Unfortunately, we’re ramping up for winterization season, and it’s easily the saddest part of the year for those PWC enthusiasts in the northern hemisphere. And for those in the Great White North, there’s only one shop that The Watercraft Journal to get the job done – and that’s JetX Powersports! Earlier this month, JetX announced a super-competitive winterization package for $249.99. And if that wasn’t enough, JetX also offers shrink wrap and storage available. If you want to get it done right with a trouble free season for next Spring, JetX Powersports is it!
The Woodbridge, Ontario service center has been providing service for personal watercraft, jet boats, ATVs, dirt bikes and snowmobiles for over a decade, supporting the Greater Toronto Area and Northern Ontario area. Whether you’re in need of a tune-up, jet pump service, or a full-blown engine rebuild, JetX Powersports has the capabilities and expertise to get the job done. And if you’re looking to pump up your PWC’s performance, they’ve got that covered too.
But the biggest outlier between JetX Powersports and most service shops, its that JetX offers a Mobile Service that will come to you. “We have built our reputation on providing a wide range of services that can be performed at a location convenient for our clients such as winterization of boats, skis and other vehicles. If the services required cannot be completed via our Mobile Service, JetX Powersports can also provide a pickup and delivery service,” stated Ryan Dalli, owner and chief technical expert at JetX.
Back in June’s first “Heads Up Showdown” where we pinned the 2018 Sea-Doo RXT-X 300 ($15,699) against the 2018 Yamaha GP1800 WaveRunner ($13,999), we were frankly floored by the results. Despite it’s horsepower advantage, we were certain that the lighter and smaller GP would’ve been the winner. So much so that Jerry teased whether we wished to place a small gentleman’s wager on the outcome. Ironically, both of us would be dumbstruck by the results. The larger, heavier and more-equipped Sea-Doo eked ahead of our Yamaha – if only by fractions of a second. This result not only surprised us, but our readers who struggled to cope with our results.
So when the opportunity to attempt a second “go” at another acceleration test arose, we couldn’t say no. Our reasons for doing so were both mainly scientific, and thereby justified in our experiment, and that we simply had both of these machines in our possession at the time and wanted to see how’d they do when squared off the other. But let’s back up a little; we wanted to revisit our shootout because frankly, many felt that the far larger and heavier ’18 Sea-Doo RXT-X 300 beating out the smaller, lighter and more nimble GP1800 was a fluke. Others – most notably fans of the new Sea-Doo’s “Launch Control” mode – were upset that we chose not to use the feature when battling the Yamaha.
Our reasoning was sound, but left many feeling the comparison was incomplete. “Fair enough,” both The Watercraft Journal’s Kevin Shaw and Jerry Gaddis of Greenhulk.net agreed. So a second bout of testing including runs both with Launch Control engaged and without were planned. Because we had installed a pair of RIVA Racing Pro Series Sponsons months earlier, we swapped the new adjustable sponsons back for the one-piece, molded plastic factory sponsons. And just as we had done back in June, this month’s test would also have both machines topped off with fuel. Yes, this alone was a major point of contention and every manner of sandbagging was suggested to equalize for the weight, but we felt being filled to the top was the most fair and frankly, the least likely solution to spur cries of bias or cheating on our end.
As mentioned, we had in our hands the first 2019 Yamaha WaveRunner FX SVHO (albeit a pre-production unit). The ski itself had nearly 40 hours on the clock, which wasn’t too far off from our Sea-Doo (which also was a pre-production unit), guaranteeing near-equal engine wear and run time. And as last time, we had Jerry be our sole pilot, thereby eliminating any potential differences in rider weight, skill or throttle response. Finally, we employed both a Garmin GPS for tracking top speed as well as a Vbox Sport accelerometer – tracking acceleration times beginning at 5 miles per hour and tracking in 10mph increments. The choice to begin at 5mph was simple: PWC are always in motion, even when set in neutral. Wind, current or the reverse bucket’s redirection of thrust never has the ski at a true zero. Alas, we wanted to be as scientific as possible by eliminating as many variables as we could.
