Hydro-Turf racer, rider and spokesman, Mark Gomez wrote: “We finally launched our new web site after all these years! To celebrate, we are offering free shipping (UPS Ground) on all domestic orders over $50 placed through our new website through August 31st 2017.”
Well, that’s something to be excited about right? But as you read above, you only have a week (as of this writing) left to act on this special offer. And remember, while you’re shopping around on the new site, make sure to check out Hydro-Turf’s selection of currently available hats and T-shirts are now featured online and only cost $10! And yeah, you’ll get free shipping on those too! So again, there’s not much time left to act on this deal to get cracking HERE!
Mother Nature showed her fury this past weekend during Round 4 of P1 AquaX in Islamorada, Florida. This did not stop Yamaha Racers as they dominated the podium. Not only did Yamaha riders sweep all three podium positions, but Yamaha took the top seven spots overall for the weekend.
Day one of the event saw Chris MacClugage take the win for Yamaha as he stole the holeshot and never looked back. Day two was no different although bumpy conditions made the team work for their victories. Chris MacClugage on his Yamaha GP1800 took First Place overall. Eric Francis and Brian Baldwin took Second and Third respectively both also aboard the durable GP1800.
This race was the first time Islamorada welcomed P1 AquaX and there were more than fifty racers battling it out. Fourth Place went to Mike Klippenstein with Chris Saxon taking Fifth aboard his FX SVHO. The Sixth and Seventh Yamaha finishes went respectively to Cyrille Lemoine and Eric Lagopoulos.
The fact that so many racers chose Yamaha Waverunners and dominated the finish in fierce conditions is a testament to the performance and durability of these PWC’s. Yamaha Race Director Scott Watkins said ” The new GP1800 came out in force even in the rough conditions usually dominated by the FX SVHO.”
We look forward to see what the next round brings in Chicago for Round 5 this coming September 9-10.
The season finals of the Jettribe Best of the West series went down August 12th and 13th at Lake Perris in Southern California, and what a way to wrap it up. This was the last opportunity for racers to qualify for the IJSBA Blowsion World Finals and it showed with some stacked classes and 114 entries. Racers traveled from all over the western United States including Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and even Canada to participate in the race and defend and add to their season points in hopes of earning the coveted season title.
The Junior Ski 13-15 Lites and Amateur Ski Lites classes are always exciting with young talent like Tallon Chambers and Brady Courson battling every moto. Tallon won every moto on Saturday and Sunday in Junior Ski 13-15 Lites with Brady not quite able to make the move. But in Amateur Ski Lites, Brady made an amazing inside line pass on Tallon and checked out going 1-1 on Saturday. Tallon redeemed himself on Sunday with first overall in Amateur Ski Lites. Junior Ski 10-12 Lites had some great racing between Revin Harris and rookie Coy Curtis. It’s truly amazing how fast these little prodigies can go around the track…it must be their low center of gravity, at least we’d all like to think that. Coy stands in the tray not much above the handlepole and can really make his SuperJet scream! On Saturday, Revin went 2-1 for first overall while Coy went 1-3 for second overall. Sunday showed Revin’s dominance once again by taking the top spot with a 1-1 performance while Coy took second overall.
Multi-time world champion Tommy Bonacci showed up and, no surprise, put on a clinic, winning every moto on Saturday in the Sport Spec and ‘Blaster Spec classes. Battles pursued behind him as Tony Martinez, Nanette Sanchez and Hunter Dunn fought for the remaining two podium positions in Sport Spec, and Annie Sims, Ron Henderson and Hunter Dunn were at it tooth and nail in the ‘Blaster Spec class, Hunter taking the top spot on Sunday.
The biggest class of the weekend was Vintage 550 Ski with 15 entries! Competition was stacked and brought several veterans of the sport back to their beginnings in the 1980’s. Tommy Bonacci tried his hand at the class which also included Rob Flores, Charles Sims and Lake Elsinore’s own, 13-year-old 550 superstar Wyland Reden. Wyland showed he is a force to be reckoned with as he came from behind and ran down the two previous world champions, Rob Flores and Tommy Bonacci. Wyland has brought new blood to this class, he is spectacular to watch and is sure to be making a big name for himself in the sport. The top spots on Saturday went to Wyland Reden on top of the box, Payton Hill finishing second, Charles Sims third, with Tommy Bonacci and Rob Flores rounding out the Top 5, respectively. Sunday’s results were similar with Wyland getting first overall, Charles Sims a very close second, and Rob Flores rounding out the podium.
