Alabama native, Brad Bertrand made waves on social media among the Sea-Doo community by expertly retrofitting the model-exclusive Garmin ECHOMAP Plus – an item only found on the 2019 Fish Pro – to his brand-new Neon Yellow-and-Lava Gray 2019 RXT-X 300. Purchasing all of the parts unique to the Fish Pro, Bertrand smartly equipped his supercharged performer with the 62cv Fish Finder, the full-color 6-inch screen and the Fish Pro’s in-hull transducer, looking g as if BRP had offered the option itself.

Many clamored for details on how Bertrand did it; the answer was remarkably unremarkable. Order the parts, follow the service manual to replicate how BRP installed the system, and there you go. The ST3 platform is surprisingly modular, allowing for a bevy of upgrades (USB phone charger, BRP Premium Audio, etc.) with very little difficultly.

Since the installation, Bertrand has taken no time in racking up the hours on his newest machine, providing what he calls, “Sea-Doo Saturdays” – short video compilations of his rides as gathered by GoPro. Bertrand is definitely earning his “Sea-Doo Life” superfan status with his Garmin-upgraded RXT-X and look forward to more videos documenting his adventures.

A video posted on social media caused quite an uproar in Northwest Cape Coral, FL. Fox 4 Now opens with the video that shows several Jet Skis speeding down a canal in Cape Coral, FL. Many of us are used to reading stories and watching videos pertaining to jet ski bans and petitions from local residents; it’s a little different in Cape Coral, Florida. Questions remain about whether anything can be done to stop the fast moving PWC. Some residents are concerned about the safety of wildlife and people casually enjoying the waterway. Others don’t seem to mind the speedy machines.

“It’s a waterway, I don’t think there’s a law against it,” said John Kukla, who lives in Cape Coral.

Timothy Francis, a concerned resident, states that there are a number of places to take a high powered ski and still have a good time. He recently purchased a John Boat and after watching the video of the speeding watercraft, he’s a little concerned about taking his kids out in the boat.

The PWC riders seen in the video did return to apologize and said they’d slow down even though they weren’t doing anything wrong. According to police chief, Sergeant Alan Kolak, the state of Florida took away the cities’ power to regulate freshwater waterways. There are no speed restrictions. As long as PWC don’t damage property on the water, they aren’t breaking any laws. Saltwater canals in Cape Coral that lead into the Gulf of Mexico differ. They have “No Wake Zone” and “Idle Speed” signs so everyone with a motor has to slow down in those particular areas.

Some residents would like to see the freshwater canal law changed so that it aligns with the saltwater law.
As for now, riders can zip along without facing legal trouble unless property damage occurs.

Broward Motorsports located in Tequesta, FL, is coming in hot with a huge sale on select models of Yamaha WaveRunners and Sea-Doo watercraft. Broward Motorsports has financing available for all credit scores. The team is willing to do what it takes to earn your business and make sure you’re happy before walking out the door.

Speaking of happiness, check out the Yamaha Best of Show Sales Event featuring Yamaha WaveRunners. Get as low as 2.99% APR financing on new models built between 2014-2019. This offer also includes up to three years Genuine Yamaha Coverage.

Another enticing offer from Broward Motorsports and Yamaha is for two brand new WaveRunners made between 2014 and 2019. These machines can be financed as low as 6.49% for 96 months. Three years of Genuine Yamaha Coverage applies to this offer as well.

The third offer is available for the EX Series. Purchase one of these skis for as little as $99 a month. That’s a steal! Get three years of Genuine Yamaha Coverage or choose a cash incentive.

The final offer is for financing as low as 4.99% for 60 months and 3 years Genuine Yamaha Coverage and also applies to Yamaha WaveRunners built between 2014 and 2019. A cash incentive or warranty can be chosen for models manufactured in 2018 and prior years. See the page for the fine print. Hurry, because the Yamaha Best of Show Event ends March 31, 2019!

The huge sale on WaveRunners also includes big markdowns on select models.

The Sea-Doo Pre-Season Event is still happening at Broward Motorsports. Buy a Sea-Doo built in the 2016-2019 range and get up to 2.9% APR financing and a 3 year Sea-Doo warranty. Wait, there’s more! Save $1,300 on a 2018 Sea-Doo Spark 3 Up, which a great entry level machine. Save $1,500 on a 2018 GTI 130, or $2,100 in savings on select models of Sea-Doo’s 2018 GTR’s.

