Personal Watercraft are known for their ability to navigate through shallow and narrow areas. They allow you to adventure into new places a boat would get stuck in. But, with their smaller size, there are some sacrifices. One of these sacrifices is the amount of storage on board.
While some model have more storage room then others, it is nowhere near the storage a boat would have. If you are finding yourself needing more storage, have no fear! Kool PWC Stuff has just announced a new series of Sea-Doo storage racks. With the purchase of a factory LinQ accessory system, you could install these storage racks on your Kawasaki or Yamaha!
Above: And being from Kool PWC Stuff, each rack can be equipped to carry upwards of 7-gallons of extra fuel using side-mounted Rotopax jerry cans.
The new fishing and storage racks have many advantages compared to other models. Made with all stainless steel including the fishing rod holders, these racks are perfect for saltwater riders but overall proves that it is a quality product. A key aspect of these racks is that they will fit on the front or the back of a LinQ bracket.
On Sea-Doo models you will not need to drill any holes in the deck of your hull but if installing the LinQ brackets on a Yamaha or Kawasaki, you will need to drill a four holes into the deck. This ensures the rack is properly secured. Leaving you with no worries that your cooler will end up in the water.
Above left: Some recent news regarding Kool PWC Stuff is that they have relocated to Clemson, South Carolina and are actively wanting to expand their dealer network. Above right: In the coming months, they will also be expanding their PWC accessories and getting into the ATV Market.
The racks fit any cooler of your choice from Igloo to Coleman to Yeti. The outside dimensions of the rack are 27.5” x 17.5” x 13.25” top bar and the inside dimensions 26” x 16” x 12.5” top bar. An additional feature these racks offer is that have the ability to carry two Rotopax fuel packs. Carrying those extra fuel packs will increase your range of exploration by giving you up to seven gallons of fuel.
These cooler/fishing/storage racks are built structurally sound, made with quality materials and provide you with the opportunity of trying new things. Maybe you want to start fishing from your PWC, or be the hostess with the good food and ice cold drinks. These racks allow you to do that. An important reminder is that these racks are significantly cheaper than buying a rack directly from Sea-Doo.
As we are slowly teased with a few warmer days here and there, you can almost smell the warmer spring weather in the air. That can only mean that the mainstream riding season is right around the corner.
Now is the perfect time to make sure your watercraft is in tip-top shape and get those last minute performance parts from RIVA Racing ready to go.
But did you know that RIVA has a clearance section much like any major retail store? Instead of an aisle, you can visit their metaphorical garage. RIVA calls it their Bargain Garage where you find deals, sales, and clearance specials.
You can currently find deals on items from piston kits and intercoolers, to impellers, steering and handling components, and much more. We are talking awesome savings too of at least 50 percent off on many items.
As always with RIVA Racing, all orders over $150 will qualify for free shipping to all continental US states. So keep an eye inside the bargain garage at all times. You never know what you might find.
IJSBA is thrilled to announce the return of Huntington Beach to the 2019 competition schedule!RPM Racing is IJSBA’s Sanctioned Closed Course Promotor for the Southern California and Arizona Regions.
The Best of the West Series begins with the second annual Huntington Beach Moto-Surf and Freeride. The event takes place April 5-7, 2019 on the south side of the pier and features two days of IJSBA sanctioned watercraft racing and three days of freeride competition.
Rounds two and three send the competitors to Parker, AZ where the The Blue Water Resort Casino is located. The IJSBA Western States Nationals and the 3rd Annual Gary Hart Memorial Race will take place in the area. For reservations at the hotel, head to The Blue Water Resort Casino’s website.
The fourth and fifth rounds take place July 13 and 14 at Lake Perris State Recreation Area. The Lake Perris Open of Water X will go down in the Power Cove. Moving on to the final two rounds, the competitors return to Lake Perris to crown a champion of The Best of the Best of the West. Rounds 5 and 6 will take place August 10th and 11th at Power Cove, Lake Perris.
July 7th is the grueling LB2CAT Offshore Endurance National Championships race. For more information on any of the events above, please contact Ross Wallach at (310) 318-4012 or [email protected]
The new Yamaha FX series platform is already making headlines and the latest Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300 win is proving its dominance.
Yamaha racers Chris MacClugage and Troy Snyder took the win aboard their 2019 FX SVHO WaveRunner. As the longest personal watercraft race in the world, this endurance race is a true testament to the abilities of this new WaveRunner.