Like we had in June, we drove down to Morgan City, Louisiana to attend the Mudbug, the Fall Mudbug, that is. The second event is far less populated as the summertime event, and doesn’t feature the Speed Alley radar run session on Saturday morning, which was OK by us. We had already scheduled a series of rides with a couple of groups and were looking forward to hours of exploration through miles of shady bayou. Admittedly, most of our casual riding was aboard the Yamaha primarily because we had so little time aboard it and doubted we’d get another opportunity before the beginning of the main riding season next year. So the Sea-Doo sat on the trailer for most of the weekend, that is until it was time to face off against the new FX SVHO on a quiet stretch of canal running a few miles behind Jerry’s home where Greenhulk conducts most of its testing.
Taking the Yamaha first, Jerry sped off into the distance, wanting to get some heat into the engine. The staccato whine of the SVHO’s supercharger howled over the water as the red-and-white WaveRunner slipped across the ever-so-slightly-rippled surface. Then, pausing to set the Vbox and Garmin, he snapped off the first and a sequence of follow-up passes, alternating directions to equate for wind direction and current. He returned to the trailer with a curious look on his face. What was he seeing in the data? we wondered. Without hesitation, the Sea-Doo was next. We remounted and activated the GoPro cameras, the instruments were reset and off Jerry went to repeat the process but on the RXT-X 300. This time though, the Sea-Doo would get a double dose, as Jerry was testing both with and without Launch Control.
The newest feature for the X-series performance Sea-Doos is a little misunderstood. There’s no tapering of throttle or engine response as some have claimed. The “control” in Launch Control is merely articulating the position of the trim nozzle. Activating Launch Control requires being set in Forward motion, as a racer would be at the starting line. When armed, Launch Control trims the nozzle all-the-way down, ensuring the craft won’t leap out of the water upon acceleration. Then, as the ski reaches top speed, the trim nozzle automatically toggles back up to the last preset position, whether that’s at neutral plane or wherever. We agreed with Jerry that a seasoned rider could manually toggle the VTS better, and sought to prove it. The result was everything opposite of our thoughts.
First, the ’18 Sea-Doo RXT-X 300 handily bested the ’19 Yamaha FX SVHO both in 5-30 and 5-60 acceleration speeds, and by a considerable amount. The Sea-Doo carried over a half-of-a-second lead over the WaveRunner, which in drag racing terms, is considerable. If weight was a factor, it didn’t show here. In fact, in stock trim, the RXT-X is only 10-pounds heavier than the FX SVHO (828lbs. vs. 818lbs.); albeit equipped with the BRP Premium Sound system (weighing 19-pounds), fully fueled, the Sea-Doo tipped the scales a 942-pounds, the Yamaha coming in at 930-pounds, effectively closing the gap between the two quite a bit. Yet, despite being heavier and more equipped, the sheer grunt of the Sea-Doo’s 300-horsepower was enough to compensate and earn the ski yet another win.
There’s still some pretty exciting racing left in 2018 and we’d hate for you to miss out. This coming November 2nd-through-4th welcomes the Motosurf World Cup back to Naples, Florida, joining the returning Pro Watercross World Championships. Jetsurf racing has really taken off in recent years, despite the invention of the craft being so new. The footage below is exciting enough and we can only imagine what it’d look like in person. So if you’re planning on attending, make sure to schedule your hotel room now and we’re sure neighboring sites are going to fill up quick.
Here’s the original press release: Sugden Regional Park in Naples, Florida as it is formally known, hosts a variety of programs taking advantage of Lake Avalon, including sailing, kayaking, water skiing instruction and demonstrations, paddle boat rentals, and one of the only freshwater beaches in Collier County. After an astonishing racing premiere in 2017, the Sugden Lakes will again experience the taste of MotoSurf World Cup action. High paced racing on a buoy course on the lightest and fastest motorized carbon fiber surfboards will deliver the name of the 2018 Champions.