Over the course of the season, there were 292 entries over 8 rounds. A few other notable items from the series, Mr. Consistent Jesse Dirnberger from New Mexico won every race this season except one in Amateur Ski Modified and is sure to be a title contender at this year’s World Finals. This season had a great Women’s Ski turnout with 17 different women competing in 3 different classes. Keep an eye out for Women’s Ski Novice Lites champion Alyssa Musselman at the World Final this year, along with runner up Angie Carlton and third place champ Stevie Bascom who won 5 of the 8 rounds of the series.
The Series Champions were crowned Sunday afternoon, and as the curtains came to a close on the season, there was one last treat for the racers. Series sponsor JetLift donated and raffled off two beach totes to racers who competed in every round of the series. Hunter Dunn who won the series titles in both Sport Spec and ‘Blaster Spec walked away with the first tote, and Revin Harris, series champion in Junior Ski Stock and Lites, made out and captured the second tote, along with a set of JCRacing ‘Blaster Sponsons that were raffled to all ‘Blaster racers.
Congratulations to all the competitors and champions of the 2017 Jettribe Best of the West series and thank you to all the staff who puts on these wonderful events. The 2018 Best of the West season is sure to be another exciting and highly anticipated series.
All images provided by Ally Emig and unaltered originals can be purchased by emailing HERE.
The Clarence River Ride always promises an amazing adventure. What we were all looking forward to was 230km of flat water riding. What we got was slightly different. It started at about 6am when cars started streaming towards the ramp at the Big River Holiday Park and Ski Lodge at Sealands just south of Grafton. The plan was to meet everyone at the ramp at Grafton at about 7:15. Not all stayed at the ski lodge, as we had some locals joining in on the ride.
We pulled in to the ramp and gathered round for our safety brief. We had 25 skis and 33 people all itching to get on with the ride. We decided to run two groups to cater for the speed freaks and the cruising characters. The wind was higher than any of our previous rides, but we were on an adventure.
Soon after leaving Grafton we encountered the results of high wind with some pretty sizable swell. People didn’t mind the swell as much as the cold. Group leader Tom McNaught often says that there’s no such thing as bad weather on a ski, just inappropriate clothing. Tom says he’s the sort of person that really feels the cold so he had the appropriate gear and was quite comfortable.
We had breakfast arranged for 9:30 at Sedges Reef Hotel. The owner was opening up just for us, so we wanted to be there on time. The conditions were making it a challenge to keep the group together. Tom was leading the speed group but decided to regroup. Noticing five skis missing, Tom asked our local mate Desan, to continue leading the group towards breakfast while he went to check. The great thing about a river ride is until you come to a fork in the river, you just can’t get lost. Upon finding the remaining riders he discovered that one of the skis was not running right. It was one of the Grafton locals. Two other riders, both locals, escorted him back to Grafton in case he needed support. This is one of the great things about riding in a group. Tom then lead the other two skis toward breakfast.
While Tom was bringing up the rear, another group of riders had strayed from the original line and run aground. After a little group help, the skis were floating again and Jimmy The Jet found himself the leader of this part of the group. Jimmy knew to head towards the ocean, and away he went. Tom and Jimmy rode into the Marina wheel breakfast was waiting at 10am. As we were running late, Phil the owner was not phased and served up a great breakfast of bacon, eggs, tomato, hash brown, toast and juice, tea, or coffee on the agreed set menu. It was well appreciated by all.
The ride home offered much smoother water and most riders opened up the throttle to enjoy the smooth water. One of the skis had an overheat alarm sounding and to protect the ski Tom decided to tow the ski to a ramp a few kilometers up the river. From there, a trailer was organized to come and collect the ski. To save everyone waiting around, Tom arranged for Jimmy The Jet to lead the group back to Grafton while he waited for the trailer. It’s all part of the adventure, recalls Tom. The afternoon finished off with a BBQ back at the Ski Lodge.
