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Last Call: 2017 Blowsion SurfSlam Freeride

By
Brice Leckrone
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That time is fast-approaching for the 2017 Blowsion SurfSlam Freeride. For participants of the event, you must have your pre-registration form filled out and sent in before 5:00 PM this Wednesday, September 6. This year’s ninth annual event will be held the weekend of September 8-10 on the beaches of Pacific City, Oregon.

The event is open to anyone interested in participating, just select your particular class Rookie, Amateur, or Pro during registration. In addition, the Tierra Del Mar Beach has free public access so the event is also open to any spectators. The entry fee is $135.00 for Rookies and $175.00 for the Amateur and Pro Freeriders.

The fee is payable online through the registration link above and you must retain your receipt as proof of entry upon arrival at the event. Please note that you must be both an IFWA and IJSBA member to compete in the SurfSlam Freeride Competition. You will note an additional per-event IFWA fee of $45.00 as well as a $45.00 IJSBA membership fee unless you have already paid your annual IJSBA membership fee.

The event is being held under the IJSBA insurance charter umbrella so you must present proof of IJSBA / IFWA membership before you will be allowed to compete. If you plan to compete in the Big Air competition, there will be an additional $20.00 entry fee as well as a late fee for any Pro Class Freeriders who register after the deadline.

Not able to attend the event? Be sure to check out the blowsionsurfslam webpage for a link to the live streaming of the event so that you can check out all the action!

Chick-fil-A Delivers PWC Riders Help In Hurricane Rescue Efforts

By
Brice Leckrone
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My friends grandmother being jet ski'd out of her living room in Houston. (imgur.com) submitted 14 hours ago by Webborwebbor. Tags. Harvey, Houston, Jet Ski, Texas, Flood.

Hurricane Harvey has been the focus topic of this past week in most major news outlets. There has certainly been lots of loss and devastation however in times of disaster, people generally band together to help those in need. A few groups of Personal Watercraft Riders were no exception as they joined in on the relief efforts for those coastal Texas residents stranded in the flooded areas.

My friends grandmother being jet ski’d out of her living room in Houston. (imgur.com) submitted 14 hours ago by Webborwebbor.

One particular rescue incident has been getting some viral attention involving the elderly stranded Houston resident J.C. Spencer and his Wife Karen Spencer. According to the reports, jet ski riders Keith Christensen and Winston Savice Jr. showed up to the Spencers’ home aboard their PWC’s to rescue the couple; but not before Mr. Spencer called the local Chick-fil-A restaurant to place his breakfast order.

Inside his submerging home, Mr. Spencer called the restaurant where they frequently dine in order to ask for some rescue assistance. The restaurant manager apparently organized a boat relief effort for the couple however the boat was too big to get inside the home. It was at this time that the two PWC riders happened to arrive and offer their assistance as well. Since the skis were smaller and more maneuverable, they were able to fit through the front door and accommodate the stranded couple.

At the time of the incident, the flood victims did not catch the names of their rescuers but in the aftermath, ABC News was able to reunite the couple with the two PWC riders. The Spencers were definitely grateful for the service these riders provided. It is certainly good to see these and other PWC riders joining together in such times of need.

The Watercraft Journal By The Numbers: August 2017

By
Kevin Shaw
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Whoa. Where did summer go? We’re so turned around that we’re literally five days late on publishing this month’s episode of “By The Numbers.” That’s literally the latest we’ve ever been in our four years of publishing these articles. That’s pretty impressive (and a little embarrassing). If you’ve been paying attention lately, there’s been quite a few changes in our little industry that should make you pretty excited: over the past 12 months, the personal watercraft industry has experienced a growth explosion 3-to-4 times greater than previous projections with an incredible 11-percent in new unit sales.

This double-digit gain was felt by all three major manufacturers: Sea-Doo rose 6-percent in sales, Kawasaki an impressive 11-percent (thanks in large part to the introduction the 4-stroke SX-R), and Yamaha who shot up 18-percent  in new sales. Most impressive is that 48-percent of total new vehicle sales went to first-time buyers. You won’t find that kind of growth anywhere else in the powersport market, be it motorcycles, snowmobiles or otherwise. And of the Top 3 sellers, behind Sea-Doo’s Trixx and 3up Sparks, was Yamaha’s EX Sport. Toss in Sea-Doo’s GTI, a couple other Spark models, Yamaha’s other EX and VX models, and you’ve got a strong entry-market.

Well, except for the GP1800. That’s right, Yamaha’s reinterpretation of the heralded GP moniker was so successful that it not only broke into the Top 10 highest selling PWC for 2017, but also nabbed 6th place. (And if you’re wondering how it fared among other supercharged units, the GP1800 out-sold the Sea-Doo RXP-X 300 two-to-one). What does all of this add up to, you ask? A major influx of new “neophite” PWC enthusiasts and a strong presence of performance enthusiasts who are looking for thrills – all great news for all of us looking to educate, entertain, and provide service these new and returning customers.

