Thanks to decades of innovation, the application of greater technologies and increased comfort, people are using their personal watercraft in ways wholly removed from those from 30 years ago. The modern conveyances of today’s Sea-Doos, for example, have paved the way for budding long-distance explorers to take to the water in all-new ways. It’s truly how BRP loves to see their latest runabouts used and frankly, a super fun way to see the world around you.
Recently, we discovered Mark Forrest’s YouTube channel, ForrestSound Adventure and Exploration where he boards his ’19 Sea-Doo GTX 155 and embarks on monthly adventures, making sure to capture all of the scenery, wildlife and unusual sights during his journeys. We particularly enjoyed last Fall’s two-part “Exploring the Trent Severn Waterway” series (which we’ve shared below), as Mark and company go on an overnight camping trip up and back down the Trent Severn Waterway in Ontario, Canada.
Passing through a series of locks (including a very cool “lift lock” elevator), beneath a variety of bridges, and through miles of unspoiled nature (as well as spotting a beaver dam and a swimming squirrel); Mark also captures one unlucky boater nearly capsizing his boat after tying to the wrong docklines in one lock. It’s all part of the experience, and Mark’s videos do it perfectly, paired with perfectly-selected relaxing music and just the right amount of commentary.
Our friend and former contributor Dan Lindgren is no stranger to those in the stand up community. Dan took a short hiatus from hosting his annual Grayland Open Freeride event, but recently announced its return as well as a very exciting second event, the Seabrook Surf n’ Send event.
Scheduled for the weekend of September 11th through the 13th, the Seabrook event not only will provide an all-new venue for freeriders and motosurf enthusiasts to compete, but will also be joined with the IFWA Freeride World Championship Tour, serving as its second stop for the season.
If you’re interested, here’s the breakdown of the new event and some important hyperlinks:
The Westcoast Surf Riders and the IFWA are proud to announce a new Motosurf Freeride event for 2020. This event will be held on the beach at a brand new amazing beach town called Seabrook on the central Washington coast of the United States of America. The Seabrook Surf n Send event, presented by Sensi Sci, Westcoast Surf Riders and the IFWA Freeride World Championship Tour will feature the top riders in the world coming from all parts of the globe to compete for their spot on the podium and claim their world titles. Not only is Seabrook Surf and Send 2020 the IFWA World Championships final, it is also the USA National championship final. The national and International champions will be crowned at this event.
If you are a rider or a spectator that enjoys this incredible sport, you do not want to miss this event! With all of the best riders from the USA and from around the world, the display of talent and exciting competition will be pretty insane.
If you are a spectator, this event is free to attend. Grab a chair, some drinks and snacks and make your way down to beach. The competition location is just out in front of the staircase that leads down from Seabrook to the beach. You’re gonna want to stay a while. Music will be pumping on the beach and there will be a ton of action in the waves all weekend. We’ll have event shirts available for purchase. We will also have food vendors if you get hungry.
Please keep your vehicles off of any shiny wet sand areas and help us protect the clam populations. The weight of a vehicle can kill clams and it’s also a pretty huge ticket if the state parks see you driving on the clam beds.
****Riders**** This event location is accessible with any vehicle including RV’s Motorhomes and even small sedan type vehicles if you are familiar with driving on the beach. Stay our of the dry, soft sand and you should have no issues. The beach area is very large and there is plenty of room for everyone. Please spread out and do not block any access through the event area. A traffic lane will be clearly marked. Seabrook Washington Seabrook Cottage Rentals is our lodging sponsor and this event would not be possible without their support. They’ve invited us to be at this location and have been very supportive and helpful in making this event happen. I would encourage you all to make plans to stay in Seabrook in one of their amazing homes. The lodging situation is similar to Blowsion’s Surf Slam. There are homes of all sizes available to rent.
The best option is to get with a group of people and go in on a house rental as a group to share costs and be within walking distance of the event. Literally all of the homes within the Seabrook boundaries are an easy walk to the beach and the downtown area and the Seabrook town has many amenities for guests including dining options, indoor swimming pool and hot tub, outdoor fire pits, gathering spaces and much much more. Trust me, Seabrook is where you want to be. I will post up all lodging details in one post on this page so ask your questions on that thread once that post is up.
In the interest of keeping things easier and just having information in one location, this page will be the primary source of event related information. This page is monitored daily. Check back frequently and feel free to post up any questions and share posts to help us to get the word out. Please take a minute to invite friends that you think would enjoy this event. That would help us out immensely. I have 20% housing discounts in place for you. Please see the Lodging post on this event page for details. I should have housing discount codes in late march and will post them up, so wait for the code before booking if you want the discount.
