Undoubtedly, one of The Watercraft Journal’s most popular (and viral) videos was when we dressed up as Darth Vader and rode the 2020 Yamaha FX SVHO around Allatoona Lake in Georgia. Of course, the machine itself is one of our personal favorites – despite the absolute chore it is to keep an all-black PWC from showing any waterspots or discoloring – and from the response we get from all of you, it’s one of your favorites too.
That’s why we were so happy to see that Yamaha carried the blacked-out livery for 2021. Moved over to the Cruiser-edition SVHO, the gloss-and-matte black package doesn’t make your FX any faster and will likely scald your legs if left out on a super sunny day, but that’s the price of looking badass, we figure. Nonetheless, this new 2021 machine is now for sale (with an MSRP of $16,499).
More importantly, this exact unit is sitting on the showroom floor of Broward Motorsports of Tequesta, Florida. Operated by world champion racer Chris MacClugage, Broward Motorsports of Tequesta also offers in-house maintenance and performance modification using parts sold through BMS Racing, the racing division of Broward Motorsports. (So yes, you can literally say your Yamaha was tuned by Chris MacClugage! Pretty cool, right!)
And there’s many more 2021 WaveRunners uncrated and ready for purchase at Broward Motorsports of Tequesta, so if this murdered-out FX Cruiser SVHO is sold before you get there, don’t fret! They’ll have something else ready for you. Just give them a call now before it’s too late.
We’re bringing you another great video from the RIVA Racing YouTube channel. This clip highlights the RIVA Racing 2019 Yamaha Rear Exhaust Kits. This particular kit fits all 2019 GP1800 and FX models only and it’s priced at $399.95.
The aftermarket exhaust kit improves engine performance by reducing back pressure and restriction. Moreover, it creates more room to work in the engine compartment with the removal of the bulky plastic and rubber hose stock system and the restrictive sound suppression system. The stock system is replaced with a mandrel bent aluminum exhaust tube that is powder coated to prevent corrosion. A large billet through-hull exhaust outlet comes with the kit as well.
The outlet makes for a cleaner ride because it is installed separately from the pump unlike the stock exhaust. This one blows straight out the back, leaving your ski nice and clean. You will no longer have to wipe off black streaks of exhaust and the outlet looks really good.
The RIVA Racing Yamaha Rear Exhaust Kit comes with all of the necessary hardware and installation instructions. Order now for free shipping in early November.
So, what do you do when your hockey team wins the Stanley Cup? Well you tow around your massive trophy aboard a Sea-Doo of course. This is exactly what Tampa Bay Lightning player Alex Killhorn did.
After finally wrapping up the season as champions, Killhorn rode around Tampa on his GTX Limited showing off the trophy and bringing together fans and supporters. Take a look at the full Sea-Doo news content below for the details.
While Alex Killhorn is a superstar on ice, he’s fast becoming a Sea-Doo rockstar on the waters of Tampa Bay.
In March, Covid19 stopped the professional sports world faster than clamping down on the Sea-Doo intelligent Brake & Reverse lever. During the down time Tampa Bay Lightning star Killhorn started visiting his teammates via the waters of Tampa Bay aboard his Sea-Doo GTX Limited. To keep his fans engaged, he shared the adventures via YouTube video series, ‘Dock Talk.’
Who would have bet their season would end with a Stanley Cup championship. In true Tampa Bay style, the celebration included an on-water parade. Lightning players and celebrities floated the cup on their various Sea-Doos to the joy of Lighting fans.
This new celebratory use of Sea-Doo watercraft has led some Sea-Doo designers to explore a new LinQ accessory to easily lock in trophies for future championship rides.
Great news! 2020 is almost over! With a little over two months left to go (and a possible civil war-sparking event) we’ll be cruising into 2021 ready to start our lives anew! And with that good news comes hope for a return to normalcy and some good ol’ fashioned jet ski racing. Thankfully, promoters aren’t letting the grass grow beneath their feet and have been working to bring athletes new dates and new venues to test their mettle.
