FX-1 Scoopgrate for FX-1

[FX-Rex]

I'm sorry but again, I don't agree. The ski doesnt need tubs and it doesnt need a pump mod. And it doesnt need foot holds. If the boat was a barrel rolling surf ski, thats another story. Flat water, its well designed the way it is.

Tubs = stability for the narrow hull -- ski already carves great.
Footholds = attachments for when inverted.
Pump mod = more torque or hook up in white wash.

 

[Idok]

What did the front sponsons do for the ski?

What difference did the pump conversion make?

With footholds do you ride with both feet in the back of the ski? Wouldn't that make it porpoise a lot?

I've only ridden mine 6 times so I'm looking for your real world opinions of each mod.

Thanks and congratulations on all of the mods.

front sponsons will make it carve harder, and make the nose more buoyant

pump conversion makes a huge difference


try riding one foot forward like a skateboard...we call it "surf stance"

only ride with both feet back while creating a setup wake, or to lock in both feet for rolls

Yeah I will wait for the pump conversion till next winter. I love riding the fx-1. I haven't ridden anything else to compare it to though. I do enjoy the challenge which is the reason I bought the ski.

It seems to have tons of torque to pull out of the water at slow speeds. It pulls like my cbr 929rr and jumps out of the water (front ~ 3ft and rear ~2 inches).

When does the cavitation problem happen (at speed)?

How does the fx-1 compare to the 08 superjet? In the test video of the 08 superjet, it looked like the guy was able to put the ski anywhere he wanted. I'm assuming this was because he was very experienced?

I would love to be able to lean over and carve deeply (like they do in racing). This is possible with the fx-1 right?

YouTube - Yamaha Super Jet 2008 - BoatTest.Com

it doesnt compare to the 08 superjet...its NOT A SUPERJET! therefore, it cannot compare

its 4" shorter, 2.5 narrower and about 30lbs lighter...the closest thing to fx1 handling is a REV hull by WDK

I'm sorry but again, I don't agree. The ski doesnt need tubs and it doesnt need a pump mod. And it doesnt need foot holds. If the boat was a barrel rolling surf ski, thats another story. Flat water, its well designed the way it is.

Tubs = stability for the narrow hull -- ski already carves great.
Footholds = attachments for when inverted.
Pump mod = more torque or hook up in white wash.

I agree with your last 3 statments, but Fx's need mods to make them really fun...unless you are not an enthusiast who just likes to jump on the boat every now and again to get wet

 

[curt248]

Hmm. So I wonder if it would be better to set the fx-1 up for great handling (carving like the 08 superjet) or to just buy an 08 superjet and keep the fx-1 quick handling fun?

It sounds like I'd have to spend about 2k to mod out the fx-1 vs maybe what $3500 to 5k for an 08 superjet. Retail was only about 6k right?

Any opinons from those who have ridden a modded fx-1 (pump tubbies etc) and the 08 superjet?

After the mods would the fx-1 be better than the 08 superjet for carving?

My ski is basically stock besides an intake grate and possibly a ride plate (not sure on that). I was thinking of doing the pump conversion and spending 1000 to 1300 to get that done. How much are tubbies? Is there a certain one that is better than others?

Are there any disadvantages to installing tubbies? I talked to a guy who said it ruined the handling of a fx-1 and he took them off and said it was much better after that. He didn't give details.

 

[dbredleader]

08 sj / fx1

I ride a 94 FX-1
My Brother rides a 08 SJ

He loves my boat ( $2500 invested )
His is too much for me ( $20k+ Invested )

His complaint about his boat is that it won't "slide"
My complaint about his boat is that it takes an extreme athlete to fully utilize all the performance mods on it. ( I'm old and tired )

I went with FX-1 for relative cheap lightweight ski, made from glass, easy/cheap to mod

FX-1=good performance relatively lightweight & cheap(w/mods)
08 SJ=race slanted great power/stability for more $$$$$

For me-Budget is everything

 

[curt248]

Thanks dbredleader. That helps a lot.

What did your bro to with 20K to his ski? Does it have the same chassis?

I would love to have a ski that won't slide. It would be like a car that can pull 1.5 g's lateral acceleration or a motocross bike on a berm or street bike with dot (sticky race) tires.

I would think it would be like having a race snowboard vs a freestyle board. The race board (08 superjet) can carve like no tomorrow, but the freestyle board (fx-1) can do things (tricks) that would be very difficult on a race board with ease. If I still snowboarded a lot, I would, without question, have both.

I imagine that the superjet would be less responsive and feel heavy. It might also be less fun to play around on. Is that the case?

Is the power of the super jet better than the fx-1? Don't they have basically the same engines or did the minor mods over the years add up to a better engine in the 08?

 

[curt248]

So with the front sponsons, you can put more weight to the front of the ski without taking a dive, thereby allowing for more extreme (faster) carving?