And The Watercraft Journal has been on the job, as well. As noted in articles like these and appreciated by the diehard reader, we have streamlined our layout in recent weeks. Doing so has improved load speeds, improved accessibility to our content on a wider array of devices and services, decreased scrolling, and expanded our breadth of content. Race coverage? We doubled it and expanded our reach to smaller, more regional events. Multimedia? The Watercraft Journal publishes new articles everyday as well as two videos a month – all entirely free to you. How about industry news? We’ve got inside access to all the latest watercraft, accessories and equipment. And we’re not slowing down…

August 2017

When Less is More
A funny thing happened in August 2017; we brought in slightly less new or one-time readers, but maintained almost exactly the same amount of page views (meaning, how many articles they read). What does that mean? That our new reformatting allowed for readers to peruse and explore the magazine in greater ease and with increased interest. We’ve been watching a change in our readership and we’re making efforts to accommodate accordingly. Sure, our massive swathe of content has only increased, but the manner in which we provide and deliver said content is fluid. We get it, you’re using your phones to read articles, and we’re making it easier to do so. We’ve cleaned up the page with less clutter so you can devour the story, and scroll through the image galleries at the very end. Video? Same thing. You won’t find it breaking up your read.

Augustr 2017
Total number readers: 35,853*
Total number of articles read: 66,095
Percentage of new readers: 67.3%

*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.

Content From Every Corner
Maybe it was because we opened our doors to local, regional racing coverage. Maybe it was because we not only had the full reveal of the 2018 Yamaha WaveRunner lineup, but also leaks on what Sea-Doo’s got coming and spied photos of the 2018 Kawasaki lineup. Or maybe it was all of the product reviews we had. But what August meant for us was the single-largest month for full-length feature articles that we’ve had in years. (It also means one of the most expensive. Why? Because unlike other PWC magazines, we pay our contributors for their submitted work.) All-in-all, we produced enough originally-written content in August to fill a 178-page magazine – that is if we charged our readers to print anything (which we don’t). Rather, all of that content was published digitally and made entirely free to our readers.

News articles published in August 2017: 19
Feature articles published in August 2017: 17
Total feature word count: 17,469 words*

*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 178-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.

Taking it To The Streets
As stated above, The Watercraft Journal is working hard to bring its industry-leading content directly to the personal watercraft enthusiast wherever they may be; be it at home, the office or wandering aimlessly while staring at their phone. Our break-neck publishing schedule brings the latest event coverage, product evaluations, hands-on watercraft reviews, and more to more readers than anywhere else – and now we’re dishing out two doses of uniquely-created YouTube videos every month. Add to that unique access to PWCTrader’s search engine of used and pre-owned personal watercraft as well as our own T-shirts and decals in our all-new store, and you’ve got quite a bit to check out! And if that’s not enough, we’re constantly flooding your Facebook,  YouTube, Twitter, Instagram feeds, and your inbox with our weekly newsletters. If you’re not already following us, subscribed to our channels, or otherwise, you’re missing out big time.

August Facebook likes: 23,708
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, France, Canada, Japan
August YouTube subscriptions: 735

This Should Come as No Surprise
For those not currently advertising with The Watercraft Journal, let us say, “We get it.” Media is ever changing, and quite frankly, how does one even know if your ad is making any sort of impact? Your uncertainties are not unique and you are not alone. If you’ve got questions, simply ask! We have all of the experience and data to back up our answers. We want you to succeed and we can’t do that if we’re not working together. Companies who partner with The Watercraft Journal and actively engage in an aggressive media campaign, find almost instantaneous results. Those who join but do little to nothing might see some marginal success, but nothing like the former. To help you reach a broader audience of would-be customers and spread the word about your brand, product and services, The Watercraft Journal must be a resource, a tool in building your brand. If you’re ready for that, email [email protected] about advertising your company in the single-most popular PWC magazine today.

Gallery: 2017 Hydro-Turf US HydroDrag Nationals Breaks World Records

By
Manuel Valdes
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This year’s Hydro-Turf US Hydrodrags Nationals said that it was going to be a record-breaking event, one for the books. Days before the event, a few riders were injured testing their PWC making them unable to make it to the event due to minor injuries. Hosted by Mike Young, of H2X Racing, the ‘Drags returned to Tavares, FL where a new ramp was constructed to ease the ins-and-outs of the riders with their trailers. Saturday morning was cloudy with a 90-percent chance of rain, but that didn’t stop the competitors for a chance to prove themselves on the track.

Riders began to hit the water for last minute adjustments and new riders gave the launch pad a break-in after the installment of new green light towers. After a few passes by the riders on the new tree light system, Mike called a riders meeting. It was scheduled that Speed Alley’s Round 1 went first, but instead started with the Box Stock Class. In Box Stock, Christian Figueroa from Dean’s Team on his 2016 Yamaha won first place against Gus Hatzistefanou racing a Yamaha GP1800 for the very first time at the HydroDrags, who took home second place and Scott Rice of Dean’s Team taking third on his GP1800.

Stock Class began with El Tecato from Velocyraptor Performance against Tonito Lopez. El Tecato took the win and moved on to face Angelica Gonzalez, but soon found out why Angelica goes by the name of “The Golden Girl.” Gonzalez took the win putting El Tecato on the losing bracket. A new competitor, Sundaily (sponsored by Chezzy Performance) lined up against one of the strongest competitors in the game, Stan Hightower who took the win and moved on, putting Sundaily on the losing bracket. He quickly lost to El Tecato, who took the win and disqualified Sundaily on his second run of the day.