These deals won’t last forever so make sure you stop and buy a shiny new PWC at Broward Motorsports before the huge sale ends.

In a move that has left many Rec Lite Class racers absolutely baffled, the IJSBA announced earlier this month that the 2019 Yamaha EXR WaveRunner has been outlawed from use in the IJSBA Runabout Rec Lites Classes. The 110-horsepower, 540-pound two-seater is easily one of the most anticipated additions to the Rec Lite market segment, and was the vocalized weapon-of-choice for those looking to compete in the 2019 season.

Despite being well over 100-pounds heavier, many decried the Yamaha’s wider and longer NanoXcel2 hull and 20-horsepower advantage as being “unfair” against the 90-horsepower, 438-pound Spark 3-up. These factors played a central role in the IJSBA’s refusal to permit the newcomer to the Rec Lite classes (although traditional 102-horsepower, 600-pound EX models qualify – verifying that the width and length of the EXR isn’t an issue).

The IJSBA wrote in a press release:
The following changes shall be made to the Runabout Rec Lites Classes:  Criteria shall be adopted that allows the Yamaha EX to be included in Rec Lites but not the Yamaha EXR.  Specific homologation will now be required for a Watercraft to become Rec Lites eligible and the only watercraft that shall have this homologation are the Sea-Doo Spark line of watercraft and the Yamaha EX*.  Competitors will still be allowed to repair their watercraft and make cosmetic changes which may include limited changes to the texture of the surface of the hull.  However, the shape of the hull may not be changed and reinforcements to the inside of the hull may not be added.

*Severe penalties shall be enforced against any rider found to have altered an EXR to appear to be an EX in the Rec Lites Classes. Please do not do this.

As professional runabout continued to grow more and more competitive, racers were forced to become all the more innovative; finding gray areas, loopholes and outright omissions in the prescribed rule books. Particularly in the Pro Open and GP classes, machines capable of mid-90mph speeds pushed racers to explore new ways to keep planted in the saddle. The g-forces in a particular hairpin turn could easily peel the rider from the seat, no matter how firm a grip he held on the bars.

The trend of building up bolstered backrests, narrowed coves at the knees and hyper-ergonomic saddles placed racers in a virtual Recaro-style race seat, locking their bodies in position as they piloted their all-carbon fiber machines at speeds that would horrify most human beings. These seats were custom-tailored to fit the rider, usually molded in carbon fiber, and wrapped in just enough grippy canvas to not add undue weight to the ski.

Unfortunately, the move also placed racers in danger beyond that of the already perilous race. High-end machines like these have a tendency to break down – and often in spectacular and life-threatening ways. Equally, steering components are under extreme stresses and have snapped within milliseconds.

All of these, as well as accidents, collisions and excessive g-forces in corners all require a rider to be able to freely ejected away – and the IJSBA just ruled that seats such as these inhibit the rider from clearing such dangers. They explain:

Aftermarket Seats may not provide the function to allow a rider to “lock in” to place nor shall these seats provide a saddle function beyond basic contours for riding positions. Specific language will be provided to give Race Directors a guide in prohibiting any seat which does not allow the rider to be freely removed or ejected from a watercraft from a collision or heavy force. All IJSBA Sanctioned Organizers must comply with this rule by January 1, 2020 and this rule will be applied to the 2019 IJSBA World Finals.

The Watercraft Clinic is proud to announce that Tyler Hill will be with RIVA Racing-backed Factory Yamaha for the 2019 season. The six-time world champion will be riding both the FX platform as well as the GP1800R.

With all of the team support and parts from RIVA Racing as well as the established platforms from Yamaha Waverunners, Tyler Hill will be a racer to be reckoned with for this season.

For more details, you can check out the full press release from The Watercraft Clinic below.

RIVA Racing’s/Factory Yamaha’s newest rider 6x World Champion Tyler Hill will be aboard a pair of new Yamaha Waverunners for the 2019 season. “I am super happy with this opportunity to race for RIVA Racing and Yamaha,” says Tyler. “I plan on making my new team proud!” Tyler will be aboard the new FX for the P1 AquaX Pro Enduro series and the GP1800R for closed courses races.

RIVA Racing will also play a pivotal part in the overall dynamic of The Watercraft Clinic’s race team. “We are grateful for the support our entire team is getting from RIVA. Dave, Jesus, Chris and the entire team at RIVA are amazing to work with” states Team Manager Jason Lester. “RIVA has the best parts and service for any watercraft and will be exemplified on the race course this year!”

