If you haven’t noticed, we at The Watercraft Journal are really enjoying reporting on Awake Electric Surfboard company. The jet-driven electric surfboard allows enthusiasts from grom to the seasoned ripper to enjoy carving the water, whether there’s waves or not.

To make this experience all the better, Awake have teamed up with the Maui Fin Company (MFC) and Kai Lenny. This partnership ensures that Awake’s Electric Surfboards are outfitted with a high quality, high performance product. Some of the best riders in the world use these fins because they know they can count on them to hold the line.

MFC fins provide the stability you need for riding the RAVIK 3 at a top speed of 35 mph. Thirty-five miles per hour is blistering fast on a surfboard and feels even faster when reached in under 5 seconds. With the MFC fins, you know the fins will hold the line and keep you stable at high speeds and when carving some drawn out lines on the RAVIK S. It’s up to you to stay upright.

The AWAKE x MFC collaboration produced a light-weight carbon fiber fin, built to fit into Future fin-boxes. Future fin-boxes are standard on AWAKE electric surfboards. The fins are easy to mount with the included fin key. A couple of turns to tighten them, and you’re good to go! The fins come with a bag to use for storage or travel.

Check out the RAVIK models on their website and find out which model suits you best.

When planning for a day on the water with a group of riders, launching a PWC is rather easy; simply have another rider back down the trailer while you are on the ski for entry into the water. However solo riders might find this task more difficult; we have all struggled with using engine power to reverse off of the trailer. Many of us have engineered our own solutions after facing frustration at the boat launch.

Some of these solutions have ended in defeat, whether it be having to swim to an astray ski or slipping on the boat ramp when attempting to give the ski a good shove off the trailer. The last thing any of us want is to be injured when trying to launch a PWC or even worse: finding yourself on the latest ‘JetSki Fails’ YouTube video. Yamaha has a simple solution to safely and efficiently launch your WaveRunner time after time.

Yamaha’s video showing off their reverse assist feature on RiDe equipped WaveRunners offers a simple solution. Yamaha’s reverse assist temporarily offers increases engine RPM for the extra thrust needed when backing off the bunks of a trailer. With two speeds, it is as simple as holding down the RiDe lever and pressing the up arrow on the speed control switch.

When only pressed once engine RPMs are increased from 3,500 to 3,900; for whatever the case may be and you still need additional power, a second press will increase to a maximum of 4,300 RPMs. The higher RPMs offer plenty of power for a smooth entry into the water at all times. The reverse assist is a a result of Yamaha’s keen interest in providing features for safe, fun, and a hassle-free experience whenever you chose to ride a Yamaha WaveRunner.

The mid-sized performance watercraft market has been strictly dominated by Yamaha and Sea-Doo. No other manufacturer offers a watercraft to directly compete with Yamaha’s GP1800R SVHO or Sea-Doo’s RXP-X 300. While Kawasaki does offer the highest horsepower machine money can buy, the Ultra 310 series, it’s hefty size and weight prevents it from competing alongside the best of what Yamaha and Sea-Doo has to offer.

However, Kawasaki does have a fantastic mid-sized watercraft; the Kawasaki STX line of watercraft would be an excellent starting point for the next big high performance ski if it only boasted the 310 horsepower supercharged engine found in it’s big brother. Most recently, Kspeed Performance has published a video showing off their STX310LX conversion ski and covering exactly what entailed fitting the supercharged engine into the STX hull. Last year the Watercraft Journal was fortunate enough to ride the STX310LX; you’ll want to read the full story here.

Kspeed’s STX310LX is a fully functioning watercraft with electric trim, stereo system, and a display from a 2019 Ultra 310. Surprisingly enough, this conversion was built with almost all original Kawasaki manufactured parts. With only modifications needing to be made to the pump shoe, airbox bracket, and intake hoses, this is otherwise a bolt-on installation when utilizing original parts dating back to the Ultra 250. The result is a lightweight, nimble, and 80mph-capable watercraft out of the box.

Kspeed’s creation is not, by any means, an engineering marvel; an individual with any form of mechanical skill can build their own STX310 in their home garage. Being that it is such a simple conversion, thanks to the utilization of almost all factory parts, hopefully Kawasaki will take the hint and offer the STX310 to the masses! If and when the day comes, Yamaha and SeaDoo will certainly have a new competitor on the buoy course!

As it stands, over 50-percent of all new personal watercraft sales have been made by first-time buyers. These are folks who have never owned a PWC before in their lives. Statistically, they’re completely virgin to the ins-and-outs of maintaining, launching and even operating these machines. And its for this cause that we all must be increasingly cognizant of the people we share the launch ramp and water with.

Sadly, on Friday, June 11th, “deputies from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department responded to a call for a boating incident at River Shore Estates,” according to a report in ParkerLive.com. Upon arrival, “medical staff from the Buckskin Fire Department and River Medical Ambulance were tending to the victim, Juan Pineda-Flores, 48, from Moreno Valley, California.”

According to witnesses, “Pineda-Flores was attempting to start a personal watercraft that was still on the trailer at the launch ramp. During startup, fuel or vapors inside the hull of the jet ski ignited, causing it to explode. Juan was ejected from the vessel into the water.” Pineda-Flores was immediately brought to the shore and given medical aid; he was later transported to the La Paz Regional Medical Center where he later died.

Fuel vapor can be a major issue with older or even modified personal watercraft. We strongly recommend removing the seats completely, or setting them loosely on the ski while being stored. This will allow the engine compartment to both dry after your most recent washing, as well as ventilate. We’ve seen too many accidents like these and encourage you to consider taking the extra step to be safe during this boating season.

We’ve all seen super dirty, mold-covered watercraft before. Especially if you live somewhere that mold quickly accumulates, the discoloring spores can quickly turn a brightly-hued PWC into a dark, spotted mess. Moreover, there’s nothing quite like seeing a full-blown transformation of a neglected ski into a near-pristine restoration (heck, we at The Watercraft Journal did this nearly a decade ago with a forgotten Sea-Doo GTI).

While we labored with Jet Renu’s total care line, the car detailing gurus at AMMO NYC jumped on a Sea-Doo GTI 130 picked up form an estate sale. Equally moldy and discolored, AMMO NYC details how they restore this Sea-Doo’s finish. Mind you, they mistakenly diagnose this PWC as having gel coat and clear coat, and that is simply not the case. Nonetheless, this video is informative, very well detailed and if anything at all, satisfying to see it restored.

They write, “This is my friend Andy’s jet ski that he found at an estate sale for $500. It was left unused for a few years (not sure how many) as the estate had no idea, but judging by the spiderwebs, mold, and mildew it was more than a season or 2. My guess is this had been tied up to a boat dock outside, as the gel coat was severely faded and the mold in the footwell around the grips was disgusting. In this episode Jason Rose from Rupes USA helps me understand the difference between Gel Coat vs Clear Coat. Hope you enjoy the boat transformation”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5F8PX7Bk8GQ&list=WL&index=4