The race will be attended by 50 riders in the men class and 14 riders for the Women World Cup glory. Among the riders from 15 nations all around the world, it will be only two competitors leaving the Park as 2018 World Champions. Captain Candy’s Lukáš Záhorský is closest the title in the men’s competition while BV-Dex Jetsurf Team’s Aneta Šacherová will be defending her leading from reigning champion Martina Bravencová. JETSURF FACTORY TEAM is set to be the wild card making their World Cup debut against the topguns.
Double World Superbike Champion & AMA Superbike Champion Troy Corser recently joined the team and after really hard preparations, the Australian known for his unique crocodile style dominating the fastest production bikes in the world, is ready to race. Second wild card slot has been granted to another two wheels master. MotoGP premiere class podium finisher and Yamaha MotoGP Team test rider – German Jonas Folger has used his JETSURF for body fitness and finally comes to gauge his performance against the world’s fastest jetsurfers on the race course.
The race will kick off this year from November 2nd through 4th and will be co-organized by Jetsurf USA and the race governing body, the MotoSurf WorldCup.
It’s not often when a commercially-sold product isn’t available to the rabid consumers of the United States. If it’s readily available for purchase, we pretty much can get it. Well, at least that’s what we like to think until you start looking at some of the performance cars sold in Australia, Japan and across Europe, or just some of those wildly-flavored KitKats made exclusively for Asian countries. But we digress.
For the personal watercraft market, the biggest outlier has been the advent of the Sealver WaveBoat. The modular, self-contained jet boat operated by a removable PWC, has eluded American audiences for far too long, and thankfully, it’s looking like that is coming to an end.
In a recent social media post, Sealver WaveBoat announced,”For our US followers, our partner JMC Wave Boat will be presenting […] at Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show from October 31th until November 4th.” This of course, is big news for those of us who have been eagerly awaiting the US arrival of this new line of boats.
Of course, the big news was Sealver’s announcement and video reveal of its 2019 lineup, showcasing that the catalog of available wake boats and RIB craft can accommodate the new ST3-based Sea-Doos as well as the Yamaha FX and Kawasaki STX-15F. We’ve seen previous Sealver WaveBoat models powered by Sea-Doo RXP-X 300s and Yamaha GP1800s, so we’re seeing the vast applications that these boats can operate with.
In recent years, the future of the once secluded and poorly-kept secret of Body Beach has come under intense attack by locals, developers and city planners of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The nine-acre, half-mile stretch of undeveloped, fee-free lakefront land on the eastern shores of Arizona’s Lake Havasu was most recently threatened by developers in early 2015. Since then, members of the Lake Havasu City Council wishing to expand the popular Rotary Park into the neighboring area, have raised questions as to Body Beach’s value to the city itself.
Looking to garner vocal support, Lake Havasu local and Pro Watercraft Racing’s own Chris Hagest launched a write-in petition asking for racers, visitors and enthusiasts to sign and describe how they personally contribute to the local economy by visiting Body Beach, asking, “We want to show the economic impact that Body Beach and the buoy course at Body Beach provide. Please add how much [money] you spend when you do visit and where you are from.” At the time of this writing, the petition has garnered 271 of the required 500 signatures to be considered valid.
So we ask that if you’re a fan of Body Beach and wish to see it preserved, that you click the link provided HERE and sign your name and share how you contribute to the local economy while visiting Body Beach. Every little bit helps in keeping this historic piece of watercraft racing alive.
There are few race venues that carry the prominence and promise of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. The site of nearly four decades of IJSBA World Championship races, the blue waters of Lake Havasu have seen legends born and dreams come true, heartbreaking defeats and tragic losses, rider skill that surpasses technical excellence, and innovative advances in design and mechanics that set the industry on its ear.
The 2018 IJSBA World Finals was no exception. From tuning and testing at Body Beach in late September, through the final moto on October 7th, the best of the best in the world gathered in search of bragging rights and a championship title. But the stories of Havasu go well beyond a numbered plaque. The stories are in the Journeys that bring riders – from rookies to pros, from almost-placeds to past champions – from pre-teens to veterans – from around the world to pit their skill, their courage, their persistence and their machine against the best of the best.