I remember turning hard once, and without notice, swallowing a mouthfull of water because the ski and myself were under water. lol. It was crazy.

 

[dbredleader]

Right

I think you have a handle on that comparison. When you build a competative ski 20K is a no-brainer. I couldn't begin to tell you what is being done out there. I like a strong, light(relative), SUPER-DEPENDABLE ski, as frequent repairs are not in my budget! If riding on "rails" is what you want, Kaw SXR has that to a science.

 

[curt248]

I'm just trying to learn how to ride the ski for now. If the pump conversion makes the ski better in everyway I think I'll do it.

I'm still not sure when the ski is supposed to be cavitating. I did hear one guy say that his fx-1 seemed to be direct drive with the throttle when he did the 144mm pump conversion. My ski does not feet like it's direct drive with the throttle. I guess I can here it spin up without going forward if I punch it but it does jump out of the water no problem. If the superjet pulls harder, it must be one mean machine. I haven't ridden any other standups so I can't compare (except a modded 440 about 10 years or so ago).

My 1997 seadoo xp (3rd generation hull (suspension seat)) with 110hp (but 550 lbs) doesn't pull even 1/3 of that of my fx-1 (from a stand still).

I haven't ridden it in the surf so I'm not sure if that's the main time when the cavitation is supposed to be a problem or not.



I just read a great article on how to do the kawi 650 mod. It seemed relatively simple especially compared to all of the 144mm superjet pump conversions. It sounded like it requires little to no glass work if you use shims for the back part of the pump. I would have to learn how to do glass work for sure on the 144mm conversion(I suppose it would be a good skill to have).

 

[curt248]

Heres my take on what needs to be done for the 650 pump conversion:

It seems like you could do this mod without any glass work if you use shims at the rear instead of building it up. Is this true?

Let me see if I've got this straight.

1. get a kawi 650 pump from ebay.

2. get a tilt nozzel from a 650 pump (not sure which models would have that). Could I just buy a pump with the tilt nozzel attached already (if I can find the right model to buy from)?

3. Grind or dremel down about 3/8 inch of material from the stock fx1 pump area (at the front closer to the shoe)?

4. Shim the rear of the pump to get it level with the front (not sure how to make sure it's level). Would I just make the hull level first then check to make sure the pump is level when sitting on the shims and ground down front area of pump cavity?

5. Figure out how to insert insert mounting holes (threaded inserts) to mount the new pump. How did you make sure they were at the right location (marker screwdriver through each hole on the pump and hope they are centered?

5. get a kawi 900zxi (or whichever model you said in the article) drive shaft. Would this come with bearings (or part of whatever it is that needs to be sent to you to make the custom bearing, is it a coupler?) or is that a different part to get?

6. Send in something from the fx1 and the bearing part from the kawi so you can meld them into one sweet piece.

7. Use my old intake grate and ride plate.

8. Have loads of fun with my new and improved fx1 for a couple hundred dollars.

 

[curt248]

Hey dbredleader that protec intake is the one I have on my ski now. Maybe that's why the ski jumps out of the water from a standstill?

Is that scoop called a toploader?

What did you use for the coupler bearing assembly at teh front of the boat on the 140mm pump conversion?

 

[Shadow7874]

Hey dbredleader that protec intake is the one I have on my ski now. Maybe that's why the ski jumps out of the water from a standstill?

Is that scoop called a toploader?

What did you use for the coupler bearing assembly at teh front of the boat on the 140mm pump conversion?

That grate may be why you dont notice the cavitation as much as others. I have a stock fx1 and it will shoot me out of the water (im a light weight though) but i can feel it cavitate alot and it breaks loose easily (which i love doing!)
This is my second season with stand ups and i had a 550 last season and fx1 now. The fx1 is soo much better of a ski. Even though its stock its still alot of fun. I cant wait to try out the 144mm pump, but im going to look for another fx1 hull to experiment on so i have mine incase i mess something up.

 

[Smokin'FX-1]

I have the Pro-tec ride plate and intake grate on my fx-1 (760 powered). I am also around 130 lbs. I do notice cavitation at times, and plan on swapping out the pump. However, with some practice and adjusting your stance/weight you can minimize cavitation. It still exists, but isn't always that noticeable.

Also make sure everything is sealed well and that the rideplate is shimmed to make it flush with the hull (this also helps reduce purpoising).

Never ridden an fx-1 with the pump mod, I can't tell you how much of a difference it makes. I do know that putting the 650 pump next to my 122 makes me laugh, how can it not be all around better when you see the size difference and know that the 122 is somewhere around the size of a 550 one.

I also came from a 550 last season to the fx1 this year. I love it.

