“Sometimes, less is more,” is an old maxim that often leaves the recipient asking, “but more what?” In the case of Sea-Doo’s recent unveiling of the 2026 lineup held in Boston, Massachusetts this past weekend, many were wondering, “is that it?” In a sweeping generalized oversimplification, Sea-Doo brought it’s large 10.25-inch touchscreen display to four new units, iDF to the two GTI models, and new colors for three units.
Yup. That’s pretty much it (well, besides some eye-bulging price changes). So why is so little change a good thing? It’s actually great news if you look just a little further past your own nose – which we know most social media critics can’t do. So we’re going to break down BRP’s strategy for those who actually want to understand how this benefits both them, the consumer, the dealers around the world, and the industry altogether.
Let’s start with some hard, sugar-free facts: These past two years have been miserable for the powersports industry. New unit sales have been “cold,” to use the preferred softer, marketing speak. Soft sales have resulted in ballooning inventories that dealers have struggled to offload. Even extended warranties, discounted services and rebates chipping away at MSRPs have done little to motivate buyers.
Some OE’s have tried to appeal to a narrower market of cash-flush potential buyers with more creature comforts, whiz-bang technologies and so forth, but to little avail. Fewer and fewer youthful enthusiasts are attracted to the current products (if not solely for their inflating prices); and reversing course is a far slower (and costlier) process than the YouTube comments section can bring themselves to understand.
What Sea-Doo’s play for 2026 speaks ever-so-silently is that they are reading the writing on the wall. In delaying the rollout of new shiny product allows dealers to breathe a collective sigh of relief as they try to thin their inventories of unsold 2023, ’24 and ’25 models. What additions Sea-Doo made to those few models are purposefully minimal as those are the units with the greatest turnover. For every one RXP-X 325 there are three GTIs waiting to be sold.
Moreover, most buyers often do not come informed enough to know the differences between said model years – and God help us, neither are many of the sales representatives. By postponing any large changes, buyers have a larger field to choose from with minimal differentiators. Equally, dealers don’t need yet another crash course to bring their sales team up to speed. Two or three year old data is indistinguishable from current.
Nominally, maintaining the model lineup “as-is” benefits the buyer in color options. For those few models who didn’t receive new liveries – namely everything but the Spark Trixx (2 & 3up); GTI SE 130 & SE 170; GTR 230; and RXT-X 325 and RXP-X 325 – you have greater selection between a 2024, ’25 and ’26 model. All other aspects of those units, including powertrain, accessories and options, continue untouched.
Gone is the one-year-only Fish Pro Trophy Apex 300 (as promised at its release last Fall). As hinted at earlier, the RXP-X 325, RXT-X 325, Wake Pro 230, Fish Pro Trophy and Explorer Pro (both 170 and 230) receive the massive 10.25-inch wide touchscreen dashboard introduced last year on the GTX Limited 325. The Trophy does get the larger 9-inch Garmin GPS & Fish Finder on last year’s Apex 300 as well as the hydraulic steering damper.
It’s worth delving a little deeper into the touchscreen display: the dashboard is fully customizable, shows driving stats, compass, marine navigation, music, and more. Unfortunately, all GPS guidance – available with a NavionicsTM subscription – is umbilically tied to the absolutely detestable “BRP GO!” app, which only functions when your smartphone has a signal strong enough to remain linked to 4G or higher.
When optioned on the RXP-X 325, it manages the Launch Mode as well as providing acceleration and top speed stats. On the FishPro Trophy, it, according to Sea-Doo, “provides anglers the opportunity to follow a detailed marine navigation map on the main screen using the BRP GO! Mobile App and then use the Garmin GPS exclusively in fish finder mode to improve the odds of catching the big one.”
For 2026, the Sea-Doo Spark (60HP) 2-up is priced at $6,999 and comes in Sunrise Orange/Dragon Red or Vapor Blue/Dazzling Blue colorways. Gone is the basic 90HP 2-up. The 90HP 3-up begins at $8,599 (up $300 from ’25) with the same colorings. Both the 90HP Trixx 1-up and 3-up are both up $300 over last year at $9,499 and $10,099 respectively; and are available in either last year’s Dragon Red/Bright White or Gulfstream Blue/Orange Crush.
The base GTI 130 comes unchanged in Bright White/Neo Mint and a $400 price bump to $12,099. The GTI SE 130 and SE 170 now include iDF, and are offered in either last year’s Teal Blue/Manta Green or Eclipse Black/Laguna Green. Both received an extraordinary $800 bump over last year, with MSRP’s of $13,299 and $13,899 respectively. The GTI-based Wake 170 leaps up another $750 to $14,849 with no color change.
As mentioned, the ST3-based Wake Pro (230) receives the new larger touchscreen, quantifying its $1,250 price increase from $18,599 to $19,849 for 2026. Both Wake models are sold in Sand Beige/Dazzling Blue. Equally, both of the 170HP and 230HP iterations of the Explorer Pro now include the same 10.25-inch display, sharing the same price climb of $750, putting them at $20,149 and $20,399 respectively. Both return in Iceland Grey.
The “Touring” segment includes the GTX 170, 230 and 300 models each returning in Blue Abyss/Gulfstream Blue colorway and are priced $15,949, $16,949 and $18,649 respectively, up $550 from last year across the line. For Sea-Doo’s flagship, the GTX Limited 325, almost everything carries over unchanged including options for either a White Pearl or Teal Metallic colorway, save for a $550 price increase to $22,549 over last year’s $21,999.
For Sea-Doo’s Fishing lineup, the aforementioned Fish Pro Trophy Apex 300 is retired with many of its featured accessories and technologies landing on the next tier Fish Pro Trophy 170, now priced at $22,649 – a hefty $1,950 more expensive than the previous Trophy. The Fish Pro Sport is priced at $18,149 and Scout is $15,849 (both up $550 over last year) and also return in their original, unchanged White/Gulfstream Blue colorways.
The GTR 230 receives the fetching Eclipse Black/Reef Blue coloring and a MSRP of $14,899 (up $600 from 2025). The absolutely stellar GTR-X 300 returns in Eclipse Black/Deep Marsala with a $17,899 price tag (up $600 also). Both the RXP-X 325 and RXT-X 325 are offered in Gulfstream Blue or Ice Metal/Manta Green and come with the new dashboard (it’s gratefully an option on the RXP-X 325, while mandatory on the RXT-X 325).
The RXP-X 325 fetches $20,099 (a whopping $21,999 with the Tech Package and 10.25″ screen) as the RXT-X 325 will cost you $21,899, both up significantly from last year ($400 for the base RXP-X 325 and $1,300 for the RXT-X 325). This might strike some as excessive, but technology like what the new touchscreen is offering ain’t cheap and you knuckleheads keep asking for more and more bells and whistles – so consider yourself served.
All teasing aside, these price increases will only help to make existing floor models look all the more attractive. Combined with promised discounts and competitive financing through Sea-Doo, dealers were assured by BRP that together they would “weather the storm.” In all fairness, reprieve years like these allow dealers to clear inventory and recoup any losses caused by years of flooring. It might not be as flashy as all-new units year-after-year, but it’s more sustainable.
[Editor’s note: if you’re wondering about all of the Switch announcements, stay tuned to WCJ for a separate update this week. –K]
