- Location
- Austin, Tx
Hello fellow riders.
I'm sharing my winter squarenose build with you today which I hope to finish before march which is when I usually start riding again. This will be my first real custom ski build, and first time working with fiberglass on this scale. Since I was 15, around 2005, I've been piddling around with 750sx, sxi's, x2's on Lake Travis. Fairly recently I found an FX1 sitting under a tarp in my homeowners park. I tracked the owner down and bugged the crap out of him until he sold me the ski. I did a quick engine rebuild (my first), and a cosmetic overhaul and rode it all summer. Loved that ski. Being a fairly small guy at 5'10' and 140lbs it felt good to be able to flick a light ski around like that, and it gave me the motivation to start trying cooler chit. Our lake is a staggering 56 vertical feet from full which is extremely uncommon (very bad drought here). The lake is so low that things are starting to pop up out of the water that even my parents havent seen before (the last drought this bad was around when they were born). Unfortunately, as a I smashed an under water stump at 40mph which did irreparable damage to the fx hull. I continued to ride it, but the crack is getting worse fast.
Around mid-october I dislocated my hip carving around on my FX-1. Completely freak accident, probably couldnt make it happen again if i tried.
Anyway, now that im recovering I need a new ski. Through swapmeet I got into contact with dragginblazer who sold me 2 SN hulls. Let the fun begin.
Heres what the hull im gonna start with looked like.
Notice the gunwales are severely collapsed, after talking to dragginblazer I would guess that this hull spent a considerable amount of time underwater. Bearing that in mind, a complete defoam was in order.
Yup, wet foam.
Basically what I've learned from the entire defoam process is that the entire ski leaks. In fact, the only place it was apparent the ski HADNT leaked was the driveshaft tube. Every other place, bond line, plate and grate holes, firewall, water tubes, everything had leaked a LOT of water.
The weight of the ski with no hood and BARE was 115lbs. Not as heavy as i thought!
So that was a major pain in the ass and i wish to never do it again lol. You can also see how warped the fiberglass is now, thatll be fun to deal with later.
So as of right now the ski is defoamed, with lots of glass cut out.
85lbs! Not bad at all. Granted it has quite a bit cut off of it right now.
Heres basically what I want it to look like. The foam on the nose was quickly and haphazardly thrown on there just so i could get an idea of the look before i dove into it. It will be redone with 2 part foam and shaped later. Threw my fx1 pole on there for a mock up.
I've got a monumental amount of work infront of me, but since I cant do anything because of my injury anyway - may as well be doing something.
This ski will be powered by a 61x top and 62t bottom with stock 38's, factory mod pipe, protec head, #zero flywheel, and stock electrics.
It will be receiving a waveraider pump WITH trim up, and a stock B1 prop.
Im going to use PVC and make a new exhaust tube. Im also going to put an inline silencer between the firewall and exhaust exit, I like quiet skis. The exhaust exit will probably be a pump dump or possibly out the side instead of the back.
There are some other plans I have that are yet to be seen
SN Love!
I'm sharing my winter squarenose build with you today which I hope to finish before march which is when I usually start riding again. This will be my first real custom ski build, and first time working with fiberglass on this scale. Since I was 15, around 2005, I've been piddling around with 750sx, sxi's, x2's on Lake Travis. Fairly recently I found an FX1 sitting under a tarp in my homeowners park. I tracked the owner down and bugged the crap out of him until he sold me the ski. I did a quick engine rebuild (my first), and a cosmetic overhaul and rode it all summer. Loved that ski. Being a fairly small guy at 5'10' and 140lbs it felt good to be able to flick a light ski around like that, and it gave me the motivation to start trying cooler chit. Our lake is a staggering 56 vertical feet from full which is extremely uncommon (very bad drought here). The lake is so low that things are starting to pop up out of the water that even my parents havent seen before (the last drought this bad was around when they were born). Unfortunately, as a I smashed an under water stump at 40mph which did irreparable damage to the fx hull. I continued to ride it, but the crack is getting worse fast.
Around mid-october I dislocated my hip carving around on my FX-1. Completely freak accident, probably couldnt make it happen again if i tried.
Anyway, now that im recovering I need a new ski. Through swapmeet I got into contact with dragginblazer who sold me 2 SN hulls. Let the fun begin.
Heres what the hull im gonna start with looked like.
Notice the gunwales are severely collapsed, after talking to dragginblazer I would guess that this hull spent a considerable amount of time underwater. Bearing that in mind, a complete defoam was in order.
Yup, wet foam.
Basically what I've learned from the entire defoam process is that the entire ski leaks. In fact, the only place it was apparent the ski HADNT leaked was the driveshaft tube. Every other place, bond line, plate and grate holes, firewall, water tubes, everything had leaked a LOT of water.
The weight of the ski with no hood and BARE was 115lbs. Not as heavy as i thought!
So that was a major pain in the ass and i wish to never do it again lol. You can also see how warped the fiberglass is now, thatll be fun to deal with later.
So as of right now the ski is defoamed, with lots of glass cut out.
85lbs! Not bad at all. Granted it has quite a bit cut off of it right now.
Heres basically what I want it to look like. The foam on the nose was quickly and haphazardly thrown on there just so i could get an idea of the look before i dove into it. It will be redone with 2 part foam and shaped later. Threw my fx1 pole on there for a mock up.
I've got a monumental amount of work infront of me, but since I cant do anything because of my injury anyway - may as well be doing something.
This ski will be powered by a 61x top and 62t bottom with stock 38's, factory mod pipe, protec head, #zero flywheel, and stock electrics.
It will be receiving a waveraider pump WITH trim up, and a stock B1 prop.
Im going to use PVC and make a new exhaust tube. Im also going to put an inline silencer between the firewall and exhaust exit, I like quiet skis. The exhaust exit will probably be a pump dump or possibly out the side instead of the back.
There are some other plans I have that are yet to be seen
SN Love!
