Custom/Hybrid Superfreak Review - Ride, Buying Experience, Quality

[mademan9]

Very nice write up. What size motor are you running Matt?

 

[Matt_E]

A Jetworks 763cc big bore engine with total loss and mag pump.

 

[Big Kahuna]

um i rode that ski....and lets just say i didnt ride the ski....it rode me. Its too much of an animal for me. I think I could have fun on it if the handlepole was longer.

It was fun to watch Matt ride this thing though. It skimmed over the lip of waves better than any boat I have ever seen. No hop at the bottom before the bottom turn too. I would love to try a freak with a little different set up.....longer pole and tamer motor.

Who the hell are you???

The only Freak I have ridden had a very short pole. Way to short for me. If it was longer I think I would like it more.

 

[Matt_E]

Mine is actually pretty long. About -1.5 in SJ terms.

 

[Buckwild12]

Mine is maxxed out at about -4 in SJ terms. With riser bars it feels perfect. You cannot go wrong with a freak. My ski is by far the best purchase I have made as far as enjoyment in life. I'd do it again if I had to live outside to make it happen

 

[Crab]

I got the fever!!

 

[deftons56]

I got the fever!!

:woot:

 

[Crab]

:woot:

just call me rick james.....beotch

 

[Big Kahuna]

ok Dick James.

 

[Bobert540]

I have been reading up on these skis ever since they came out and after seeing more in person and hearing build stories I would not want to pay the price for what you get. I know some people can over look things but if I am going to spend 6-7k on a hull I would want the fit and finish to be a lot better than what I have seen.

Don't get me wrong I think Tem is a great guy and I appreciate everything he has done for the sport. We need more people like him to keep the sport moving forward.

With that being said, When I compare a Rickter vs. Superfreak. I would spend a heck of a lot less time working on the ski to get it on the water. I am only using the Rickter as an example, I am sure you could put other skis in it's place but I think it is the best hull to backup my explanation.

When you buy a Rickter the hull come Painted/Turfed/pretty much bolt in and ride. I have yet to find any major flaws in a Rickter right out of the box.

When you buy a Superfreak you get the hull gel coated. Here is where the fun/not so much fun begins. The amount of hours sanding/prepping for paint and even then with all the prep work the paint still doesn't come out as clean as it should. That process alone there is a huge time/cost factor in itself. Next is the fit and finish, when you have to grind away at the hull just so parts fit, there is more time/cost involved. One other thing I noticed that bothered me is the hood fitment/hood durability. Every Superfreak I have seen the right side of the hood does not match the body line of the ski. It looks like the hood is cocked when secured. I may seem like I am being picky but thnk of it this way, if you were to spend that much on a classic car to be built and it comes back with imperfections wouldn't you want it fixed/to look right.


I know the ski is not a 40-50k car, but it's the principle of it. If I were to spend 6-7k on a hull and it had imperfections vs spending that much on another hull in which is a much better final product, I would choose the other ski. I know these hulls are completely custom and a lot of time and R&D go into them but I think the price level seems to be on more of a hype vs. intitial quality product.


That's just my .02.

 

[Matt_E]

All good points, and I knew the fit & finish weren't as good as some other hulls on the market before I ordered it.
But fit & finish isn't all there is to a hull. IMO, there's also ride quality, weight, and durability. Those three were far more important to me than fit & finish.
Yah, a Rickter will look better initially, but look at that same Rickter after even one season of riding and see if they still look as good.
Ride quality - that's where the Freak really shines. I'm willing to put up with some fit & finish flaws to get a superior ride.
And then there's the weight issue - a glass Freak will weigh about the same as a carbon Rickter while being cheaper and lasting longer.

That said, you are right: fit & finish could be improved.

 

[Crab]

IMO its no different than all the aftermarket parts made for the old muscle cars right now, they all need a bit of work to make them fit properly and look good, but in the end it should.

 

[Bobert540]

All good points, and I knew the fit & finish weren't as good as some other hulls on the market before I ordered it.
But fit & finish isn't all there is to a hull. IMO, there's also ride quality, weight, and durability. Those three were far more important to me than fit & finish.
Yah, a Rickter will look better initially, but look at that same Rickter after even one season of riding and see if they still look as good.
Ride quality - that's where the Freak really shines. I'm willing to put up with some fit & finish flaws to get a superior ride.
And then there's the weight issue - a glass Freak will weigh about the same as a carbon Rickter while being cheaper and lasting longer.