Havasu is the culmination of years of training, months of preparation, weeks of tuning, often days of travel, and a lifetime of aspirations for the racers that pack the lakeshores below Crazy Horse Campground. At this year’s World Finals, as always, the official action started with a slate of amateur and novice classes early in the week, with Pro-Am and Pro classes packing Friday, Saturday and Sunday with non-stop action.
While every class, and every moto, brought full-energy, high-speed battles to the intricate buoy course on Lake Havasu, there were, also as always, a number of key battles that gained even more than their equal share of excitement and attention. IJSBA promoter and announcer, Mikey Young told The Watercraft Journal, “The 38th Annual Blowsion IJSBA World Finals had a great feel to it – a reunion for some, a dream for many, and always a fun party for most! As for me, it was my 26th year and I always enjoy being around my PWC racing family and friends. We are truly blessed.”
The freestyle competition is always one of the highlights of the World Championship week, and even with the cancellation of the nighttime freestyle round under London Bridge (due to weather), this year’s freestyle competitions drew some of the largest spectator crowds and once again brought several ‘first ever” moments into play. One of those firsts was the new Junior division. Introduced last year when then-8-year-old Coy Curtis demonstrated the new Rickter junior ski, this year’s Junior Division competition proved that age (nor height!) is a limiting factor when it comes to flips and tricks.
New Junior Freestyle World Champion Gabe Jurkish is certain to be one to watch in the years to come. Pro Freestyle had its fair share of groundbreaking moments, with multi-time world champion Mark Gomez, who voluntarily took that risky first run in the first round on Saturday, opening his run with an amazing Superman barrel roll. Not to be outdone, equally-titled pro freestyler and industry legend Lee Stone followed up his 2017 groundbreaking double backflip – the first ever in a competition – with the first-ever flat water double barrel roll. Stone ended the weekend on the top podium spot in the pro division, while Evan Krefski secured the amateur championship.
In the Ski class, the Junior divisions featured the continued dominance of the Beaumer clan, with Julien “JuJu” Beaumer claiming the Amateur Ski Mod Lites championship title and the Junior Ski (13-15) championship title, as well as finishing second in the Junior (13-15) Mod Lites class – ceding that title to his older brother, Theo Beaumer, who also claimed the world champion title in the Pro Am Ski Mod Lites division.
The Pro Ski Modified line – the largest of the finals week starting lines, with 20 world-class riders angling for that all-important holeshot – included a full raft of legendary names, including Mike Klippenstein, Craig Warner, Jeremy Poret, Dustin Motzouris, and Quinetn Bossche. It was Bossche who nailed down the championship title with 1-3-1 finishes, but not without battling for it through every buoy and every lap of all three motos – the only race division to include a third moto for the championship.
In the GP Ski division, top industry names again nosed up to the starting gate, with James Wilson and Jeremy Poret looking to add to their collection of titles; however, it was Brock Austin who walked away with the overall win, coming in a solid second place in both motos. Craig Warner and Mike Klippenstein faced off again in the Pro/Am Ski Super Stock division, with Klipper claiming a solid win in the first moto, and Warner securing the win in the second moto. Warner took the top overall podium spot, with a second-place finish in moto 1, while Claudio Rivarola edged out Klippenstein for the second-place finish in moto 2.
In the Sport GP division, a familiar battle shaped up, with Dustin Farthing and Sam Nehme both looking for yet another championship title to add to their collection. In the end, it was Farthing who walked away with the title, and Tyler Hill split the pair, coming in second overall, just ahead of Nehme. On the flip side of the Sport class, the Stock division featured some of the fiercest battles of the week. Christian Daly put in a decisive overall win, with first place finishes in both motos – but those wins were nothing less than hard-fought battles around every buoy against Haden Skellett (2nd overall) and Tommy Bonacci (3rd overall).
