What killed the forum? How can it be revived?

[OCD Solutions]

@OCD Solutions I know you dont ride anymore but do you still do the ebox services and all that stuff? Or did you back off of all that stuff too? I know with all your capabilities you had some cool stuff goin on back in the day.

I still manufacture most of my products but I stopped offering any services since I can't guarantee turn-around anymore. I go through phases where I'm on a project site for up to 30 days straight. I get home long enough to snuggle with the wife for a few hours and get some laundry done and I'm back on the road. When I am home, I want to work on my schedule, not somebody else's. I also want to work on my own projects and have spent the last couple years building and finishing personal projects that have been on my list for several years.

Ever read the fable about the Ant and the Cricket? I'm an Ant and so is my wife. I find most sports enthusiasts are Crickets and we just aren't compatible. Don't get me wrong, there are a ton of hard working people in this community that I respect, I've just grown bitter towards the crickets and it shows up in my posts and comments so I've had to learn to take a step back.

 

[BruceSki]

I started riding 650sx around 12 years old. I’m 37 now. Got my first superjet at 21. I’ve seen the crew of guys turn over probably 3-4 times now with only a select few of our OG’s still riding in our spot. I do a lot of work on Superjets for the local guys and all of it is word of mouth. I see a few of them here and there posting on Facebook, very very few still on forums.

It’s quite a shame. I learned a lot reading and paying attention here throughout the years since around 07-08’. I’m going to try and keep riding as long as I possibly can. Built a new Tigercraft this year. Only rode maybe 7-8 times but hey it’s better than nothing. Definitely want a new 4 stroke superjet to rip the marsh with but I’m waiting a few years to find a steal on one.

 

[DylanS]

Methinks a big part of it is bitterness toward people who ask a question that could be “answered by a simple search”. I understand that a lot of those questions could be answered via a search BUT there’s almost always some little bit of info posted on a new thread that was missed somewhere.
A lot of people see it as lazy to post a new thread instead of searching but I rememebr when I started out it just seemed more reassuring to get a direct response from someone with experience ontop of researching through old threads.
Idk, maybe I just like to type, I like sharing info with people who might be new to this and a little overwhelmed.

Another part of it is a lack of people that have the desire to learn or the free time to work on their own stuff. Easier for most people to take their stuff to a shop and ride it on the weekend instead of working all week then wrenching after work hoping you can ride on the weekend.

Oh that and surf stance riders made the sport seem kinda fruity and that scares off new people…

 

[OCD Solutions]

Oh that and surf stance riders made the sport seem kinda fruity and that scares off new people…

Riding stance and “what oil do you run” will be the bane topics of this forum’s existence.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

...

 

[SXIPro]

I put a lawn chair in the tray and cool the F out.....

 

[WFO Speedracer]

I ride a Seadoo 3D, no separate lawn chair needed.

 

[thudd3rski]

Methinks a big part of it is bitterness toward people who ask a question that could be “answered by a simple search”. I understand that a lot of those questions could be answered via a search BUT there’s almost always some little bit of info posted on a new thread that was missed somewhere.
A lot of people see it as lazy to post a new thread instead of searching but I rememebr when I started out it just seemed more reassuring to get a direct response from someone with experience ontop of researching through old threads.
Idk, maybe I just like to type, I like sharing info with people who might be new to this and a little overwhelmed.

Another part of it is a lack of people that have the desire to learn or the free time to work on their own stuff. Easier for most people to take their stuff to a shop and ride it on the weekend instead of working all week then wrenching after work hoping you can ride on the weekend.

Oh that and surf stance riders made the sport seem kinda fruity and that scares off new people…

i am always up to learn... any volunteers in northern co want to teach me to tune my 701 wave runner in the spring?

 

[Quinc]

i am always up to learn... any volunteers in northern co want to teach me to tune my 701 wave runner in the spring?

Start searching and reading everything you can on the forum from impeller/pump tuning, carb tuning, exhaust tuning. Then start a thread with any questions and your ski specs etc.

