what/who got you hooked on this sport?

[makejetskiinggreatagain]

My addiction started when a coworker of mine invited me to join them on their annual camping trip to lake mac in Nebraska. I showed up and him and his friends had 5 kawi stand ups lined up on the beach. They were all generous enough to let me and a friend I brought with me use them whenever we wanted even though most of us had never met me. It was early may. They were all in wet suits but me not having one limited me to only about 20 minute shifts in the water. I still rode all weekend. I got back on Monday, bought my first 650sx Wednesday. Like you guys say, the rest is history.

 

[Yami-Rider]

Bought a mint 89 650sx 7 years ago because i saw some cool stand-up video's on youtube. I rode that ski for a year then i met a guy name Alan down at my riding spot (He is now one of my best friends) and he was there with his brother, both on modded out 97 superjets, when i saw them out there, i said to myself "Holy crap, those are superjets!" anyways I beached my 650 and went over to meet them and we started to talk about ski's, Alan said "Take my ski for a spin" (Eric Malone's '97 world finals winning ski) I was super pumped and tried it out, well i learned that my 650 was a slow turf despite all the mods i had done to it, so i had to buy a superjet! That winter I sold off my 650sx and my CBR600 and drove 10 hours one way to pick up my current ski, 98 superjet, just picked up a SN for my girl this last summer, hope to buy a a/m hull in the next couple years. It is by far my favorite hobby, dont see me ever giving it up.

 

[Vumad]

My parents taught me how to water ski when I was 10.

I got a wakeboard for my 16th birthday, and taught myself how to wakeboard.

When I was 16, my friend's uncle was selling a ski and my dad said "you don't want that, that is the kind you have to stand on"

Also when I was 16, I saw a video of Eric malone doing flatwater. I thought it was the coolest thing ever, but after research, I found out his ski cost $30k and that I would never be able to do that.

When I was 18, my mom had a stroke and my brother got deployed. All the wakeboarding, atvs, etc stopped, not a lot of friends since I usually did things with my family. I had no outlet, got mixed up with the wrong girl and started drinking heavily.

My dad bought me a wave runner 3 and I made some coucher friends, met Ryan who had a boat and a quad, ditched the girl that was dragging me down.

Saw a 650sx on craigslist for $800, realized I could afford to get a ski, it opened the door to x-h2o, which is how I met @tom21 and @Jetrace19, the two who have most influenced the sport for me, I built a x2 to lure Ryan into the sport

Now I have a superjet, x2, gp1200 and no money.

 

[1Scray]

My family and I were out on the boat one day and we went to see my Moms cousins on the other side of the bay, my little cousin i think 14 at the time blows by the boat on a 650 stand up with a $hit eating grin on his face, took it for a spin......was HOOOKED, had a 550 and an angry wife a few weeks later and an SXR few years after that...my little cousin is now 23 and we are very close my little girls love him and they love it when daddy and cousin Mark jump the boat wake....ride until I can't walk.

 

[uwswimmer]

Funny, a lot of uncles with skis, (I plan to be this uncle one day.) When I was about 14 my uncle brought an old 440 over to our summer house, drug it over the lawn and into the water. I thought it was so cool, and went home stoked after riding my first stand up. A few years later he bought a house a little bit farther down river and had 4 skis in the garage, including a new rn superjet. After riding all his diff skis and helping him wrench here and there I was hooked. I went home got on the internet and watched a guy do a backflip on a rickter and it blew my mind, I didn't know AM skis existed. Iv been wanting a nice AM ski sense then, but love riding my superjet.

 

[mthomps]

A former bmx rider who always loved being on the water, I wanted to combine my two loves.

 

[sxipro02]

I had a 750xi ss and loved it. Started watching youtube videos and found eric malone's 3 back flips in a row vid and couldnt stop thinking about getting a stand up. I bought a modded 550 off a co worker that had been sitting for 10 years, rode it once and it never started again, while looking for parts on CL I found my 02 sxipro and scrapped the 550. Been hooked like a crack addict ever since. Its in my blood lol

 

[throwedoff]

My dad and uncle had skis 93 750 sx and a 94 sx rode those when i was little, dad gave me his, bought my uncles recently, dad always says he should have never gave it to me now that ive owned about 15 different skis. 6 at the moment...

 

[crazy4sand]

I grew up having a wave raider that we rode a few times a year in the summer just to cool down while it's too hot to dirtbike

When I was about 15ish I rode a standup for the first time and that was it, I was hooked when I was 17 I started riding more and them 18-22(now) I'm hooked

 

[aytee]

Some guy named youtube got me hooked... always thought they were cool.. didn't know anyone with one and finally ended finding out my local dealer had one.. decided I wasn't going to pass it up.. best decision I ever made... ended up picking up a 650sx that didn't run with trailer for $150.. got that goin for friends to ride and just fell into an x2 deal that I haven't picked up yet... I'm kinda just trying to bring the sport to sd and get more guys involved.. actually seems to be working...

