Custom/Hybrid Ratski! 440/701 conversion

[Tyler Zane]

This is my latest project, and im very happy with it. Thanks Rhass for all your hard work.

So here I am riding dirt roads on a beautiful sunday in the outskirts of a small town called Marianna, my hometown. As im riding slow listening to tunes drinking a cold road soda I see a js440 under a tree and covered in leaves. As I ride past it I think to myself, I wonder if they would like to get rid of it. I decide its work the risk of getting eaten by the dogs outside and pull in the yard. At this point im either going to get eaten by the dogs or shot by some hillbillies. Im not a city boy but these people where probably into their sisters. Luckily someone comes out side and he is already yelling at me "what in the hell do you want" and i respond that im interested in the jetski over under that oak. He brightens up immediately and says ill help ya load the damn thing, just get it out of my yard. So off i go with my free 440 that I can tell immediately was a freshwater ski.

 

[Tyler Zane]

She was pretty dirty, just a quick pressure wash and she is ready for the Rhass kit.

 

[Factory928]

What did the whole conversion cost you if you don't mind me asking

Crazy story lol

 

[Tyler Zane]

For starters I dumped the exhaust out the side directly out of the expansion chamber.. no water box.. bad idea. It was so loud, i seriously couldnt ride it. I didnt want to use the tiny 440 oem water box so i chopped up a waveraider box and had it welded up. Fit well but I dumped it out the right side of the nose instead of the left like originally. It just worked better that way with the scrap pieces of hoses I had. The goal was to spend as little as possible.

 

[Tyler Zane]

What did the whole conversion cost you if you don't mind me asking

Crazy story lol

$500, basically the conversion kit, a prop and building the water box. The ski was free, i had the engine laying around and all the little parts I took off of parts skis.

 

[Tyler Zane]

After the first ride I had to get a taller impeller. It was on the rev limiter all the time. So I bought a PJS 17 pitch and had it bent as tall as it could go. I think we got 19/23 out of it. Its still always on the rev limiter but tops out at 43 mph as the the 34 with the stock impeller. It has no shortage of power and definitely need a bigger pump.

Ive had an impeller ge a pain in the ass but this one even after heat was not budging a bit. So out came the air chisel and away I went.

 

[Tyler Zane]

I added an extra cooling line because the stock line was tiny. I used the larger line that I ran for the engine and ended up dumping the other line in the exhaust because it was still crazy loud. The extra water helped the noise and didnt hurt performance at all.

The starter was acting up so I pulled it apart and cleaned up the commutator bar. Works like a champ now! Sealed it up well and back on she went. But wait, whats that I see in the cases... damnit man, bendix let go so I had to pull the cover and replace the bendix and flywheel.

 

[codyadams209]

Subbed, I love 550's and 701's so this is my kinda build

 

[Tyler Zane]

Ha, ya thats a pool noodle I screwed down so I could ride. It didnt last so I picked up a sleeping mat and threw down a 15 dollar turf job. Added a little kicker pad in the back and a front foothold (not padded in the photo but I did pad it to). The blue sleeping mat was slippery so after daytona I glued down one of the free mats they give out. Cut in half it fit perfect. I also did a little paint job on the pump, ride plate and intake grate. Soon after this I upgraded to a pjs intake grate. Its helped a ton in the surf.

I had some battery fitment issues because the battery Rhass made the kit for was available locally. A lithium fit nicely though and damn that joker is light. It lasted 5 months, good thing it has a free replacement for 12 months.

 

[Tyler Zane]

Daytona 2016! Thanks Mel for the photo!

I kept the build cheap and so ratski lives on. Everyone wanted to ride it at daytona and everyone loved it. Definitely needs a pump conversion but over all it kicks ass. I keep it on the rev limiter for hours and it pulls with all the big skis now. Its quite the handfull in surf but tons of power over stock and just up my ally since I grew up riding a 550sx (which is getting a 701 too, plus fully reinforced, added chine depth, widened tray, chopped pole and more!)

 

[Tyler Zane]

Subbed, I love 550's and 701's so this is my kinda build

If ya have any questions id be happy to answer them. I kinda just threw this thread together because of limited time so there is a lot i missed.

 

[Flash-FX]

440's were fun!

Got a shot of you and your buds pushing your ski up the beach.. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...526.1073741850.100007565559644&type=3&theater

More Daytona 2016 pix here... https://www.facebook.com/flash.fx.1...79768997526.1073741850.100007565559644&type=3

Did you do a pump conversion yet?

 

[Tyler Zane]

440's were fun!

Got a shot of you and your buds pushing your ski up the beach.. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?...526.1073741850.100007565559644&type=3&theater

More Daytona 2016 pix here... https://www.facebook.com/flash.fx.1...79768997526.1073741850.100007565559644&type=3

Did you do a pump conversion yet?

Neither of the links worked for me, goes to content not available page. I'd love to see them if you can fix'em.

I deployed shortly after daytona 2016 so I didnt get the pump in yet. I do have a clean 750 pump and the rhass kit to install it. Ratski will go to the dump when I get home. Its beat to poop, its been log sliding, creek ripping, getting thrashed in the surf and it got tumbled a few times pretty bad. I should of had a pole limiter on it. I still own my first 550sx and its getting the 701 and pump. Its rear exhaust for starters, which is a huge plus. The 550sx is reinforced, with added chine depth, chopped pole, -2 chop and soon to be wide tray. It will get a ported cylinder and a b pipe! Should be a fking animal. Super jet comes first though, its getting a 5 mil stroker and mag pump. Plus I have a one off chopped and rockered blaster I gotta finish... I cant wait to get home and do nothing but drink beer and wrench for 90 days...

 

[Tyler Zane]

What im most impressed by is this 61x/61x engine I pulled from a mid 90's raider. The guy I got the raider from said it had been sitting for years. I cleaned the carb and rode that engine on the rev limiter for hours a day 3+ times a week for 2 months. I didnt adjust the carb or anything, even ran the old rusted plugs for a week before changing them just because. It was like a game to see if anyone could blow it up, which only resulted in all my friends being tired lol In three months im gonna try again.

 

[Flash-FX]

It's cool to see the 440's +550's still kickin it. Betcha most riders out there today couldn't even ride that...especially in the surf.

Do you have a facebook acct?

 

[Tyler Zane]

Haha, that's two of my pcb riding buds. I look worn out! It really is a handful in the surf. I get so worn out that I can hardly stand and ride. Most of my friends ride blasters so they are sitting down half the time. they don't understand the work in a session on a standup.

Ya I'm on fb, I sent ya a friends request. Tyler Smith

 

[yamanube]

I'm happy to see you can fit the stock gas tank in with the stock Yamaha exhaust. I think I am going to do the swap on my 440 for next season.

 

[Tyler Zane]

Hell ya, do it man!

It fits but is a tight squeeze. The gas tank is a bit cocked to the right and the exhaust tube is turned to the left. I have padding between the tank and exhaust hose because the do touch. I tried to heat up a tank and shape it a bit so it would sit right and all but I ruined it. That old tank didn't like heat...

I don't recomend even trying to use the js pump. I think you can use a 550sx pump with the rhass bulkhead bearing.