One of those is west coast event promoter Ross Wallach of RPM Racing Enterprises, who just announced the tentative schedule for Rounds 1-through-6 of the “Best of The West” series starting next April! Originally posted on Facebook, the following announcement reads:
“Best of the West” Racers, I am working hard to finalize the 2021 Schedule. Here’s the 2021 Hot Products “Best of the West” tentative schedule (pending final approvals).
Round 1 – April 17 & 18 – The 3rd Annual Huntington Beach Moto Surf & Freeride
Round 2 & 3 – May 1 & 2 – The IJSBA Western States Nationals/Gary Hart Memorial Race, Patria Flats or Blue Water
Resort (TBD) Parker, AZ
Round 4 – June 12 & 13 – The inaugural Ventura Moto Surf & Freeride (pending final approval) – Pending Final Approval
Round 5 & 6 – August 14 & 15 – The 2021 Hot Products “Best of the West” Lake Elsinore Season Finals – Launch Pointe
As soon as I have the final approvals, which I expect shortly this schedule will become finalized. Looking forward to a great 2021 “Best of the West” Season! All updates and information will be posted at www.rpmracingent.com
Ross Wallach, President RPM RACING ENTERPRISES (Note: Working on a date for July, if it becomes available it will be added to the schedule before end of 2020)
It’s hard to believe that it is getting toward the end of the year with those colder months approaching. As many of you get ready to store your watercraft away for the cold months, it’s important to take some time to winterize and care for your units.
Of course, we all know that changing your engine oil with a quality lubricant such as XPS oils, will give lasting engine performance but it’s additionally important to care for your watercraft’s exterior.
Utilizing XPS’s line of hull cleaners, degreasers, and wash/wax products, will seal in those factory finishes and keep your prized possessions looking new for years to come.
The formulations in each of the XPS products is backed by industry science and technology that is specifically designed for maintaining your watercraft.
For more information on these products, check out our many reviews on the care products or go directly to the XPS website.
Without a doubt, Sea-Doo fans have a lot to look forward to if you are in the market for a new unit next season. The 2021 Lineup has so much to offer and with new models, innovations, and technology, there is something for everyone.
If you are thinking about pulling the trigger on a new unit, you might not want to think much longer and instead head to your local dealer or give them a call to place your order.
Considering there were record sales this year even in light of a worldwide pandemic and limited production numbers, it became very hard to buy new watercraft as all units sold out quickly. If you want to be out on the water next spring, it’s definitely a good idea to act soon.
Now is a great time to put down your deposit on a new Sea-Doo because their pre-season sales event is happening. Be among the first to get your hands on Sea-Doo’s GTX Limited with an industry-first BRP Connect app dashboard display. You can even play around with that in the garage while waiting on warm weather to arrive.
Want to go fishing? Be sure to pick up a new model with Sea-Doo’s new Intelligent Debris Free (iDF) pump system. Or how about hopping onboard the all-new RXP-X 300 for some buoy-carving fun.
So check out the current promotions happening in your area and live the #seadoolife next summer.
We’ve all been there; you roll up to the boat ramp ready to get your fishing on and end up behind a line of trailers. The exasperation can be heard throughout the area. There’s that one guy on the ramp undoing tie downs, loading gear into his boat, and all of the other things he could have done before hitting the ramp and pissing off everyone.
It is a good idea to prep your boat away from the launch area so that you aren’t holding up other boaters. Remove all of the tie-downs, leaving the winch line. Load any additional items or gear that you want to take with you into the boat. If you use any travel supports, remove them too. Put the trim up and please insert the drain plug.
“Hey, did you put the drain plug in?”, heard at the nearby boat ramp the other day as a guy was backing a trailered boat into the water. If launching alone, attach a line to the bow to steady the boat when you’re ready to let it go. Doing this prior to reaching the ramp is also a big time saver.
Moving onto the business of launching, back the trailer into the water far enough so that the trailer tires are in the water and not so far that the axle bearings are underwater. The cooling water intake holes on the lower unit of the boat’s engine should be submerged.
