If you thought Christmas was encroaching upon Thanksgiving, you better take a look at what Black Friday is up to. People are literally eating their meals sooner just so that they can pack up and head off to the mall that afternoon to cash in on all that Black Friday sale goodness. Stores are ever-pushing the end-of-the-year discount day, so much so that Black Friday starts in most places around 7pm Thursday night. Well, we at The Watercraft Journal say screw that! Why not enjoy a sweet offer for more than just one day?

That being said, we’re offering two free decals with the purchase of a “Busted Lip” T-shirt from The Watercraft Journal official store. And don’t feel rushed, because we’re going to give you until midnight, December 1st to take advantage of this deal! Yup, just buy a shirt and we’ll toss in a free pair of decals – normally priced at $4 each! That’s no joke, folks. Score two free decals (a savings of $8) with the purchase of a shirt. Now, we’re not going crazy here, so it’s two free decals per purchase.

[What does that mean? If you order 5 shirts in one order, you’re only going to get two decals. Now, we suppose you could just order one shirt every other day for a week and score 10 decals if you really wanted to “out smart” us. But that’s entirely up to you. – Ed.] So anyways, make sure to drop into The Watercraft Journal store right now and place your order for a “Busted Lip” T-shirt and enjoy two free decals!

Many of us are steadfast in the holiday season and this week can be a busy time with all of the Thanksgiving preparations and then on to the crazy shopping on Black Friday. Well the folks at RIVA Racing are giving you a chance to knock some things off your list early. That’s right, you can get all of your personal watercraft items now because their Black Friday sale is already going on.

RIVA Racing is calling it their Black Friday Super Sale and you can save up to 45% off of so many items. Whether you are looking for some go-fast goodies, pwc accessories and care items, riding gear, or just some good ole’ apparel items, here is where you want to be.

Some of their current featured items include the Maptuner X bundle with a free silicone case. Valued at $40, this free durable case is a great way to protect your investment. Another steal is the RIVA T-shirts which are up to 45% off and starting out at only $10. This would make a great quick gift for that PWC-lover in your life.

Now that the riding season is stretching thin for many of us and you prepare to winterize, it’s a great time to inspect your impeller and look into a nice cover for storage. Riva is throwing in a free OEM wear ring with purchase of a Solas impeller for your Sea-Doo. Or how about a beautiful Yamaha cover for your new GP1800, now on sale for $226.85. You can also check out our review of the cover here.

Kool PWC Stuff lays claim to selling the finest universal jet ski fishing racks on the market. The company carries nine different racks. The racks come in several different sizes, the smallest holding two fishing rods and the largest holds six fishing rods. Kool PWC Stuff even carries a rack that is specific to spearfishing. It comes with side plates for Rotary Fuel Packs. The Rotary Fuel Packs are a great addition because they enable a fisherman to cover a long distance. The packs allow you to carry extra fuel for those lengthy mileage days when you’re after the “big one”.

All of Kool PWC’s Universal Fishing Racks are easy to install and require no modifications to your ski. The racks fit most popular brands of personal watercraft. However, the racks do not fit models outfitted with suspension features. All racks will hold a cooler. Be sure to measure the height of your cooler at the halfway for accuracy, otherwise plan to buy a new cooler or do without!

The Universal Jet Ski fishing racks are comprised of high quality marine stainless steel and powder coated in flat black. All the straps you need are included. The racks also have adjustable legs, which will fit any surface or platform your craft is equipped with. Prices for these nifty fishing racks range from $289.00-$399.00. Purchase the Rotopax 3.5 Gallon and Bracket Combo Kit for $219.95. This is what the serious fisherman needs in order to go the distance! The Rotopax Combo includes two 3.5 gallon Fuelpax containers and mounts for the Fuelpax. The product is manufactured in the USA by American workers. The Rotopax Combo comes with a 1 year warranty. We highly suggest this as an add on!

Check out watercraftstuff.com for more information on fishing racks and other Kool PWC Stuff. The site has a lot of rad products and neat “how to videos”.

BRP is scheduled to open a North American Headquarters in Texas next year in order to sustain its growth in the powersports industry. There is no word yet on what role this location will play directly with its Sea-Doo brand, but we imagine it will play a pivotal role in supporting dealers across the country. Here is the full press release.

In order to fuel its growth, global powersports leader BRP (TSX:DOO) will establish a headquarters for its North American market in Plano, in the Dallas, Texas area, early next year.

“We are transforming our business model to get closer and better connected to our largest market,” says Sandy Scullion, BRP’s senior vice-president and general manager, Global Retail and Services. “BRP and its brands are performing very well in the market right now and we’re eager to build on this important growth catalyst.”

The new headquarters for North America will play a key role in several functions for BRP, including Sales, Marketing, Dealer Services, Finance, and Human Resources. “We will bring together management and staff from different departments in Texas to create multidisciplinary teams. We are significantly changing our go-to market operating model and creating a fully dedicated North American business unit that will allow BRP to better support its dealers and customers,” added Scullion.

Texas was an excellent choice for BRP’s North American headquarters: it is centrally located in the United States and is part of a wider region that represents a key market for the company. BRP already has a strong U.S. footprint with its Evinrude outboard manufacturing site in Wisconsin.

Canadian dealers will also benefit from the new structure through improved service while maintaining their relationship with BRP representatives based in Canada, where BRP’s global headquarters is located.

Effective immediately, any 2017 Kawasaki SX-R modified to comply with prior 1100cc and Supercharger/Turbocharger rules is illegal in all Ski Watercraft classes, according to a statement issued by the IJSBA last week. The idea was that racers and builders were purposely reducing the engine displacement to the aforementioned 1100cc limit and adding a turbocharger (or supercharger), as many racers competing on smaller aftermarket hull do.

