- Location
- New York Crew
Well Dan totally out did himself this year for his Birthday blow out bash! Thanks to him for always treating us so well and putting on one of the greatest jet ski events ever.
It was an epic event this year that was attended by some of the all time greats, as well as quite a few newbies. Thursday was cold and cloudy, but we couldnt resist the surf calling. Unfortunately after selling all my skis, all I had to ride was a 2000 SJ I decided to bring down for the surf. Luckilly my trusty -2.5" SJ with a new JM 718/ADA package with B pipe was enough to provide all the thrills I would require for Thursdays decent surf. The new Thrust provided RRP Ninja adjustable holds were the ticket as now that im used to a shorter hull moving them forward allowed me to ride this ski with more comfort. This ski is still so easy to roll and is bullet proof in the surf.
Friday brought around a change in the weather and my equipment of choice. The sun brings out the best and today I was ready. Ryan Doberstein came over and was gracious emough to let me try the Rage Composite Works Havoc. I have traveled to try and get a ride on this ski and finally I was able to. I know this demo package so well, it is currently my powerline of choice. I liked it last year and still do this year. The TPE 964 MSD enhancer w/FS 49s was twitching to rip my arms off as soon as i hit the surf. Exhaust tones were provided by Power Factor. The stable platform of the newest Rage offering welcomed me to the 2-3s that were all around beckoning me to hit the throttle and try a few tricks. The new footholds are finally perfect. The Green Havoc is a super light hull, but with its wide stance, new additional length, and +2" pump tunnel stuck to the water like velcro when you wanted and broke loose from the power delivered by the H20 Torrent pump. I was finally able to try some flat spins with this package. It was so light and easy that 360s and 540 are simple to do. This was by far my favorite surf/flatwater ski of the entire weekend. I know this ski is marketed as one of the best in the world for flat, but I feel this is one of the best all around hulls now. I enjoyed this driveline package so much, this will be my next surf package. As I type this the motor from my SJ is sold and the TPE 964 is being worked on.
I tried to ride the Free Form Factory hull but was not able to on Friday. Quite a few mechanical issues and they were busy with inquirys. It was quite a disappoitment.
Saturday the surf was a bit smaller but the weather was perfect again. A nice day begain with another ride on the Havoc to confirm what I had learned the day before.
Next up was the Free Form Factory's first hull. This is a new offering from some fellow NY riders that I have know about for a while so I was amped to give it a try. I immediately noticed how bouyant the ski rode from the polymer construction and wide stance. I know this DASA powerplant well, so it was easy to remember how this package handles in many other skis. The 945 8mm with 48 Novis was tuned and responded quite well with B pipe, H20 Torrent pump, and MSD enhancer. After a few minutes I was comfortable enough to try a few rolls. This ski rolls with ease and as Skyler has shown, can get some easy air. I thought it looked short, but it didnt ride that way. I didnt want to be that guy, so I landed a few soft tricks and handed her off to the next rider. The cavernous under hood area looks to be easy to work on. It was quite a surprising ride as with a few small tweaks I see this being a viable package for surf and well as flat. Stay tuned for more as I know I will have some more ride time to offer a real opinion. These guys are based 1 hr away and I know we will be riding together in a few weeks.
Next up was the Tigercraft VS-1. I prefer to have quite a few rides on a hull to offer my opinion and only was able to ride the Aquabot a few quick times in the past. Today was different. Tony came by to stop and say, hey the skis there take it for a ride if you want. I jumped on and could not believe how at home I immediately felt. Everything was perfect. Leaving the beach was simple and fluid with a controlled but loose handling ride. Fit, finish, handeling, looks, graphics all were spot on. I honestly had to look down a few times to see what hull I was on. This VS-1 was packaged with a 701 61X and I found myself wanting more power so that I could feel the hull break free from the water and unfortunately by this point the surf was going down. The VS-1 will be the surf boat of choice for many after this package starts making its way to the market. You can see and tell Tiger Craft is listening to their riders and cares about every facet of this ski. Better get in line now as this is the ski to beat for 2015.
The Rickter Edge has had my eye since I sold my Rickter Evo 1 last season. Brandon Lawler was gracious enough to say go for a rip and let me know what you think. Well, the surf had all but flattened out by 5 PM Sat, but who was I not to take the legends ski out for a boot. The Dasa 971 MSD enhancer with B pipe and Skat Trak 155 Mag was a very linear controllable package. Exactly what I expected from a world champion rider. Tons of power to spare, with all the control you could ever ask for. The package was tuned to perfection and didnt miss a beat as I thrashed the now non exsistent small surf. Handling was loose at first, but once I learned the lean in style of the new Edge I was able to see where the name comes from. The ski corners with more of a leaned in edge. Riding this ski was a blast and seems much better than the longer Evo 1 for smaller surf. I would like to have some more time and some surf to try this package again.