For the full Yamaha press release below and be sure to visit Yamaha WaveRunners news for all the latest details.
New Yamaha FX Series Platform Dominates Field as Yamaha Riders Squeeze Competition from Top 10 Positions
Yamaha WaveRunner racers Chris MacClugage and Troy Snyder teamed up to win the 2019 Mark Hahn 300, the longest PWC endurance race in the world aboard the newly redesigned FX WaveRunner platform.
The historic win could be the final chapter for one of the most storied events in the PWC industry, held for 15 years at Lake Havasu City, Arizona. According to the event promoter, a final decision to return to Lake Havasu for the 16th year has not yet been made.
MacClugage, Snyder, and their 2019 FX SVHO WaveRunner led a contingent of Yamaha racers that included a Who’s Who of watercraft racing elite from Eric Francis, Dennis Mack, Eric Lagopoulos, Chris Saxon, and Sophie Francis – all IJSBA PWC racing champions in their own right.
“There’s been some speculation as to how competitive the new FX platform would be in an actual race setting,” said Yamaha’s Product Manager Scott Watkins. “With any new platform it takes time and development to get ready for a race like the Mark Hahn. Last year’s event was won by a Yamaha GP1800 which didn’t make the decision to easy for racers to switch to a new platform for 2019. Although I do remember back in August that Eric and Sophie Francis told me after riding the FX for the first time that ‘it will be like cheating next year’ and with 2 new FX’s on the podium in its first race it seems like the FX is off to a great start for 2019.”
“Thanks to the long-term sponsorship by Yamaha, Hot Products and the IJSBA, we’ve offered one of the unique races in the motorsports arena to the toughest PWC endurance riders in the world,” said event founder Mark Follmer.
The Mark Hahn 300 is the longest personal watercraft race in the world, covering a total of 300 tough miles in 30 successive laps of a 10-mile course. The race features the only true Le Mans start currently in motorsports of any type.
It was good news either way you looked at it. The 2019 Yamaha VXR WaveRunner was either the top-of-the-line of Yamaha’s middle segment VX lineup, or it was the freshest entry to the brand’s race-ready Performance segment. Per Yamaha’s own website, the VXR is listed as the latter with the VX Cruiser HO claiming the top of the VX totem pole, which it rightly deserves. More so for 2019 than ever before, the VXR shares so much more in common with its GP1800R sibling that the similarities now outnumber the differences.
“We really wanted the ‘R’ to stand for something more,” Yamaha WaveRunner Product Manager Scott Watkins explained to The Watercraft Journal back in late July of 2018. “It was undefeated in the naturally-aspirated class [during the AquaX series in 2018]. For 2019, we really step up the VXR for the racer and performance enthusiast.” True to his word, changes made to the VXR are multiple and significant, all of which add up to lightweight, naturally-aspirated machine that acts like its supercharged.
Like the pocket rocket EXR, the 2019 VXR also benefits from the use of Yamaha’s proprietary NanoXcel2 lightweight bonding material for 2019. That shaved off a clean 28-pounds from the previous model, bringing the new VXR down to 739-pounds (dry weight). In doing so, it also made the VXR now share the identical hull and deck as the GP1800R (identical in both weight and design). Like the GP1800R, the VXR also employs the new larger, reinforced intake grate brackets that strengthen up the pump tunnel as well.
Speaking of which, Yamaha designed to benefit the VXR with the same louvered and extended, race-inspired ride plate, as well as the aggressive top-loader intake grate. These two additions alone account for both the GP1800R and VXR’s radically increased traction, reduced cavitation and predictable, rider-responsive maneuverability. A flick of the handlebars now communicates instantaneously with a racy inside-lean and snap-turn responsiveness. There’s no slop to be found here; if you’re looking for playful spinouts and slippery power slides, check out the EXR. The VXR is all business.
Beneath the racy cut-and-sew, high bolstered two-piece seat lies the VXR’s 1,812cc 4-cylinder High Output engine. At 180-horsepower, the 1.8-liter is the largest displacement, naturally-aspirated engine in the market today. The exhaust note is tuned to sound throaty without the tinniness of other machines. At wide-open-throttle you’ll love the howl it makes as the wind whips past your ears. Its orchestral. And the 1.8L is compliant with 87 or 93 octane, which is impressive given its 11:1 compression ratio.