Sent from inside a beer can

 

[700Pirate]

Early 90s my father worked for a UIM class 1 powerboat team. Sometimes at events that had skis he would notice me always trying to get a hold of Jet Sports magazine and drooling over the boyeson, coffmans and goki starter motor ads along with coverage of Havasu. Anyway he soon brought home a aqua jet SX1 he got for free. Had a toasted 400cc motor in it. He produced a spare and said I could switch it out. He gave me some tools and after 2 months of wrenching solo I got it to work. Found a small ski parts store down the road and at 8 blew all my pocket money there buying grips and stickers LOL. Anyway I was hooked. A year or so later bumped into a 440sx at a boat show and had to have it (was the plan all along). My SX caused me great pains but was worth it and the wrenching knowledge gained from keeping it running was awesome.

 

[makejetskiinggreatagain]

Some guy named youtube got me hooked... always thought they were cool.. didn't know anyone with one and finally ended finding out my local dealer had one.. decided I wasn't going to pass it up.. best decision I ever made... ended up picking up a 650sx that didn't run with trailer for $150.. got that goin for friends to ride and just fell into an x2 deal that I haven't picked up yet... I'm kinda just trying to bring the sport to sd and get more guys involved.. actually seems to be working...

Sent from inside a beer can

Most of the guys I take with me end up buying a ski...although none of them seems to use them much. all work, no play kinda guys. I guess they just didn't get completely hooked. Fair weather riders...who needs em?

 

[lanmine657]

Had to sell all my moto stuff to pay my hospital bills after a fun week stay, figured after the doctors told me I could have died I needed something safer, my buddie Tyson said buy a ski and come race with us, "its safe" he said "water is softer than dirt" so I did. Went from begginer to winning the amateur class in my first season, after breaking my collar bone, seperated shoulder, torn ligs in neck and torn ligs in wrist I figured go back to what I'm good at, dirt. But those years got me hooked. now that I'm older its hard to beat a day of just carving the lake and beers on the beach

 

[Half flip95]

waverace64

 

[Raddog]

Rode a brand new SJ that a guy brought to the cottage about 20 yrs ago wiped out every 50' being a motocrosser,BMXer and all around maniac back then, I couldn't get it out of my head that I couldn't ride it.fast forward to 3yrs ago saw a SJ in the back of a pick-up repeaked my interest, googled stand-ups, steered me to the X, found one south of the border(Aramis in Rochester) bought it and the rest is history and besides I was just saving for my next replica an RCR GT40 in Gulf colors but was way shy on cash, the kits over 40K, so needed a distraction in the mean time, now 781JM coming for the 04SJ, bob adj. and PPFFH, 148maxx pump, shortened stock pole and new turf and graphics and I still suck, kidding better every time out, and best best part is none of my friends can ride it and all claim they've ridden these things before.
Cheers Ray

 

[Dools]

I always skimboarded then last year I met a girl who rode a superjet...and at 40 years of age I have a new passion, girl, and 2013 SJ.

-Dools

 

[Pro-pulsion]

When I was about 12 I was into dirty bikes bigtime. After constantly repairing and replacing parts I got out of it and bought a 4-wheeler. Still and always will have one of those but by about age 14 I found a place in town renting stand-ups. $30/half hour, $50/hr. One ride and all my saved allowances and anything additionally went into a rental run.

I spent enough time at the place just hanging around he started letting me ride for free to help demonstrate the skis and drum up business. Eventually he got out of it before the runabouts took momentum and I bought my first js300. Rebuilt it and rode for a year, traded up to a 650sx and rode it for 7 years on the original engine and battery.

I traded it up for an xp800 sea-couch...worst mistake ever, sold it and bought my backup ski 650sx and now I am on my rn sj. Never again will I be on a couch on the water unless I lose the use of my legs...and that would be bacause I would have no choice at that point =) Been riding for 22 years now.

 

[makejetskiinggreatagain]

When I was about 12 I was into dirty bikes bigtime. After constantly repairing and replacing parts I got out of it and bought a 4-wheeler. Still and always will have one of those but by about age 14 I found a place in town renting stand-ups. $30/half hour, $50/hr.

I wish more placed rented stand ups. Contrary to popular belief, I really think there would be a market. If they could make money renting them back then why couldn't you now? It would grow our sport so much! As it is now, you wont ride one unless your friend has one and lets you ride....

 

[Balduccimoto]

About 5 years ago my neighbor, an older guy, bought a 750 SS XI. He fixed it up and neither of us ever rode a jet ski before and like usual I become the test pilot. I enjoyed the little time I had on it and I end up scoring a 98 750 SS for $700 with a trailer. The ski was super clean and reliable. I rode it for that summer and while googling I found stand up jet skis. I remembered when I test rode my neighbor's ski there was 2 girls leaving the ramp on SXR's. On a whim I bought a 750sx and restored it. Turned out a friend on facebook rode a waveblaster and he introduced me to this forum.

When my 750SX was finished, I fought and squeezed into a wet suit for the first time in my life. Went down to the ramp with 2 friends and rode off. Standing, falling and swimming after it.

 

[Proformance1]

Frosty ruined me! now i'm broke