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Broward Motorsports Rec Ride Rescheduled for April 2, 2021

By
Ocean Priselac
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Great news! Broward Motorsports Racing is holding their annual Rec Ride on Friday April 2, 2021 at 9 AM-5:30 PM. Everyone is welcome, it’s free, and kid friendly.

Pack a lunch and get ready to ride through the Florida Keys. The group will spend an hour or two exploring and snorkeling at the historical “Alligator Reef Lighthouse.”

The area is amazing, and the snorkeling is fantastic, with all the colorful tropical fish swimming around the rocks.

From there, everyone will cruise to Islamorada Sandbar to eat lunch, relax, and hangout. This will also be a fuel stop if needed and then everyone will head back to their respective launch locations at around 5:30 pm.

When initially departing, you have three boat launch locations to choose to from. These are located at the Caribbean Yacht Club, Yacht Club Drive Marina, and John Pennekamp State Park, all located in Key Largo, FL. The groups will get underway at 10:00 AM and everyone is asked to arrive at least 1.5 hours prior to launch time.

Pack a lunch, anchor, snorkeling gear, sun block, and plenty of fluids to keep you hydrated.

Special instructions consist of listening for the air horns to let you know when it’s time to launch and don’t pass the lead skis. There will be a lot of out of riders from out of town on this ride, so it is important to stay together.

Florida PWC Riders are the ride group and Yamaha WaveRunners are sponsoring the ride. Let’s hope pandemic times allow for the group to go without any issues. Everyone needs to get out and play with a fun group of riders. Check out the Facebook event page for the full press release. Have fun riding with Broward Motorsports and the Florida PWC Riders.

Video: Get Ready For Spring With Bopenski

By
Brice Leckrone
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Hang in there everyone, Spring will be around the corner before you know it.  Speaking of warmer weather, now can be a great time to think about getting your watercraft ready for the ride season.

With riding also comes some time to relax on the water and what better way to kick back on your PWC than with the Bopenski Kickback Chair.

To get you in the mood for Spring, Bopenski has released this teaser video.  Take a look at how quick and easy it is to set the chair up.  This is the same quality chair that Bopenski has been selling for years.

The chair is completely portable and when you are ready to kickback, setting up the chair can be done in one minute without any tools. Relax with two cupholders and a storage pocket included. This chair is the ultimate way to take a break from riding or to simply spend some quality time with your loved ones.

The KickBack Chair is constructed from high quality anodized aluminum and stainless steel parts. It is built to last in fresh and salt water and has a capacity of up to 225 lbs. It is compatible with most 3-seater makes and models that have a tow-eye or pylon so join the thousands of others who have already transformed their watercraft with this versatile accessory.

For more information and to get the latest promotions, head on over to Bopenski today.

Unlimited PWC Releases Its Brand New English Catalog For 2021

By
Brice Leckrone
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Unlimited PWC has been hitting some home runs with its recent offerings including apparel and accessories such as traction mat kits for the latest watercraft.

Based in Japan, this performance and accessories company has been offering watercraft upgrades for many years and it just got better with their latest performance parts and apparel catalogs for 2021 with included English catalog versions.

With items for all major watercraft including Sea-Doo, Yamaha, and Kawasaki, you are sure to find something unique for your own personal watercraft.

Check out their latest line of steering systems which include their racing handlebar series, steering mounts, throttle levers, and performance grips.  Their handlebar system is built using high quality materials which balances performance and vibration resistance with strength and high rigidity.  From recreational riders to aggressive racers, these systems are sure to please all.

Want to renew the look of your watercraft?  Pick up one of their decal kits or traction mats.  Change up the appearance and get some new level grip and safety at the same time.

They even have rear exit exhaust systems for those of you that want to increase performance or gain some new sound notes when riding.

The range of offerings is too long to list out here so be sure to download their new catalog and add something new to your watercraft this year.

Mapping The Future: RIVA Racing’s Master Tuner, Jesus Garcia

By
Kevin Shaw
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As personal watercraft have continued to march towards further digital innovation, the aftermarket has had to adapt and evolve to meet the pace. Advanced fly-by-wire engine management systems, complex fuel and ignition timing curves and ever-increasing demands for greater horsepower have separated the men from the boys, and few outlets have risen to the challenge quite like RIVA Racing.

Today, RIVA Racing offers performance enthusiasts and professional racers the single-most comprehensive catalog of engine management software, tuning capabilities and efficiency-increasing hard parts regardless of brand or model year. This herculean effort did not materialize out of the ether either. In a recent interview with RIVA’s President and CEO, Dave Bamdas, he placed the credit in large part on Jesus Garcia.