Now apply the parking brake in your vehicle. Another recent incident at the nearby public boat ramp involved a big truck slipping into the water and disappearing because the driver didn’t set the emergency brake. This required divers and a big tow truck to retrieve the vehicle. Talk about a hold up at the ramp and a public shaming! Locals were relentless! Don’t be that guy and set your emergency brake before you get out of the truck to launch.
When ready, gradually release the winch line and slowly pull the boat off of the trailer and into the water. Secure the boat away from the dock and promptly move your vehicle and trailer away from the launch. This enables other boaters to make their way onto the ramp without you in the way.
When it’s time to go in, it’s a good idea to have someone at the ramp spot for you to help watch for people and other boats in the area.
Next, get your vehicle and trailer ready and pull into the ramp area to wait your turn. When it’s time to go, back into the water until two-thirds of the bunks or rollers are submerged, while keeping your tow vehicles tires out of the water. Set the emergency break and get out and attach a bow line to the boat. When that step is completed, cautiously drive your boat close enough to attach the winch line.
Attach the line, turn off the engine, and tilt it up. Crank the winch line to pull the boat onto the trailer. Keep your face away from the line when cranking because if the line breaks, it can cause serious injury to you.
When the boat is secured, pull away from the ramp and begin prep for hitting the road. Begin by removing the drain plug, drain water out of the bilge, and drain any live wells. Clean your boat with freshwater before leaving the area so as not to spread any aquatic species and as a rule, you should always remove any plant materials from your boat. Check your states’ regulations for specific rules pertaining to plant matter and aquatic species.
Remember to follow proper boat launching etiquette when at the boat ramp so that you aren’t “that guy”.
For some people too much power is barely enough. Despite the Kawasaki Ultra 310 being the most powerful JetSki to come out of the factory, some customers still want more. There are numerous upgrade packages available from various tuners around the world, but now we’ve finally had a chance to get acquainted with one of the more affordable options for the Kawasaki Ultra 310.
For those who don’t know, Kspeed is the tuning division of one of Australia’s biggest Kawasaki jet ski dealers, namely Brisbane Kawasaki. The owner, Jamie Eade, set up the Brisbane Kawasaki showroom back in 2012, pivoting to watercraft after two decades as a fuel-injection specialist in motorsports, tuning V8s and turbo cars…and everything in between.
Based in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland – one of Australia’s warmest states with summer weather almost year-round – he quickly became one of the biggest-selling Kawasaki dealers nationally. He soon noticed a steady stream of customers who wanted more from their JetSkis. And so in 2013, Jamie developed a Stage One upgrade package for the then-new Kawasaki Ultra 300.
At first, he experimented with various modifications while helping out a JetSki racer at the time, and tested the changes in racing conditions. After some fine-tuning of the engine control unit (ECU) – and testing different types of pump wedges and intake grates – Jamie settled on an optimum package and consequently, came up with the name “Kspeed.”
Although the original work on today’s Stage One upgrade kit started on the Ultra 300 in 2013, he further fine-tuned the calibration on the Ultra 310 released in 2014. Since then, Kspeed has completed literally hundreds of Stage One upgrade kits for Ultra 310 owners around the world. While the US and Australia are his biggest customers (which is to be expected considering they’re two of the largest PWC markets in the world), Kspeed also airfreights kits anywhere Kawasaki JetSkis are sold.
In the box is a new intake grate, a machined 2-degree pump wedge, and the customer’s ECU after it has been reflashed. Most customers send their ECU to Kspeed, where the Stage One calibration is uploaded, and then sent back in the box with the other goodies. This process – using the original ECU – takes one to two weeks, depending on shipping times. The Stage One is priced at $1,200 AUD – the price is fixed in Australian dollars – which works out to be about $900 US or $1,200 Canadian (at the exchange rates available as this article was written).
Customers can pay an additional $AU850 to receive a replacement ECU if they don’t want their ski out of the water for too long; this amount is refunded if the customer returns their original ECU after they’ve installed the new one. In this scenario, Kspeed can usually deliver within seven days.