Being naturally-aspirated, the VXR employs the same 155mm, 6-vein pump as the rest of the naturally-aspirated VX lineup. Additional carryovers from the VX series include its 131.9-inch beam, 18.5-gallon fuel capacity and 24.6-gallons of storage broken up between a large bow stowage, waterproof screw-top bin beneath the rear passenger’s seat, and a generous glove box with molded-in cup holders. The handlebars are fixed (no tilt or telescoping feature), and include Yamaha’s “automatic start” Start button, electronic trim control and of course, Yamaha’s RiDE brake and reverse system.
The dash is spartan and identical to that of the GP1800R; a simple LCD triangular screen reading off trim settings and fuel level in diagonal bars, a numerical speedometer, analog-style tachometer, and readouts for voltage and hours. Toggling between kilometers and miles is done via a combination of start/stop and trim buttons outlined in the owner’s manual. Other than that, it is what it is.
Other useful goodies include the standard folding swim step, static rear view mirrors, and tow hook. Being a three-seater with a rear grip rail that is nicely tucked in close to the seat for a rearward-facing passenger, the VXR can aptly be used as a tow vehicle for the kids’ towable or your club members’ broken down ski (there’s always that “one guy”). Available in either Torch Red Metallic with White or Azure Blue Metallic with White, either option comes with color-matched, two-tone, CNC-cut Hydro-Turf traction matting.
We had the opportunity to ride both color variants of the 2019 VXR and found ourselves longing for 2018’s stealthy black-and-blue livery. We opted to shoot our action photos with the Torch Red Metallic with White, and film our latest episode of The Watercraft Journal with the Azure Blue Metallic with White unit (as well as capture our still shots). With a 235-pound rider, we registered a consistent 67mph on the speedometer (slightly less on our GPS). That’s pretty on par with Sea-Doo’s supercharged 230-horsepower GTR and GTR-X models.
When compared to its $14,199 MSRP supercharged GP1800R sibling, the $1,900-more affordable 2019 Yamaha VXR – priced at $12,299 – suddenly becomes all the more attractive. Again, the flexibility of pouring 87 octane down its filler neck adds to the VXR’s appeal too. This is easily the raciest WaveRunner we could see a doting husband getting away with if the wife was pushing for a budget-friendly toy the whole family could enjoy. We’ve always enjoyed the VXR, but the recent changes have truly awoken this craft’s potential, and for it earns our praise.
This story from OZPWC should be of interest to anyone who’s interested in alternative power and energy sources or just wants to stay in the BRP loop. BRP bought select assets from Faster Faster, INC (Alta Motors). This appears to be another piece of the puzzle that BRP is putting together for new technologies and different types of energy sources within the powersports industry. The purchase includes certain intellectual property, patents, and some limited physical assets from the former all-electric motorcycle design and manufacturing company.
The Alta Motors purchase is another asset to BRP’s growing portfolio. Although BRP has no interest in restarting Alta Motors, this is a chance for BRP to become even more innovative in the powersports industry. BRP has had commercial electric side-by-side vehicles operating for many years and also created electric and hybrid prototypes of Can Am Spyder vehicles. Currently, the crew is working on building electric karts with Rotax.
Is a quality electric Sea-Doo watercraft in our future? It is plausible and would not surprise us. BRP leads the pack when it comes to innovation. Purchasing Alta Motors gives them an increased opportunity to move forward with their research and development of alternative power sources. It’s only a matter of time before a fully electric Sea-Doo hits the market.
The higher costs and short ride times are common themes when it comes to building electric machines. Many other powersports industries suffer the same dilemmas; short battery life and the high cost of going electric. Maybe BRP will overcome these particular problems with a newly developed Sea-Doo watercraft.
News spread fast. It tends to do that on social media, but the private messages started to pour in faster than I could make sense of it: “What happened?” “Did you hear?” Frankly, I hadn’t heard much, except that Texas’ own Shaun Compton, the event director for TXH2O Racing, had suddenly an unexpectedly passed away the day before the Jet Blast at Lake Fairview, in Orlando, FL was to begin.
While teams began to fill the parking grounds and line the beach, Compton was busy helping set out buoys after drawing up a unique double-split course that many racers were eager to try. A career trucker for Skeeter Boats, racer and “race dad”, Shaun was always one to burn the candle at both ends, and preparing the first TXH2O event of the year, was no exception.