We’ve bemoaned the unnaturally high attrition rate of sunglasses with The Watercraft Journal before. In fact, it was back in January that we decried the quickness in which we cycle through shades on the account of wear-and-tear, and of course, the occasional gust of wind ripping them from our face and into the lake. A smart person would reply, “Well, if losing sunglasses is such a problem, why don’t you get some floating shades?” To which, we reply: “We still haven’t found a pair that doesn’t feel like we’ve glued kitchen sponges to our face, and frankly, none of those guys are willing to put their shades up to the WCJ test.” And to this date, that statement holds true.
The avid weekend warrior typically cycles through sunglasses at an alarming rate. On the flip side, many riders insist on wearing the same old scratched and discolored pair because they’re the most comfortable pair they’ve ever had. Personally, we’ve still got a heavily weathered pair of Arnette Catfish wrap-arounds we still love although visibility through the damaged lenses is almost nil. Why? Because they’ve never fallen off, even after several spills, waves washing over the bow or heavy winds. That is quite the feat considering the nearly two dozen pairs of cheap gas station sunglasses we’ve cycled through.
A few months ago, we were approached by Amevie, a self-described “Canadian lifestyle and sun-care brand that cares.” The company prides itself on its ecological “sustainable” methods and charitable endeavors, as the brand follows the same pattern famously made popular by Tom’s shoe manufacturer, providing a pair of eyeglasses to a child in need through its charitable partner, Seva Canada. Amevie also prides itself on a high quality assurance, guaranteeing customer satisfaction with each purchase touting a very customer-friendly return policy that rivals companies ten times their size.
Soon, a pair of Amevie’s Bamboo Wayfarer Sunglasses in Laguna Black arrived. While geared more towards casual boating and waterfront lifestyle than actual on-the-water personal watercraft riding, we opted not to take these $70 a pair shades out on rides. Rather, these were more of our casual glasses, which even then, were nicer than our typical sunglasses. Designed after the same “Wayfarer” Rayband design made famous by Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” (no really), the shape is a unisex design for men and women. The lenses are smokey dark grey, CAT3, polarized, and provide 100% UV protection.
Yet, the big draw are the arms. The Amevie’s brown bamboo arms are smartly shaped, stained, engraved, and waterproof. The high quality hinges are polished and double spring-loaded, allowing some flexibility. Unfortunately, the frames are flat, thick and notably heavy. They rest naturally on the nose, but after an hour or two of wearing them, you’re still very much aware that you’ve got a stout pair of glasses on. The Wayfarer design is classic, yes, but allows so much sun and wind in from the sides, that they offer minimal protection from anything not coming straight at you.
Part of your $70 purchase is a very nice triangular folding case, microfiber pouch and cleaning cloth, as well as a tight-fitting box. The additional items make for a nice package, and the company’s model is chocked full of positive, earth-friendly sentiments, but the final product is more gimmicky than innovative or user-friendly. Visible wear marks on the bamboo are readily visible even after a few months’ use, and again, we’re only wearing these Amevie’s Bamboo Wayfarer Sunglasses “around” when we’re not on the water, which for a personal watercraft magazine, is kind of a deal-breaker.
The IJSBA US HydroDrag Nationals are right around the corner. This year they are sponsored by Hydro-Turf and presented by Riva Racing, Greenhulk.net, and others. The event will take place once again in beautiful Tavares, Florida at the Wooton Park extension and will be held the weekend of August 26-27.
This high-speed entertainment features personal watercraft drag racing. Hydro-Drag sanctioned promoter, Mike Young, of H2X racing commented “We are glad to be coming back to Lake Dora and America’s Seaplane City, Tavares, for our eighth consecutive season and it has become the racers’ favorite place to race.”
Last year’s event brought an ‘unofficial’ top speed record and had everybody on their feet. It was one of the most organized events in the history of HydroDrags and its action-packed venue definitely lived up to the name of “The Fastest Show On The Water!” With Yamaha’s new GP1800 lightweight hull for 2017, we can definitely expect there to be some contenders trying to make an official record-breaking pass. We will have to wait and see.
For registration and event details, see surfandturfpromotions. There will be a riders meeting 8:30am Saturday and 9:00am Sunday of the event at the bleachers at Wooton Park West.
