this tray is wide. But, hey, this thing is pretty stable." I was trying to kick into my footholds, but I left them on my RN that was on the beach. Oh, shoot. The footholds are further forward in this thing. It took a little adjusting to get used to the idea that some loon screwed up and mounted the holds that far up in the tray. Now that I have my feet somewhat in the holds, I'm admiring the stability of this hull (while still hating the damn riser bars). The ride was very nice. I even liked it. It turned great and rode......do I really need to go on with this one? Everyone knows what a SuperFreak rides like, right? This hull handled minor chop well and I was confident with most every move I made. I really can't think of anything else to say because this hull rode great. It's like Goldilocks and the bed. It really was just right. On to the Backie Chan. After looking at this hull floating in the water, I figured I would jump on it and immediately fall of it because it was too damn short. Hit the little green button and we're off. What's this? I'm still in the tray and the nose isn't pointing at some distant constellation? Impossible! This thing is stable like nobody's friggin' business. Coming from a full-length RN, this thing is tiny. Like barely there bikini, tiny. Turns on a dime (and will throw my ass off for a nickel (in the Chan's defense, I suck at this jet ski thing)). I did have to get used to the footholds being forward and the width of the tray, but I guess that's just a part of the new aftermarket hull thing. I was able to nearly come to a stop and remain standing in the tray with some effort, something that takes a lot of effort on my RN. This hull wanted to pop right out of the water with minimal effort and power. The nose didn't feel like it wanted to come up on me. I will say that I was being very conservative on this ski (read: afraid to embarrass myself) since it wasn't mine. I didn't really do much wake jumping but I have to say that I am confident that I would become comfy on this ski with just a few hours in the tray. This ski inspires confidence in me (my therapist told me to be confident, too).
Both hulls were great to ride and it taught me a bit about my riding (mainly that it sucks). Coming into this, I truly expected the SuperFreak to be my preferred hull, but I have to say I am stuck between the two. The Freak and the Chan are great hulls to ride. Neither were nose-high like others have said, which is nice since I am 6'2" and 230 pounds. I now have to stick my face into another beer and realize that I posted a bunch of useless drivel. It's okay. I won't remember it in the morning.
And now, on with a arguing, flaming, and other requisite BS.
Added: I did get a chance to ride Josh's Rickter, but it didn't last long. I got about 50 yards away from the boat ramp and stood up....I thought I had ripped the pole off of that ski because it was so loose. I've become accustomed to a stiff/tight pole setup so a loose pole would not really give me much of a chance to get a feel for the hull. The Rickter is a nice hull, but I can't really give much of an opinion on it.
I tried to grab some screenshots of what these skis look like while riding them. They're not all that great, but it might give you an idea if you've never been on one.
RN
-2" SuperFreak
Backie Chan
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