“Whooo!” Florida Ski Riders’ founder and Sea-Doo ambassador Randy Cabrera howls like a waterborne Rick Flair. Donning his latest officially-branded FL Ski Riders’ jersey and embroidered hat, Cabrera pushes his silvery 2020 Sea-Doo GTX Limited 300 through a serpentine trail of grassy knolls and clusters of mangroves that litter the horizon and make navigating the labyrinthine waterways a dizzying affair. Only when we’re shown the occasional aerial shot via drone does one get a better scope of the maze he is traversing.
What Cabrera’s video demonstrates is what we at The Watercraft Journal and several more experienced riders have deduced for a while; the current Sea-Doo’s difficulty in negotiating tight, turbulent waters. Pay careful attention to how often Cabrera pins the handlebars to their stops while trying to make a hairpin. Even while feathering the throttle, the ST3 hull pushes Cabrera wide, almost into the grass despite being pinned to the side. Cabrera tilts hard, shifting his weight left to right, but the hull breaks its line and pushes outside of the apex again and again.
More importantly, Cabrera is a conservative rider. He’s not one for dangerous showboating or stunts. He knows when to get on the throttle and not; and his throttle control is more-or-less on point here. Nevertheless, the ST3 presents Cabrera a few too many close calls, to which he instinctively reacts with a “Whooo!” When leading the pack, Cabrera’s GTX sluices a trail rather naturally; yet, when navigating through wash, the hull is often prey to the whims of the leader’s wake. Thankfully, deep-set RIVA Pro-Series sponsons and some cleaver trimming has all but solved this issue for the big 3-seater, as we’ve proven HERE.
When you own a Sea-Doo Watercraft, you live for the moment, you own the experience, and you truly live the #seadoolife.
Just take it from one of the many Sea-Doo Ambassadors who perfect their own niche of respective sports or lifestyles. Each of them shows us what it means to live this lifestyle and how a Sea-Doo watercraft really transforms your adventures. It opens up a world of possibilities.
Over the years, we have gotten to know some of these adventurous ambassadors. From Anthony Radetic and Erminio Iantosca, two world-class Sea-Doo racers, to Randy Cabrera, founding member of one of the largest personal watercraft groups, Florida Ski Riders.
Sea-Doo has been adding to the list of their awesome Ambassadors including wake skater Nick Taylor who shows us that a Sea-Doo is a perfect tool for doing water tow sports. As Nick explains, “You don’t need a $150,000 boat to have fun!”
Additionally, complementing their wildly popular Fish Pro Sea-Doo, we have seen a rise in Ambassadors who love the sport of fishing. Take for example Bri Andrassy and Cameron Kirkconnell as well as a list of others.
So, check them out and start learning about all of the ways that you can live the Sea-Doo life.
It’s back for 2020! The Sea-Doo dream giveaway contest returns again this year giving you another chance to win your very own Sea-Doo Watercraft.
That’s right, you can win any Sea-Doo of your choice that will come fully accessorized at your discretion. It even comes with a Sea-Doo Move trailer so that you can tow your glossy new unit to the water. If you’ve dreamed about getting on the water and riding, now is your chance.
You will have to hang on tight though because the drawing isn’t until December 11, 2020. A prize definitely worth waiting for though and what a score that would be just in time for Christmas.
So, get your entry in folks because this year could be yours to walk away with your very own dream Sea-Doo.
Many of you PWC and powersports enthusiasts order parts as if it’s a weekly or monthly ritual. While researching about certain parts to upgrade on your current ride, you may not realize how valuable that information really is. If you are someone who loves the powersports industry and is looking to transfer your knowledge to work for a family owned company, check out Cycle Springs Powersports located in Clearwater, Florida.
Cycle Springs Powersports is currently looking for an individual to be their new parts specialist. This is a full-time position and provides you with the opportunity to use your knowledge and help others in the powersports industry. While working for a family owned business, you will be treated like so as one of their employees. While it is not guaranteed, having previous experience in parts and shipping is a huge plus. Cycle Springs Powersports offers great benefits and perks to their employees aswell.
Cycle Springs Powersports has been around for 31 years and has built a strong reputation. With hundreds of positive reviews online, this is a great place to work. For more information, click the link here to start the online application.
The job would be located at their storefront at 29703 US-19, Clearwater, FL 33761. Even if you are located out of the state, Cycle Springs may be able to help with relocation costs.
A few months back, we found ourselves in a conversation with Nelson at PWC Super Rack, LLC. We at The Watercraft Journal were toying with the idea of a “carry as much gas as you can” endurance ride, and they were manufacturer we wanted most to speak with, especially as the ride was set for either the Panama Beach, Florida area or the Intracoastal Waterway up Florida’s eastern shore, and PWC Super Rack calls South Florida home.
