When great friends and fast skis get together, it is a recipe for some delightful video footage! Check out the latest edit from our local buoy course at 3 Palms Sports Park, and as always, share the stand up love!

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The original “Fail 550” vintage jet ski is still in my house in pieces. I picked up this nice little 1991 reed engine 550 from a friend. IT RUNS! Next step is healing from surgery, then a stock ride review before the stages of Pro Watercraft Racing handling parts.

I personally have not been able to ride the new vintage jet ski due to still being unable to walk from PAO Surgery. However, my husband put it on the main trailer and brought it out to the local ride spot last weekend for everyone to ride. What a great time living vicariously through lots of smiling people riding and falling off of this ski.

The post Project: Vintage 550SX Build Part 2 – Running Ski appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

Just the Facts – Specifications

2019 Kawasaki SX-R 1500
MSRP: $9999
Engine: 1498cc four stroke fuel injected
Curb Weight: 551.3 lbs
Length: 104.5 inches
Width: 30.1 inches
Approximate Top Speed: 60 mph

2019 Yamaha Superjet
MSRP: $8499
Engine: 701cc two stroke carbureted
Dry Weight: 306 lbs
Length: 88.2 inches
Width: 26.8 inches
Approximate Top Speed: 45 mph

Breaking it Down – Pros and Cons

Black and white answer:
If you want to go fast: Kawasaki SXR
If you want to play: Yamaha Superjet

Now let me muddy the water a bit before someone quotes me saying Superjets can’t go fast and SXRs are not fun.

4 Reasons to Buy the SXR
1. Four stroke, fuel injected engine reliability.
Fill up at the gas station and go, no need to mix oil in the gas. The ECU takes care of temperature and air density changes, no carbs or needle adjustments necessary. Many people will not ever need to worry about engine rebuild intervals with a four stroke engine. Like the four storke engine in your car, have you ever thought about rebuilding it? Probably not.

2. Large and stable.
Big tray for big feet, longer length suits tall people, larger size means more buoyancy and stability.

3. Fast.
Hard to beat four stroke torque and 1500cc propelling you and the ski around 60 mph on the water. Can buy, learn to ride, and get a serious thrill (butt pucker) if you want to try racing. Heck, even going full throttle over the lake by yourself is intense at 60 mph!

4. Handles rough water well.
Live on a usually choppy lake? The size and weight help propel the ski through waves rather than be jostled around.

6 Reasons Not to Buy the SXR
1. Complicated.
Difficult to work on with minimal mechanical skills. Many electrical connectors and usually needs to visit a dealer to interface with the ECU, troubleshoot issues, etc. Engine maintenance is more involved with a four stroke and home rebuilds require special tools and knowledge of timing among other mechanical skills. Dealer visits and four stroke rebuilds can be very costly. Four stokes also require oil changes either at the dealer or with a home oil extractor.

2. Heavy.
One of the joys of owning a stand up is the ease of moving it around the garage, trailer, or truck bed. At nearly 250 lbs heavier than the Superjet the SXR is not light. That weight transmits to the water to make the ski feel more sluggish compared to the smaller Superjet. The SRX’s size and weight limits the playfulness and flickability, but it is by no means unresponsive. You just can’t expect to do submarines, tail stands, etc with a heavier, longer, more race-bred machine.

3. More speed = more danger.
Ok here comes the fun police right? I know I know, we just want to have fun. Keep in mind that the faster you go the more it will hurt when you fall off. And you will fall off.

4. *Tendency to “Fall Over”.
I put an asterisk by this one because it is a more personal riding style issue, however, I want to mention it because most everyone else I’ve talked to notices the SXR’s tendency to fall over in a straight line or slight corner. This causes the rider to try to correct, but the ski becomes unresponsive as it tilts over more and more, and continues to go straight. Compared to most stand ups, the rider is standing quite a bit higher than the water level on the SXR due to a deep hull. This tendency is easily worked around, but personally, I prefer not to have to work around a problem like this in the first place.

5. More expensive.
Yes, the SXR is marginally more expensive than a Superjet and you get a lot more power for those $1500, but remember if you are buying new you will have to deal with freight, setup, TT&L, etc so it adds up. Plus, it will require a trailer because of weight and size. No truck beds for this baby! Also replacement parts for electronics and four stroke engines can cost more.

6. Race class very competitive.
I understand not everyone who buys this very fast stand up is interested in racing. However, if you are, realize the SXR races against other SXRs at very high speed. If you are looking to make your debut in racing and clean up a race course full of slower, older two stroke skis – you’ll likely be very disappointed to be lining up against other SXRs.

4 Reasons to Buy a Superjet
1. Simple.
Very few electronics to worry about corroding or having the dealer check. It is a simple two stroke carbed engine so most maintenance and diagnostics can be done in your garage with limited tools. Rebuild parts are fairly inexpensive and readily available. Ever messed with a two stroke weedeater? Imagine that, but 701cc. No digital scan tools necessary.