 

[dbredleader]

650 pump

Jinx is exactly right. Cavitation can be minimized by rider position. If you master the FX-1 w/ the stock pump, when you do an upgrade, the payoff will be sweeter. Your toploader is definitely helping w/ the cavitation, but the pump upgrade is night and day. Search the forums for "Special FX" His thread on the kaw 650 converion is tops, w/ lots of pics. I am under the impression that he was the originator of this mod, and his thread about it has made many happy. If money were no object, I would still go for the 144 mm pump ( superjet size ) because no hull cutting or modding is required.( most also open up the water intake tract to SJ size )

The short answer is the more you ride, the more you will know about what direction you want to go. ( 10 years ago, it was all about top speed, now its more about short super strong bursts of power for wave jumping, rolls, and backys.) I let the young guys do the rolls and backys, I might jump a wave. the longer you are a skier, the more knowledge you attain.

-DB

 

[curt248]

I'll have to try shimming the rideplate. My ski purpoises so much that I can't get to top speed unless the water is glass and I have all my weight at the very front of the tray and am putting some weight over the handlebar. Even then, I have to be ever so gentle and it will purpoise eventually.

I rode a modded 550 today. I felt under it and it really seems to be the same shape as the fx1. The ski however is much more stable and therefore easier to ride. Of course, even modded, it has about 3 times less power than my stock fx1. It just felt wider. I let the guy try my fx1 too. He was swimming to the ski 3 times that I saw in the first 3 or 4 minutes. He has been riding that ski for 2 years. After riding the fx1, I think I even rode his ski better than he did.

I want the ski to hook up better so I can lean it over farther without loosing traction. I'm not sure if a pump mod will help with that or not.

I also carved for the first time today. It was as if the heavens opened up and I could hear the angels singing in harmony. Something just clicked and the ski carved. The water felt like butter. You couldn't wipe the smile off of me at that moment for a millon bucks.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that I will do special fx's 140 kawi pump mod soon. How long does it take to do? Maybe 2 or 3 evenings?

It sounds like that mod might even cost less than a $100 to do. I think the only parts to buy are a driveshaft and a 650 pump with tilt nozzel.

My ski was cutting out a bit today, twice. The first time I thought it was low on gas. I put some in and it was fine. Then about 2 hours later it did it again. It seemed like an electrical glitch as it cleared up after about 20 seconds. I looked under the hood and noticed that just next to the rear spark plug is black wire that goes into the head. The spark plug wire holder (where the plug wire snaps into place to route it) goes around this wire. There are two bolts holding the wire down and the plug wire holder in place. One of the two bolts is missing on my ski. I wonder if this could be the source?

 

[Shadow7874]

I'll have to try shimming the rideplate. My ski purpoises so much that I can't get to top speed unless the water is glass and I have all my weight at the very front of the tray and am putting some weight over the handlebar. Even then, I have to be ever so gentle and it will purpoise eventually.

I rode a modded 550 today. I felt under it and it really seems to be the same shape as the fx1. The ski however is much more stable and therefore easier to ride. Of course, even modded, it has about 3 times less power than my stock fx1. It just felt wider. I let the guy try my fx1 too. He was swimming to the ski 3 times that I saw in the first 3 or 4 minutes. He has been riding that ski for 2 years. After riding the fx1, I think I even rode his ski better than he did.

I want the ski to hook up better so I can lean it over farther without loosing traction. I'm not sure if a pump mod will help with that or not.

I also carved for the first time today. It was as if the heavens opened up and I could hear the angels singing in harmony. Something just clicked and the ski carved. The water felt like butter. You couldn't wipe the smile off of me at that moment for a millon bucks.

Yeah I'm pretty sure that I will do special fx's 140 kawi pump mod soon. How long does it take to do? Maybe 2 or 3 evenings?

It sounds like that mod might even cost less than a $100 to do. I think the only parts to buy are a driveshaft and a 650 pump with tilt nozzel.

My ski was cutting out a bit today, twice. The first time I thought it was low on gas. I put some in and it was fine. Then about 2 hours later it did it again. It seemed like an electrical glitch as it cleared up after about 20 seconds. I looked under the hood and noticed that just next to the rear spark plug is black wire that goes into the head. The spark plug wire holder (where the plug wire snaps into place to route it) goes around this wire. There are two bolts holding the wire down and the plug wire holder in place. One of the two bolts is missing on my ski. I wonder if this could be the source?

I get alot of porpoising aswell but sometimes you can find that sweet spot where it rides great. With me im not all the way foward. Really more riding helps because my 550 was the same while but more experience teaches you where that spot is and how to keep in under control.

Would a toploader be a wise investment even if i plan on doing a pump mod someday?

 

[curt248]

I think you can use the toploader intake grate on the stock pump and the kawi 140mm conversion. I'm not sure about the 144mm superjet conversion.

 

[dbredleader]

top loader

FX-1 grates will fit after the 140 kaw conversion, if you do the 144 SJ conversion, SJ parts must be used. FX-1 grates are harder to find. It's why I started this thread