Tonito Lopez of Dean’s Team moved up on the winning bracket, facing El Tecato giving him his second loss, but Tonito still had to win against Gonzales to get second place – but Angelica, with her experience in the game, managed to beat Tonito right at the finish line, putting Tonito in third place. Stan, with no losses, faced Angelica (who already had one loss against Stan during a previous race). Gonzales won this race against Stan and took home first place, leaving Stan in second and Tonito in third.

Spec Class began soon after with strong competitors and fast skis. With its new class rules, teams have to step it up to keep up with the new innovations. Angelica managed to win first place again against Stan Hightower, Tonito Lopez and Manny Salgado (KRT); while Osmel of OPerformance fetched one loss against Scott Rice, who took two wins against the Chezzy Performance #123 Sea-Doo and El Tecato of Velocyraptor Performance. El Tecato took his first loss when going head-to-head with Scott Rice. Manny, driving the green KRT #17 made it to the Final 3 with only one loss after facing Gonzalez, but afterwards had to face Angelica again to decide between the first and second places. Angelica again took the win on the final race putting Manny Salgado in second place and Kerry Hibdon, with only one loss and one win, in third place, putting Angelica the first place winner of Spec Class.

Right after Spec Class was the Speed Alley. Soon, staff members had all of the competitors on the water. Beginning with Super Stock, Jesse Gonzalez hit 99.3MPH on West Hawkings’ Yamaha GPSHO, followed by Ross Nemo with his custom supercharged Yamaha FZR with a 98.9MPH pass. The moment everyone was waiting for was the Unlimited Speed Alley. The crowd had their phones ready to record history when Uva Perez of Ujet Team ran 122.1MPH. His record didn’t last long as Uva made a second pass of 123.2MPH, breaking his own record twice in the same day. The unbelievable top speed set the world record even higher for others competitors. Jesse Gonzalez took second place with 111.9MPH.

Sunday morning started with the Speed Alley before the water would get any choppier. Super Stock riders got ready to break world records, beginning with Hector Alvarez of CRT driving Lazaro Alonzo’s Yamaha FZR, who broke the record of the fastest supercharged watercraft with a top speed of 106.1MPH on his first pass. Sandor Blanco made the second pass with Alonso’s FZR. Hoping to make better numbers he ran 105.8MPH. Taking the third place with a run of 94.3MPH was Jesse Gonzalez on Wes Hawkins GPSHO.

In Unlimited Class, Uva Perez had everyone hoping he would break his own record of 123.2MPH from Saturday afternoon, but that Sunday morning he ran 115.1MPH leaving everybody surprised. Uva had made his mark and didn’t need to push the ski any further. The day continued with Manny Salgado driving Rayge Sanchez’s ski reaching a top speed of 107MPH. He also took third place with Carlito Del Valle’s Sea-Doo RXP with a speed of 82.3MPH.

Super Stock class began with Kerry Hibdon winning against Scott Rice; Orlando and Jorge (both from the same team) had to face each other on their very first race, with Orlando taking the win. Chezzy Performance with their Sea-Doo #123 broke down after the qualifying pass, unable to continued racing. El Negro from Boosting Performance won against Kerry Hibdon. Angelica Gonzales stepped it up and beat El Negro, putting him in second place. Jorge from OPerformance outdid himself taking the win against El Negro, Manny Salgado and Scott Rice, leaving him in third place. Angelica could not believe it; after beating El Negro on the last race she had won first place in Super Stock.

As Unlimited riders got in to position, it was turbos competing with superchargers. Gus, with his Stock Class GP1800, made it a few rounds, but after facing Ernesto Calas got disqualified. Sandor Blanco of CRT driving Carlos del Valle’s carbon-edition Sea-Doo RXP got thrown off of the ski on the first pass, making him unable to continue. Rauling Cue, also from CRT, was the only one left with a turbo, giving him the advantage. Rauling took the first place home, as Scott came in second after winning against Angelica, who was getting too close to another victory, and Osmel from OPerformance took third place after a close race with Scott Rice.

It was a record-breaking event raising top speeds even higher and breaking the barrier of 120MPH! Congratulations to “The Golden Girl” Angelica Gonzalez for taking home three first places and to her excellent team at Jim’s Performance and family members who are always supporting her; Uva Perez showing the world the unbelievable speeds of 123.2MPH (and we believe he has more in it); Hector Alvarez for breaking the supercharger world record by 106.1MPH  – outstanding job! Thank you all the staff members for the excellent work out there, and see you all in November.