2. Light.
In the stand up world less weight means it is easier for the rider to throw around the weight. Learning small stunts like submarines, tail stands, tail slides, bunny hops, etc right off the bat is totally do-able on the Superjet. At 306 dry weight you and a buddy or two could probably load the Superjet into a truck bed, no trailer needed.

3. Race, freeride, freestyle.
Where the SXR is undeniably faster, it is more a one trick pony of going fast and blazing the lake chop. The Superjet is a beautiful platform to race because there are a number of classes it falls in from more beginner classes to modified advanced races.

Don’t want to race? Spend a chill day on the lake hopping waves and exploring. Fancy learning tricks? Even in stock form the Superjet is capable of doing a number of old school slides, stands, and jumps.

4. Cheaper.
Yes, the Superjet’s MSRP is $1500 cheaper than the SXR. That means less TT&L. If you have friends or a hitch hauler you potentially do not need the additional cost of a trailer. While you’ll probably need to rebuild more often with a two stroke, the parts are fairly inexpensive.

3 Reasons Not to Buy a Superjet
1. Two stroke carburated engine.
The two stroke engine is both a good and a bad thing. I talked about the simplistic and cheap positives above, but on the flip side having a two stroke requires mixing oil in the gas and they need rebuilds more often than four stroke engines. Over the life of the stand up you will likely need to adjust the carb needles to be more rich or lean when the weather changes or you ride at a different elevation. Adding insult to injury, the USA Superjets come with caps over the needles to keep people from changing the fuel mixture from the factory. They need to be removed before any needle adjustment can take place.

2. Small.
At 5’8″ and 140 lbs I have no complaints with the Superjet’s stability. However, if you are a larger person or have never ridden a stand up the Superjet can feel more unstable. The Superjet is shorter, thinner, and less buoyant so at slow speeds, it requires more balance and more patience to learn. Large chop can be more of a workout on the Superjet as it gets bounced in and out of the water more due to the lighter weight.

But if your complaint is you are too heavy or too tall for a Superjet, check out this video of a 300 lb friend of mine backflipping a MUCH smaller and unstable aftermarket stand up. And a photo of him on his Superjet. You can learn, it just might take longer.

3. Slower.
The top speed of 45 mph is slow in comparison to the SXR’s 60 mph, but speed on water is different than sitting in a car. Still, on the Superjet you won’t get that butt pucker rush of acceleration the SXR offers. Requires heavy modifications to go even 10 mph faster. Big speed on a Superjet is a big bummer unless you have big pockets.

Conclusion

There you have it – the tools and knowledge needed to make your decision to buy a Superjet or SXR. They are both great skis from quality manufactures. It is up to you to decide what suits your needs the best!

Have comments or suggestions? I’m not perfect and could have left something out, please let me know your thoughts!

The post Yamaha Superjet or Kawasaki SXR 1500 – What to Buy appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

Everyone loves a good 550SX build!

I bought this 550sx for $1200 in May of 2018. Bad news ya’ll…I paid too much. One ride in the front cover took on water, the charging system failed to charge the battery, and the ski died on me in in the middle of the lake (not really but I was a ways out there). I had to be towed back by trusty Chocolate Thunder – yes, sit down couches DO have a use!

Anyway, you can check out the fail video below:

Build Plans

My husband and I pulled the engine a few months into 2019 and realized the damage was far worse than just a charging system issue. The engine had somewhat seized itself. I say somewhat because it rotates back and forth about an inch. *sigh* Whatever. The damaged has been done.

550SX Plans are to:
Source new engine or rebuild the rock that I have
Strip, sand, repaint
Full Pro Watercraft Racing handing kit
Race!

Follow along with the build here and my social media on Facebook & Instagram

The post Project: Vintage 550SX Build Part 1 appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

How much faster? Well, as with everything, it depends on what mods you have, altitude, temperature, pull of the moon, tide level…you get what I mean.

But.

With the Watercross of Texas double concave ride plate you will probably see a few miles an hour on the top speed. Really, just from a ride plate?!
Yes, the plate allows the nose of the ski to come more out of the water, therefore less drag, equals more top speed.

On the flip side the ride plate does change how the ski rides overall, which can be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your riding style. With the nose higher under acceleration, the SXR 1500 steers more from the rear with this Watercross of Texas ride plate than it would with more of the hull in the water. In my, and a few other riders who have tested the ride plate, opinion this is not detrimental to the SXR’s standard steering style.

The positive side of this ride plate is chop handling. In races, you’ll encounter far more choppy conditions than glass so that fact in itself should steer you towards trying out this ride plate for yourself. It allows the ski to ‘grease’ over chop rather than plow and dart through it.

More top speed and better chop handling on an already blazingly fast stand up jet ski is a match made in speed history!

In the video below is the first open water test on the new Watercross of Texas SXR 1500 double concave ride plate. Conditions included large, rolling chop. I found the SXR was more planted both in a straight line and in the corners, less side-to-side roll, and less pitching the nose down. On this ski in the video the ride plate change picked up 2.5 mph on GPS.