Eye witnesses saw Compton pause between dropping buoys aboard his Sea-Doo, and silently slump over into the water. Several persons rushed to his rescue, quickly pulling Compton out of the water, dragging him ashore and applying CPR. “I was there,” Bobby Cordone explained to me that night. “I held his head as they tried to bring him back. They said it was a blood clot. It was instantaneous.”
I had talked to Compton a couple times about covering the TXH2O series after doing our interview with him in July of last year. He was affable, energetic and really, really focused on bringing youth back into personal watercraft racing. I recall him joking that “us old guys need to get out of the [kids’] way.” Shaun walked the walk as much as he talked the talk too, making a special effort within TXH2O to welcome new talent.
It seems these days that many of the car dealerships offer some sort of lifetime engine or powertrain warranty, guaranteeing you a worry-free ownership experience for as long as you own the vehicle.
In fact, it seems so common and almost standard. So how come no one offers these type of warranties on new watercraft? Well, actually you can get a lifetime engine warranty on your new Yamaha, Sea-Doo, or Kawasaki watercraft and any other powersport vehicle if you purchase it from Cycle Springs Powersports.
That’s right, Cycle Springs out of Clearwater, Florida is in fact the only powersports dealership in the nation where you can get a lifetime engine warranty, giving you peace of mind for as long as you own the unit. No limitations on time, hours, or miles, period!
This is an unbelievable deal and an unheard notion in the powersports industry. Cycle Springs is so focused on the customer and their experience, that they want you to be happy not only when purchasing your new item, but also years down the road for as long as you own it. According to the good folks at Cycle Springs, “We want to know that our customers are out riding, having fun and enjoying their purchase!”
It gets even better too. Not only can you get this amazing lifetime warranty, but you can also get an extended warranty on the watercraft or unit itself. This warranty can extend beyond the manufacturer’s factory warranty period, giving you even more safety and confidence.
Get this, it doesn’t end there either. What’s more, if you do not make any claims on this extended warranty during the terms period, Cycle Springs will give you your money back. You read that right, a 100-percent cash refund on the purchased extended warranty if you do not use it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0szgsrhB4I
This is like your auto insurance company sending you a suitcase full of cash, returning all of those years of premiums when you retire if you never get into an automobile accident. This is so unheard of and far-fetched, but Cycle Springs is making it happen for you.
Cycle Springs is so enthusiastic about the customer experience, that they have created this video highlighting their exclusive lifetime warranty. So check it out, head on over to Cycle Springs Online, and start your journey today.
Last year we published a story about Jimmy Kimmel giving away a Kawasaki JetSki to the person who delivered the shortest speech of the night at the 2018 Academy Awards ceremony. We are now following up with what happened to the Kawasaki JetSki Ultra 310LX. The winner of the $18,000 PWC was costume designer Mark Bridges who won an Oscar for his work on Phantom Thread and his speech was only 36 seconds long.
After winning the ski, Bridges was asked if he had any experience on a JetSki, and he replied ‘none good.’ Those two words were very telling of the situation. Bridges isn’t into jet skiing. However, it sounds like the ski went to a worthy cause. Below is what Bridges had to say about his big win:
“So I thought I’d turn lemons into lemonade, so to speak, and I donated it to the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF). That does a lot of charitable work for people in the industry.”
Bridges explains the MPTF has a senior citizens home and a health facility, adding it’s an organization he’d wanted to contribute to for a while.
Bridges figured they could auction the ski and make some money. He soon received a call from the Foundation board chairman, Jeffrey Katzenberg, who thanked him for the machine. Bridges believes they were able to get some donations for the Kawasaki Ultra 310X, making it win-win situation.
So you’re thinking of ordering some fresh new parts or accessories from SBT? Wait, you weren’t planning on it? Well you had better start thinking about it now because you can win some awesome cash or prizes.
That’s right, SBT is now hosting what they call an unboxing contest where you can record and post a video of yourself tearing open the box of your brand new equipment like a kid on Christmas morning.
Don’t be afraid to get creative people. After all, SBT will be looking for uniqueness, creativity, and just a cool entertaining video.
Simply record the unboxing experience, upload your video to social media, and tag SBT for your chance to win. Up for grabs are lots of prizes including cash, gift cards, merchandise, rebates, and lots of other cool stuff.
Prizes are ranging from $20 all the way up to a $3000. The contest is currently ongoing and winners are being selected every other Friday.
For all of the contest rules and details, you can visit shopSBT.com and be sure to follow their Facebook page for the latest information.
