Since our inaugural trip to Wave Daze, I've been preparing my 650sx for another run at the surf of Virginia Beach.
Last year my time in the water was cut short due to a faulty bilge switch. This year, I bought another "waterproof" switch, disassembled it, filled with dielectric grease, then reassembled and glued into its housing. Finally, I coated the switch and its wires in a roofing "tar" and tested before the trip. This worked for a day, but eventually the salt water found a path into the switch and it stopped working.
After that, I wired a regular toggle, applied silicon caulk to the wires, then wrapped it in three layers of plastic bags. Believe it or not, THIS was the arrangement that worked best, allowing the ski to purge itself of seawater each time I submerged it.
Other than that, the ski ran wonderfully. The footholds I'd epoxied into the tray helped me keep my footing & balance in the choppy surf, and the engine rebuild & porting seemed to give the ski a bit more power. Probably most noticeable was the finger throttle - a huge improvement over the thumb lever which hampered my ability to get a strong hold on the bars.
For three days, I watched the other riders rip it up in the ocean, launching my ski a few times each day to ATTEMPT to hang with the more experienced guys. I wasn't throwing any tricks, but I could noticeably see the improvement in my balance each time I'd go out.
Most importantly was the warm welcome I felt from the more seasoned veterans. Each person I spoke to was happy to share stories of their experiences in the surf. Since I had my wife and four friends joining me, I didn't spend much time with the jet-skiers outside of the daily sessions on the beach, but I'm confident the comaraderie would have extended to the post-ride parties at the Quality Inn which hosted the event.
After each day of riding, I used my flush hose to clear the salt water from the engine and hull compartment. Each morning after, the ski would fire right up, so I was happily reassured that the previous day's flush had worked. To say that I was content with the ski's performance was an understatement. We all expect to be subjected to some level of mechanical frustration while thrashing these 2-stroke machines, but my 650sx performed wonderfully without issue!
The experience of riding in the surf is intense! Admittedly, my ski is still a but outdated and cumbersome, probably contributing to the fatigue that quickly sets in from holding up my stock handle pole.
Now that I've at least experienced the ride on my ski, I'm going to list it for sale and upgrade to something more current - hopefully a 2005 or newer Yamaha Superjet.
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