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Order Now From RIVA In Time For World Finals Pickup

By
Kevin Shaw
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Attention racers and performance enthusiasts who are planning to attend this year’s IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City! Now is the time to order your parts from RIVA Racing if you’re looking to have your ski up and ready in time! Many folks struggle to plan appropriately and continue to fail to realize that race skis go “boom!” more often than not.

Because of this, the good folks at RIVA Racing (particularly those working the company’s massive booth space at the ‘Finals year after year) are flooded with requests for performance parts that they simple didn’t bring. Again, their booth isn’t a traveling Wal-Mart. They don’t bring the store’s entire inventory with them to Arizona.

So if you’re planning on putting the final touches on your racecraft while there, get on the phone or go to their store online and put in those orders right now! Otherwise, it’s very likely they won’t be packing that one oh-so-important part to keep you in the running. Think ahead!

America’s Motor Sports to Host Old Hickory Sea-Doo Ride

By
Kevin Shaw
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It’s not often when a dealership takes such a personal interest in their customer’s ongoing enjoyment of their personal watercraft that they would host a end-of-the-summer cruise.

Well, that’s the kind of good folks that work over at America’s Motor Sports, Middle Tennessee’s leading Sea-Doo dealer and service department, and that’s exactly what they’re doing in just a couple of weeks!

In an event announcement posted on their Facebook page, it writes: “Join us October 6th at the Old Hickory Boat Ramp off of Sander’s Ferry for a ride along the water to lunch! We’re giving away some great prizes! Meet up at the Boat Ramp is 1:00pm!”

And do not worry if you’re not aboard a Sea-Doo – all brands and makes of personal watercraft are welcome to join the fun.

Found just northeast of downtown Nashville, Old Hickory Lake is a gorgeous winding lake fed by the Cumberland River. You’ll also be joined by The Watercraft Journal’s own Editor-in-Chief, who will be handing out free WCJ decals for those in attendance. It doesn’t take much to show how much you and your company cares, and America’s Motor Sports is doing it right. We hope to see you there!

Stand Up Skills: 180 Degree Slide

By
Ashley Haude
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Hero mode engaged! The 180 Degree slide is both delicate and brutal, requiring precise timing and bodyweight motion, with the application of throttle many motorheads love.

Breaking it Down
Sliding a stand up, like most things in life, is not difficult on paper. Turn one way, add throttle while turning the other, chop throttle, lean forward, slide, add throttle for recovery. Done, end of article!

If only it were that simple. Ski design and set up changes the nuances of this flatwater trick, but the overarching steps remain a standard. Follow them, with tweaks to support your riding style and particular ski, to lay the foundation for this skill.

  • Try to find flat water, any kind of chop can lead to a high side if the hull catches traction moving sideways.
  • Start in a straight line with ample room all around you. This trick can take up a lot of water. Speed around 10-15 mph, or what feels comfortable to you with the ski stable.
  • Have your feet in split/surf stance with your preferred leg at the front of the tray (for this article we’ll call it the left leg) and your rear foot (again, for the article this will be the right foot) all the way at the back facing perpendicular to the tray.

The next steps will happen very quickly, some basically at the same time.

  • With steady throttle, slightly turn the ski to the right and lean a little right with your upper body. Keep your lower body’s weight centered over the ski. This will feel like you are initiating a toe side turn.
  • Chop the throttle to help begin breaking traction, but just a blip. You will need to add in throttle to help steer for the next step.
  • Abruptly turn the ski with throttle to the left to start what would be a heel side turn.
  • Lean forward onto your left leg while turning your upper body toward the left. This naturally gets the rear of the ski to lift and break traction.
  • Add throttle. The amount of throttle depends on how much power you have and how easy it is to get your hull to let go of traction. At this point the hull should be starting to slide instead of turn with traction.
  • With the momentum of your upper body twisting left and the weight off of your rear leg, press the energy outwards into the slide through your rear leg. Almost like you are kicking a ball with your rear leg, but not separating it from the ski at all. The rear end should pivot around the nose of the ski, with nose coming around to face against the direction you were originally traveling.
  • Chop the throttle as the ski pivots around to face the other direction. You don’t want the pump gaining traction mid-slide and the jet blast to start propelling you in whatever direction the nose is pointing.
  • Once the hull seems to be losing slide momentum, add and remove little weight onto your rear leg while adding in throttle to recover from the slide. The quick press of weight onto the rear leg will help the hull/pump get traction. Just have to remove it quickly if you do not want to initiate a tail stand – that is for a future article!
  • To begin moving forward for a full recovery, shift your weight onto your front leg, lean your upper body over the bars, and add throttle to plane.