It was an epic event this year that was attended by some of the all time greats, as well as quite a few newbies. Thursday was cold and cloudy, but we couldnt resist the surf calling. Unfortunately after selling all my skis, all I had to ride was a 2000 SJ I decided to bring down for the surf. Luckilly my trusty -2.5" SJ with a new JM 718/ADA package with B pipe was enough to provide all the thrills I would require for Thursdays decent surf. The new Thrust provided RRP Ninja adjustable holds were the ticket as now that im used to a shorter hull moving them forward allowed me to ride this ski with more comfort. This ski is still so easy to roll and is bullet proof in the surf.
Friday brought around a change in the weather and my equipment of choice. The sun brings out the best and today I was ready. Ryan Doberstein came over and was gracious emough to let me try the Rage Composite Works Havoc. I have traveled to try and get a ride on this ski and finally I was able to. I know this demo package so well, it is currently my powerline of choice. I liked it last year and still do this year. The TPE 964 MSD enhancer w/FS 49s was twitching to rip my arms off as soon as i hit the surf. Exhaust tones were provided by Power Factor. The stable platform of the newest Rage offering welcomed me to the 2-3s that were all around beckoning me to hit the throttle and try a few tricks. The new footholds are finally perfect. The Green Havoc is a super light hull, but with its wide stance, new additional length, and +2" pump tunnel stuck to the water like velcro when you wanted and broke loose from the power delivered by the H20 Torrent pump. I was finally able to try some flat spins with this package. It was so light and easy that 360s and 540 are simple to do. This was by far my favorite surf/flatwater ski of the entire weekend. I know this ski is marketed as one of the best in the world for flat, but I feel this is one of the best all around hulls now. I enjoyed this driveline package so much, this will be my next surf package. As I type this the motor from my SJ is sold and the TPE 964 is being worked on.
I tried to ride the Free Form Factory hull but was not able to on Friday. Quite a few mechanical issues and they were busy with inquirys. It was quite a disappoitment.
Saturday the surf was a bit smaller but the weather was perfect again. A nice day begain with another ride on the Havoc to confirm what I had learned the day before.
Next up was the Free Form Factory's first hull. This is a new offering from some fellow NY riders that I have know about for a while so I was amped to give it a try. I immediately noticed how bouyant the ski rode from the polymer construction and wide stance. I know this DASA powerplant well, so it was easy to remember how this package handles in many other skis. The 945 8mm with 48 Novis was tuned and responded quite well with B pipe, H20 Torrent pump, and MSD enhancer. After a few minutes I was comfortable enough to try a few rolls. This ski rolls with ease and as Skyler has shown, can get some easy air. I thought it looked short, but it didnt ride that way. I didnt want to be that guy, so I landed a few soft tricks and handed her off to the next rider. The cavernous under hood area looks to be easy to work on. It was quite a surprising ride as with a few small tweaks I see this being a viable package for surf and well as flat. Stay tuned for more as I know I will have some more ride time to offer a real opinion. These guys are based 1 hr away and I know we will be riding together in a few weeks.
Next up was the Tigercraft VS-1. I prefer to have quite a few rides on a hull to offer my opinion and only was able to ride the Aquabot a few quick times in the past. Today was different. Tony came by to stop and say, hey the skis there take it for a ride if you want. I jumped on and could not believe how at home I immediately felt. Everything was perfect. Leaving the beach was simple and fluid with a controlled but loose handling ride. Fit, finish, handeling, looks, graphics all were spot on. I honestly had to look down a few times to see what hull I was on. This VS-1 was packaged with a 701 61X and I found myself wanting more power so that I could feel the hull break free from the water and unfortunately by this point the surf was going down. The VS-1 will be the surf boat of choice for many after this package starts making its way to the market. You can see and tell Tiger Craft is listening to their riders and cares about every facet of this ski. Better get in line now as this is the ski to beat for 2015.
The Rickter Edge has had my eye since I sold my Rickter Evo 1 last season. Brandon Lawler was gracious enough to say go for a rip and let me know what you think. Well, the surf had all but flattened out by 5 PM Sat, but who was I not to take the legends ski out for a boot. The Dasa 971 MSD enhancer with B pipe and Skat Trak 155 Mag was a very linear controllable package. Exactly what I expected from a world champion rider. Tons of power to spare, with all the control you could ever ask for. The package was tuned to perfection and didnt miss a beat as I thrashed the now non exsistent small surf. Handling was loose at first, but once I learned the lean in style of the new Edge I was able to see where the name comes from. The ski corners with more of a leaned in edge. Riding this ski was a blast and seems much better than the longer Evo 1 for smaller surf. I would like to have some more time and some surf to try this package again.
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