IJSBA shared some exciting news from Florida and even Ohio! Mike Young’s Surf and Turf Promotions has partnered with Powerboat Nationals to bring three weekends of PWC Competition to Tavares,FL. This year’s event will not only feature HydroDrag Racing, Sparks, Sport Class; other watercraft will soon be announced. Partering with Powerboat Nationals is a great way to grow the sport of watercraft racing. The partnership will generate more interest in watercraft racing since many different machines will be on display and in the water. This in turn creates more revenue for communities and more fun for spectators.

The 10th Annual Hydro-Turf US HydroDrag Nationals and World Championships powered by Yamaha will return to Lake County for four events. These begin April 6 and will feature the “World’s Fastest Race on Water.” This event runs for two days and is sanctioned by the IJSBA of Half Moon Bay,CA. The HydroDrags feature a one of a kind launch pad and it will be set up directly behind Kalua Beach Bar. Five classes of HydroDrag Racing will be entered. These classes include Pro Stock Sea-Doo, Pro Stock Yamaha, Spec, Superstock, and Unlimited. Stock and Spec Classes run on Saturday and the more modified machines run on Sunday.

This is promoter Mike Young’s 32cd year in the industry and the 39th year of organized PWC racing. Young said, ”I enjoyed putting on the races in Tavares so much that I moved here from Bradenton and our relationship with the City of Tavares and Lake County Economic Development is excellent” With that being said, Young said that there will be 3 additional events held on May 18-19, July 18-19, and November 9-10. The May and November events will also feature the Powerboat Nationals Hydro Cross Classes; Sport and Spark, which will bring a lot more people to Lake County for the event as the Powerboat Nationals Series heads to Ohio, Michigan, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and West Virginia!

The Series attracts hundreds of racers from all over the U.S. National and local sponsors include Hydro-Turf, Yamaha, City of Tavares, Lake County, RIVA Racing, Greenhulk.net, Tiki West, Key West Resort, Blowsion, Jet Pilot, IJSBA, pipmthatride.com, 4-Tec Performance, Team Mean, MVP Production, and Jet Ski Daily. The events run from 9am to 4pm and are free for Lake County residents to attend.

Non-residents can purchase a pit pass for $10. Surf and Turf Promotions has more information available on its website. Bleachers will be provided, however, attendees are urged to bring their own seats and ear protection because it’s going to get loud! Free parking is available at the Tavares City parking deck.

This is a family-friendly event with a high energy vibe. Prepare to have fun! Drag Racing, Freestylye, and Closed Course racing will be on display. Plenty of vendors will be on site and many restaurants are within walking distance. Uva Perez from U-Jet is the current holder of the World Speed Record in the Unlimited Class. The record happened in 2017 on Lake Dora and it was an impressive 127.7MPH! Are you ready Tavares? The 2019 Hydro-Turf US Drag Nationals and World Championships are coming back to town and they’re going to be bigger than ever!

This bizarre story out of Grand Island, New York states that Border Patrol Agents took a man into custody Wednesday morning at Beaver Island State Park for smuggling two aliens into the United States from Canada. This is especially unusual due to the time of year. The water and air are frigid and the suspect is accepting money to smuggle a couple of people into the U.S. from Canada.

Wanderson Dos Santos Freitas of Brazil was arrested after his jet ski broke down on the Niagara River.

Border Patrol officers were blown away when they saw Dos Santos Freitas on a jet ski driving across the Niagara River with two passengers. They got stuck in the middle of the river when the jet ski malfunctioned stranding them on a block of ice.

Two of the people were able to walk across the ice to land. However, the Grand Island Fire Department had to rescue the third person with the use of ropes and a small inflatable raft.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office charged Dos Santos Freitas with bringing aliens to the United States for money.

“The aliens on the jet ski had paid the defendant six thousand dollars or agreed to pay him six thousand dollars to bring them into the US,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Charlie Kruly.
The two passengers were put in extreme danger by the man at the helm of the PWC. Neither person were wearing life jackets and the woman on the back didn’t even know how to swim. The water temps were 32 degrees Fahrenheit. After paramedics evaluated the three people, Buffalo Border Patrol took them into custody.

Dos Santos Freitas faces up to 10 years in prison and the other two remain in detention.
Air support was provided by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Air, and Marine Operations.

Jeffrey Wilson of the Buffalo Border Patrol Station praised his men by saying, “I commend our agents for apprehending this smuggling attempt.”