“Jesus has played a leading role in adapting the MaptunerX engine management system to the personal watercraft application,” Bamdas explained. “Prior to bringing Garcia into RIVA’s Performance Development Department in 2016, our customers had very few options in the way of ECU (engine control unit) tuning. In just a few short years, Jesus has developed an ECU tuning system that can be done at home and in a matter of minutes.”

Per Bamdas’ account, engine tuning options were incredibly limited: either shipping off the watercraft’s existing ECU module to permanently modify and reprogram the existing software or completely replace the existing ECU (and often a portion of the wiring harness) altogether with an incredibly expensive aftermarket ViPec or MoTec control module.

 

With Garcia’s development of the Maptuner/PWC functionality, it has not only revolutionized the watercraft performance industry, but established RIVA Racing (and Garcia, consequently) as a leader in the PWC performance industry. “His contributions have been nothing short of groundbreaking,” Bamdas continued. “Without Garcia, I don’t think we’d be seeing the level of performance parts sales and racing that we do today.”

Winning Combination! Head Tuner Jesus Garcia (right), Racer Brian Baldwin (center), and RIVA Owner Dave Bamdas (left) celebrate another World Championship.

In addition to leading RIVA’s Engine Management Development, Garcia’s position as Head Tuner in charge of RIVA’s Watercraft Racing Team has earned international acclaim. Responsible for building and tuning the championship-winning machines of RIVA’s top racers (including Brian Baldwin, Erminio Iantosca and Erick Lagopoulos), Garcia’s role in the racing program has resulted in both national and international championships.

In the process of working closely with the RIVA race team and interfacing V-Tech engine management software into a palatable consumer-friendly upgraded ECU tuner (not to mention logging volumes of engine tunes using RIVA’s state-of-the-art engine dynometer facility), Garcia began honing pre-established packages offered as “Performance Kits” offering consumers proven combinations to achieve specific performance goals.

“As it stands today, the RIVA Performance Kit product line is really his creation,” Bamdas admitted. “RIVA Racing has always prided itself on offering our customers the best in handling, steering and acceleration-enhancing products; it was Garcia who paired these parts with an applicable engine tune to maximize the total efficacy of the other components. And with each ‘stage’ that the customer climbs, a new engine tune can be downloaded to their MaptunerX. The engine map literally grows with any new added part.”

A final bit that often goes unnoticed is Garcia’s role in developing specifically-pitched jet pump impellers, each paired to match the engine maps that he writes. “He works closely with RIVA Racing development partner Solas Science & Engineering Co. to design and test the highly successful line of RIVA/Solas jet pump impellers,” Bamdas detailed. “Ensuring each ECU tune is paired with an impeller that can process the added rpm is essential. Garcia’s skill in this regard is unrivaled.”

The impact that this single person has made on an entire industry cannot be understated. The mechanical abilities, intuitive understanding of these machines along with the development skills that Jesus Garcia wields have made an indelible mark on the personal watercraft industry and competitive watercraft racing.

Videos: Sea-Doo Drops Walk-Around & Feature Videos For 2021 Lineup

By
Brice Leckrone
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The Watercraft Journal proudly excels at being the only personal watercraft magazine to drop daily articles, bringing you the news, updates, watercraft and accessory features that you crave. While we cannot possibly and logistically provide the full, detailed review of every watercraft immediately after the reveal, we do eventually write the in-depth review on all major new units that we get our hands on.

Additionally, we bring you a wide array of photos and videos highlighting all specifications, features, and accessories of the respective units.  Having said that, it generally takes us some time to publish some of the reviews since we have so much news to cover throughout the year and it takes significant effort to perform the reviews, capture and edit the footage, and write up the details.

Since it’s so important to make sure that the buyer has all the necessary information he or she needs to make a purchase decision, Sea-Doo has also just released a video series review detailing each category of their watercraft lineup.

This year, they have entrusted some of their finest Sea-Doo Ambassadors to give you a walkaround and show you the features, specs, and accessories of the different Sea-Doo categories. This includes the entry-level Spark and GTI lineup, the purpose-built Wake and Fish Pro series, race-ready GTR, RXP-X, and RXT-X line, as well as the luxury GTX line.

Each video is posted below.  If you need any further information be sure to visit Sea-Doo.com and as always stay tuned for our individual reviews if we have not already published it.