As the owner of this ski also said the Watercross of Texas plate “makes the ski handle more relaxed while attacking corners entry and exit. Stock plate while good is can be sketchy when wide open. The dual Concave WOT plate lets the nose lift without bounce to help the top end speed.”

Get yourself one from Watercross of Texas and see how you like it. Even better, drop a comment and let us know your experience with the Watercross of Texas double concave ride plate on your SXR 1500!

The post Review: Watercross of Texas SXR 1500 Ride Plate appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

First update is – IPD graphics! I know…this was done back in the early days, but here is the documentation. A GP race ski is no good without graphics

In addition to the IPD graphics (see install tutorial on The Watercraft Journal here), Stephen also opted for the bumpers. Check out the first bumper ride video below!

Next is the Solas 140 pump has been changed to a 145 Skat-Trac setback pump. The Solas was not a bad pump, but the Skat setback just gives that extra hookup that is oh-so-nice! First ride with the new pump below.

And finally – new engine time! A bored-out semi-high comp beast from Ultimate Watercraft Performance now powers this GP ski.

Check out the two-part GP ski engine build videos below:

Stay tuned for a – shall I give it up – second ProForce build….?
Here are some more ProForce videos for your viewing pleasure!

Follow along with the build here and my social media on Facebook & Instagram

The post Project: ProForce GP Ski Build Part 2 – New Bits appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

Started my racing, heck – even my stand up riding career in general, on a stock class 2011 Kawasaki SXR 800. Took 10th place in the only race I was able to ride at my first IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona in Women’s Limited Ski. Not too shabby for a stock class ski and only riding stand ups for 6 months! The poor SXR would not start on the line for the second race so my top 10 contention was over.

Rewind to the early days – my husband bought a 2015 Yamaha Superjet the day after we rode my SXR 800 for the first time. At first I did not like the Superjet. It was just too different than the SXR and I did not have enough skill to swap back and forth from ski to ski.

Fast forward to installing Blowsion Destroyer front sponsons, a mat kit, shortened the pole, handlebars and steering, and rear sponsons on the Yamaha Superjet – I fell in love. The Superjet steered from the nose rather than the Kawsaki SXR’s style of steering from the rear, and it was more predictable. Boy that Superjet could carve a corner!

Sold the SXR, my husband bought a ProForce (Build Part 1, Build Part 2) and I took over the Superjet.
Took the stock engine (still had carb chokes – yikes) Superjet to World Finals in 2017 and managed to earn a 6th place finish in Women’s Limited Ski.

In 2018 the IJSBA stock class was dominated by the new four stoke Kawasaki SXR 1500cc. My little two stoke 701cc Superjet was out powered so Lites class it was!

I’m not a master builder or ride by any means, but my husband and I had a great time learning the ins-and-outs of building a working Lites class ski including:

Installing 760cc cylinder and pistons
Removing carb chokes, drilling EPA needle stops, and rejetting
Exhaust insert
Impeller
Older Superjet nozzle
Water routing

Sadly due to health and life issues we did not make it to the 2018 World Finals and eventually sold the Superjet in the winter of 2018.

Despite the sad ending, the Superjet lives on with a local junior rider and we learned some valuable skills to put towards the next project!

The post Project: Ski Lites Superjet appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

Seriously the nicest build quality I’ve ever seen. Tray is enormous, hull is actually pretty big too. Should be a monster!

The freight company missed the delivery time so instead of letting them try again we went down to the hub and picked it up ourselves. No freight damage thankfully.

Since my Krash came inside for the final build the ProForce went straight in. All the parts were bubble wrapped inside the hull.

Crank came back from being rebuilt so we assembled the bottom end in the wash bay haha.

Now comes the good part. Dropped the bottom end into the hull and everything lined up beeaaaauutifully for test fitting.

Pump, driveshaft bearing support and coupler install was mint. No shims, lined up like an OEM hull. Craftsmanship is amazing.

After Mother’s Day festivities we spent part of the day assembing the top end and tapping the manifold and exhaust chamber. Damn it is a big ‘ol 2 stroke!

Head is on and just need to mask for paint now.

Engine assembled, in and run for the first time. Maiden was yesterday. Wow. What a machine!! Video below.

Follow along with the build here and my social media on Facebook & Instagram

Check out part 2 here!

The post Project: ProForce GP Ski Build Part 1 – Assembly appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

Be sure to check out the Learn to Ride tab for more information, and do not hesitate to contact with your thoughts!

The post Tutorial: We Need You – How to Ride a Stand Up Jet Ski! appeared first on Stand Up Jet Ski.

IPD Graphics is a big name in the watercraft and offroad world for good reason – high-quality full-color graphics available in die-cut and full-color printed vinyl.

Interested in learning how to install your new IPD Graphics on your ski? Watch below and be sure to check out the article on The Watercraft Journal here and some more install photos on the IPD Graphics install on the ProForce Part 2 Build article.

Follow along with more media on my social media on Facebook & Instagram

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