Things to Consider
Even though the slide implicates the brutal idea of more power the better, the real skill lies in the finesse of bodyweight motion and timing. You honestly do not need a ton of power for this trick. Sure, the heavy application of throttle with the bars turned to initiate your turn is important to upset the hull and force the tail of the ski to pivot. However, the throttle chop before application of throttle is just as critical.

The throttle chop causes the pump impeller to quickly stop turning, but the ski’s momentum forward has not equivalently slowed. That throttle chop causes the impeller to act like a ‘wall’ that the water cannot get through, and the pump loses traction with no water flowing through it at speed. Once throttle is applied with the bars turned, the hull is primed to slide.

Work on keeping your body loose for both mid-slide balance adjustments and injury prevention. It is easier to pull muscles when they are overly tense and cannot absorb a bump or jolt. Always preform these in an open are free of debris and traffic. There will be times your hull will gain traction when you are not ready.

Most of the time this will result in a high side, but if you stay loose and drop your center of gravity down you might be able to save yourself from flying through the air. Always be cognizant of keeping your knees at least a little bent for better balance when riding a stand up, especially so when learning new skills.

Some hulls are easier to slide than others so don’t fret if getting yours to slide seems impossible. Hull design, sponsons, ride plate, impeller pitch, scoop grate, and even steering speed can change how easy or hard it is to slide a stand up. The guidelines above will get you part of the way there, but actually learning the skill in the real world may require setup tweaks, different timing and body movement for your personal ski. As always – practice, practice, practice!

Real Review: Slippery Wetsuits’ Flex Lite Glove

By
Kevin Shaw
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Admittedly, our personal preferences towards gloves have matured over the years. A decade ago, our gloves of choice were typically of a racier fare, featuring clunky rubberized molding over the knuckles and a great deal of design complexity that made them both thick and bulky; which if ever you tried to rub your nose or the sweat from your brow, would know how painful the act can be.

For the everyday personal watercraft enthusiast who isn’t interested in looking like a battle-ready Batman, the needs for a comfortable riding glove to satisfy are primarily simple: to provide continued grip, protect the skin from undue rubbing and guard it from the elements. That’s pretty much it.

So while the flashy red-and-silver camouflage pattern of the new Slippery Wetsuits’ Flex Lite glove may be a little “much” for some, the superior fit and clean pattern makes it all worth it. At first blush, we weren’t convinced that the Flex Lites would have “what it takes” to meet our needs. The thin 4-way stretch mesh material appeared too thin, and the anti-slip gel print on palm and fingertips was sure to peel.

Well, that’s what we thought, anyways. Rather, the screened-on anti-slip material on the fingers have held up surprisingly well over the summer. The “barely-there” lining of the perforated palm gives the gloves the second skin-like feel, breathes easily and dries near instantaneously. And while being incredibly light, the gloves’ reinforced thumb overlay provides added protection from rub-induced blisters.

Our final and biggest critique of all riding gloves is found in the wrist feel and closure. We’ve got half a dozen sets of gloves that no longer strap tight, as the Velcro has loosened or the straps snapped. Not so with the Flex Lites’ hook-and-loop wrist closure. The strap is part of the pattern and has as much likelihood of tearing off as one of the fingers (ie. it’s very unlikely).

Super flexible with class-leading breathability, Slippery Wetsuits’ Flex Lite gloves are a great warm-weather glove (don’t expect much in keeping your hands warm in colder temperatures). Priced at $21.95, they’re a solid purchase for the rider looking for a little added protection from the elements without feeling like they’re bundling up for the Iditarod.