Drags Box Stock: 1. Christian Figueroa, 2. Gus Hatzistefanou, 3. Place Scott Rice; Stock: 1. Angelica Gonzalez, 2. Stan Hightower. 3. Tonito Lopez; Spec: 1. Angelica Gonzalez, 2. Kurt Michel Lopez, 3. Kerry Hibdon; Saturday Speed Alley Superstock Speed Alley: 1. Jesse Gonzalez 99.3, 2. Ross Nemo 98.9; Unlimited Speed Alley: 1. Uva Perez 123.2, 2. Jesse Gonzalez 111.9; Drags Super Stock: 1. Angelica Gonzalez, 2. El Negro, 3. Jorge Perera; Unlimited: 1. Raul Cue, 2. Scott Rice, 3. Orlando Riveron; Sunday Speed Alley Superstock: 1. Hector Alverez 106.1, 2. Sandor Blanco 105.8, 3. Jesse Gonzalez 94.3; Unlimited: 1. Uva Perez 115.1, 2. Manny Salgado 107, 3. Manny Salgado 82.3

Gallery: East Coast Watercross Tour; Watkins Glen, NY

By
Kristen Sherker
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0

The 2017 East Coast Watercross Tour by Jet Renu has outdone themselves again with a spectacular event in Watkins Glen, NY for Rounds 7 & 8 of their tour! Nestled between the hills at the bottom of Lake Seneca the race site itself couldn’t have been more picturesque. With over 200 race entries for the weekend – 106 for Round 7 and 102 for Round 8 – making for 15 race classes plus a specialty mashup class per day and freestyle on Sunday, it’s hard to believe this is just a regional race series. Since taking over the Region 8 series last year, Christopher Yates and his team have worked hard to make the series one everyone wants to participate in from as far away as California – seriously, there were racers from California in Watkins Glen, New York racing this past weekend. How cool is that?

The East Coast Watercross runs a conventional two moto system for each round. Each moto consists of an average of 10 laps giving the racers plenty of course time, especially for those who race more than one class!

Round 7 saw its biggest class of the day in X2 Open with 12 racers on the line. Yes, the Kawasaki X2 skis manufactured back in the late 80’s and early 90’s that you rarely see anymore are alive and well in Region 8. The class had two new racers to the series, Danny and Lauri Ortega, all the way from California and they dominated the X2 class with Danny going 1-1 and Lauri 2-2 closely followed by Tyler Lynch with a 3-3 for the round. Sunday’s Round 8 was a bit of a shake up with Lauri Ortega taking over those first place positions for Moto 1 and Moto 2! Lynch won a hard fought second place overall going 3-2 while Danny went 2-3 resulting in his third place overall finish.

The second largest class for Round 7 was Expert Sport Spec with 11 entries. Anthony Coursen took the overall win with two impressive first place finishes on his Sea-Doo HX. Coursen was closely followed by Danny Ortega on his Kawasaki X2 with 2-3 finishes and Bill Beers 4-4 finishes on his Yamaha ‘Blaster. Round 8 saw more of the same for the Top 2 overall finishers with Coursen going 1-1 again followed by Danny Ortega with a 2-2, but the clash for third place overall was between Morgan Beers and Eric Degler who tied for third but ultimately was won by Morgan Beers for her fifth place finish in Moto 2 over Degler’s 6th place finish. That’s three different skis sitting in the Top 3 positions for Sport Spec. Clearly there isn’t a dominating ski brand here!

Expert Ski Lites class consisted of 10 racers including two pros who came out to race on Saturday. It was Rick Sherker who took the overall with 1-1 finishes but the battle was for second place where Mike Aleese squeaked out an overall score of 5 to Mike Kelberer’s 6 to take second overall. Sunday’s Round 8 was where Expert Ski Lites created some excitement for racers and spectators alike. With the addition of Jimmy Wilson for Round 8, the guys decided to shake things up a bit. By his own decision, Jimmy Wilson started Moto 1 with a dead engine and worked his way up through the pack to an impressive second place finish behind Rick Sherker with Billy Beers Jr. on his heels in third.

After some conversation, Sherker and Wilson decided to not only do a dead engine start but wait until the whole pack turned the first buoy before leaving the starting gate. This created tremendous excitement as Sherker and Wilson made their way through the pack throughout the moto to ultimately finish with Sherker in first and Wilson in second. Mike Kelberer and Billy Beers Jr. put up quite the fight to hold on to their first and second place positions throughout the moto, but in the end Kelberer came away with a third overall followed closely by Billy Beers Jr in 4th.

Novice Sport Spec had a notable number of racers on the line totaling 10 racers for Round 7. The incredible Chase Hyslop was unstoppable on his Sea-Doo HX and went 1-1 taking first place overall. Logan Hyslop joined in the racing fun and in his first race took a second place right behind his younger brother Chase! Logan went 2-5 on Saturday and finished with a second overall while Rylee O’Flaherty went 6-2 setting her in third place overall for the round. Joseph Dellaselva who finished in 7th place on Saturday was not going home empty handed on Sunday as he took first place in both motos giving him the first place overall position for Round 8. Chase Hyslop was able to hold onto to second place in both Motos followed by Rylee O’Flaherty going 3-3 to give them second and third place overall.

Expert Ski Lites class wasn’t the only class the ski racers decided among themselves to change up this past weekend. In Expert Ski GP Rick Sherker prevailed in Round 7 with a 1-1 taking the first place overall on Saturday followed by Mike Kelberer with a 2-2 and Billy Shaw with a 3-3. On Sunday, Rick and Jimmy Wilson chose to race their Stock skis and forgo racing their actual GP skis. Billy Shaw, racing his Limited ski in this class, who made taking the holeshot look easy in both motos. In Moto 1, Shaw was eventually chased down by Sherker and Wilson who took first and second. In Moto 2, things got interesting as Sherker, Wilson and Shaw decided to use the makeup buoy (traditionally used if you miss a buoy mid-course) to create a joker lap – this is something done in Motocross where sometime during the Moto each racer has to go out and around the joker buoy once. Talk about excitement!