Unfortunately, this move only further cements the Kawasaki SX-R’s position in the various Ski classes as a “as-is” race craft, and goes an additional step towards injuring the aftermarket hull manufacturing industry (which already claimed its first victim, Trinity Composites last year, and only looms over companies like ProForce, Bullett and Kommander to name a few). This past IJSBA World Finals showed the SX-R as a dominant force, but at the cost of others looking to compete, so the future remains a little murky for now.

Here’s the complete, unedited statement issued by the IJSBA below:
IJSBA has received inquiries as to whether competitors may reduce the displacement of the engine in a 2017 Kawasaki SX-R to a displacement below 1100cc in order to add forced induction to the unit.  IJSBA answers this question: No, a 2017 Kawasaki SX-R is not eligible to receive forced induction under any circumstances.

The 2017 SX-R was homologated under circumstances that allowed grandfathered dimensions due to the fact that Kawasaki was able to prove the watercraft was in production prior to IJSBA’s change in dimensions to eligible Ski Watercraft.  The 2017 SX-R was placed homologated subject to restrictions including, but not limited to: no eligibility for aftermarket hulls; a requirement that the engine block furnished by the manufacturer must be retained at all times, and that IJSBA could apply speed controls to the unit in any class where IJSBA deemed necessary.

In 2007, IJSBA announced an eventual move towards regulating competition watercraft using a power to weight theory along with the traditional method of categorizing competition by allowable modifications.  The 2017 SX-R is the first unit where IJSBA’s approach is viewing the power to weight of the watercraft on the race track.  IJSBA finds that adding forced induction to this unit would allow accelerations and speeds that exceed the controls IJSBA intends to have over a unit with the weight of an SX-R.

Competitors have made a case that provisions of the IJSBA Rule Book allow for reducing displacement to below 1100cc where forced induction may be utilized in some competition classes.  Persons proposing the legality of this modification assert that none of the provisions allowing for displacement reduction and adding forced induction are limited by the weight or size of the Ski watercraft utilizing those modifications.  IJSBA disagrees.  IJSBA relies on the following provision to support this ruling:

13.9 TURBOCHARGER/SUPERCHARGER
13.9.1 Turbocharger housing must be of the full circulating, water-jacket type at all times when the engine is running. Aftermarket turbochargers and superchargers may be used provided a hazard is not created. Original turbocharger or supercharger may be modified. Aftermarket turbochargers and superchargers may be added to originally normally aspirated watercraft. All hoses and pipes may be modified or aftermarket. Where the Race Director, or Technical Inspector, cannot determine if a turbocharger is sufficiently water-jacketed then a heat wrap and/or additional cooling mechanisms may be added to ensure safety.

IJSBA rules that the use of turbochargers or superchargers on a Ski watercraft the size and weight of a 2017 SX-R is a hazard in Ski competitions where IJSBA has not yet studied the impact of weight accelerating and moving, to the this potential extreme, in Ski competitions without speed control devices.  In the interest of safety, IJSBA prohibits the use of such modifications on the SX-R at this time.

Man, we hate these stories. Of course, the video that made the biggest splash was from back in 2014 when a pair of renters nearly wiped out a pair of onlookers on the beach, but this grainy cell phone video is nearly as bad. Taken from the shore of an disclosed tropical location, a pair of riders aboard a VX Yamaha WaveRunner journey far too close to shore, before jagging inland and up the beach, narrowly hitting an onlooker. Thankfully, his fast footwork kept him from being the ski’s first victim.

As he darts to the side, the ski – still very much under its own momentum – streaks across the hard-packed sand. Amazingly, it appears as if the driver tries to steer the craft into the water before the ski’s speed abruptly halts, ejecting the two riders onto the beach. Gratefully, the injuries sustained were little more than a few bruises and hurt egos, but the implications of the reckless riders’ behavior.

Of course, the commenters have pounced, blasting everything from the OE manufacturer, to the riders, to the rental outfit lending these machines out to “people who have no place aboard one,” as says one comment. Never before have PWC been safer, easier to handle, more intuitive or environmentally-friendly. And the rental agency was well to not offer supercharged or high performance craft to novices. We also noted that the riders are rightly wearing PFDs. The fault is in poor vehicle operation and reckless driving. Don’t blame the ski, blame the person behind the throttle.

https://www.facebook.com/HammerDownBoating/videos/1507469142635977/

All of us at The Watercraft Journal are excited to welcome each and every one of you day after day. We truly do. And that’s why is so easy for us to continue to produce originally-written, professionally-produced magazine articles Monday-through-Friday completely free to you. But did you know that in addition to writing and publishing 9 articles a week (and a weekly newsletter), that we also publish two videos a month? And did you know that those two monthly videos are also 100-percent free to you?

Well, if not it’s time that you did. The Watercraft Journal has a bi-monthly YouTube show called “Long Haul” wherein we test ride the latest personal watercraft and give you a breakdown of all the bells & whistles, sweet new features and a real life, honest-to-goodness review of how it performs. In addition to new watercraft reviews, we also take you on some pretty exciting and downright gorgeous rides to some of the prettiest locations in the continental United States.

Toss in there some pretty exclusive rides on a few of the most impressive performance PWC modified by some of the best minds in the industry, and there’s just a ton of fun to be had. Because we’re nice guys and chances are that you’re pretty lazy (just kidding!), we thought we’d help you waste a whole bunch of your productive workday by embedding the last 16 episodes below. Enjoy! Oh, and one more thing: please click the “Subscribe” button. That way you’ll get updates on when we air a new episode and stuff like that. It’s free to do that too.