Event Location:
Wooton Park West
100 E. Ruby Street
Tavares, FL 32778
Host Hotel:
Key West Resort
199 W Ruby Street
Tavares, FL 32778
(352) 508-5344
Many Sea Doo and other PWC riders will at some point in time have to traverse through a lock waterway system. Whether you are planning a long trip that takes you through locks or your home waterway naturally contains these bypass systems, learning proper techniques for traveling through is necessary.
We found a recent Intrepid Cottager article which details the exact steps necessary to get through a lock system safely and properly. It is beneficial to plan your journey and research the number and type of locks you will go through. Most locks are operated by trained staff however there could be some self-operated locks. Many require a fee pre-paid online or at the location so it is good to be prepared including taking some cash just in case it is the only payment method.
When approaching the lock, it is important to remember that you will likely not be the only boater on the water, so you should be respectful and courteous to other lock users as well as the lock staff. This includes keeping your wake to a minimum, keeping the line queue, and listening to staff instructions. There may be traffic lights to guide users before the lock and/or inside the lock. Generally Red means stop and stay back or stay put, Yellow means approach or get ready, and green means proceed.
Entering and while within the lock, you will be instructed where to go and where to tie off. You should continue to maintain control while entering and maneuvering to avoid other vessels. Sea Doo Watercraft are great for these type of tight environments and their IBR (Intelligent Brake & Reverse) system make for simple maneuverability.
The exiting process should go smoothly as well. Continue to follow instructions from staff or the signal lights. If possible, try to get the okay to exit before propeller boats to avoid any stirred-up debris from getting into your pump intake. Following these simple procedures, will make for a more enjoyable journey for you and those around you.
There’s something about going to Georgia for a Pro Watercross event that brings the best out of the competitors. Lake Hartwell is a small community with a big heart for racing watercraft. We were welcomed with open arms and in return, the racers were ready to put on a show for the city and fans on hand. For those that don’t know, the Pro Watercross Tour format is a three-moto format over the course of the entire weekend. Amateur Racing (any class that’s is not designated in the Pro Show), races Moto 1 and 2 on Saturday, and the 5 classes designated as “The Pro Show” race one moto on Saturday and Moto 2 and 3 on Sunday.
Pro Am Runabout Box Stock opened the program with one of the most exciting races to start things out. In Moto 1 Troy Snyder grabbed the early hole shot with Hidden Trails’ Cameron Frame right behind him. Dylan Osborn wasn’t too far off and as Cam tried getting close to Snider to make a run for the lead Osborn took the inside split and snuck right next to Frame coming off the merge buoy down the front straight. Frame ultimately denied Osborn the position. Meanwhile, the laps were getting away from both of them as Snyder continued too lead out front. But on the last lap, Frame got a great run on the back straight and kept it pinned until the split buoy where both guys went into their respective splits, Snyder on the outside, Frame on the inside.
It came down to the last turn where Cam Frame was able to edge out Snyder by about a boat length. Frame went on to win Moto 2 as well. In Moto 3, the Snyder Built, Judge Motorsports team pulled out all the stops and Snyder got the early holeshot and lead with Frame right behind. Snyder would not be denied and took the final moto win. Frame took the overall with a second and Dylan Osborne went 3-3-3 for the final spot on the podium. Unfortunately, due to Frame not running the removable small storage box in his ski, according to the technical rules he was DQ’d after the final moto. That bumped Snyder to the overall, Osborne to and. and Jim Bennett to third overall (4-4-4).
It was a full line of some of the best ski racers in the country for Moto 1 of the Pro Am Ski Stock class. On the split start it was Cabrera out front early on the inside on his Hydrospace with Brett Underhill on the outside and Matthew Rychuck close behind. Notably, Jimmy Wilson got a horrible start and had to battle from the back, which he did! Underhill took a bad spill in the log jump that gave way too Wilson in third. After making his way by Rychuck the battle was on! Cabrera and Wilson took different splits the rest of the moto until, with 2 laps to go, Cabrera had a mechanical that gave the lead and the win over to Wilson. Wilson went on to win Moto 2 and the overall with his Moto 3 second place finish. Richuk would rebound to take two second places and a Moto 3 win for second overall and Kenny McKenzie quietly made his way into the third overall position with 6-3-5 finish, showing the parity in the class.
