Trixstar S vs. Aerial 8 or Phantom

[sinisterjosh209]

It's hard to get straight answers, when some people have a bad taste in their mouth after their experience with TS. Building and deciding to use the Phantom name may not have been the wisest business decision. But hey, publicity is publicity!! Lol. Some guys are just haters, that's life, I get it!

 

[Quinc]

I have ridden two glass phantoms with 61x 701's and they are amazing. VERY stable and easy to throw around. An experienced rider could easily ride out a flip with only a 701. Come up to the Miller polar bear ride on Jan 1st and ride one.

 

[Midlake Crisis]

It's hard to get straight answers, when some people have a bad taste in their mouth after their experience with TS. Building and deciding to use the Phantom name may not have been the wisest business decision. But hey, publicity is publicity!! Lol. Some guys are just haters, that's life, I get it!

As a business decision you may be right, but after talking with you and several others on the forum I wouldn't hesitate to buy from you at all. Same with Trixstar, for me it is only a question of which hull fits me best and so hard to compare. This thread has been helpful though, hopefully it will help both (or all 3) builders as well. Solid info without bashing is good for everyone.

 

[chucktor]

Like I said there all gonna be awesome. And your very right its what's gonna best fit u. Need to ride em before u decide. Got 4 phantoms in norcal always ready to rip

 

[sinisterjosh209]

As a business decision you may be right, but after talking with you and several others on the forum I wouldn't hesitate to buy from you at all. Same with Trixstar, for me it is only a question of which hull fits me best and so hard to compare. This thread has been helpful though, hopefully it will help both (or all 3) builders as well. Solid info without bashing is good for everyone.

The best answer is to ride both and make your own decision. Buy what you like and what feels comfortable to you.

 

[mike b]

Don't be a square @Midlake Crisis Jk I really am happy you will get the sq nose put back together but I think you will notice a big difference when jumping on any of these mentioned hulls. Since you liked my Chan over my Bob I would rule out the EME and put the Phantom at the top of your list. Nice and wide tray and body. Short yet stable. If it rides anything like the Chan and or better I can't see a better option for you. Quality is high up there and put together so well. Checked them out at Havasu but didn't get a chance to try one out but only heard good things. Plus the price of them is best bang for the buck if the prices are still the same

 

[DAG]

I’ve rode an A8 and Phantom and the Phantom is hands down better all-round handling ski. Phantom is a very predictable hull and way better build quality. I could have demoed the Trixter at the Lake Dias Ride last year but the reviews I got back from friends that rode it was it was not worth getting wet for so I haven’t rode it so can’t compare the phantom to it. Not sure if you have rode a Havoc? The Phantom rides most like a Havoc to me on all aspects other than sharp turn backs to setup wake. The havoc slides much like a superfreak whereas the phantom has a little better bite but no ware near the bite of a Chan. Anyone coming from a Chan to a Phantom is like using snow shoes in an ice hockey game. If you like to use to the knife edge chines to keep the ski glued you will not like flat bottom hulls like Phantom or Havoc. Another thing to keep in mind is wait time. Seems like everyone I know that has a havoc had to wait way longer than there quoted lead time for it. Phantoms are being delivered faster than quoted time. I think the trixter hulls also are being delivered to quoted estimate wait time. In the world of jetski time that’s huge.

 

[mike b]

@DAG What exactly do you mean on the Chan vs phantom comparison? I liked the Chan but my biggest issues was it didn't like to do 360s as easy as other hulls. I used to like the havocs but this year didn't like the green one. However Keith's yellow comp one is the newer model and rode much better. Wanted to spin whereas the green boat didn't

 

[N3vrSat1sfied]

Trixstar- very stable, very throwable, didn't spend a lot of time on it to give a full review but it does run all Yamaha drivetrain and are very well built!

Aerial- new ones can be setup for all Yamaha drivetrain without all the old adapters etc. EME's handle more like Kawi's very stable, easy to carve, turn and stable at speeds. Very well rounded ski that will do it all.

Phantom- Never rode one but look AWESOME!

 

[jo5hi3]

@DAG What exactly do you mean on the Chan vs phantom comparison? I liked the Chan but my biggest issues was it didn't like to do 360s as easy as other hulls. I used to like the havocs but this year didn't like the green one. However Keith's yellow comp one is the newer model and rode much better. Wanted to spin whereas the green boat didn't

I don't think there has been any model changes with the havoc, but I could be very wrong. Maybe it was the driveline and pole setup that you like better?

 

[Pablo]

I don't have a dog in the fight, but why are these the only 3 on ur radar?