It was Shaw who holeshotted and decided to take the joker buoy on his first lap which proved to be devastating as he dropped to third place behind Sherker and Wilson when he reentered the course. On lap 2, Wilson took his turn at the joker buoy and lost his second place position to Shaw. By the third lap, Sherker had a large enough lead that he was able to take the joker buoy and still hold onto his first place position as Shaw eventually lost his second place position to Wilson, ending with Sherker in first, Wilson in second and Shaw in third. The overall for Round 8 went to Sherker in first followed by Wilson in second and Shaw in third.

Rounds 7 and 8 also brought a chance to see what happens when you put a Sport racer on an X2 and vice versa with a specialty class referred to as the X2/Sport Mash-Up. Six teams took on the challenge where X2 racers and Sport racers teamed up to race each other’s skis for one moto each; the best team finishes determined the overall winners. When the horn blew Saturday, X2 racers jumped on their teammates Sport ski with a running start from the beach for their 5 lap race. The X2 racers navigated the Sport skis better than expected with Glenn Ferraro taking the win followed by Teri Burke and Tyler Lynch.

On Sunday it was the Sport racers turn to give it a go on the X2’s. This proved to be more of a challenge from the start as Billy Beers Jr was tackled by his own dad, Bill Beers as soon as their feet hit the water! Anthony Coursen jumped in as well with a sneak attack on Bill Beers before any of them even got near the skis. Once everyone was able to get on the ski and on the course more excitement ensued as countless falls occurred and buoys were missed. Eventually Bill Beers crossed the finish line first followed by Scott McMaster and Billy Beers Jr. A great laugh was had by all and the stories will entertain us for decades. The X2/Sport Mash Up winning team went to Glenn Ferraro and Scott McMaster.

Even though the races were the highlight of the weekend it was not all about the racing. The East Coast Watercross Tour by Jet Renu set up a raffle of Jet Renu products that raised $470 over the weekend for local Veterans through American Legion and let’s not forget the racer’s BBQ on Saturday night! Bill Beers supplied tons of meat and manned the grill while many racers donated everything from side items to outstanding desserts for what made for an amazing evening with great food and great friends. Looking to join in on the fun yourself? There are two rounds left of The East Coast Watercross Tour in Niantic, CT, September 23rd & 24th. These rounds are your last chance on the east coast to qualify for the IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu, AZ! Be sure to check out www.eastcoastwatercross.com for the complete list of classes and results.

Act Now on RIVA Racing’s Labor Day Sale

By
Brice Leckrone
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For many of our readers, we associate Labor Day with the unofficial end of summer. While PWC riding season can be drawing closer to end for many, it is never a bad time to consider some new riding gear or apparel. In fact, holidays such as Labor Day can be one of the best times to purchase some new gear. RIVA Racing sure thinks so.

RIVA Racing is currently offering their Labor Day Apparel And Riding Gear Sale. Whether you are considering replacing your worn out flotation vest, investing in a fresh pair of gloves, or picking up some new stylish Tee’s or shirts, now is a great time. They also offer a wide variety of gear to extend your riding into the colder seasons so now is a great time to also consider wetsuits, touring coats, insulated footwear, or headgear.

RIVA carries major brands of apparel and riding gear with many sizing options for Men, Women, and Youth and are sure to have what you are looking for. Discounts vary based on product type and brand but browsing through the link above, we have seen items discounted at least 10 % off of original pricing. As always RIVA offers free shipping within the Continental U.S. on all orders over $150 so be sure to take advantage of that to avoid any shipping fees.

Seven Deady Questions: Samay Arnaiz, Houston’s PWC Rescue

By
Kevin Shaw
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Only now has Hurricane Charlie moved northeast after battering the Corpus Christi coastline before pushing into the greater Houston area. According to USA Today, Harvey is estimated to be costliest natural disaster in US history, totaling upwards of $190 billion. “The United States’ fourth largest city, will be uninhabitable for weeks and possibly months due to water damage, mold, disease-ridden water and all that will follow this 1,000-year flood,” said AccuWeather president Joel Myers; and tens of thousands of residents are currently displaced until waters subside.

At its worst, thousands of locals were either taken completely off-guard or were physically or financially unable to move to higher ground. This left scores of people holed up in rapidly flooding residences with nowhere else to go. Yet, the massive area that Houston occupies included higher ground only a short distance away. One local resident and personal watercraft enthusiast, Samay Arnaiz, lived a scant 45 minutes from the neighborhoods impacted the worst. The Watercraft Journal got to talk with Samay who humbly shared his experience:

The Watercraft Journal: What first prompted you drive into the flooding in Houston? At what point did you say, “I’ve got to do something?”
Samay Arnaiz: There’s was Facebook page called “Harvey911” created during the storm after public realized there was not enough Search & Rescue to get to them in time. I was only 45 minutes away so I drove over. I spent 3 days total until my ski broke.

