There was a whole lot of thought poured into the Spark prior to its release, but one avenue many people didn’t factor in was Sea-Doo‘s grip on the available accessories for the new entry-level runabout. Upon its release, the $4,999 craft came available with pages’ worth of available accessories, amenities and add-ons.
Initial hype quickly lead to demand, which drew the attention of the aftermarket. In a recent interview with Powersports Business, Hydro-Turf owner Arno Olbricht shared how trying to get his hands on a new Spark proved more difficult than expected:
“'[My local dealer] did have one, but it was pre-sold by the time I reached him, so he contacted the customer and asked if it would be OK if we used the ski to make the pattern and actually put mats and a new seat cover on it for him. …the customer was stoked that he got new product on there, the first of its kind.’”
“’We tried a couple of different colors of pads as well. It all came together pretty quickly,” he said. “We made the patterns for the pads, had the tooling made. We put on one set of pads and realized they didn’t work as well as we wanted, so we quickly replaced them and made another set and put those on.’”
“’I think only one of the three models has any traction mats on it, so we’re able to provide something that’s not factory,” Olbricht said. “And they don’t have anything where the knees go, so we add a knee pad as well. And the seat covers certainly enhance the look as well.’”
As Olbricht relayed in the interview, Hydro-Turf now produces traction kits for both the 2-up and 3-up versions of the Spark as well as knee pad covers and new stylized seat covers. Hydro-Turf’s experience with producing traction materials for PWC, boats, paddleboards, and even motorcycle riders earned them rousing sales for 2013 over the previous year. With their products found on two of three OE manufacturers and kits for every PWC imaginable, 2014 is looking pretty good for the Anaheim, California-based company too.