World Finals-newbie Christian Daly, who claimed the Sport Spec World Champion explained: “The 2018 World Finals for me was an awesome first experience. I thought the event itself was efficient and organized. I was even able to bring home a world title and a moto win in Pro Sport GP. Great experience and hope to be back!” Conversely, Expert Vets Runabout World Champion, Troy Snyder said, “[The IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu is] the best race and race site in watercraft racing history! [It] brings some of the best in the World and scares the others away! I enjoyed this year’s Finals, winning my 4th World Title and being on the podium in another Pro class.”
Ken Waddle explained, “The World Finals in Lake Havasu has a big mystique to it. You are racing against the best of the best. Winning here takes preparation, dedication, and skill. Frankly, a lot of it can come down to pure luck. Everyone, including myself, enjoys the fierce competition and camaraderie of spending time with fellow racers from around the world.”
In the Runabout class, Mohammed Burbayea repeated his 2017 domination of the course in the GP division, while Yuki Francois (Kurahashi) repeated her 2017 top podium spot in the Women’s Runabout 1100 Stock division. Sophie Francis (3/1) secured a hard-fought overall win in the Women’s Runabout division, holding out against tough competition from 2nd-place Tammy Rarick (1/4).
Arguably the most anticipated and most fiercely fought competition of the World Championship week was the Pro/Am Runabout Stock division, where the man known most commonly as the GOAT, Chris MacClugage, nailed down his 24th world championship. But it was not a foregone conclusion, nor an easy win. Mutli-titled racer Brian Baldwin dominated the course during the first moto, pulling a definitive win, with Eric Francis securing second and Macc following in third in that first moto.
Pro/Am Runabout Stock World Champion, Chris MacClugage told us, “This year’s [Finals] was very special for me as I spent the first half of my trip filming with my jet ski hero Larry Rippenkroeger on his dream movie ‘Hot Water, the Movie.’ I was fortunate enough to double Glenn McCuen, who is the main actor in the movie. After I was done with the 5 days of filming, I picked up my family in Vegas and with their support managed to win my 24th world championship.”
All three – Baldwin, Francis and Macc – were in top form for the second moto, and it was anyone’s game to win, but – in racing, skill is paramount, quality, innovative equipment is vital, but luck plays its part, and a heaping helping of bad luck hit Baldwin midway through the second moto, sending him off the course billowing smoke, and Macc put his legendary racing skills and expertly-engineered and tuned ski to good use, taking the checkered flag in moto 2 for the overall win, with Francis taking the second podium step and Abdullah Alfadhel claiming the third spot.
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38th IJSBA World Championship Podium finishes: Novice Ski Stock: 1. Nantawat Singurai, 2. Salem Almutawa, 3. Claudio Rivarola; Novice Ski Limited: 1. Nantawat Singurai, 2. Salem Almutawa, 3. Abdulla Alhammadi; Novice Runabout Stock: 1. Abdullah Alghanim, 2. Manea Almarzoogi, 3. Khaliad Almazmi; Novice Runabout NA Stock: 1. Eduardo Lopez, 2. Rashed Alrashed, 3. Darcinei Rodrigues; Amateur Runabout 1100 Limited: 1. Tossawanon Phuearphong, 2. Roseina Brabham, 3. James Alamillo; Amateur Vet Ski Stock: 1. Laurent Boucher, 2. Philippe Dufaud, 3. Derek Powell; Amateur Runabout Limited: 1. Yamya Rammah, 2. Suphathat Footrakul, 