WCJ: Can you tell us about the rescue operation currently underway? How was it organized?
SA: There was a map with pin drops; every time we heard or saw anything on the news with addresses we input the info on the map with a pin. After [we conducted the] rescue, the pin will be removed. We knew where to find people thanks to the map – although the majority of the rescues were thanks to the state telling the public to display/hang a white towel or sheet on a window. We dropped them off at the entrance of the subdivision where other people would take them to shelters.

WCJ: We saw that you yourself got injured and you also hurt your ski – what happened?
SA: On my first day there – sometime in the afternoon – I noticed the ski was vibrating really bad. After a couple of hours I took the ski out of the water and noticed the impeller stuck on the wear ring, the blades were bent due to debris in the street and a rope wrapped around the driveshaft. Also the ride plate was completely shaved due riding through shallow areas.

WCJ: We noticed that you’ve quite a bit into modifying your FZR. Can you tell us everything you’ve done to it?
SA: It is a 2010 FZR – its a stock engine with upgraded valve springs, a custom turbo kit with a Garret GTX3071R. The damaged 160mm wear ring and 13/20 SVHO prop were stock. Unfortunately, other parts damaged during the week were a front-mounted intercooler, an R&D intake grate and the SVHO ride plate (cut by Jim). The ski ran 90.6mph last time I had it out before I joined the rescue effort.

WCJ: Lastly, if people want to help, donate money/water/food, where should they donate?
At this time the rescue continue but there’s a lot of folks from other states and enough authorities out there helping. I suggest that supplies be donated to shelters. This number [(713) 881-3100] is to communicate with authorities to get routed to the worst locations in the area.

All of us at The Watercraft Journal are grateful to Samay’s service to his fellow Texans, and just goes to show the lengths people will go to help their brother in a time of crisis. This is what America is about, not what the television wants to sensationalize. We would like to invite anyone or any company willing to donate any product or otherwise to bring Samay’s Yamaha back together to contact him HERE.

Gallery: Jacksonville & Central Florida Jet Riders Five Locks Ride, Take 2

By
Leonard Micheau
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0

Imagine riding across a US state, chasing the clock to cross before time runs out and you’re stuck on the wrong side of 30-foot tall steel lock doors. You see, on the ride there are locks and they close at a certain time. So if you don’t make it through the last one, well you’re staring at the before mentioned steel doors. Sounds crazy? Sounds exciting? If the latter applies to you, the Five Locks Ride awaits you where you cross the state of Florida through 5 of those locking systems. Oh, forgot to mention you’ll be crossing the 7th largest lake in the US? Lake Okeechobee waits with its fair share of gators too in your race against time, weather, and whatever potential pitfalls may try and foil your dinner plans. It’s a near full day in the saddle, but what an absolute rush! Don’t forget you got to do it again on the way back! For those still saying, “Bring it on”, here’s how we did it on Five Locks Take 2.

It’s not often that things are better the second time around. So when fellow riders started asking about that ride a few years back where we crossed the state of Florida, from east to west and back again on the Okeechobee waterway and across Lake Okeechobee in doing so, there was a little apprehension. You see, there are 5 locks each way that you must pass through. A waterway lock is a system used to raise or lower vessels between 2 bodies of water with different elevations. It either lets water in or out. The Okeechobee lock system was built between 1935 to 1977 with the St. Lucie Lock at the eastern most lock point. There is Port Mayaca at the eastern mouth of Lake Okeechobee and the Moore Haven lock at the western lake entrance. West of that you have the Ortona Lock and the most western is W.P. Franklin lock on the Caloosahatchee River end of the waterway. That’s the specifics of it, but what you must see to appreciate is the natural beauty of seeing Florida from a point of view that many may not have the chance to see.

A little over two years ago, a few riders with high hopes from the Jacksonville Jet Riders and Central Florida Jet Riders decided it would be a great idea to cross the state of Florida on jet skis. After 300 miles of riding in two days, crossing an angry Lake Okeechobee, and a few choice words, the ride was shelved. There is a saying that time heals all wounds and in our cases, our backs from the Okeechobee beating! With a few fond strolls down memory lane and a few more “remember when…”s, the ride was back on the list! We weren’t totally hypnotized by the hype, so changes were made for it to be more enjoyable by maximizing time. More of the riders went down the day prior and got in to some shenanigans! When you get to Stuart Florida, definitely check out Flanigans! Everything we tried was in massive portions and tasted great! The ribs were amazing and a must try! Great food and heaping portions are must haves for a pre-ride meal! It was also a great time for both groups to slap backs, kick the ole leg up and chat it up with friends we hadn’t seen in a while. Side note; be careful of the Tipsy Parrot! Just saying nothing productive happens at said Tipsy Parrot at 2am with an early AM launch! A rider lost their voice and we’re still waiting on the story, just saying, you’re warned!