For those uninitiated, PWC Super Rack is quickly becoming the single-most popular storage accessory for watercraft enthusiasts in Florida, the Gulf and up the Atlantic Coast. In one of those “Five-Year-Overnight-Success” stories, PWC Super Rack built its business upon the credo that there is always room for someone who offers either a superior product or is easier to work with. It just so happens that PWC Super Rack offers both.
Nelson happily obliged to provide us with one of their racks to test. The problem was that the runabout we had planned to use – a 2019 Yamaha FX Cruiser HO – was required back at Yamaha, and the rack that was sent was specifically designed to match the Yamaha’s swim platform. Needing someone with such a machine who could rightly tally up as many miles as possible, we turned to Tom Hill, who many will remember from our tutorial on installing a Raymarine Axiom 7 Chartplotter and Transducer on a ’19 Yamaha FX HO.
After several months of cold weather testing, Tom came back all smiles. “After looking this Super Rack all over before install I was impressed with the build quality. The fit and finish are excellent.” All PWC Super Racks are hand-fabricated to exacting specifications in the United States. More importantly, PWC Super Racks offers an array of sizes, shapes, applications and fitments to precisely fit both your PWC and your intended use (gas cans, coolers, fishing gear, etc.).
“Sliding the rack on from the rear of my Yamaha FX Cruiser was pretty straightforward,” Tom began. “I liked the way Super Rack [lines the transom hooks with foam] making sure it was centered. [It] shows that someone took their time with an actual 2019 Yamaha FX to get the fit perfect. Hooking the stainless steel turnbuckle to the ski’s tow hook was a little time consuming – not bad – but not bolt on and go.”
Tom continues, “I removed the rear seat first. Then had to unscrew the turnbuckle to get the end out so I could turn it at a 45-degree angle to get the bolt to go through the tow hook. Once the bolt was in I screwed the turnbuckle back together.” The stainless bolt has a small hole drilled in the bottom for a safety ring so there’s no chance of the nut coming off. The hole is pretty small, so Tom used a small screwdriver to pry open the ring so it would slide through.
We also supplied Tom with a pair of 5-gallon SureCan jerry cans to try out. “Perfect fit, very nice. The two SureCan’s extra 5-gallons [added up to an] extra 10-gallons, which is about [an added] 170-mile range [on the FX]. I like to ride hundreds of miles so this is a win for me. I also tried my two 6-gallon moto-style tanks and they fit nicely with room to spare. The SureCans fit perfectly and have a lower center of gravity than the moto tanks, but they both worked well. I also tried my Yeti 20 roadie cooler and it fit perfectly too.
“My hat’s off to Super Rack for making this size as it’s not too big and not too small. Like I said, someone put a lot of thought into the rack.” Tom noted the accessory hand hold for reboarding. “You gotta have this as the factory handle is a little longer stretch with the rack on, and that handle [made with] the same great quality as the [rest of the] rack.” He continued, “Out on the water, the Super Rack is superb. You don’t even know it’s back there. [The] weight and balance [is perfect.] I had this rack on 2-3 foot solid chop at speed and it doesn’t move.”
Again, PWC Super Rack, LLC makes all of their racks to fit your model PWC, all without using straps, bungees or rope. It’s a hard-mount system every time. Because of the unique fabrication and application options, it does mean that prices tend to vary pretty extremely. Just perusing the website, we see prices beginning at $299.99 and going as far as $749.99; so it’s important to reach out and let PWC Super Rack know exactly what you’re planning on doing. Finally Tom concluded, “I am very impressed with this Super Rack. I don’t believe you could buy a better rack than this. Yes, it’s that good. Thank you Super Rack for making a excellent product that’s nothing but quality.”
For those in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to start planning your big trips – and Broward Motorsports just announced a doozy: its 2020 Key Largo to Alligator Reef Lighthouse Rec Ride, Sponsored By Yamaha WaveRunners. Set for Sunday, May 31st, the Rec Ride will have three launches set for everyone to meet up. The map has been set and there’s a lot of fun to be had, so check out the full announcement below:
Join us on Sunday May 31st for the experience of a lifetime as we visit Key Largo, Alligator Reef Lighthouse. This ride will take us through the Florida Keys and out to visit the beautiful and popular Alligator Reef Lighthouse for some exploring and snorkeling. This area is spectacular!
We will be at Alligator Reef Lighthouse for roughly 1-2 hours. We will then head to Islamorada Sandbar to relax, eat and enjoy the area. This will also be the time to fuel up if necessary. We will make our way back to our respective launch locations around 5:30 PM.
*We will be departing the boat ramps at 10am. Please arrive 1.5 Hours to 2 Hours prior to the 10am launch time.
