Hypothetical "if I had it made" thread....silicone 96 XP exhaust hoses

[Minnetonka4me]

Ok so I'm finally got hard quotes on getting these made up and it was far higher than I was originally quoted. Not only that, we all know shipping went up a TON this year.

So heres the scoop....

5ply blue silicone hose
exact replica of stock
will include BOTH the pipe to WB coupler, and the WB to outlet hose
Will also include 4 premium clamps to keep tubing from getting ripped up by regular clamps
will handle hotter exhaust temps then stock; your limit will be the exhaust outlet, not the hoses
Lifetime guarantee


They will be made out of material like this (this is a VW application)



Price is looking to be $149 including shipping in the US for the kit; both hoses and 4 clamps.


What do you guys think? I personally was trying to get to the $120 price point but everything went up. I dont want to go through with this unless I have some serious interest.

If you want to get in on the first run PM me. Thanks!

 

[LouDoo]

Hey Nick,

I only have one question. What the hell is it?

Lou

 

[Minnetonka4me]

The picture is just an example...that hose is in a VW application.

we are talking pipe to water box hose, and the waterbox to outlet hose on a 96 XP.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

ya, that stumped me at first, i had to read it twice, because I was thinking, "DAM,, that ski is complicated !!!"

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Man I was a bit worried about this...LOL the reason why I asked. anyone? Or is it just too much to justify for a rec rider?

Just FYI if your hose is super flexi there is a chance the inner lining is melted. Many times that makes it hard to start on the water. The OEM is obsolete. This one will last forever and look pretty dang good too.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Just curious, how many people are interested in this so far?

 

[Minnetonka4me]

One guy. Me and my bro are getting some no matter what, but we will be shelling out over 200 per if we only get 5 produced. We are really being pressed to buy 25 on the first batch but thats ALOT of dough to shell out if no one is interested.

 

[LouDoo]

Nick,

I think you got a winner here. It crosses to part no. 274000355 and it fits a lot of SeaDoo's. This is just a partial list. 96XP, 95XP800, 97-98SPX, 96GSX, 96GTI(717) and probably a lot more.

Personally I probably wouldn't buy one unless I needed to replace one, but apparently it fits my three ski's, I'll take a look when I get them out of storage. And as you probably already know it's an obsolete part so the only other option is used, which you already have the market, at least on this forum.

Added: This wouldn't keep me from buying one but I would like to see them in purple or yellow instead of the blue.

Lou

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Yeah I hear you but the only colors they come in is black, blue, or red. I personally want them in blue to match the Rhaas urathane motor mounts and to highlight that its a trick part.

Again...Its prob out of the reach of most rec riders, but for a guy with a mod you can dry out the pipe even more which means more speed and more acceleration b/c you dont have to worry about melting stuff. The limit would prob be the outlet at that point...and if you swapped that with a billet one you could possibly REALLY dry it out.

 

[racerxxx]

I will say it's badazz idea, but to really spend 2 bills on it right now I think is crazy, there is still an abundance of these out there. I understand they can collapse. I guess what I'm saying is, when the time comes where they are non existant is when I would be worried, I could also see it if you were replacing one every season. And you always have the option of using silicone couplers and either stainless or aluminum tubing with a rolled bead to construct one. The downside to that is you would need to fasten it to the hull in some way to keep it from knocking around. They use that in turbo systems daily, a buddy of mine that owns a rod shop will make custom coolant lines the same way. Like I said, it would look real cool and I can see the wow factor, but for me right now it seems more "show" than "go". As far as lasting a lifetime, I have seen the silicone couplers fail, and remember the lifetime guarantee is only good if the company is still in business. I know my reply sounds negative towards this idea but that is not my intent at all, I like the idea.



http://www.turbofittings.com/

 

[Spimothy Leary]

as a rec rider, and with an abundance of spare hoses around, i'm not that interested, it would be 10% of the value of my ski !

and I know they last forever, but my ski won't...

so i'd go with xxx, when you can't find them anywhere, then I can see the need, but until then, not really.

from the modded perspective, I can see your point tho, you could in theory, really dry it out.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Yup totally hear ya thats why I posted the thread. I will be putting the order in next week for me and my bro and I will always be able to make more...but they will be even more expensive.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

You gotta see this!

[video=youtube;HMZaFaydzJA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMZaFaydzJA[/video]

 

[Jetskigoodies]

Now we know why they cost so much. I wonder how they get it off the twisted rod it is on.

 

[racerxxx]

Cool vid Nick, that is why I love my job. I see MANY different facets of manufacturing processes in many different industries. The packaging industry is very cool to work in, I always love a plant tour when I'm at a customers. It's amazing to see just how much and how big stuff is just to make a small widget, it gives you a true appreciation of what it takes to get from raw material to your house.

 

[Gary13]

Very cool, too bad one off is crazy I would love to do that in a Y for the 96 951.

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Very cool, too bad one off is crazy I would love to do that in a Y for the 96 951.

For a dual outlet?

Just FYI....we have started production on these. I will be posting pix of the prototype installed in about 3 weeks.

They are $149 per kit if someone changes their minds.

Just you get a load of the trick plans I have for my 970 build...

 

[Gary13]

Yes, dual, the 96 951 that i acquired from Matt B. has two outlets, only one hooked up. Matt and the PO/builder reported the original outlet was pinched closed however when I connect a large shop vac to the outlet it flows freely... wouldn't expect any real performance gains just thought both sides bubbling would be cool.

Look forward to hearing about your 970(?) Build!

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Yeah I dont know how you would make one work; the reason they did that is the pipe/water box is on opposite sides between the 800 and 951. Most people glass over the old hole.

 

[Gary13]

Yup, one of the guys on GH tried duals but apparently had issues.
Initially he shortened his water box to facilitate access to the starboard exhaust port. Then had a custom y-pipe welded up to connect the hoses. Unfortunately he reported being plagued with leaks and poor performance, eventually giving up and going back to a full size waterbox/single exhaust.
The one I have has the doner WB on starboard side w/ modded crossover hose to the port side. The original exhaust and hose are still in place and based upon my very scientific shop vac flow testing it doesn't appear to be pinched off.
The trick would be to create a T or Y that would allow connecting the original hose to the new one without compromising the integrity of the exhaust system....

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Dr Honda]

It's very cool... but a tuff sell. The "Bling" factor is going to be gone, because of the age of the target ski's. Also... if you are going to market these... don't make "Higher exhaust temps" a selling point. You may get an idiot try to dry out his pipe for more RPM's... and have other issues. Also... even though it can take higher temps... Si hosing generally has a shorter life on the exhaust. The flexing, and heat will break down the internals of the hose. So... I'm not sure how you can offer a life time warranty on it. (on the water pipes... that's a different story)

Now... speaking of that... if you offer the warranty... who is going to take care of it? You, or the shop making them? And, what's going to happen when you have some wrench happy guy split a hose because they over tighten a clamp?? You know you will wind up eating a couple sets because of that. I know you can say it's the installer's fault... but it only takes one phone call to reverse the charges on a credit card or Paypal.

I've run Si couplers in alcohol engines (they run cooler exhaust) and they still only last a couple seasons. (much shorter life than Gates rubber)



I'm not trying to sound negative... but I am a manufacture... and I'm just trying to give you some things to think about before making something like this. Personally... I would have a thin wall, stainless pipe bent up, and supply 2 rubber couplers. I'm sure it would be a fraction of the price... it will last WAY longer... and it will still look good.