Waiting a week or a fortnight might seem like an eternity for keen jet ski riders, but the development of the Kspeed Stage One kit has taken years to hone. After countless hours of testing, Kspeed initially settled on a new top-loader intake grate design. The standard intake grate takes in some water up top, but this new design ensures the top half of the jet pump is taking a larger share of the load.
The net result is more grip and power through chop, although such a design can trim top speed because it’s taking in a greater volume of water. So Kspeed came up with a couple of solutions for that: first, by fitting a 2-degree pump wedge which lifts the nose out of the water a fraction – freeing up the hull and reducing drag; and by deleting the 67mph (108kmh) speed-limiter as part of the recalibration of the ECU.
Kspeed says most customers will see a top speed improvement to 74 or 75mph (119 to 120kmh) but some owners have reported 77 or 78mph (123 to 124kmh) in more optimal conditions. Kspeed won’t say exactly how much power the Stage One kit pumps out, but conservatively estimates a 10-percent increase in output – or roughly an additional 30-plus horsepower.
“I don’t quote an exact figure because there is no way of proving it, but I’m confident we deliver about a 10 percent improvement in power and torque,” says Jamie. “That might not sound like much, but it’s realistic and reliable.”
Kspeed is keen to point out it doesn’t tamper with anything in the ECU that could jeopardize the engine. “We keep as many factory settings as possible because we want to maintain Kawasaki’s excellent reliability,” he says. As for fuel consumption…well, that depends. Kspeed says its testing has found fuel consumption is on par with a standard Kawasaki Ultra 310, depending on riding conditions of course.
“We’re making more power and we have a top-loader intake grate, and both those things have the potential to use more fuel because you’re pumping more fuel and more water, but we also have the pump wedge to bring the nose up, which can also save a bit of fuel,” says Jamie.
“So on balance, our testing has found it has about the same consumption as a standard Ultra 310, depending on where you set the adjustable trim,” he says. Kspeed says the Stage One ECU calibration has been designed to tolerate varying fuel quality around the world. “I’ve kept the tune so that wherever you are in the world, if a Kawasaki was sold in that country you can still run our tune,” says Jamie.
We got to test ride a 2020 Kawasaki Ultra 310 with the Kspeed Stage One upgrade kit in the same waterways it was developed, on the fringes of Brisbane. Although the Kawasaki Ultra hull has been around since 2007, it’s a solid design that is holding its age well.
Because it’s a big, heavy beast, it doesn’t like to turn at slow speeds until, of course you give it some throttle, but once you’re on the move it cuts through chop with ease. Having ridden a standard Ultra 310 a month or so prior to this test ride – though not back-to-back – it’s safe to say there is a noticeable difference in grip from the top-loader intake grate in rough water.
The pump wedge points the nose 2-degrees higher, but we preferred to run it with the trim down to the neutral position, or two notches below neutral. We found the craft cut through wake and turned even better at speed with this adjustment. For flat water riding, however, we reckon it would be better to keep the trim to between neutral and just below the highest setting.
We were out to test the performance in the chop and the responsiveness of the engine, rather than trying to set a new speed record, but we did hit 72mph (116kmh) with a little left in reserve, before choppy conditions determined enough was enough on this day.
Overall, the Kspeed Stage One kit does what it says on the box. Of course, it may not suit everyone’s needs – for example, if you’re only chasing ultra-high top speeds. However, as an improvement for rough water riding that delivers extra grunt through the middle of the torque curve – while aiming to remain reliable – it’s definitely worth a look.
The stock rubber hose is replaced with a royal blue heavy-duty high temp silicone exhaust pipe. The free flow exhaust not only looks good, it sounds good too. The new kit also reduces failure points because only two clamps are needed to secure it. The kit will improve your machine’s performance with reduced back pressure.
Check out the preview video to see how good the new kit looks and get a glimpse of the amazing amount of room the install will free up in your engine compartment. One of the guys even revs a new Superjet engine so you can hear the low rumble of the new exhaust. It sounds good!
Go to the RIVA Racing website to order your kit now for late October shipping. The 2021 RIVA Yamaha SuperJet Free Flow Exhaust Kit retails for $199.95 and it only takes minutes to install.
