So if these grates are better why did they not continue using them. Any reson I should not use it on the ski im putting together.
i'm not a grate expert, and on flat water i've actually found the best grate to be no grate or stock grate.
I'd suggest tho, that there is no downside to using it except maybe a 1-2mph down grade at max speed, but the benefits likely outweigh the downside of that slight drop.
i'd say the main reason to not continue using is that "probably" they take down the high speed a tad, while offering better pickup at low speeds, or choppy water conditions. So if i'm a normal recreational rider that hits mostly smooth rivers and lakes, i'd probably do just as well with a stock grate, and not notice the difference If i'm a hard core rec rider with a modified engine or at the very least an aggressive riding style, then i'd probably notice the improvement.
IMO unless your the latter type, and you ride in chop or surf quite a bit and your jamming the throttle a lot out of turns, etc, then this grate won't really make a hug difference, but its benefits outweigh the negatives, the only real negative IMO is that slight loss of top speed, so unless your struggeling to keep up with your buddies with bigger faster ski's, then this grate will be fine.
Also it might save your azz someday if we have the zombie Apocalypse... put a grate like that in your left hand and a set of UMI handlebars in the right, then you can take on at least 3 of the walking dead with no issues, stick and move, stick and move.
the main reason not to use it would probably me money, and ski setup, on an x4 with stock 717 and a regular joe behind the bars then the stock grate is most likely just fine, so, if you can sell it for a fair price its money that can reduce the overall cost of the ski, or pay for a couple weekends of gas/oil.
you might simply want to put it on, (4 bolts) run the ski and see if you like how it feels, then for giggles, remove the grate and run it again (but caution, i think two of those screws are thru hull, so leave them in or you'll leak), then throw the stocker grate on and run and see if you feel the difference, if you really don't notice anything different, sell the aftermarket grate and put the stocker back on.