Stand Up Jet Ski

I am thinking of getting into the world of PWC. I own a boat and I've been on plenty of pwcs in the past but they were only sit downs. They also got boring pretty quick as I do like more of the extreme sports. Stand ups are extremely inexpensive and they look like a lot of fun.

A question I have about stand ups. How do you rest after running it for an hour or two on the water? It doesnt look like a normal sit down where the pwc that would just float with the weight of the person on it.

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

you lay on your stomach with your legs behind the ski. or just get off and float next to it.

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

Stand up skis are a lot of fun. They require good balance to ride, and they also require some upper body strength.

I consider sit-down jet skis as a female's jet ski. I've often joked that men who ride sit down jet skis probably sit down to pee, as well. LOL But then again, I've exclusively ridden stand up jet skis since 1985, starting with a Kawasaki 550, then progressing up to a Kawasaki 750SXI....and finally to the ski I ride now, a Yamaha Super Jet.

IMHO, the Super Jet is a much better ski than the Kawasaki. The hull is designed more robust, so is the handle pole. On my 550's and on my 750, I was constantly repairing cracked handle poles, or cracked nose cones, because Kawasaki skis are flimsy. I have yet to put any kind of crack in the hull or the handle pole of the Super Jet, and I ride it every bit as hard as I rode my other jet skis...so, that says something about its design.

As for how to rest, I usually pull up to a beach. But if I'm in the water, I just lay on the tray area of the ski.

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

PSG-1 said:

Stand up skis are a lot of fun. They require good balance to ride, and they also require some upper body strength.

I consider sit-down jet skis as a female's jet ski. I've often joked that men who ride sit down jet skis probably sit down to pee, as well. LOL But then again, I've exclusively ridden stand up jet skis since 1985, starting with a Kawasaki 550, then progressing up to a Kawasaki 750SXI....and finally to the ski I ride now, a Yamaha Super Jet.

IMHO, the Super Jet is a much better ski than the Kawasaki. The hull is designed more robust, so is the handle pole. On my 550's and on my 750, I was constantly repairing cracked handle poles, or cracked nose cones, because Kawasaki skis are flimsy. I have yet to put any kind of crack in the hull or the handle pole of the Super Jet, and I ride it every bit as hard as I rode my other jet skis...so, that says something about its design.

As for how to rest, I usually pull up to a beach. But if I'm in the water, I just lay on the tray area of the ski.

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Not ALL of us sit down to pee, "PSG-1" !!!

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

I've done a lot of research and I was originality looking at a js550 because I can pick one up for $500.00 off craigslist. But I might wait for a decent super jet in the fall instead. They just look like a lot of fun. I rarely ever see them on the lake. All I see are the huge 3 seater couches now on the lake.

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

Like I said, you can't go wrong with a Super Jet. I've been riding almost 30 years, and the Super Jet is the first jet ski that I haven't been able to outright destroy the hull from jumping waves. If I can't tear it up, that says something!

If anyone still needs convincing how much fun the Super Jet can be....watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7dnLCxH4Ek

And this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDJmGexgQs0

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

I've always wanted to ride a Superjet to compare the difference. I've been riding Kawasaki's for a number of years. I guess I dont ride them as hard you do, but I've broken the hull or handlepole.

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

to the OP, you are quite correct. stand ups are much more fun than couches. depending on your budget you have somewhat of a choice to make between the kawasaki and yamaha lines. the superset (SJ) is more of a freestyle ski while the kawi's are slanted more toward the bouy runners. this doesn't mean you can't set up the skis to do what you want, just a design philosophy. my advice is first decide what kind of riding you want to do. that will determine the type of stand up you will want. then you will have to look at your budget and see what you can afford. you are better off spending a few extra bucks buying a ski that has already had some basic mods done to it. for example when i bought my SJ, it already had an aftermarket ride plate, intake, exhaust and rejetted carbs. these aren't hard mods, but it usually saves a ton of money. i'd be wary of a fully race modded ski as it was probably pushed pretty hard and likely isn't for the beginner. good luck.

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

jonesy54 said:

I've always wanted to ride a Superjet to compare the difference. I've been riding Kawasaki's for a number of years. I guess I dont ride them as hard you do, but I've broken the hull or handlepole.

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Well, I reckon when you put a ski through a torture test like I do, such as jumping 8 foot waves, catching 12-15 feet of air, etc....something's gonna break (and I wonder why I have lower back pain sometimes....LOL)

But like I said, on the old 550's....the nose cone would often crack right at the joint where the cowling meets the body of the handle pole pivot....even putting "beef-it" plates in that location wouldn't stop it.

Then with the 750 SXI, the handle pole itself was the weak point....I broke the handle pole on my ski at least 5 times. Good running engine, nearly indestructible, but the hull just wouldn't hold up to my abuse.

The only thing I've broken on the Super Jet, was the motor mounts, two years ago. And I'm not sure if I got lucky when it happened, nothing else was damaged, i.e., the driveshaft or the thru hull bearing. So, what I do now is replace the motor mounts every 2 years, as a preventive measure.

And considering that Yamaha motor mounts are 30-40 dollars a piece, as opposed to Kawasaki's motor mounts at 90 dollars a piece it seems that the Super Jet once again prevails.

Re: Stand Up Jet Ski

jafo9 said:

to the OP, you are quite correct. stand ups are much more fun than couches. depending on your budget you have somewhat of a choice to make between the kawasaki and yamaha lines. the superset (SJ) is more of a freestyle ski while the kawi's are slanted more toward the bouy runners. this doesn't mean you can't set up the skis to do what you want, just a design philosophy. my advice is first decide what kind of riding you want to do. that will determine the type of stand up you will want. then you will have to look at your budget and see what you can afford. you are better off spending a few extra bucks buying a ski that has already had some basic mods done to it. for example when i bought my SJ, it already had an aftermarket ride plate, intake, exhaust and rejetted carbs. these aren't hard mods, but it usually saves a ton of money. i'd be wary of a fully race modded ski as it was probably pushed pretty hard and likely isn't for the beginner. good luck.

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You're right about the difference in the 2 skis. I will say that my Kawasaki 750 seemed to be more stable at lower speeds, not as tippy as the SJ. The SJ took a little getting used to, but once I learned the feel and balance of the SJ, it was a non-issue.

I bought mine used for 3200 dollars, and everything was in overall good condition. Not sure what a new one costs, but I think I got a fairly decent deal.