FINAL REBUILD

In the final instalment of the much-loved Project Superjet, Nick Dyer and Jez Crook fit the pump, driveshaft and engine and take the beast for a well deserved ride!

HULL FITTINGS AND FIXINGS

With all the main components re-assembled it is now time to put it all together. First off we start with the intermediate bearing assembly. This is bolted to the bulkhead with three bolts and it’s a good idea to put some silicone sealer on the back of the housing where it is in contact with bulkhead. This will create a good watertight seal.

Now the water box can be fitted. We chose to fit an ATP water box for extra performance but, because it’s a bit smaller, we found that it was necessary to tie a knot in each of the rubber straps to keep it tight. Next, make sure that tank pads are securely glued into the bottom of the hull. Failure to do this may result in the fuel tank wearing through in the bottom of the hull creating a fire hazard. You can now fit the engine mounts (as mentioned in a previous article we had to fit new ones). We fitted aftermarket engine mounts as these are made of harder rubber and therefore have less vibration which is a good thing when fitting performance air filters to stop them cracking, they also last a lot longer than standard.

Next the steering cable needs to be fitted back into the hull. Hopefully you will remember the order in which you took the fixing apart but if not take a look at page 53 where we have run an exploded picture diagram. If you struggle getting the cable through the thru’ hull fitting, first push a length of fuel pipe through the tube then insert the end of the cable into the tube and draw it back through. Now fit the holder, o-ring and nut to secure the cable. You can also fit the cable clip/joint to the end of the cable at this stage and secure with the small lock nut.

The pole bracket and hood clips are now mounted onto the hull using some silicone sealer. We fitted a – ½” UMI Racing bracket to our ski so that pivot point is lower to give more control. You can now feed the throttle cable through the bracket.

Now our Star Bar handle pole can be fitted using the correct bushes. Once this is on, it is down to personal preference how tight you do the pivot bolt, some freestylers prefer to have the bolt very tight so that the pole stays in the upright position when doing tricks. Once the pole is fitted you can then thread the start/stop wiring down through the pole and the throttle cable upwards. Now the handlebars can be fitted to the steering plate with the bolts and u-clamps. Use Loctite on the bolts, as the last thing you want to happen is the handlebars coming off in your hand. The steering assembly can now be fitted to the pivot assembly and the steering cable attached, then the start/stop assembly and throttle assembly can be clamped to the bars. The chin pad cover can now be fitted.

A Hydroturf Freestyle mat set was fitted using contact adhesive. It can be quite tricky fitting mats at the best of times so it’s best to get a mate to help you. Another good idea is to get one of those hot air paint strippers to warm the mat and make it supple to get it around the tight corners. Any marks or over spilt glue can be removed using either petrol or thinners on a clean rag.

FITTING THE JET PUMP

Once this is done, you can then turn the hull on its side ready to fit the jet pump. The drive shaft has a spline on the end which will slide and locate into the back of the intermediate housing, a small amount of grease needs to be put onto the spline so that if you need to remove the jet pump for an impeller change in the future it will come out with ease.

Check that the seal is around the front of the pump and slide it into position. You may need to turn the drive shaft very slightly so that the splines line up. Once they have, push the pump right in until the seal sits on the back of the intake guide (the black plastic intake). Now bolt the pump to the hull and connect the cooling pipe with a jubilee clip and the bilge pipe with a cable tie. The steering cable can now be attached to the nozzle pivot.

We have chosen to fit an R&D ride plate and intake grate. The ride plate will give us better straight line stability and get the ski onto the plane quicker whilst the intake grate will give us better hook-up in rough water and when cornering. When fitting these I always put a small amount of silicone sealer on the surfaces which are in contact with the hull and also on the bolts to stop them rattling out. I never use Loctite on mounting inserts as in most cases the inserts are brass and can easily have the thread pulled out when removing the bolts if Loctite is used.

FITTING THE ENGINE

Lift the engine into the hull and, with a small amount of spray, lube slide the engine couplers together making sure that the rubber damper is in between them. Before the engine is bolted down it will need “shimming” to make sure that the engine is in line, both side to side and up and down with the intermediate bearing. This can be done using a straight bar of about 10cm long across the flat surfaces of the couplers. Rest the bar across the top of the coupler and see if there is any rocking. It is normal for the engine to be ½ - 1mm low, but first turn the engine through 180 degrees by hand using the couplers. Now try it again. You may find that the engine is now ½ - 1mm too high, if this is the case then no shimming is necessary but if it’s still too low then packing shims will need to be put under the rear of the engine. Also check the side to side and once you are happy the engine is shimmed correctly you can now tighten down the engine mount bolts.