I'd go circus first but wouldn't hesitate to roll with a phantom, havoc or a way short badass. I personally ride a chan regular and have no complaints but unless u can get lucky and get one that's not having QC issues then ur better off going with one of the others.

Good luck and ride em all before buying!

 

[mike b]

I don't think there has been any model changes with the havoc, but I could be very wrong. Maybe it was the driveline and pole setup that you like better?

Keith on the yellow ski told me they are 3 inches shorter on the bottom deck. I think one other change but not sure what it was. The green boat for me wanted to to straight and land on its side during a 180 attempt, the yelllow one wanted to spin. Just blipping it around I got more rotation with the yellow boat. The dvx and rickters I tried out were all able to 360 just when blipping. The green havoc didn't want to, now I know Ryan can do work on the green boat but for me it wasn't as easy as the other hulls I tried out.

@Pablo I think Steve is looking at those three hulls because they are all about 4k for a bare hull (trixstar used for 5k with pole). He liked my Chan last year so I know why you like yours. Fun hull and super forgiving. If a Phantom is right there and better I can't see better option for him.

@Midlake Crisis One thing I am curious about though is why not consider the Hurricane hulls? They are just as close to Phantom in Northern California. A C2 would be a good hull and not over priced like the C3 hulls. They have changed quite a bit of things including quality since the BOB hull of mine you rode. They are a somewhat stable ride too. I rode one last year and loved it. And unfortunately a RIP is not nearby for you to test but looks like that is a better quality hull that seems very capable to flick around with small power. With a 701 powerplant I would look at a carbon hull if you can swing it, the weight savings will really help move that ski around. I am kinda tempted to put a 701 in my DVX and see what it can do for an average rider and not an xscream rider lol. For your first hull though I think almost any AM hull will help out and something to get used to riding since they differ from stock hulls. Figure out pole length, how the hull rides, etc. My first ride on an AM hull I was ready to sell lol. Took me a few weeks to get used to before I started attempting much.

 

[Big Kahuna]

@DAG What exactly do you mean on the Chan vs phantom comparison? I liked the Chan but my biggest issues was it didn't like to do 360s as easy as other hulls. I used to like the havocs but this year didn't like the green one. However Keith's yellow comp one is the newer model and rode much better. Wanted to spin whereas the green boat didn't

There have been no changes to the Havocs.

 

[jo5hi3]

There have been no changes to the Havocs.

Yeah, I think he is talking about the brawler vs the havoc.

 

[mike b]

There have been no changes to the Havocs.

@jo5hi3 This is what I was told from Keith the owner of the yellow havoc. Back was cut off 3 inches. Maybe that was a custom order and made hull but I think he told me it's the newer Gen havoc. I've haven't talk to havoc builders since last year. Just the owner of the ski. Maybe I misunderstood what @holdemhigh702 said and if he can shed light I'd appreciate it. Either way the yellow one changed my negative thoughts on the hull

 

[jo5hi3]

It's very possible that he ordered a shorted bottom deck. The brawler was shorter and they added a few inches to the havoc along with a few other changes. Hopefully he will chime in and tell us.

 

[sinisterjosh209]

Just in the past few years am hulls have come so far, in not only quality but also design. It can be very hard for someone to make a decision on which one to spend their hard earned cheddar on. As builders we should all come together for a friendly competition. Pick a weight,affordable drive train package that the masses run, pick an event and we all have a demo on an "even playing field". Then the ride of every hull could finally be determined

 

[sneds]

There have been no changes to the Havocs.

Not yet..... Rumor has it change is coming soon.

Sent from my C6906 using Tapatalk

 

[chadman154]

I got to meet Josh at havasu, and ride a phantom. Ski rode great, I would agree it would be close to havoc in riding style. Josh was a super nice guy, they were having some break in ?tuning issues when I rode the ski.
I have not ridden a chan or a trixstar. I know there are a few trixstars for sale for crazy cheap prices. I have heard mixed reviews on the ride reports for the trixstar as well. 3 were near me that i know of and most are being sold, owners going to a different hull.

 

[chucktor]

I got to meet Josh at havasu, and ride a phantom. Ski rode great, I would agree it would be close to havoc in riding style. Josh was a super nice guy, they were having some break in ?tuning issues when I rode the ski.
I have not ridden a chan or a trixstar. I know there are a few trixstars for sale for crazy cheap prices. I have heard mixed reviews on the ride reports for the trixstar as well. 3 were near me that i know of and most are being sold, owners going to a different hull.

Should have asked him to ride mine. Had the 701 in it.