This project is comprised of 5 phases: disassembly and painting, main graphic installation, installation of accent pieces, installation of additions, and then finally reassembly of the ski all while converting the Yamaha WaveBlaster’s motor to that of a Kawasaki 1100. Stay posted to see all the hard work that the IPD Graphics team is going to put into this project and be sure to check our our updated line of jet ski decal kits and pick one up so that you can spice up your jet ski for the summer.

Phase I (05/05/11) >> Yamaha WaveBlaster Purchase

Phase I Details: IPD has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to design and innovation. To celebrate the upcoming race, create buzz around the Yamaha Waveblaster, and promote our top selling kits IPD has taken on an 1100 Blaster Build.

Our first step was purchasing a used 1994 Yamaha Waveblaster. This WaveBlaster was purchased for only $800 and was found on Craigslist. This sun-damaged WaveBlaster will soon get a new life once the IPD Graphics team gets our hands on it. Soon this Waveblaster will be complete with a new Kawasaki 1100 motor and a shiny, high performance, race inspired graphics kit.

We have already started accumulating parts for the project and plan to document the products and benefits, sources, and prices along the way…stay tuned for the next phase of acquiring the 1100 motor and electrical components.

UPDATE (07/25/11) >> We just sold our Yamaha WaveBlaster engine and electrical for $400 giving us a total investment of $400 for the purchase of the project’s WaveBlaster platform.

Phase II (05/28/11) >> 1100 Motor & Electrical Purchase

Phase II Details: So the next step in the project was to acquire an 1100 motor and ignition system. The most common and easiest way to accomplish this is by buying a used Kawasaki STX or ZXI with an 1100 motor package. Even though other model years will work with a bit more effort, the ideal situation is to find an 1100 model within the 1996-1997 years because they don’t yet have the direct-injection.

With this in mind, we started combing CraigsList for people selling used Kawasaki STX’s and ZXI’s and came accross a seller right here in Orange County just a few miles from our headquarters in Laguna Niguel. The posting said “1996 Kawasaki ZXI 1100 with no title – $1000″. Obviously we don’t care if the boat has a title and the price was right  so we contacted the poster to show interest. Much to our dismay, he notified us that the motor wouldn’t start  so we reluctantly scheduled a time to see the condition of the ski.

Upon arrival we were very surprised to see that the ski was immaculate and appeared to have very low hours. The poster told us that it was started as recently as 2 months before and he figured that the starter was just bad. We pulled the plugs and attempted to turn the motor over and again to our dismay we were not able to to do so. Not knowing what was going on inside of the motor, we offered him $500 for just the motor and electrical considering that we could maybe use some of the parts and he reluctantly took the offer. After getting the ski back to the shop we realized that it was the pump that was frozen and not the motor, so we removed the frozen pump and the ski fired up immediately and ran like a champ!

Phase III >> Fiberglass & Paint

Details Coming Soon….