Now fit the coupler cover and the bolt the electric box to the bulkhead and connect the start/stop wiring harness. You can now fit the exhaust tubes, fuel pipes and throttle cable. The fuel tank is next along with the battery tray, which helps to hold the tank in place.

Once everything is done it’s always a good idea to take a look around and make sure that everything is where it should be and tight.

Now you can fit the battery and fill her up with fuel. Because we have no oil injection we are going to run our Superjet on a fully synthetic 40:1 mix, once run in, which is very easy if you have a 20-litre can. It’s basically half a litre of oil to 20-litres of petrol, give it a shake and job done. But for the first five hours we are going to run it on 20:1, double mix for the break-in period.

Once the fuel is primed up to the carbs the primer kit should work.

RUNNING HER FOR THE
FIRST TIME

Two squirts of the primer and the nerves start jangling. Clip in the lanyard and press the green button, crank-crank brrrrrrrrm, there she goes and what a fantastic sound that ATP water box makes. Don’t run the engine for more than 20 seconds out of the water, unless you have it running on the hosepipe. Everything looks good in the workshop so now it’s time to wheel the ski outside and run it on the hosepipe. Start the engine, and then turn the hosepipe on. You should look for water from three places - out of the steering nozzle and intake grate, out of the bypass on the side of the ski and out of the exhaust at the rear of the hull. That way you know that the cooling is working correctly. Whilst the engine is running, have a check around for any exhaust or water leaks. Everything looks OK so it’s off to our test lake.

ON THE WATER

Thankfully we have Craig Cahoon Waterski School just half a mile away, which has given us very special permission to use their slipway and lake for testing, so off we went on a very sunny Thursday afternoon at 5.00pm to get wet with a jet (if you’re old enough to remember that old Kawasaki slogan, you’ve been jet skiing too long!).

Once lifted out of the back of the van and put at the water’s edge, we stood back to admire our handy work and I’ll tell you what, in the sun she looks the absolute business.

Once changed it was time for a real test. Push her out to knee deep water and press the green button…. brappppp, off we go.

A few wags of the throttle and the hairs are up on the back of your neck - this is what jet skiing is all about. This engine has got some kick, the Solas impeller along with the high compression ATP head and Tau-ceti air filters coupled up with the Carbon Tech reeds (thanks Brian) really give this baby some punch. Squeeze the throttle some more and that raspy noise of the ATP water box makes the exhaust note sound like music to your ears. Let’s not get carried away. Must get back to the bank to do a “sizzle test” to make sure that the engine temperatures are OK. To do this, drop a small amount of water on to the head and exhaust pipe - sizzle…too hot, steam…. just about right.

Out we go again, opening her up and carving around some buoys - you can really feel the R&D intake grate hooking up around the corners and the straight line stability of the R&D ride plate. It’s great having the Starbar handle pole as it’s shorter than standard and really lets you get your weight over the front of the ski. The wider handlebars and UMI Racing throttle lever really help to give the feeling of total control. We keep taking it in turns until the fuel starts to get low and the engine starts to die in the corners. All too soon it’s time to lift her back into the van, but what a fantastic ski… probably the best recreational Superjet I have ever ridden.

CONCLUSION

So there we have it, we’ve taken what was a very tired Superjet, stripped her down to her bare bones and rebuilt her with the very latest performance parts available on the market today, to which I would like to thank each and every one of our suppliers who gave us all the relevant parts to complete the job, when we asked them for products, not one refused, which really overwhelmed me.

Like we said from the very start of the project, our aim was not to build an out and out Freestyle ski but a user-friendly ski that handles like a dream and had to have plenty of get up and go. Well, from taking her out on our test lake, I think we’ve kept to our word. She really handles well but there was also a wolf under the hood waiting to get out, as and when required. Many people have asked us what are we going to do with her, and do we want to sell her? Well, one thing is plain and simple in life - everything has a price - and you know who to call… Best regards from Jez and Nick at Line 1.