Video: Fishing for Tuna off a Yamaha FX Cruiser WaveRunner

By
Ocean Priselac
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0

Check out this rad video with Mark from GC Jetski Fishing. He is on New Zealand’s west coast and taking us offshore and to the deep blue Pacific Ocean. He loads up his Yamaha WaveRunner FX Cruiser HO, which is powerful enough to take on the rolling swell and wind. The WaveRunner is outfitted for fishing with a rack on the back that holds a cooler, four rods, and a net. Mark gets underway with four heavy-duty bait casting saltwater fishing rods, tackle, and safety gear.

After crossing the Waikato River bar, the hunt was on for big fish that were in the water’s due west. He caught up with a pod of dolphins in about 40 meters of water and rode with them for a while then jetted away from the dolphins after receiving intel about some albacore tuna a little further out. Trolling and jigging from the ski, he hooked into some tuna and kingfish at the 55-meter mark. The snapper were out in full force as well and he easily caught his limit of ten. They were good sized too. It is so cool to watch him reel in those big fish from his jet ski alone in the open water. We can only imagine how it feels to be out there in deep blue among the fishes.

On the way in, Marlin were breaking the surface and a nearby pod of dolphins was also getting in on the action. The dolphins cruised alongside of the ski for a while and this made for the perfect end of a beautiful day on the water for GC Jetski Fishing.

Video: All About Yamaha’s Visibility Spout & How to Disengage It

By
Kevin Shaw
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Admittedly, this article is going to come off as pretty silly for most of our more “technically minded” readers. Yet, for those new to personal watercraft or are a little more timid to break out the tools and start wrenching on their brand new Yamaha WaveRunner themselves, we hope to take a little of the fear away and instill you with a bit of confidence. But first, what are we talking about?

Yamaha, unlike any other OE manufacturer, is the only brand to feature what is called a “visibility spout.” This spout shoots a pressurized stream of water vertically from a flush-mounted nozzle in the swim platform, creating a 10-foot-high rooster tail while the WaveRunner is under throttle. It’s purpose is similar to a buggy whip antenna on a four-wheeler or quad, helping nearby boaters identify the presence of the personal watercraft from a distance.

First developed for the original WaveRunner 500 in 1986, the visibility spout has remained a legacy feature for 35 years. Unfortunately, the visibility spout has also become a bit of a nuisance to enthusiasts who ride in large groups, as the spray can inadvertently cascade down into the faces of persons behind you. Equally, riding with extra fuel or a cargo rack means that the spout will blast the underside of the rack the entire day.

Thankfully, disengaging the visibility spout requires almost zero mechanical ability a few tools and a couple of minutes of your time. It begins by removing the quick release linkage attached to the reverse bucket. It’s a spring-loaded sleeve that simply slides back, releasing the ball socket mounted to the bucket. Pull that back and move the reverse cable off to the side.

Next, drop the bucket down to access the jet pump cavity. Here you’ll see a black rubber hose that connects to the jet pump up to a black plastic nozzle that mounts flush to your swim platform. With a flat-head screwdriver or a 5/16’s nut driver, simply back off the worm gear-style hose clamp until its loose. Then you can wiggle the hose free.

If your goal was to just disengage the visibility spout, you’ve done it. The stream of water will now just shoot out of the back of the jet pump. But we like being a little more thorough than that, so remove the bottom end of the hose attaching to the pump. The aluminum nipple on the pump can be plugged with a rubber cap and a hose clamp, but you’re not going to hurt anything by leaving it open. Now just move the reverse bucket back up and reattach the quick release linkage and you’re done.

But, what if you wanted to have a little fun? What if we told you that you could convert your visibility spout into a high speed squirt gun? It’s pretty easy! With the reverse bucket still down and disconnected, unscrew the white plastic retainer holding the flush-mounted nozzle to the swim platform. The two come apart easily.

Next, feed in a length of half-inch inner-diameter rubber or flexible plastic hose. We went with 8-feet of clear vinyl hose from our neighborhood hardware store. While we were at it, we also picked up a brass barbed-end male hose fitting and a regular old garden hose adjustable spray nozzle. The hose slips right over the aluminum nipple jutting out of the jet pump. Tightened that down with a hose clamp.

Next, with your hose coming up through the swim platform, install the brass barbed fitted and screw on your adjustable spray nozzle. Our nozzle hooked nicely on to the handgrips for the rear passenger.

On the water, our nozzle setup works pretty good. Obviously, at idle the pump isn’t generating the pressure necessary to shoot a decent stream, so you’re going to need to give it some throttle to really work. (Goosing the RiDE reverse throttle at a standstill works rather well.) Now around 15-to-20mph, we found we could send off a nice spray. At 30mph and above, the wind simply was turning our spray into more of a shower. Still, it’s enough to wash down your friends, so it’s a fun modification that is entirely reversible and can be installed in minutes.

