Sunday evening, performance watercraft enthusiasts who happened to also be Star Wars fans all quietly murmured in their best Yoda impression, “Begun, the Horsepower Wars have.” Sea-Doo has allowed Kawasaki its time in the sun as the industry’s horsepower leader for a decade – but no more! The industry’s sales dominator just unleashed its new 1630 ACE variant, the 325 ACE.
With this new bump in horsepower, Sea-Doo has also expanded its performance segment offerings with one returning and one new entry: the long-awaited GTR-X 300 and the GTR 230. These two machines ride on the lightweight PolyTec 2.0 hulls that have proven to hold up to brutal offshore conditions as well as daring aftermarket tuners who’ve put plenty of supercharged power through their GTRs.
Additionally, Sea-Doo also pulled back the curtain on the totally redesigned Spark and Spark Trixx entry models. Marking the Rec Lite segment’s 10th anniversary, the newly minted Spark is sleeker, more refined, more ergonomic and accessory-friendly than previous versions. These promise to welcome in a new crop of PWC owners – and more importantly, PWC enthusiasts – to the hobby.
Lastly – before we dive into the nitty gritties – Sea-Doo also introduced its top-of-the-line Switch Cruise Limited. This heavily optioned tritoon includes premium features like improved seating and ergonomics for the captain’s chair, a massive touchscreen dashboard, improved sound damping, an all new BRP Premium Audio System (by JL Audio), deck LED lighting and mats, and improved charging.
Bringing Out The Big Guns
Rumors had swirled about Sea-Doo “upping the wick” on the 300 ACE, but the changes made to the 1630 ACE engine carry far greater implications than even what Sea-Doo’s own marketing department has led on. Initial predictions were minor modifications to the ignition timing or possibly a revised supercharger impeller. What we got instead is far, far more substantial.
Internally, the 325 ACE received ceramic thermal-coated pistons [think similar to Cerakote –Ed.] providing better heat mitigation and superior friction reduction. Being that the ACE engines use plasma coated cylinders, reducing heat will keep the pistons from scoring the cylinders in high temperature conditions, saving the engine from potential damage. An O2 sensor was also added to the exhaust manifold.
Above: External differences between the 300 and 325 are noticeable. On the left is the current 300 ACE. Notice the clockwise rotation of the supercharger housing and how far is sits into the PTO cover. On the right is the new 325 ACE with its larger diameter inlet and counterclockwise outlet. The new PTO cover houses the clutch and spring washers.
Rotax radically redesigned its supercharger from the inside out. Changes begin with upgrading to a billet impeller from cast. The impeller is smaller overall but the reversed rotation housing touts a larger diameter inlet. It also features a completely new shaft and gear design, with the clutch and spring washers in the PTO housing itself.
Adding this new planetary gear set within the housing allows for a higher gear ratio to spin the supercharger faster, producing much more boost. And true to the design, Sea-Doo states the new supercharger spins faster and produces more boost (psi) than ever before.
Mated to a revised, larger diameter and freer-flowing air intake system, the new 325 ACE draws in much more air, allowing the engine to spool up faster and deliver a denser intake charge. This required Rotax to increase the factory rev limiter from 8,000rpm to 8,250rpm. Spinning at these kinds of rpm consequently required upgrading the valve rockers to thicker forgings.
Of course, this all needed a cascade of upgrades to the ACE’s engine management, ignition coils and fuel pump – or did it? Per Greg Gaddis of Greenhulk Garage, the previous hardware could handle well over 400-horsepower; what these changes imply instead, is that Sea-Doo is intentionally overbuilding its top tier performance engine with the high performance aftermarket community in mind.
When equipped on a 2024 RXP-X, the 325 ACE rockets the Sea-Doo to an industry-leading 3.4-second 0-to-60mph. The new RXP-X 325 (MSRP $19,199) comes in either Ice Metal & Manta Green or Fiery Red Premium ($300); and just as The Watercraft Journal predicted, comes standard with the carbon fiber hood and adjustable steering damper that debuted on the 2023 Apex model.
Sharing the 325 ACE is the RXT-X (MSRP $19,999). Similarly available in either Ice Metal & Manta Green or Fiery Red Premium, the T-X cannot be optioned with iDF (due to the power output of the 325 ACE) but does come standard with the Premium Tech Package. And the RXT-X also gets a new polished impeller, extended VTS for better trim control and all previous X-Package features.
Previously, the Performance segment would be concluded with the GTR 230 (MSRP $14,099), a stellar more-playful entry in its own right, but not so for 2024. Sea-Doo revived the GTR-X now touting the 300 ACE engine. Riding atop the same PolyTec 2.0 hull as the GTR 230, the GTR-X 300 shared the deck, a modified two-seater Ergolock saddle similar to the RXP-X, and aluminum neck steering.
Unlike the GTR, which comes in Eclipse Black and Reef Blue; the GTX-R is coated in stealthy Eclipse Black and Deep Marsala. Other items shared between the GTR-X 300 (MSRP $16,999) and the RXP-X include the angled foot wedges, VTS, Launch Control and a polished impeller – making it a perfect in-between model for the performance enthusiast who is looking to boil some water.