Freestyle was awesome! It was the first multi-competitor field this season and there were four guys spread out between Amateur and Pro. All the guys came prepared and put on an awesome show for the fans. They carried their show into the Hey Day Wake Boat Demo, which made some huge waves for the guys to air it out on. In the end it was Ryan Doberstein taking the overall in Amateur Freestyle to Zeb Zarzour. Luke Stocks took the overall in Pro Freestyle and racer Kevin Rowe took Freestyle 800 overall.
The Sport GP was exciting as well with some of the fastest boats and riders putting it all out there. A fan favorite class, it was Florida’s Richard Taylor who went 1-2-3 for the overall. World Champ Billy Dearman put his Judge Motorsports Bullett hulled ‘Blaster into the second overall spot with a 2-5-2 finish. National champ Sam Nehme had another uncharacteristic Moto 1 mechanical problem for the second weekend in a row and apart from his 8th place finish, was perfect on the weekend with Moto 2 and Moto 3 wins for third overall. Keith Dill had a good weekend looking strong and fast each moto finishing 4th overall with a 3-3-4 finish. Jordan Carrol was very impressive on his stock hull ‘Blaster going 4-4-7 for 5th overall.
Claude Clayton and Brian Baldwin came to play with their GP Runabouts in the Pro-Am Runabout GP class. Baldwin, in his first Pro Watercross appearance of the season, was armed and ready for battle. The results showed him finishing 1-1-1 but the action in each moto was far more exciting as Baldwin came from behind each race. Clayton had to settle for second going 2-2-2, but he sure gave Baldwin a run for his money. Trey Frame finished third overall with a 5-3-3 finish. Stan Hightower took a high-speed get-off on the long back straight and came off the course under his own power, but would not return for the second and third motos. As of this writing, Stan was recuperating with some pretty significant deep tissue injuries and displaced or broken ribs.
In Pro Am Ski GP it was a great 3 Moto contest between Jimmy Wilson and Craig Warner. Wilson was on his triple cylinder SX-R and Warner was on his new Kawasaki SX-R. Both guys showed signs of brilliance and it was anyone’s moto to win as they were dicing their way through lapped traffic and over the log jump. Wilson pulled it off though and took the overall with a 1-2-1 while Warner took second overall with 2-1-2. Broc Harris finished on the box in third with a 4-3-3.
The Juniors are always fun to watch and this weekend was no exception. As it’s been all year, Hayden Skellet had the field covered going 1-1-1 for the overall. His buddy Sammy Nehme went 2-2-2 for second overall. Hayden’s sister Tay Tay Taylor Skellet looked strong finishing 3-3-3. Devon Farthing won the overall in the 13-15 class.
The Sport Stock riders decided to all come to this race and there were 20 entries in the class. Some suggested to divide the class into Novice and regular Sport Stock. So, 7 newbies broke off into their own class, which was a good move on the part of Race Director Carson. In the Novice Sport Stock class, it was all Kevin Benjamin going 1-1-1 for the overall. Thomas Skellet went 2-3-2 for second overall. Will McDaniel in his first race ever went 5-2-3 for third overall.
That left 13 entries in the Sport Stock class – some of which are going for the Championship. Susan Anderson was on a rail and jumped out to two early moto wins in convincing fashion! She finished 1-1-2 for the overall and although there were whisperings of her most likely being DQ’d during post race technical inspections, it was not to be! According to the very capable and knowledgeable Tech Director for the class, Paul Lehr, she was completely legal. Unfortunately, there were two entries that were DQ’d for minor technical infractions. Keith Dill has a fast ‘Blaster courtesy of Wade Chapin Performance. He finished 6-2-1 for second overall. Team Faith’s Jeff McPhail struggled to keep his boat hooked up and wound up swimming in Moto 3 but managed to finish on the box with 2-4-8 on the weekend. Other notables were Team BMS’s Ken Waddle, Jules Hopkins looked fast and had a good weekend going with two third place finishes in Moto 1 and 2 until he came in on the hook in Moto 3.