3. Khaliad Almazmi; Amateur Runabout 1100 SS: 1. Teerapat Meechai, 2. Theerapong Pimpawat, 3. Supak Settura; Amateur Ski Mod Lites: 1. Julien Beaumer, 2. Revin Harris Gilbert, 3. Corban Farnley; Amateur Women Ski Lites: 1. Stevie Bascom, 2. Alexandria Benson, 3. Aryana Thayer; Amateur Ski Lites: 1. Dag Martin, 2. Brady Courson, 3. Lucy Gadsby; Expert Vets Runabout: 1. Troy Snyder, 2. Ali Allanjawi, 3. Rick Kantola; Master Ski Stock: 1. Philippe Dufaud, 2. Laurent Boucher, 3. Yuji Shiroki; Sport Spec: 1. Christian Daly, 2. Haden Skellett, 3. Tommy Bonacci; Classic Ski 2 Stroke LTD: 1. Tallon Chambers, 2. Ben Morris, 3. Davi Prado; Expert Ski Modified: 1. Alec Enderli, 2. Ou Moeut Saly, 3. Preston Matzdorff; Junior Ski 10-12 Lites: 1. Theodor Liseth, 2. Coy Curtis, 3. Taylor Skellett; Expert Runabout Super Stock: 1. Rashed Aldawas, 2. Adulrahman Alomar, 3. Permpon Teerapatpanich; Master Ski GP: 1. Daniel Martinelli, 2. Rick Kantola, 3. Pradit Buri; Women’s Runabout: 1. Sophie Francis, 2. Tammy Rarick, 3. Andrea Dominguez; Junior 13-15 Mod Lites: 1. Theo Beaumer, 2. Julien Beaumer, 3. Revin Harris; Pro/Am Runabout Stock: 1. Chris MacClugage, 2. Eric Francis, 3. Abdullah Alfadhel; Junior Ski 10-12 Stock: 1. Sebastian Girello, 2. Jay Finlinson, 3. Theodor Liseth; Vintage X2: 1. Hayden Item, 2. Daniel Ortega, 3. Nicholas Gargaro; Womens Runabout 1100 Stock: 1. Yuki Francois (kurahashi), 2. Melody Lattes, 3. Sachiko Inoue; Pro/Am Women Ski: 1. Emma-Nellie, 2. Emi Tanaka, 3. Emi Kanamori; GP Runabout: 1. Mohammed Burbayea, 2. Mohammad Albaz, 3. Oraphan Teerapatpanich; Pro Ski Modified: 1. Quinten Bossche, 2. Maurin Raphael, 3. Kevin Reiterer; Vintage Ski: 1. Rob Flores, 2. Bryson Olson, 3. Dan Fitzgerald; Pro Runabout: 1. Mohammad Albaz, 2. Mohammed Burbayea, 3. Marcus Jorgensen; GP Ski: 1. Brock Austin, 2. James Wilson, 3. Jeremy Poret; Pro/Am Runabout 1100 Super Stock: 1. Eric Lagopoulos, 2. Supak Settura, 3. Jayme Cheney; Pro/Am Ski Stock: 1. Preston Matzdorff, 2. Maurin Raphael, 3. Mike Klippenstein; Pro/Am Runabout 1100 Stock: 1. Permpon Teerapatpanich, 2. Suphathat Footrakul, 3. Eric Lagopoulos; Runabout 1100 Open: 1. Supak Settura, 2. Eric Lagopoulos, 3. Permpon Teerapatpanich; Sport GP Slalom: 1. Permpon Teerapatpanich, 2. Teerapong Khunjeng, 3. Tossawanon Phuearphong; Runabout Open Slalom: 1. Marcus Jorgensen, 2. Jonathan Ariel, 3. Daniell Wagner; Ski Modified Slalom: 1. Stian Schjetlein, 2. Corban Farnley, 3. Jesse Dirnberger; 4-Stroke Ski Stock Slalom: 1. Benjamin Scharff, 2. Phil Segers, 3. Emma-Nellie; Pro Runabout Super Stock: 1. Waleed Alsharshani, 2. Mohammed Burbayea, 3. Mohammad Albaz; Pro/Am Ski Super Stock: 1. Craig Warner, 2. Mike Klippenstein, 3. Claudio Rivarola; Sport GP: 1. Dustin Farthing, 2. Tyler Hill, 3. Sam Nehme; Amateur Runabout 1100 Stock: 1. Teerapat Meechai, 2. Pradit Buri, 3. Seojin Yang; Amateur Ski GP: 1. Alec Enderli, 2. Brady Courson, 3. Daniel Martinelli; Amateur Runabout 1100 Super Stock: 1. Teerapat Meechai, 2. Pradit Buri, 3. Seojin Yang; Junior Ski 13-15 Stock: 1. Julien Beaumer, 2. Nantawat Singurai, 3. Abdulla Alhammadi; Pro/Am Ski Mod Lites: 1. Theo Beaumer, 2. Alec Enderli, 3. Brock Austin; Pro/Am Runabout Limited: 1. Marcus Jorgensen, 2. Waleed Alsharshani, 3. Troy Snyder; Pro/Am Runabout NA Stock: 1. Adulrahman Alomar, 2. Rashed Aldawas, 3. Nick Leseney; Pro/Am Runabout Limited: 1. Marcus Jorgensen, 2. Waleed Alsharshani, 3. Troy Snyder; Runabout Endurance: 1. Filipe Filipe, 2. Aqsa Aswar, 3. Aero Aswar; Pro Freestyle: 1. Lee Stone, 2. Christopher Anyzeski, 3. Taiji Yamamoto; Junior Freestyle: 1. Gabe Jurkish, 2. Akin Nitatcharoen; Amateur Freestyle: 1. Evan Krefski, 2. Brad Turnbloom, 3. Jordan Aspinall