Early Saturday morning, it was time to push off and head west. There are a few manatee and wake zones on the St. Lucie River side that must be observed. We rode to the first lock of the day, which was the St. Lucie lock with its 15-foot raise. After clearing it, we were all systems go down the Okeechobee waterway to the Port Mayaca lock at the eastern mouth of Lake Okeechobee. The Port Mayaca lock was open to the level of Lake Okeechobee. Some riders dubbed it Hells Gate from the last time, but JJR factored the rim route in their ride plan while CFJR took the lake-crossing route. Lake O posed less resistance this time around to the seasoned riders, but was still a contender to a few of the newer riders. Clewiston and Roland Martin Marina provided a dual stop for fuel and food! Try the club or cheeseburger, as you really can’t go wrong either way. The outside bar is always happening too! Captain Sam was an absolute riot and made fueling quick and easy. He takes great pics also by the way! The guy has lots of stories that made for some unique entertainment while we’re sitting on the fuel dock. His card says all around cool guy for carrying out loud!

So with 70 miles under our belt and the first pit stop over with, it’s time to push on up to the Moore Haven Lock. It wasn’t open like Port Mayaca, but it was only a 2-foot difference and made for a quick lock. After the city of Moore Haven, nature takes over. Lake Hicpochee picks up a few miles west and runs west down the Caloosahatchee section of the waterway. It’s miles and miles of countryside and random wildlife. The locals say fishing is good there, but as that wasn’t on our schedule, it’s to the Ortona lock we go. It was another minimal lock thanks to all the rain we got over the past few months.

The lockmaster reminded us about the last lock time just in case we planned to go back through. The last lockage through is 30 minutes before close just in case you’re contemplating it. When we told him we came from Stuart and was headed to Ft. Meyers, he shook his head in amazement and basically said good luck with that! With only one lock separating us from a shower, pool time and some festivities, we made great time down the 27 miles to the Franklin Lock. We checked the time and it was only 3pm! That was almost an hour and a half better, even with a lunch, than 2 years ago. Back then we barely made the last lock with around 15 minutes to spare! Yikes! Now it’s go time to Ft. Meyers, but we were getting low on fuel so the group had to take it easy down the Caloosahatchee River to Ft. Meyers and the end point of the day.

We got in with hours to waste before dinner, so after check in it was pool time! Nothing better than a heated salt water pool to soak the day away before dinner! Speaking of dinner, it was bumped up because stomachs were rumbling. Many who had ride jitters, the nervous feeling where you can’t eat on a ride until it’s over, couldn’t wait and had to hit the bar and smash appetizers and beverages and Joe’s Crab Shack! Oh man, it was a great restaurant and great food! When it’s served in buckets and comes with a bib, you know it’s about go down. Both groups sat at a long table and we were thankful to have crossed the state and to have done so with friends. If you’re thinking the night ended there seeing that we have to ride back across again, you’re wrong! We pride ourselves with never being quitters, so it was time for some festivities! CFJR organized a great evening event with raffle prizes for some and Fireball shots for others that shall remain unnamed.

Sunday morning brought even more great weather and the water was glass! We left a little earlier to help some of the riders with the longer drives home. The first day we ran a consistent pace to conserve fuel, but with glass it was ride time! We made great time up the Caloosahatchee to the Franklin lock. That stretch of water has lots of waterfront homes and we got a few strange stares from the fellow early birds. We were the first to and through the Franklin lock and we rode the glass to Ortona. The lock master must have heard we were coming through from the Saturday shift as he got us in and out knowing that we had to make it back across to Stuart. The quick pace took its toll on a few supercharged skis as we were burning through some gas and with a few calculations realized if we turned it down a bit, we could make good time the remaining way to lunch without dumping auxiliary fuel. We were still an hour early to Roland Martin with a few on the buzzers. Captain Sam was Johnny on the spot and got us fueled up while the group rotated between fuel dock and brunch!

At this point we lounged a bit longer as the miles we’re racking up and the riders were realizing their ski weekend was wrapping up. Part of the joys of life is enjoying it with people who just get it. Riding across Florida and back while making those memories is what’s it all about. A few more farewell pics and it was time to cover the last 70 miles to home ramp. What happened next was some of the best riding I’ve ever experienced in group riding. Everything was just perfect. The water was perfect, the riders rode perfectly, the weather was perfect and it made for great memories. Port Mayaca was open again but some rich guy in an 80-foot yacht came barreling through so we got out his way. This time gave us supercharged guys pause to think things over a bit. We were getting handled by non-supercharged skis since Saturday and it was time out for that. We were tired of hearing them ramble on about still being on half tanks and we had enough! We dumped the auxiliary fuel, said Stuart’s that way and that was how it went from Port Mayaca to the St. Lucie lock! Wide open and loving it!

As the doors open for the St. Lucie lock it was almost second nature at this point with riders lining up and roping down. It was also the last lock of the day and the ride was almost over. What a time though with new nicknames and all! We were chattering over the radio cracking jokes, one guy playing music through the radio, someone grabbing a drink out a cooler while still holding the rope and others fooling with bumpers, we were a solid group of many and wouldn’t have changed it for the world. With the lock door opening it was get to the ramp time. We cleared the wake and manatee zones and after some pay back from the non-supercharged guys, the ramp was in view. This is where some guys scamper out the water and head home as fast as possible, but not that day. Everyone was quick to lend a hand and no one left until the last rider was out the water. We beat our Saturday time by just over an hour. That was over 2 hours from the first time 2 years ago. With hundreds of miles under our belts and crossing Florida checked off some rider’s bucket list, we were the better for it. If you have a group and want to make great memories, give Five Locks a try. You won’t regret it.

