It didn't take too much effort, just a little time and patience. I used a scrolling saw to do the rough cut and then smoothed it out with a sanding drum on a Dremel tool. I left a bit of the lip on the tail end of the sponson, but you could easily cut that off entirely. Those with a belt sander could do a better job of smoothing out the cut, but I don't have one. Hopefully I'll get out on the water tomorrow to test them.
One of the pics is of the stock F-15X sponson right next to the stock F-12X sponson. It's pretty clear that the lack of a lip on the 12 allows the back end to break loose in a turn. Fingers crossed.
I'm back from my test runs today, and I have to say this mod is an absolute must for any owner of a 15. It was so much more like the handling of the 12 that I'm pretty sure it will be basically identical to the 12 when I remove the rest of the lip. I will be doing that shortly!
Hey, go big or go home. 4" wouldn't have been enough to notice a difference, I don't think. It's actually pretty funny to ride now, because if the back end bounces up high enough so the lip doesn't catch the water...you're skidding your backside around in a hurry. I think fully eliminating the lip will make the 15 just as maneuverable as the 12, which makes it both powerful and responsive. Personally, I think this is a no-brainer mod. The plastic is easy to cut, and replacement parts are cheap if you really mess it up that badly. I wouldn't be too surprised if a well-executed cut increased your top speed slightly, as well. I was noticing that my sponsons are underwater almost all the time. Less frontal area = less hydrodynamic resistance.
This mod was so easy and effective that I'm surprised no one else seems to have thought of it or tried it.
I'm back from my test runs today, and I have to say this mod is an absolute must for any owner of a 15. It was so much more like the handling of the 12 that I'm pretty sure it will be basically identical to the 12 when I remove the rest of the lip. I will be doing that shortly!
Hey, go big or go home. 4" wouldn't have been enough to notice a difference, I don't think. It's actually pretty funny to ride now, because if the back end bounces up high enough so the lip doesn't catch the water...you're skidding your backside around in a hurry. I think fully eliminating the lip will make the 15 just as maneuverable as the 12, which makes it both powerful and responsive. Personally, I think this is a no-brainer mod. The plastic is easy to cut, and replacement parts are cheap if you really mess it up that badly. I wouldn't be too surprised if a well-executed cut increased your top speed slightly, as well. I was noticing that my sponsons are underwater almost all the time. Less frontal area = less hydrodynamic resistance.
This mod was so easy and effective that I'm surprised no one else seems to have thought of it or tried it.
Interesting. Thanks for posting.
Im not sure that this would suite the needs of all or even most 15 owners but Its good to know of the option. Closed course performance is a big concern for me personally so giving up to much rear lateral grip would not be ideal. However having just a bit more slip could be good for sure. I may start by removing 40-50% of the lip.
I wonder if you leave a portion of the lip on the front end of the sponson, that it would enable more slip when you need it and less when you don't? We need retractable sponson lips controlled by a button on the console.
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Originally Posted by mastermindpro