Yeah, we know. It’s a little early for April Fool’s Day, right? Well, by all appearances, this proposal for a waterborne “Jet Vespa” looks to be legit. Designer Pierpaolo Lazzarini told DesignBoom.com, “Think about the future and never forget the past” was the motto he had in mind when penning this “fusion between a modern jet ski and a Vespa 50 Special” from the 1960s.
At first blush, the concept looks rudimentary enough: a vintage Vespa scooter slapped atop a miniaturized hull. There’s really nothing groundbreaking about it, really. Lazzarini conceived the water scooter to be “for recreational purpose,” and should be made of fiberglass permitting speed of up to 32 knots via a choice of an electric 39hp engine, and a 330cc 39hp two-stroke engine.
Lazzarini also postulated that the Jet Vespa will do all the balancing for a rider, using “a gimbal self-balancing system keeps it aligned with the water surface” while not running making the accommodation/access of the passengers all the more easy. Self-balancing motorcycles have become the latest innovations from the future, yet we struggle to see how a stationary top-heavy water scooter could operate in the same fashion.
Of course, the images and video shown here are strictly computer-generated illustrations. There is no “proof of concept” prototype built yet. Lastly, Lazzarini proposes that the electric configuration (which would cost $25.000, far exceeding the two-stroke variant at $19.000) would wield an operating time of 3 hours of use.
Earlier this month, Team Faith’s own Brian O’Rourke published on Facebook, “Many of you know and have heard about the serious auto accident that Jimmy Wilson’s wife, Julianne Wilson was in. I’ve been at the hospital in Charlotte NC for the last few days with him and his family and friends…”
“I’m comforted by the level of support they have during this trying time from both the local community of friends and coworkers to people all over the country that they both know and especially from the watercraft racing community. Thank you all for being there, being concerned, for reaching out and for praying for them. They still have a long road ahead of them for sure.
“As for Julianne’s condition, out of respect for their privacy I just want to say please continue to pray for her as she is by no means ‘out of the woods yet.’ She has a lot that she has to overcome and it may take quite a while. The facility that she is at is second to none and I feel confident that she’s in the right place getting the best care possible. […] If you want the latest info on Julianne Wilson and Jimmy Wilson, please join the page “Our PWC Family” or click on the link.”
In addition to the “Our PWC Family” page, a GoFundMe account has been created to help offset the surmounting medical care costs. Help support one of our own. They are in for a very long road ahead. It was our wish to respect the Wilson’s privacy, while helping alert the PWC racing community about this effort to alleviate some of their costs. All of us at The Watercraft Journal wish the Wilson’s the very best during this difficult time.
“I recently took a trip to Indonesia and prior to my departure the area I stayed in was hit hard by a huge earthquake. In an effort to help out with relief efforts I designed a t-shirt that is being sold through various PADI dive shops through the region. I started a GoFundMe to help get the funds together and while I’ve made some progress I still have pulled a significant amount of money out of my own pockets to get it rolling.