Belassi Burrasca Now Shipping – Just Not To North America

By
Brice Leckrone
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The 333-horsepower Belassi Burrasca units have now begun shipping out of their Austrian manufacturing facility to dealers worldwide. The exotic watercraft are already arriving at their destined dealers and eventually to their new lucky owners’ garage.

We will not be seeing any of these shipping crates arriving to U.S. shores just yet however. Most of the Belassi dealers are located in Europe and Asia and so that is where most of these units will first arrive to.

As we have already seen when speaking with Belassi representatives, the company is still deliberating its options in terms of expanding to the North American markets. Belassi is still attempting to navigate the waters of the US and Canadian markets.

Once a strong network of local dealers can be established, we expect that this manufacturer will be eager to start shipping their watercraft to the world’s largest market for personal watercraft.

For those who just cannot wait any longer, you can always check out the current worldwide belassi dealer network. Surely for the right price, you can find one somewhere. Shipping back home however will be on your own terms. Good luck and feel free to PM me for a demo ride.

Gallery: Magic, Mayhem & Master Athletes at 10th Annual Blowsion Surf Slam

By
Jessica Waters
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This article has gone through multiple headline changes – fitting for a weekend that included fickle weather patterns, capricious surf conditions, and sharp – and unexpected – shifts in the leaderboard at the 10th Annual Blowsion Surf Slam Freeride.

I started out with what seemed to be a logical headline: “Do it for Dady.” Those were the first words I heard Friday afternoon when I hit the Tierra Del Mar beach just outside Pacific City on the Oregon Coast. One of the competitors was standing with another competitor who was about to launch for his initial round in the chilly Pacific waters, and he clapped the young man on the back, and said “Do it for Dady.”

I heard that phrase often throughout the weekend; an honor to John Dady, the founder, driving force and inspiration behind Blowsion, and Surf Slam – and a man whose spirit was as palpable on that beach this past weekend as the morning fog that shrouded the rocky coastline.

Saturday, as I watched not only the pro lineup of riders master the waves of the Oregon Coast, but amateurs and rookies alike put in amazing performances, and as I experienced the unique combination of laid-back, surfer-style camaraderie and the ultra-competitive, high-energy buzz expected of an extreme sporting event like the Freeride tour, I scratched the original headline in favor of the much less sentimental, and much more journalistic “Surf Slam brings full slate of competitors to battle for points and pride.”

Sunday, I redlined that headline and penned in “Wild Waves and Wildcards,” as I watched unexpected winners written into the brackets on the pit board. From well before the start of the event, I had heard the talk of a “showdown” between Mark Gomez and Abraham Ho – and while the performances by these two champions were nothing short of spectacular, it was clear that there were plenty of other riders that did not come all the way to Oregon to go down without a fight.

And when the quarterfinal roster of Abraham Hochstrasser, Ryan Savage, Hugo Goirre, Takaaki Murao, Mick Anthony, Joel Barry, Brandon Lawlor and Mark Gomez was set on the pit board, it was clear that this was anyone’s game.

I am not conversant enough with the tricks, scoring, or terminology of Freerides to provide a walk-through or run-by-run replay of the weekend, and especially not the final rounds, but I would highly recommend checking out Rick Ignacio/LiveStreaming247’s coverage visit on YouTube (search for “Blowsion Surf Slam 2018”).

While I can tell you that Joel Barry ended the weekend standing on that top podium spot, followed in second by Abraham Hochstrasser and Brandon Lawlor in third, that does not do justice to the performances put in by each of the competitors in this last weekend’s battle – from rookie all the way to champion – it has to be seen, to be appreciated.

And on that note, I also highly recommend – if you ever have the opportunity – that you pack your bags, venture west, and come experience Surf Slam for yourself – you won’t regret it. In the words of Dawn Dawson (another reason to come to surf slam; Mikey Young and Dawn Dawson!) – “If you haven’t been to Surf Slam, and if you, like me, have a bucket list of things you want to do, I would definitely add Surf Slam to that list.

There is just no way that pictures and video and even audio does this justice unless you are here. If you love jet skis, if you love competition, come check this out. There are multiple components to what makes Surf Slam so magical, and I am going to say that, yes, because it is. It is the brainchild of someone we revere and have a huge amount of respect.

All imagery provided by Waters Edge Photography. Original, unedited versions can be purchased HERE.