FOOD
• Please pack a lunch. There will be a food barge at the Islamorada Sandbar as well.
WHAT TO BRING
• Lunch
• Your anchor(s)
• Snorkeling gear: fins, goggles, etc.
• Sun block for the entire family
• Plenty of fluids
• Pack a lunch
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS
• Listen for the Air horns to identify launch times at each stop
• After the Air horn, you have 10 minutes to load and prep your
Ski(s)
• Please follow the lead skis and do not pass them
• With many out-of-town riders, it’s imperative we ride together
RIDE GROUPS: Florida PWC Riders
SPONSORS: Yamaha WaveRunners, Finn GPS, Worx Racing, PWC Super Rack, SureCan USA, and ShockStrap
We have seen a rise in the market for portable fuel cans. Various companies as well as watercraft manufacturers have come up with ways to allow riders to carry extra fuel for those long trips.
But how about the market for carrying and transferring other types of fluid. Maybe you want to carry water for those beach trips, top off your closed-loop cooling system without risk of spilling coolant everywhere, or simply perform yard tasks like watering plants.
Well SureCan USA has come out with a multi-purpose utility transfer tank to perform those various tasks. Now with the push of a button you can easily transfer other common fluids from their two- or five-gallon cans.
For more information on these new products, visit the link above and check out the full press release below.
SURECAN ANNOUNCES NEW PRODUCT FOR DISPENSING WATER, (DEF) DIESEL EXHAUST FLUID, & OTHER NON-FUEL-BASED LIQUIDS.
SURECAN is stepping outside the fuel can sphere of product applications and entering new markets geared towards dispensing water, (DEF) diesel exhaust fluid, and other non-fuel-based liquids. This new Multipurpose Utility Transfer Tank opens the door to vast new markets and makes performing daily tasks much easier! From watering plants, washing your hands/dishes while camping, to filling up the dog’s water bowl, these are just three simple things made easier by SureCan’s new Utility Tank. Other applications include but are not limited to:
DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid)
Windshield wiper fluid
Coolant
And many more!
Trent Woolsey, Director of Marketing for SureCan said, “It’s a no-brainer when you think about it. The technology built into our products allows you to press a button with your thumb and dispense the liquid contents from the bottom of the SureCan. This simple process makes dispensing liquid, so much easier and less strenuous on the user.” SureCan’s flagship gas cans have already revolutionized the portable fuel can industry, through innovation into a market that has not seen anything like it in decades. SureCan is doing it again by bringing this same concept to other markets. “We see a huge opportunity to expand our brand offering by producing products that makes life a whole lot easier!” continues Trent.
The SureCan Multipurpose Utility Transfer Tank comes in both 2+ Gallon & 5 Gallon capacities and will be introduced into the market on Wednesday February 19th, 2020. You can purchase the Utility Transfer Can directly on SureCan’s website at www.surecanusa.com/utility. Look for the SureCan Utility Transfer Can to be in stores near you, this Spring.
SureCan Incorporated is headquartered in Ogden, Utah. SureCan manufactures the world’s best and most innovative fuel cans, and “now”, a functional and usable utility can, will soon be in the market. Winner of many national awards such as the Most Innovative New Product Award and Retailers Choice Award at the National Hardware show, as well as a global Edison Award Silver Winner. SureCan is changing the way one may dispense fuel and other liquids from a Portable Can.
It’s hard to believe that 2020 spring PWC racing is only a month away. The Hydro-Turf Jet Jam Racing Tour will kick off with rounds one, two, and three of the South Series. The closed course action begins March 28-29 at the Nautical Resort in Lake Havasu, AZ. The second event gets underway April 18-19 and the third race takes place May 16 -17.
Participants must register with American Watersports Association (AWSA) in order to compete in the Hydro-Turf Jet Jam Racing Tour. Find that information here.
Jet Jam racing is all about family-friendly events. The races consist of world class pros who have a fun place to really turn it on while showcasing their talents without the usual pressures of world title contention. Amateurs get to show off what they know and also have a cool place to learn new skills from the cream of the crop.
Jet Jam also hosts adult and children’s events in and out of the water. Everyone has an opportunity to participate in something fun!
The North Series heads to Lake Success in Porterville, CA from June 6-7. Round two action happens in Camp Far West in Wheatland, CA. The race runs June 20-21. The final round of the North Series goes down in Mossdale Lake in Lathrop, CA on August 1 and 2.
There are Jet Jam Racing Classes for everyone from ages and older. Check out the list of classes here.
Registration is open for rounds one and two of the South Series. If you aren’t already a member of the AWSA, a link to purchase an AWSA membership is on the registration page as well.
Be sure to stop by and say hi to the crew at the Hydro-Turf booth!