I often joked that if a specific item can’t do the one thing it’s supposed to do well, all of the other features and accessories don’t mean a thing. So if a smartphone can do a myriad of different tasks but fails at being a telephone it’s little more than a pocket computer. That is why I’m so critical of newfangled technologies. Few actually succeed at the task at hand and try to distract the buyer with other albeit flashier bits and pieces. I suppose that’s why I enjoyed Hitcase’s waterproof Splash case for the iPhone 7/8 so much. Heck, I even listed Hitcase as a video sponsor for most of 2020 although I paid for the case out-of-pocket.
It did exactly as advertised; it protected my smartphone from water intrusion, dirt, and dust flawlessly. And it did so without muffling speaker sound, interrupting phone calls or stifling its touchscreen. Frankly, the Splash case was one of the best I had ever reviewed for The Watercraft Journal, and I mean that with zero hyperbole. The biggest concern also proved correct in that it was the only item to fail: the rubberized charging port plug. After a year and a half of use, the stiff rubber plug cracked and tore off, leaving my once waterproof phone case effectively useless.
Finding myself newly loyal to the Hitcase brand, I sought to replace it posthaste. Unfortunately, the Splash appeared discontinued so I sought out its replacement. That appeared in the form of the Hitcase Shield Link case. Meeting my primary requirement – that being waterproof – the Shield Link also offered a bevy of other features: mainly, a slim-but-rigid “drop-proof” aluminum frame, and its compatibility with TrueLUX camera lenses. It also came with a rubberized “Air Shield” if I chose not to use the Aqua Shield screen cover (which, I wouldn’t).
At first blush, the redesigned two-piece case appeared…underwhelming. The aluminum frame was stout enough, but the thin Aqua Shield felt thin and flimsy. After properly cleaning and prepping both my iPhone 8 and the case, the two sealed up rather nicely. Yet, almost immediately I was struck with the challenge of prying open the redesigned power port plug. Swinging on a hinge, the plug is much softer than before, and even despite its extended ear, was impossible to grasp between my fingers. Even after a month of use, it often requires using anything nearby to pry it open.
Thankfully yes, the Hitcase Shield Link is waterproof and its chromed knob and buttons are far easier and tactile to use than the outgoing rubberized Splash case. Yet, that is pretty much where my praise ends. Almost all calls not set on “speaker” are muffled, particularly for those on the receiving end. This has required me to extract my phone from the case multiple times just to complete a call – an equally frustrating task. Most curious though is the Link Mount System for which gives the Shield Link its name.
The Link Mount is an adhesive-backed metal plate designed to stick to the inside of the clear plastic shielding on the phone’s back. This plate is intended to act as a conduit for wireless charging the phone. Interestingly though, the plate did exactly the opposite, literally blocking my phone from receiving a charge from both my desk top wireless charging puck as well as my truck’s wireless dock. Curious, I opened up the case yet again, peeled off the plate, reassembled the case, and viola my phone was charging again.
In a little over a month’s time, the signs of wear and tear showed far sooner than the previous Splash. The black paint covering the aluminum frame began to show chips and scratches (again, I’m pretty tough on phone cases). The thin waterproof shield gathers quite a bit of dust in its seams, requiring a good cleaning with some alcohol and a Q-tip prior to this photoshoot. Thankfully, the slick film on the rubberized port plug has gone away, making opening it only half as difficult. (*sigh*)
Priced at $69.99 on Hitcase’s own website, the Shield Link case for iPhone 7/8 can be found for half of that cost (if not more) on both Amazon and through other online retailers. Of course, given that it hampers your smartphone’s primary function so badly that it’ll spend half of its time removed, it’s really not worth the money. For a brand that hit it so far out of the park with an old design, it’s disappointing that its replacement is so flawed. So until I can find a new-in-box discontinued Hitcase Splash case, I’ll be living with this one for a while.
So, what do you do when your hockey team wins the Stanley Cup? Well you tow around your massive trophy aboard a Sea-Doo of course. This is exactly what Tampa Bay Lightning player Alex Killhorn did.