The New Kid is All Grown Up
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Sea-Doo Spark – the single-most impactful watercraft on the industry in the last 20 years – received a complete redesign. Spark routinely filled the Top 5 if not Top 3 best selling models for most of the decade, with Spark Trixx accounting for 70-percent of total Spark sales. And yes, 60-percent of Trixx owners intentionally bought it to perform tricks.
In redesigning the Spark, Sea-Doo was keenly aware not to vary too far from its original design. Spark retains its open “wishbone” structure but is far sleeker in its body lines and smooths out much of its predecessor’s rough edges. Reboarding is far less cumbersome now that the rear deck is less clunky and includes grab handles (although the single-foot folding swim step returns unchanged).
Sea-Doo “upped” the Spark (MSRP $6,999) by including a backlit 4.5-inch digital display and provided a watertight phone compartment in the enlarged glove box. Sparks equipped for 2 and 3-up seating enjoy far better support, and LinQ Lite mounting ports molded into the Spark’s gunwales and hood for GoPro cameras and bumpers. And Sea-Doo opened up the access panel to reach the battery, fuse box, spark plugs and oil filter.
For the Sea-Doo Trixx (MSRP $9,099), Sea-Doo added a third seating option: a single-seater. The new Freestyle seat makes mobility easier, allowing the rider to move freer as they powerslide, launch from the lip of a wave or kick up the trim and stand on its tail.
Trixx boasts a redesigned reverse gate that, per Sea-Doo, “provides improved maneuverability at slow speeds and a new “Trixx Mode” [that] offers added stopping power enabling new tricks and stunts (like reverse donuts and nose dives).”
For 2024, the 900 ACE engine options carry over – 60-horsepower standard or an optional 90 (standard on Trixx). The new Sparks are available in either Sunrise Orange & Dragon Red or Dazzling Blue & Vapor Blue; while the Trixx can be had in Dragon Red & Bright White or Vapor Blue & Neon Yellow at no added cost. And as before, the Trixx comes with the adjustable steering neck for standing or sitting positions.
Checking In With the Rest of The Family
Before we delve into the new addition to the Switch segment, we should review the rest of the Sea-Doo watercraft lineup: The GTI 90 has been discontinued. Rather, the entry level Recreation model is the GTI 130 (MSRP 11,499) and comes in Bright White & Neo Mint. The GTI SE 130 (MSRP $12,299) comes in either Ice Metal & Neo Mint or Teal Blue & Manta Green as does the GTI SE 170 (MSRP $12,899).
The base GTX lineup all gets coated in a very fetching Abyss Blue & Gulfstream Blue combination, and can be had naturally aspirated as a GTX 170 (MSRP $15,199) or as a supercharged GTX 230 (MSRP $16,199) or GTX 300 (MSRP $17,899). All models can come optioned with iDF and/or the Premium Tech Package. The top tier GTX Limited (MSRP $19,699) comes in Blue Abyss or White Pearl Premium ($300) with the 300 ACE engine, iDF and the Premium Tech Package as well as a premium ski cover.
All entries into the Wake and Fish Pro segment continue into 2024 unchanged: the Wake 170 (MSRP $14,099) comes in Neo Mint as does its larger Wake Pro 230 sibling (MSRP $18,399); the FishPro Scout 170 (MSRP $15,099) comes in White & Gulfstream Blue as does the FishPro Sport (MSRP $17,399) as the Fish Pro Trophy 170 (MSRP $20,499) returns in Shark Grey & Orange Crush.
The only remaining change made to the Sea-Doo watercraft lineup went completely unsung: Explorer Pro can now be had naturally aspirated – with 170 horses (MSRP $18,899) – or supercharged – with 230 ponies (MSRP $19,899). We figure if you’re gonna carry over 180-pounds of LinQ fuel caddies with you, you might as well use every drop of that extra fuel, right?
Adding Another Layer to The Switch
While the Switch perfectly fills the gap in the market for entry level boaters, Sea-Doo felt that a top tier offering was warranted; enter the Switch Cruise Limited 230 (MSRP $50,999) – in exclusive Harbor Blue. Based off of the larger 21-foot Cruise model, the Limited checks off a lot of comfort and accessory boxes as well as tosses in two handfuls of extra goodies sure to bring foot traffic into the showroom.
A redesigned swim platform fills the entire transom for easier reboarding and added LinQ attachment points; a premium captain’s chair features more adjustability, thicker padding and arm rests; the handlebar now can be adjusted up or down; an addition seat has been added; LED deck lighting; an all-new 6-speaker Premium Audio System from JL Audio; and a massive 10.25″ touchscreen display is paired with the 7-inch Garmin GPS.
The remaining Switch models come in as before; the base Switch (MSRP $23,699) is only available in Lava Red; the Switch Sport can be equipped as a Sport Compact 170 (MSRP $28,999), a Sport 18 – 230 (MSRP $39,699) or a Sport 21 – 230 (MSRP $42,699) and all can be had in Dusty Navy, Lava Red or Neon Yellow.
Similarly, the Switch Cruise comes in five iterations: Cruise 18 – 130 (MSRP $33,199); Cruise 18 – 170 (MSRP $37,199); Cruise 18 – 230 (MSRP $40,699); Cruise 21 – 170 (MSRP $40,699); and finally, the Cruise 21 – 230 (MSRP $43,699). Of course with the variable accessories, add-ons and features that make the Switch so customizable, each of these prices are subject to change rapidly.