The IROC Stock class had some exciting motos with Team Faith teammates Brian O’Rourke and Kelly Smith trading wins in Moto 1 and 2 to go into the final moto tied for the overall. O’Rourke jumped out to an early holeshot but Smith was hot on his tail for the entire race. It came down to one lap to go and Smith, who had been studying O’Rourke’s lines, setup and executed the sweetest pass! Something strange happened though as Smith rounded the final buoy on the outside split and O’Rourke tried to make time up on the inside split. In a move reminiscent to Ryan Dungy’s pass of then leading Marvin Musquin in Supercross, Smith somehow “bobbled” and slowed enough for O’Rourke to make the last ditch pass with inches to go to the finish line! O’Rourke took the overall, his first of the season while Smith too second. John Block on his new Yamaha EX took third overall in his first Pro Watercross race.
Amateur Ski Stock had a huge class for the weekend with 17 riders. Kelly Smith jumped off the IROC Stock boat and into the ski tray of his Team Faith SX-R to take the Moto 1 win. But a red flag penalty was imposed on him in Moto 2 and he had to start with his hand on his head with a dead engine. He came back through the field to finish an impressive 4th but that gave the edge to Bret Underhill who clinched the Tour Championship and the overall for the weekend going 5-1-1. Smith would finish out Moto 3 with a third having to come though the pack again after a horrific start to take the second overall spot on the podium. Ryan Doberstein hung up his freestyle ski for a race ski in his first race in 10 years to round out the podium for third with a 4-2-4 finish.
At the awards ceremony, longtime beloved tour participant Clay Barbee suffered a post race “episode” surrounding his health, but as of this writing was fine. Other than the sticky red clay mud and humid conditions with no breeze, this past weekend’s Pro Watercross race was a fun and exciting event. At the time of this writing, this weekend was the final round of the tour in Charleston, WV. It’s not only where Tour Championships are decided but also the National Championships are decided in this one event which will be aired on CBS Sports. Points are doubled for this last event and it all comes down to this weekend! Stay tuned!
With everybody walking around with a miniature high-speed computer in their hip pocket, today more than ever, it’s important to be relevant and digitally active. Obviously, you can’t dip a toe into the personal watercraft industry without knowing who Hydro-Turf is and what they do. But, for a long, long time, Hydro-Turf’s website has just been lacking.
Well now, the industry giant of traction mats, seat covers and so, so much more has recently released a completely redesigned website. Some key new features include: A more visually appealing method if purchasing our products. When specific mat kit variations are selected, there is now a featured thumbnail photo of the specific color option selected for clarification; new options for standard seat cover colorways. This makes ordering standard seat covers much easier. The custom seat cover options are also still available and are much easier to use.
Additionally, a new category of sheets specifically for boating applications is now available. This includes our new Wide Groove (Teak Look) and several new colors such as Dark Brown, Brown Camo, 2-Tone Grey on Black, and Gator Camo. Boating sheets are offered in different sheet sizes that cater to the larger surfaces and have been formulated to have more UV protection as well. And as a bonus, most currently available Hats and T-shirts are now featured and only cost $10!
The Watercraft Journal got to talk to Hydro-Turf‘s president Arno Olbricht, “After years of work with web developers working with our extensive combination of great products. We’re excited to finally release the new Hydro-Turf website with a fresh new look and a modern, user friendly layout.”
When brothers Nick and Jason Bordelon were enjoying themselves at The Barley Oak pub on Lake Pontchartrain in Mandeville, Louisiana on August 1st, they’d never have expected to take on duties as firefighters. As the brothers sat at the pub enjoying the sunshine, they noticed smoke in the distance out on the lake according to a report by Fox8Live. Figuring they should investigate in case somebody was in the danger, the brothers put down their drinks and hopped on their jet skis that were moored across the street.
As they approached the smoke, they saw a jet ski fully engulfed in flames and floating by itself on the lake. According to Jason, the jet ski rider had been picked up by a passing boat and was not injured however the ski was left to burn. Using a procedure they learned while watching a YouTube video recently, the brothers jumped into action and used their jet skis to try and extinguish the fire. After a few passes at the fire, they were successful in dousing the flames.
This incident is proof that while YouTube is full of millions of pretty useless videos, you can learn some very cool tricks that could just very well come in handy one day! Way to go guys!