Entries Open For 2019 Mark Hahn Memorial 300

By
Brice Leckrone
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Entry forms are now available for this coming winter’s Mark Hahn Memorial 300 event in Lake Havasu. 2019 will mark the 15th annual Hot Products IJSBA event. Presented by Yamaha, this race is one of the most exciting events of the year.

For all of the details and to get your entry form, check out the full release below.

2019 15th Annual Hot Products IJSBA Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300

Shot Gun Start for the 2018 Mark Hahn 300 will be February 23, 2019,

Special Update for the 2019 Race from Jim Russell and Mike Follmer

Entries are open now for the 2019 Hot Products Mark Hahn 300 presented by Yamaha. Get yours’ in early and secure your place in the 15th annual running
of the longest PWC Endurance race in the world.

Team entries will be accepted until January 15, 2019 and must be prepaid (a valid credit card will suffice). Due to ever increasing costs to produce this historic and unique event we are forced to limit this race to a maximum of 50 teams. Entries (if accepted) after January 15 will have a $75 late fee added so enter early to ensure your place when the shotgun fires on Crazy Horse beach for the 15th time!

If we haven’t received 40 prepaid entries by the January 15th cut off date we will be forced to cancel the event and refund the entry fees received. |

For entry forms and updates please visit www.MarkHahn300.com.

The Mark Hahn Memorial 300 is not only one of the most exciting events of the year, it is usually the first of the major events to gather the major competitors and industry leaders together to show off the ingenuity and abilities of the PWC Racing Community. Pro racers, first timers, sportsmen, ironmen, and some very diehard Ski riders will challenge the longest single event race on the planet.

The winner of this race will have completed 300 total miles in a grueling single day race which seeks to test the limits of what man and machine can accomplish while honoring the legacy of a man who, while on this planet, showed deep dedication to Personal Watercraft Endurance Racing. One of the few people to match Mark Hahn’s love for the endurance circuit is Mike Follmer. Mike has continued Mark Hahn’s passion in the creation of this intense competition which gathers the best endurance racers in the world and rewards the winners with an awards ceremony with trophies that are well regarded as some of the best in the industry.

Hot Products is the sport’s leader in performance parts distribution ensuring that watercraft competitors and enthusiasts have access to the supplies they need when they need it. Hot Products rallies the top performance builders in the sport to support this great event. With Ross Wallach as the race director, Jim Russell as the producer, and Rich Boell as the technical director, competitors know that the event will be well organized.

Gyorgy Kasza To Not Participate In World Finals

By
Brice Leckrone
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The word is on the street that Gyorgy Kasza will not be competing in this year’s IJSBA World Finals. From the looks of it though, he still plans to attend Lake Havasu as a spectator.

The World Champion and long-time Sea-Doo Team racer definitely elevates the competition with his racing presence and without him in the competition, it definitely opens the doors to other racers.

Kasza has a long history of top podium finishes. At last year’s IJSBA Finals, he placed first in the Runabout Open Slalom, as well as gaining top tier podium finishes in GP Runabout and Pro Runabout.

When he is not racing around on his numerous Sea-Doo Watercraft, Kasza has also been focusing his efforts in helping Belassi racing. He has been on the scenes at all major Belassi events helping out with testing and tuning for the up and coming watercraft manufacturer.

If we do not see Kasza on the water at this year’s World Finals, we will definitely be looking out for him in the crowd.

Browse Watercraft Superstore’s 2018 Online Flipbook

By
Ocean Priselac
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The 2018 Watercraft Superstore Online Flipbook is chock full of useful information. It’s not only a catalogue featuring products; it contains legitimate articles about everything from how to anchor your PWC to starting your own successful grassroots freeride event.

Staying true to their annual coverage of the Skyway Ski Show, the flipbook contains a huge feature on the 2018 Skyway Ski Show. This years event was named the Shootout on Tampa Bay.

The catalogue also features an array of products. A person could easily get sucked into the Watercraft Superstore’s digital book for hours. It’s big and it’s loaded with everything PWC.

It is also a great tool because it can be used to reference parts, “how to’s”, and so much more. All 212 digital pages can be accessed from your phone, laptop, tablet, or desktop. If you haven’t already taken a peek, we recommend that you do. You won’t be disappointed.

