This ragged ole HX hull came across the FL Classifieds thread a good while back and I recognized it right away. At first I thought it was Chris Fischetti's boat but he is always #300. My friend who raced back then(and still races now) remembered the ski. It was ridden by the guy who ran the Florida ski shop that the Fischetti's owned at the time. I still loved the look and the history so I pushed for it.
Nammer was kind enough to go over there, buy it with his own hundred till I could pay him back, store it, and then cart it up the state of Fl to my Dad and Brother's business. It sat right there in the rain and sun for months but there is no hurting the condition of this thing. The hull obviously was in a bad accident and never put back together. Luckily someone repaired the fiberglass but that was it. It looks like it has not missed a day outside since haha.
I know a good bit about that race team and even have a X4 myself that was built by Pop's Fichetti so I knew it would be worth having. I was not disappointed. This has the 96XP sponsons in front and I've been told that a lot of racers copied that at the time. They also glassed in extra strakes at the edges of the hull.
Here is how I brought it home. The seat was just held on by the shock.
My dad traded a mini-bike scooter thing that he got for free for a complete HX minus engine and Ebox. That and getting moved into my new home really got this project moving. I had bought a Jettrim splash guard and seat cover previously so I put the splash guard on while I was moving the rails over.
I Purple Powered and pressure washed the keeper hull out and all the donor parts that I moved over as well.
I picked that donor hull clean and took it to work where I cut it up in pieces with a chainsaw and threw it in the dumpster
They had routed out the pump area so bad it wouldn't hold a grate anymore so I started right from the fiberglass and added everything.
I gave it a Westcoast ride plate and a Jet Dynamics Avenger grate(#A6)
Here is a pic of the inside front right. It's kinda ugly but strong at least. I found a black front eyelet and installed it with a tow loop(you can see the two nuts and washers)
Now I'm a mid 90's aftermarket Seadoo part kinda guy and I could bring myself to make it a stock boat with this look and history. I got a deal on an old Novi built fully ported 717 based race engine. The cylinders were 84mm and fully ported out with a Billet head so I swapped them out for a fresh OEM top end. I just had to calm it down a bit because I want to be able to run pump gas and get more then 30min ride time out of a tank. Check out this port work! I have no idea how the old Gurus could get it so perfect around a curve. This was not just some dude with a Dremel, lol.
I'm rocking a billet purple Jetenetics lightweight flywheel and what I believe to be early Novi carbs. I can't prove that though but they are a neat set of 44mm SBN's that have been taper bored above the butterfly and had early Novi style bomb sights added.
I'm running a Factory pipe but not just any Factory pipe(not original stock OEM pipe but FPP Factory Pipe Products aftermarket I know that name can be confusing) it's the Chamber from Fish's old #300 racing HX! Notice the added jetted fitting
Since I'm dropping some coin in at this point and need to get the rubber to the road..... It gets a Skat Trak Magnum pump with brand new impeller!
I've got a lot more inside pics to show soon but here is my setup I'll be looking at. From left to right.... PJS grips, Magura fluid lever for the R&D hydraulic trim, Racepak handlebar button, UMI steering(try finding that on the used market) with period correct handle bar pad, Racepak Hot Tach, OEM fuel gauge, UMI start/stop button holder, and PJS trigger throttle with UMI cable adapter.
There is no beating Jettrim!!! Check out this seat they made for it. I love the stitching and the ostrich material. They even put a "Flying Fish" logo on it because that was Fishetti's nickname back then. I used the seat shock from an old Yamaha PW80 minibike because an old racer told me about that trick. It's lighter and performs better than the OEM one.
I fired it up today and it sounds AWESOME!!! Tomorrow it gets new Hydro-Turf anf FL #'s.
I'm so glad I got all this up. I've been wanting to share for a while. All questions and comments welcome. Thanks for checking it out.
Nammer was kind enough to go over there, buy it with his own hundred till I could pay him back, store it, and then cart it up the state of Fl to my Dad and Brother's business. It sat right there in the rain and sun for months but there is no hurting the condition of this thing. The hull obviously was in a bad accident and never put back together. Luckily someone repaired the fiberglass but that was it. It looks like it has not missed a day outside since haha.
I know a good bit about that race team and even have a X4 myself that was built by Pop's Fichetti so I knew it would be worth having. I was not disappointed. This has the 96XP sponsons in front and I've been told that a lot of racers copied that at the time. They also glassed in extra strakes at the edges of the hull.
Here is how I brought it home. The seat was just held on by the shock.
My dad traded a mini-bike scooter thing that he got for free for a complete HX minus engine and Ebox. That and getting moved into my new home really got this project moving. I had bought a Jettrim splash guard and seat cover previously so I put the splash guard on while I was moving the rails over.
I Purple Powered and pressure washed the keeper hull out and all the donor parts that I moved over as well.
I picked that donor hull clean and took it to work where I cut it up in pieces with a chainsaw and threw it in the dumpster
They had routed out the pump area so bad it wouldn't hold a grate anymore so I started right from the fiberglass and added everything.
I gave it a Westcoast ride plate and a Jet Dynamics Avenger grate(#A6)
Here is a pic of the inside front right. It's kinda ugly but strong at least. I found a black front eyelet and installed it with a tow loop(you can see the two nuts and washers)
Now I'm a mid 90's aftermarket Seadoo part kinda guy and I could bring myself to make it a stock boat with this look and history. I got a deal on an old Novi built fully ported 717 based race engine. The cylinders were 84mm and fully ported out with a Billet head so I swapped them out for a fresh OEM top end. I just had to calm it down a bit because I want to be able to run pump gas and get more then 30min ride time out of a tank. Check out this port work! I have no idea how the old Gurus could get it so perfect around a curve. This was not just some dude with a Dremel, lol.
I'm rocking a billet purple Jetenetics lightweight flywheel and what I believe to be early Novi carbs. I can't prove that though but they are a neat set of 44mm SBN's that have been taper bored above the butterfly and had early Novi style bomb sights added.
I'm running a Factory pipe but not just any Factory pipe(not original stock OEM pipe but FPP Factory Pipe Products aftermarket I know that name can be confusing) it's the Chamber from Fish's old #300 racing HX! Notice the added jetted fitting
Since I'm dropping some coin in at this point and need to get the rubber to the road..... It gets a Skat Trak Magnum pump with brand new impeller!
I've got a lot more inside pics to show soon but here is my setup I'll be looking at. From left to right.... PJS grips, Magura fluid lever for the R&D hydraulic trim, Racepak handlebar button, UMI steering(try finding that on the used market) with period correct handle bar pad, Racepak Hot Tach, OEM fuel gauge, UMI start/stop button holder, and PJS trigger throttle with UMI cable adapter.
There is no beating Jettrim!!! Check out this seat they made for it. I love the stitching and the ostrich material. They even put a "Flying Fish" logo on it because that was Fishetti's nickname back then. I used the seat shock from an old Yamaha PW80 minibike because an old racer told me about that trick. It's lighter and performs better than the OEM one.
I fired it up today and it sounds AWESOME!!! Tomorrow it gets new Hydro-Turf anf FL #'s.
I'm so glad I got all this up. I've been wanting to share for a while. All questions and comments welcome. Thanks for checking it out.