Cycle Springs Powersports Announced as World’s Biggest Yamaha Dealer

By
Kevin Shaw
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Cycle Springs Powersports, the family-owned franchise dealership in Clearwater, Florida, who made a name for themselves by taking customer satisfaction to a whole new level has just received some big recognition.

This past month, Cycle Springs was recognized as the nation’s largest Yamaha boat dealer, combined with a three-year consecutive run as a Pro Yamaha Motorsports dealer, and other major accolades, puts them at a very prestigious heap.

Of course, the Bay Aera dealership has already earned quite the reputation by installing their own proprietary “Salt Series” maintenance systems; a protective fogging port that allows the customer to protect there engines from humidity, corrosion, and condensation without accessing the intake tract. A small port plumbed directly into the intake tract allows fogging the engine in a simple 10-second task.

They also install stainless steel pop-up cleats on all personal watercraft sold. Noel Hughes one of the owners is quoted by saying “ That adding just a little extra convenience here and some easy-to-use maintenance there, we’ve been able to really set ourselves apart from the rest.” And to that Cycle Springs’ Lifetime Engine Warranty – and exclusive offer extending the manufacturer’s extended warranty on the engine (only if the service is performed at the dealership service department) ensures the customer a increased level of protection after the warranty expires.

Lastly, Cycle Springs also offers a first-of-its-kind Lifetime Engine Warranty, Money Back Guarantee, 50% Pre-paid Maintenance, mobile and dockside service, not just for some, but for all powersports products sold through their dealership.

Real Review: Restoring Weathered Watercraft With Finish Renu & Jet Renu

By
Mike Majka
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I am always moving skis from here to there getting ready for the next Middle Tennessee Personal Watercraft Club (MTPWC) adventure. Recently, I picked up a friend’s ’14 Yamaha FX High Output (HO) Cruiser to load up on our four-place trailer and frankly, it was a mess. It had been stored for a while and was filthy, so I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to test out a box full of products from Jet Renu.

I looked over the ski it was pretty beat up and I knew there were many deep scratches that no product would help, running your hand across the hull of this ski was like running it across 200 grit sandpaper from end to end it had slight oxidation and was covered in water spots the dark color of the ski and amount of time this ski sat I didn’t hold out much hope I could revive it! The chrome trim looked painted flat gray & the rub rails & front and rear bumpers were almost gray from exposure!

I started off by giving it a good wash. First, as so many people do, I used dish washing liquid. While it broke off some built-up grime, it didn’t really clean the surfaces, mats and seat to my satisfaction. So I washed it again using Jet Renu Purple Boat Wash. After drying the ski, the difference was noticeable. The surfaces were clean, but the finish still about the same condition – which again, was pretty poor.

Wanting to complete the job using as few steps as possible, I looked through my selection of products and decided to use Finish Renu’s Renu Glaze 2.0. Finish Renu is the parent company of Jet Renu targeted for professional detailers and service departments. The Renu Glaze is a medium synthetic compound formulated to effectively remove 2500-to-3000 grit scratches and other surface imperfections such as swirl marks and hazing. Using a Porter Cable orbital buffing machine with an orange light cutting foam pad, I worked the hull in a cross-section pattern a small section at a time, removing the haze using a micro fiber towel from each section before moving on to the next.

Almost immediately, I could tell I was moving in the right direction. After completing the entire ski I was totally impressed; all of the hard water spots were gone as was the light oxidation and so many of the finer scratches. It was looking 100-percent better, so I swapped buffer pads to a black finishing foam pad. For this I chose to apply Finish Renu’s Banana Wax, a finishing glaze that contains polymers and carnauba wax. Banana Wax also removes any light oxidation and minor surface scratches.

Again using the same cross-section motion and removal process moving section-by-section, the process went smoothly. The final result completely blew me away. The once filthy, heavily scratched Yamaha had a brilliant, polished surface. I rolled the ski out of the shop into the sunshine where I could see the clouds floating overhead deep into the paint of the ski, the color depth almost completely restored.

The FX HO Cruiser had come a long way but I still had to address the chrome and plastics; back into the shop for the finishing touches. I used a small amount of Metal Renu on a microfiber towel to go over the chrome pieces on the ski with very light pressure. BAM! The once discolored, gray chrome popped back to life! The one last thing to address was the faded plastics, rub rails, front and rear bumpers, and the grab handle around the rear seat. Finish Renu’s Bumper Renu it is a silicone-based protectant that was developed to provide a high shine silicone shield on bumpers, moldings and trim. Bumper Renu is enriched with UV protectants that create a barrier against harsh elements.

I went over all of the plastics twice with this product and once again was totally impressed! Bumper Renu leaves a high gloss shine whose film also beads water, giving the plastics a protective coat. The final result was night-and-day. All-in-all I spent about four hours and I can’t say enough good things about the Finish Renu and Jet Renu family of products. They definitely work!

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