I was in the same position 4 years ago, Maybe I can help too- I ride mine year round in the Florida salt and love it- its reliable, fun, and addicting as ever. I'm currently rebuilding the motor after finding a few air leaks but the best news about owing a common SJ (that is to say common as in- not a custom hull with a crazy motor) is that the parts are generally inexpensive and plentiful. Yes, use salt away to flush the ski...my boat is 10 years old and has been a FL boat all its life, i have used salt away religiously and thankfully the previous owners used a corrosion protector like WD-40, Corrosion-X, or BoeShield- everything in the engine compartment is in excellent condition. With the motor opened up I can tell you that my cooling passages in the cylinder have an accumulation of junk in them but after 10 years in salt water, its in remarkable condition really. Good prevention with corrosion inhibitors in and out- its cheap insurance.
My 2 cents- buy a round nose Superjet that is in good apparent condition in and out. To assure yourself your buying a good motor you should absolutely perform both a compression test and a leakdown test on the motor, its inexpensive due diligence and is something you can learn to do/build here on the X - if you choose to not involve a shop. These 2 basic tests and basic tools tools/skills that you will need to know how to use during your ownership anyhow-plus it gives you a baseline on the motor specs. The third thing i recommend is to remove the plugs and pto coupler cover and turn the engine through its cycle a few times by hand- you should feel and hear some air 'resistance' being created in the motor and you should not hear or feel anything crunchy happening in the pump/impeller section, it should turn smoothly. Beyond that if it fires up and runs smooth through the RPM range that should tell the buyer most everything about the ski they need to now to negotiate a price. Also, Don't be afraid to have the owner ride it in front of you if you cant yet ride- they don't test out the same way on land as they do in the water and that is where it counts
I went and bought a stock ski and like everyone am adding many more things to it, its more expensive in the longrun but it did however allow me the opportunity to learn everything about the ski in and out now that i've had it apart a few times- I find working on it to be very straightforward, very rewarding and satisfying, and the X is a killer source of information and opinions. Its an active and thriving community.
Additionally, there are many more square nose models available that someone else has spent their money on- ie. larger motors, footholds, custom paint etc. My friend bought a really really nice used stock square for $1,100 3 years ago, all he has put in it is gas and a battery- that is an excellent return on your entertainment investment. If you can stomach the sqare you can save a a lot of cash and get more for the money, same condition rules apply as above, especially with older boats.
Finally. A few must haves on any SJ: Primarily- footholds, straight handlebars, an electric bilge pump, aftermarket ride plate & impeller. Secondarily- an aftermarket pipe.
You find a ski with all of these features or add them to an existing ski and you have the same ski as the vast majority of the X users have and it will be more than enough in all likelyhood to keep you perpetually entertained on the water.
Oh and the last thing - get a buddy to buy one with you , riding alone sucks!