It costs nothing to pull up the online catalogue and peruse at your leisure and you can access it at any time. The book is user friendly with its easy to find table of contents and clickable links to all of the features. It has a pretty cool layout. We think that Watercraft Superstore put out a superb flipbook for 2018.

If you find some equipment or gear you like while browsing the lookbook, check out Watercraft Superstore online or hit the shop, located at 1401 N Myrtle Avenue in Clearwater, FL.

Gallery: Catch the Action with the Best Camera Placement

By
Ashley Haude
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Share with the World
I’m honestly surprised how many people don’t use cameras while riding their jet ski. Cameras are a perfect training tool to see where you can improve your form and riding position as well as catch what went wrong during a crash. The greatest reason, outside of personal improvement and sharing your awesomeness, to ride with cameras is to grow our amazing sport.

The more recreational, freeride, racing, and freestyle riding media that meets the masses – the more people will be exposed and potentially interested in becoming apart of the jet ski family. That means more room for innovation and products that improve the sport and potentially provide jobs for fellow riders.

Social media has completely revamped how information is distributed. Instead of sitting down at the kitchen table a few times a day taking in news and media through clunky, slow outlets like television programs and newspapers, we are inundated with quick bursts of direct media through Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, blogs, forums and other digital outlets hundreds of times a day. You can improve your riding by recording your rides, as well as become an integral part of growing the ski way of life you love.

Hit the Spot
Where is the best camera mounting spot? Starting from the front of the ski to the back and on to the rider, here are a few suggestions to get the shot. I have had good experiences with using the GoPro 3M sticky mounts for most of the angles below, but always use a floaty for whatever waterproof camera you choose!

Nose facing back at the rider – this is a common camera angle to get the rider, ski, and background in the frame. It can help you study and correct body position issues. However, it does not show the tray for foot placement and the pole/hood/bars tend to take up a lot of the frame.

Hood facing back at the rider – a personal favorite, this camera angle does not have much of the frame blocked with unnecessary parts of the ski, yet shows the rider’s foot work as well as a lot of background for interesting video.

Mounted to the pole facing rearward – a popular dynamic view that moves with the rider. On the plus side it points where you move the pole so the view does not get stale with one fixed frame. This view can be unsettling to the viewer because it does not have a fixed reference point and often gets a lot of sky when the rider stands. Not a favorite of mine for racing, freestyle riding however suits this view well because of the amount of body English and pole movement needed for flips, spins, and other tricks.

Back of the tray/deck facing forward – This view is the first one facing forward and for racing it is nice to see other riders in front of the ski negotiating for place. Freestyle also benefits from this view so show rider body English and the setup wakes, waves, and other interesting parts of the water landscape. With a stand up it can be a little dangerous for the camera compared to other views because most trays require the camera to be mounted on the outside of the tray rail where water can easily peel the camera off the ski. Use a camera flotation device! I have rescued my camera multiple times after it separated from me or my ski.

Helmet – Please refer to my SoPro mount review for a more in depth article about capturing amazing footage from the rider’s perspective. I usually ride with a camera on my helmet and on the ski. From my experience the best camera mounting spot on a helmet is on the chin mount of a motocross helmet for a truly first person view. The camera looks where you look. Next best would be side of the helmet, but depending on the weight/size of your camera this can weigh you down on one side and add wind resistance that can pull your head one way or another. The top of the helmet has less unilateral issues, but the visor of the helmet tends to block a lot of the frame and ski.

Chest – This is a neat ancillary view from the body that involves a lot of handlebar and pole movement. I tend to not recommend it as a main view because it can be limited by the rider leaning forward and the fact that your chest does not move like your head.

Experiment
There are almost infinite places to mount a camera to both your ski and your body, but these six will get you started and sharing with the world. I’ve even used a rotary pole mounted to my helmet for a very unique, yet difficult to ride with camera angle! I urge you to experiment and see what works best for you and your ski, and always put a floaty on your camera. I have personally lost 4 GoPros and a waterproof gimbal to the dark deep of lakes. If you have suggestions from other successful views that I did not include here, please comment and share!

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