Keep Your Riding Season Going With A Sea-Doo Ride Jacket

By
Brice Leckrone
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0

With an end to social distancing still out of reach for most folks coupled with cold weather this time of the year, many people are eager to extend their ride time on the water.

What better way to do so and stay comfortable than by using some great Sea-Doo riding gear including the warm and comfortable Sea-Doo Ride jacket.

This is the perfect cold weather accessory to keep you on the water longer.  With a front zip design and deep side pockets, it is designed to be worn over your life jacket.  It even looks good when not riding so you can literally multi-purpose wear it all over.

Check out what Sea-Doo has to say about it:

The Sea-Doo Neoprene Ride Jacket is the ultimate cover up when mother nature whips up less than steamy days.  The ride jacket is worn overtop your lifevest to keep you warm year round and includes pockets with velcro closures and a hood to keep the splashes from running down your neck.  And there are no rules saying you can’t wear this jacket when your feet are on the street.  The Sea-Doo life is cool no matter where you wear it.

For more details and info on the Sea-Doo Neoprene Ride Jacket and other cooler weather Sea-Doo riding gear, check the link HERE

Video: Jiggin’ with Jordan Explores War Batteries with FL Ski Riders

By
Ocean Priselac
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0

Check out this double dose of fun with Randy from Florida Ski Riders and Brandon Jordan from Jiggin’ with Jordan. They got together for an adventure in Egmont Key. They spent the day exploring abandoned war batteries, snorkeling, and taking a ride to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. Randy is well versed in the area and he is the founder of Florida Ski Riders, one of is the largest jet ski clubs in Florida.

Jordan is riding Blue Bae, his Yamaha WaveRunner FX SVHO and Randy is on a Sea-Doo WakePro 230. Both machines were perfect for stowing all the gear they needed for the day, which included camera gear, snorkeling gear, and lunch for a jam-packed day of exploring.

The adventure began at the Fort De Soto Boat Ramp located in Tierra Verde. This is where they met and started filming this fun clip. They loaded their gear onto their jet skis and were soon on their way to check out the Egmont Key War Battery’s. They anchored at a spot just off Egmont Key. Randy provided a history lesson while they toured the Spanish War Batteries. The area is super cool, and the drone footage of the batteries is incredible. Randy provides excellent info on how to get there on a jet ski.

The group left the bunkers and headed to the Egmont Key Ruins to go snorkeling in the beautiful blue water. This part of the video is super relaxing. They left the ruins for Passage Key (Booby Beach) and stopped for lunch. It’s another beautiful spot and so chill. After lunch, they packed up and motored to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. We get an up-close and personal ride with Randy under the bridge as he rides his Spark down the middle.

Check out the video for some great information on the Egmont Key/Fort De Soto area. Randy lays it out very well. Trailer up your Yamaha WaveRunner or your Sea-Doo and head for the Fort De Soto Boat Ramp and make your way to the clear blue waters of Egmont Key. You’ll be glad you did.

Sea-Doo Celebrates Their Watercraft Of The Year Award

By
Brice Leckrone
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In case you missed our announcement for 2020 Watercraft of the Year, then perhaps you saw in the latest Sea-Doo news letter that Sea-Doo has proudly accepted this award for its 2020 GTI SE 170.

We couldn’t think of any other watercraft more deserving and other industry members are praising the GTI SE 170 as well.  It even won the prestigious Good Design Award from Good Design USA thanks to its innovative and creative design.

In case you missed the Sea-Doo newsletter as well, here’s what Sea-Doo had to say about their Watercraft of the Year Award.

The Watercraft Journal recently named the Sea-Doo GTI SE the year’s best PWC noting, “the Sea-Doo GTI SE 170 is without a doubt the single most worthy recipient of Watercraft of the Year we’ve had.”

The editors score each new PWC using their IDEA formula comprised of the categories; innovation, design, overall execution, and lasting affect on the industry.  The editors conduct extensive on-water testing over the course of a full year on all new models and at the end of the year they exclaimed, “Awarding the 2020 Sea-Doo GTI SE 170 …was unequivocally one of the easiest decisions we’ve made in years.”

Noted Sea-Doo GTI SE highlights included the ability to please so many riders on so many levels with the ultra-stable and predictable hull, Ergolock seating, and onboard experience with the high-quality sound system and LinQ accessory attachment system.

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