That said, you are right: fit & finish could be improved.

Matt I do agree there are other factors as you have mentioned. I think most people who own freaks are willing to put up with some flaws. For me it's hard not to overlook them when spending that kind of money.

I think the quality of the ski after a year all depends on the rider. I believe if I owned both they would look the same after a year.

Has the hood durability been beefed up? I have seen a few cracked but know Tem was working on fixing it.


With that said I am by no means bashing Tem or the ski, I just think it would be nice to see the fit and finish be improved upon.

 

[Bobert540]

IMO its no different than all the aftermarket parts made for the old muscle cars right now, they all need a bit of work to make them fit properly and look good, but in the end it should.

True, but for example, it's not like you are taking an aftermarket hood and putting it on the superfreak and having to modify it to fit/look right. The hood that comes with the ski is made specifically for that ski.

 

[Crab]

Hear you there, but there are also serious flaws in the Rickters that start showing up within the first year, and for me it became more about the weight than anything. If I didn't have someone to help me get thru the painting process, I might think a bit differently.

 

[Matt_E]

I haven't personally had any problems with my hood, so I can't comment on it.
Spending "that kind of money" is subjective. This stuff is expensive. The price class that Freaks and Rickters are in, you can't seem to have EVERYTHING. (strong, light, great riding, and great fit & finish). I tried fitting all those categories into what I was willing to spend and just couldn't find anything that fit the bill.
If you want all that, you need to step up your spending game even more and buy a Lightweigth.de hull from Norbert Weber. But then you're looking at $9.5k for a glass hull and ~$13k for a carbon hull. (And I would highly recommend anything Norbert makes! Great guy, friend of mine, and builds super nice stuff)
One more thing though: With Tem, I'm confident he'd take care of any reliability issues if & when they came up. That's not really the case with RRP

 

[Crab]

I haven't personally had any problems with my hood, so I can't comment on it.
Spending "that kind of money" is subjective. This stuff is expensive. The price class that Freaks and Rickters are in, you can't seem to have EVERYTHING. (strong, light, great riding, and great fit & finish). I tried fitting all those categories into what I was willing to spend and just couldn't find anything that fit the bill.
If you want all that, you need to step up your spending game even more and buy a Lightweigth.de hull from Norbert Weber. But then you're looking at $9.5k for a glass hull and ~$13k for a carbon hull.
One more thing though: With Tem, I'm confident he'd take care of any reliability issues if & when they came up. That's not really the case with RRP

No doubt, that .DE is in a class all by itself, very nice.

 

[Bobert540]

Hear you there, but there are also serious flaws in the Rickters that start showing up within the first year, and for me it became more about the weight than anything. If I didn't have someone to help me get thru the painting process, I might think a bit differently.

I really don't have any local connections so for me, it is one of the reason why I may have a different opinion on the hull.

 

[Matt_E]

I will admit that I found it very frustrating that I couldn't have it all for the kind of money I was about to spend. In the end I picked the best compromise and I'm very happy with it. The work I had to put into the paint sucked azz. I hate that kind of work.
On the flip side, I didn't have to grind on my hull and I'm not a guy that cares what the inside of his ski looks like.

 

[Bobert540]

I haven't personally had any problems with my hood, so I can't comment on it.
Spending "that kind of money" is subjective. This stuff is expensive. The price class that Freaks and Rickters are in, you can't seem to have EVERYTHING. (strong, light, great riding, and great fit & finish). I tried fitting all those categories into what I was willing to spend and just couldn't find anything that fit the bill.
If you want all that, you need to step up your spending game even more and buy a Lightweigth.de hull from Norbert Weber. But then you're looking at $9.5k for a glass hull and ~$13k for a carbon hull. (And I would highly recommend anything Norbert makes! Great guy, friend of mine, and builds super nice stuff)
One more thing though: With Tem, I'm confident he'd take care of any reliability issues if & when they came up. That's not really the case with RRP

I know it's an expensive sport and you get what you pay for. To be honest, I was very impressed with the lightweight.de hulls. It is a top notch quality built hull but like you said that's on a whole different tier but well worth it though. It is still new so I am still keeping a close eye on the lightweight.de as it's tested.

Tem seems like a stand up guy and would take care of issues. RRP is based offshore but has dealers in the U.S. which I am sure could handle issues, but don't quote me on that.