“I spent 30 days in Indonesia and was overwhelmed by the dominance that Yamaha has in the area, especially as it pertains to outboard motors. I would estimate that 90% of the boats I saw were powered by Yamaha outboards and the Yamaha scooters were everywhere. Indonesia is quite literally powered by Yamaha!
“I laid the groundwork for the project, found an amazing group to funnel the donations to, and paid out of pocket to produce the shirts.”
If you’d like to help Garret in his efforts to help raise funds for the people of Indonesia, please take a peek at the GoFundMe and the Facebook pages to get a feel for what he’s doing and how you can help!
It’s a common joke around The Watercraft Journal office that we’ve donated more pairs of sunglasses to ol’ King Neptune than anyone else. Our local test lake here in Middle Tennessee has swallowed no less than five pairs in recent years. In our misfortune, we’ve also come to find certain design aesthetics that make for good glasses for personal watercraft riding and what makes for better glasses. And no, it’s not so much about how cool they look (which of course, is always a plus), but how well they adhere to your face while at speed – and more importantly, while moving your head side-to-side – in addition to blocking glare, fit your noggin, or in many cases, float.
Beginning with the latter attribute, we at The Watercraft Journal have found that most (not all) floating sunglasses are bulky, foam-padded affairs that are typically uncomfortable if not completely cumbersome. For this cause, we’ve had such bad luck losing sunglasses to the drink. Erring on the side of comfort has been costly. And when sunglasses claiming to float yet are made from bamboo or other materials arrive, we’ve found that they either float below the surface of the water, making them difficult to spot, or break apart easily (we literally shattered a pair of bamboo glasses earlier this year).
Lastly, is shape. Too often we’ve ventured out with more traditional, flat-framed glasses with unfortunate-yet-predictable results. Even at general cruising speeds, a gust of air at the right angle can quickly whip in between your face and the glasses and send them sailing into the water. Conversely, thicker-framed, “wrap around” glasses shield from this airfoil effect, and stay on as if they were glued down. It was this factor alone that drew us to WindRider’s newest venture into polarized floating sunglasses. A lot of forethought went into these – particularly in regard to this issue – as WindRider incorporated a breathable vent at the outermost edge of the lens. While operable to stave fogging, these slits also serve as a diffuser, letting fast-moving wind equalize as it passes over and under the frame.
Made with a lightweight, flexible rubber-infused plastic frame and composite polarized lenses, the floating WindRider sunglasses are molded into a good-looking, angular design that hugs your eye line naturally and rest high lightly on the bridge of your nose. Lens polarization too, dramatically improves the riding experience as underwater obstacles like grass, branches, or other debris can be easily spotted and avoided. We also want to add that previously, even with more expensive glasses, reading LCD digital dashboards could prove difficult at the wrong angle – not so with these. The polarized lenses work masterfully, and are treated with a hydrophobic coating to repel salt water residue, oil and other contaminants.
Of course, the big question was seeing how well the WindRider glasses would actually float. Unwilling to purposefully fling a pair of sunglasses that we liked off while riding at speed, we started small by dropping them in a 5-gallon bucket. True to their word, the WindRiders bobbed up, their lighter-than-water frames poking up above the surface. Of course, being matte black and smoked-out lenses looks cool, but does make spotting them out on the river a tad more difficult. Nevertheless, we were satisfied that these did in fact float. Add to it, a pair of small eyelits molded into the ends of the arms for a pair of straps was yet another thoughtful feature. Most impressive though was the price.
Retailing for $44.95, the WindRider Polarized Floating Sunglasses are priced just above a pair of cheapo gas station shades, but out perform some glasses we’ve tested that fetch literally three times the cost. Listed on WindRider’s website, but you can also find them on eBay and Amazon within 30 seconds of searching. That being said, make sure to stop in to WindRider’s home page, as they offer a massive array of other outdoor and marine living accessories, equipment and other choice items (we particularly liked all of the foul weather and waterproof clothing offerings).
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