Polaris SL ride plate options

[Mr. GP1800]

I thought I would post this for everyone, since there seem to be a lot of questions regarding reducing porpoising and making the SL hulls ride better. I will share some of my experiences as well with these plates.

Pictured are the 4 most common options for comparison.



On the left is the stock SL ride plate. 12 inches long from front to back.

Next is the SLX ride plate. This one measures 16 inches front to back, however the corners are clipped.

The third from the left is the Ocean Pro "R" version. Overall length is 15 inches.

The one on the far right is the Ocean Pro "O" version. Overall length is 18 inches. This would be my first recommendation for anyone looking to improve the ride and handling of their SL ski. With both Ocean Pro plates, the grooves cast into the bottom greatly help with tracking and steering, especially at high speed.

I first tried an SLX ride plate on my SL 650, but that seemed to make the porpoising worse when using the short jet pump. I have this same plate on my SL 900 right now, with the large SLX sponsons and long pump, and it rides about as smooth as my 650 does with just the OP long plate.

My suggestion based on experience is to go for one of the Ocean Pro plates. Some will say you lose top end with the Ocean version, however I found that to be maybe 1 MPH at most. I have not tried out the "R" version, however I plan on doing that to add to this thread. Ocean Pro plates are still available new from Ocean Pro. Contact them directly or search for them on EBay. The "R" version is 99 bucks and the "O" version is 105 plus shipping.

Hopefully this clears up some of the questions regarding plate options for your SL hull.

[jimfc3]

I'm thinking about getting the 'O' for my stock 97 SL900 because most of the time it's in choppy water. Would I need to extend the pump or can I just bolt it on and go? Will I only loose a few MPH on the top end? How much of a differance is the ride from an 'O' to the 'R'? Also do I need to extend pump with the 'R'?

[Mr. GP1800]

SL 900 already has the extended pump. No need to do that. I would definitely go with the O version. I have not tested out the R version as of yet, but I intend to do so. I didn't notice any reduction in speed with my O plate on my SL 650, maybe 1 MPH at most.

[Mr. GP1800]

Someone should sticky this.......

[TxVirageTx]

if memory serves me,the 97 sl900 also had the twisted wedge setup.i'd ditch it and go with a 4 wedge setup

[Mr. GP1800]

Only the 96 had the twisted wedge i think

[K447]

Only the 96 had the twisted wedge I think

Easy enough to look up the twisted wedge part number, then see which models and years it cross references.

There is some info on the tested wedge via my signature links. Might even mention which models and years...

[TxVirageTx]

my favorite plate was the tx batwing cut down to fit the sl hulls.my sl1050 ran its fastest mph's with that plate,2 mph faster than the stocker on a stock wedge.

[Miglater]

my favorite plate was the tx batwing cut down to fit the sl hulls.my sl1050 ran its fastest mph's with that plate,2 mph faster than the stocker on a stock wedge.

Any pics of the modded plate?

[H2ozone]

My sl 750 porpoises like crazy so I was thinking about a ocean plate. Do I need a pump extension? With the ocean pro now out of stock will the slx plate work as good too? Does that need an extension? Thank You for your time!