 

[jetdreams]

I will always recommend this forum over anything as the information is good and reliable. I personally hibernate this time of year work on things for the season to come. Also live to ride, my wife called me the last jet skier, ha ha not anymore glad to see my area picking up

 

[thudd3rski]

Start searching and reading everything you can on the forum from impeller/pump tuning, carb tuning, exhaust tuning. Then start a thread with any questions and your ski specs etc.

thanks...i have the info and have set the idle on the hose. plan to get it in the water to tune it on the trailer in the spring, and see if any prop changes are required

 

[waxhead]

I don't ride anymore but still post from time to time. I still read most of the threads but stopped posting on the technical side because no matter how carefully you craft a post, somebody always has to chime in and school you on one or more points you failed to properly iterate, mention or detail correctly. I just don't care enough to endure the banter anymore but mostly I just don't have the time.

This is why most of my answers are short

 

[WFO Speedracer]

thanks...i have the info and have set the idle on the hose. plan to get it in the water to tune it on the trailer in the spring, and see if any prop changes are required

I don't usually refer people to other sites but in this case I have to refer you to where the info you need actually is, IMO this is about the most concise info on rejetting I have seen posted to date.

Addendum to the Mikuni SBN Tuning Manual - PWCToday

Badgerland Jet Pilots

www.pwctoday.com

 

[bird]

I don't usually refer people to other sites but in this case I have to refer you to where the info you need actually is, IMO this is about the most concise info on rejetting I have seen posted to date.

Addendum to the Mikuni SBN Tuning Manual - PWCToday

Badgerland Jet Pilots

www.pwctoday.com

^This guy is one of the reasons our group stopped growing, and why myself and many left it. Narcissist...

This is why most of my answers are short

Waxhead, keep up the hard work.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

^This guy is one of the reasons our group stopped growing, and why myself and many left it. Narcissist...

Waxhead, keep up the hard work.

You know what Bird I am sure no love is lost between you two but I have heard a few unflattering things about you as well, so I will leave it at that.

I am not running the guy for public office, either what he posted has merit or it doesn't .

The bottom line here is people bring him skis specifically to have them tuned, this is after other knowledgable people have tried to tune the exact same ski with lackluster results.

Nothing speaks to the truth like results, argue all you want , you always do.

 

[OCD Solutions]

Lol, I thought he was refering to you Terry, not the author of the article.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Trust me that last thing one Earth that matters to me is what Bird thinks.

 

[Mobile Chernobyl]

...
Some reasons I was thinking:
...
Cost of everything went absolutely off the rails, but what didn't? Long gone are the days of finding a $1000 superjet, RIP.
...

Just wanted to catch this as an excerpt.

In the last 2-3 years I've managed to get 6 completely virgin riders into the sport and find them relatively good deals on skis. This is in the land-locked state that just about never drops below 1 mile in elevation - Colorado.

In the last year alone, we (collectively) have purchased 6 used superjets, with the last 4 being post-covid pricing miracles.

1994 - $2300
1992 - $370
1991 - $Free
1990 - $300

Deals are out there, but back to the topic of this thread. I think everyone is so used to facebook as the new medium for information transfer in a fashion that forums once served. For almost all my buddies - I regularly tell them to search x-h2o for an answer to their question but they usually revert to some random facebook group. I'm not sure why forums are not the preferred method anymore - but user adoption of facebook vs forums would definitely tell a tail of why.

It's a given that 99% of stock forum search tools suck really bad. using the ole site URL in google yeild's results so much better it's like forums are stuck using 1999 search algorithms or something.

People use the internet for many things - the most of which today is social interaction. Forums just don't have the rate of response that you can get on facebook by posting a dope picture of you falling off your 650sx with flaming skulls. That hit of dopamine is what people look for and they get it from facebook - but have to wait ages in a relative sense to get a fraction of it from forums.

Combine the social interaction rate with the other reason people use the internet - for information and factor in how information is obtained (search efficacy) and with facebooks superior built in search engine vs. forums antiquated ones and there are your two majority reasons why most people don't opt towards forums by default anymore imho.

I stopped using facebook 2 months ago - I mainly used it for organizing and coordinating with groups of people for my hobbies. And $h1t posting. I stopped for that last reason because it was consuming a lot of my time and I've earned enough mini-viral $h1tpost likes that I can hang that hat up.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

I am going to share a little search secret with you , it's called Searchtempest.com and it allows you to search Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace and Ebay at the same time, if you can't find it on there you are not looking hard enough.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Lol, I thought he was refering to you Terry, not the author of the article.

I have been called many things over the years , at this point being called a narcissist would be like being called handsome, in so much as neither would be true.