Newbie looking for a ski and some advice

[Bharv001]

Whats up guys I am looking to get into riding stand ups and I have some questions. I don't have too big of a budget probably 1000 max. I have been on craigslist almost every day looking at skis and figure its best to ask some guys with experience for their opinions.

Since my budget is relatively small would you recommend a pretty stock ski to avoid reliability problems?

Or is a well built ski good to go with similar to: http://eugene.craigslist.org/boa/1758209848.html

Should I try and go for a 650 or 750 if I can find one? Or are the 550's powerful enough. I am 5'11" 180

Thanks for the help,
Bryan

Oh and I talked to the guy and he said he would let it go for 1000. is that too much or a good deal?

 

[Kuchera89]

if i was in your situation(which i was last year), i would find a square nose superjet(1990-95), it was my first ski and it kept me fairly entertained for a summer, the up side is that if you stick with it, you can upgrade it into a sick ski as your budget grows, and they dont really devalue, so if you decide to sell it, you wont lose much if any.

i decided to go ahead and get a roundnose this year, but for what i paid, i could have made a pretty sweet square.

my buddy has 650sx and he chooses to ride my slow square instead of his ski which is much faster.

squarenoses(sn) usually go for $750 to $1200 around here.

what draws you to the sport? freestyle? racing?

 

[Kalwren]

Welcome to the X!

The ski you linked is a great starter ski. You'll find most people on this site will tell you to buy a SuperJet. It's an age-long discussion on this board. Either way, you'll get to find out if this is a sport that you really want to get in to.

Kuchera89 is correct. If you choose to sell the ski, you won't lose much, if any that you put you into it. They keep their value fairly well...as long as it's a complete, running ski when you sell it. You can sometimes make even more money if you part out a ski that is heavily modded.

If you don't have any friends that ride, I would say go ahead and get the 550 and decide if you like the sport. If you do, then keep the ski and buy another one (A 550 or a SuperJet)... and bring a friend to ride with. It's more fun riding with people you know.

Good luck! There's LOTS of information on this site. Feel free to ask questions and poke around the forums. The question has likely been asked before.

EDIT: Oh...and to directly answer your question - Yes. The 550 will be enough to pull you around and not totally disappoint you. That ski has a lot of mods to it.
As for the price, thats not bad for Oregon/Washington, with the mods it has. As long as it's running well and has no structural damage. It's an old ski, so it'll have some marks on it - but it should be fine.

 

[Patrick Star]

The thing about the SquareNose is that it will grow with you. If you want to pimp it out then the options are there. I had a '93 and pretty much messed up the hull, broke a chunk off the back, and put a big crack down the side. Now I'm building another '93, it's gonna rock and should hold up pretty well.

My avatar is how I found her. I had actually been eying it for a year or so.

 

[Ross_C]

With all due respect to Kalwren, unless you are very knowledgeable about motors or enjoy working on them...stay away from that 550 you linked to. It is great that someone spent lots of money on the boat, etc...but that is not the ski you want to get started in the sport.

I know there are lots of people out there who really like their 550's and those can be good skis and I'm not trying to put Kalwren down. But you are going to limit yourself if you get one. You will have an easier time learning on a superjet platform, and in the $1000 range you should be able to find a decent one. This will be a good platform for you to decide what direction you want to go with your riding. And you will not be limited by that boat. You will want to mod it as your progress...but you won't have to sell it and start over.

You should come hang out with us in September in Oregon. http://blowsionsurfslam.com/
Blowsion is a good shop in Portland that may have some leads on good cheap boats...

Let me know if I can help...always nice to see new people interested in the sport.

 

[Talsivar]

i would suggest staying away from that 550 as well, for that price you can find a square nose superjet. keep looking they do come up in this area quite often. when you find one and are ready to try some surf riding come on out to tierra in oregon for a ride.

 

[dirtnut99]

Agreed with Ross and Talsivar.... Where you at in Wa Bharv?? I am on CL a few times a day looking at skis just to look for good deals.. Up here Square noses usually bring good money, but sometimes you can find a great deal on one.. I got my 750sx from Talsivar last year for a good deal $1100.. There are a few on here like that at times.. Watch tricities and the spokane CL's too. Also not to deter you away from this site, but if you go to PWCtoday.com and go to the Northwest section there are a few skis that appear on there.. If you find something feel free to msg anyone of us on there about it before you buy it.. I'd hate to have a fellow rider buy an over priced built ski that will be a headache for ya.. Good luck on your search! I will keep my eyes open for you too! And welcome to the X!

 

[Kuchera89]

craiglook dot com is your friend when finding ski's! just remember to change the distance from 20 to 250 and it usually finds everything and when looking for a superjet, search "superjet" and "super jet" you get more misplaced stuff but some ski's only show up on that one. its also fun to get rid of the distance altogether and see what ski's are going for in different parts of the country.

theres an even better site that does the same thing better i hear, but forgot the name of it.

and patience is key! the second you settle and blow all your money, a better deal will come along everytime. i speak from experience on that...

 

[Bharv001]

Hey sorry ive been away for a while. WOW I am impressed with how friendly and helpful you guys are on here. By far the best ive experienced. I found what looks to be a pretty sweet square nose http://spokane.craigslist.org/boa/1756045684.html. I called the guy and he has someone looking at it today so im hoping it doesnt sell. any opinins on her?

I learned to ride this weekend on a friends neighbors skis. He had a nice 800 and 750. little harder then I expected but I held my own.

I use searchtempest.com for checking out other craigslists. I am located in snohomish im 16 years old. thats about 45 minutes north of seattle. I have a couple buddies up here that ride but you guys seem a little more knowledgeable so I come here for the advice lol.

 

[chriselmore_1]

tell em youll give him a grand for it. its worth a shot. doesnt look like too bad of a deal. (minus the hideous paint) lol

 

[kraqus]

That ski will go with my Golf !!! J/K





Get that square. Good deal IMO, enough mods but not crazy mods for a beginner.
and yes....I also own a square that I bought stock and been Modding ever since.


Benny