[For today’s installment of “Join The Club,” The Watercraft Journal welcomes Les Partonof the Swamp Kings, from the Ladner/Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. Les kept his recap pretty brief, but there’s quite a bit going on with the Swamp Kings, so if you’re in the area, make sure to check them out. -Ed]
“[The] riding club was founded approximately 1992 by now deceased Bill McLean, then-owner of Pacific Yamaha BMW and multi-time Canadian Motocross Champion. His legacy is remembered by three rides, ‘Big Billy Trail,’ ‘Big Billy Round ‘da World Ride’ (50 miles around Lulu Island/Richmond), and ‘The Super Big Billy 80-plus-mile Gulf Island Tour.’
“Swamp Kings [hosts a] 90 member Facebook secret group, a weekly TNR Thursday Night Ride held between April Fools and Halloween, and 50-miles of tidal race track trails (all rides meet at First Beach), weekend rides to Gulf Islands, Sunshine Coast, Howe Sound, up Fraser River to Pitt Lake, trailer to Harrison, etc. Occasional long range overnight trips. Newbies welcome. Stand-ups and 2-strokes work great in the swamp, but we recommend big 2-strokes or 4-strokes for long rides like Gulf crossings.”
If you’re a PWC riding club president, group and/or event organizer who regularly hosts rides and is looking for greater access to a larger audience of potential members, and would like to be featured in a segment of “Join The Club” please email 300-500 words about your group, a minimum of 3 high-resolution images, and hyperlinks to your social media pages to [email protected].
Last year, Yamaha surprised all with a one-two punch combination, by first retiring the lauded FZ series runabouts and replacing them with the lighter, better equipped and superior performing GP1800; and second by revealing it’s three-tiered EX series of Rec Lite runabouts. The EX models (EX, Sport and Deluxe) vary in coloring, accessories and other finer materials, but all ride on the same uniquely designed hull, and lightweight, narrow deck configuration. The result was a runabout not parallel to the Spark by comparison’s sake, but entirely it’s own.
That last note resonated with a few even within the walls of Yamaha, and the guys in the Australian office decided to do something about it. National Marine Marketing & Online Communications Coordinator for Yamaha Motor Australia, Mark Harman (who presumably holds the longest job title in the company) told The Watercraft Journal, “The idea behind the concept was to create a statement piece linking our historical past with the iconic 1993 WaveBlaster, with our all-new EX series. The WaveBlaster was heralded as one of the most exciting watercraft from the 1990’s.
“Since then, Yamaha’s personal watercraft have seen incremental evolutions accommodating the demand for features, equipment, stability, versatility and storage. This subsequently meant that the watercraft have grown in size to accommodate the shift towards rider demand. For 2017, Yamaha has put the ‘personal’ back in ‘personal watercraft’ with the introduction of the EX series. This new rec-lite series of WaveRunners are fun, playful and exciting. The EX pays homage to where it all started and shares key characteristics of the WaveBlaster of the 1990’s, whilst maintaining the versatility of rider demand with capacity for three riders, tow-sports, generous on-board storage and four-stroke efficiency from the award-winning TR-1 Marine Engine.”
“To further highlight the lineage, we’ve created the EX ‘Blaster concept, a one-off concept model created by Yamaha Motor Australia based on a 2017 grey-and-red EX Deluxe wrapped in the classic purple and orange 1993 ‘Blaster livery, and is destined to be shown around across Australia at major boat shows.” The EX ‘Blaster made its public debut at the Melbourne Boat Show to rave reviews. Although mechanically identical to the EX Sport, the appearance package had many inquiring whether the machine would be made available to the public. [It won’t.] In the coming weeks and months, the EX ‘Blaster concept will be shown at the Sydney and Brisbane boat shows in August (3-7, 25-27, respectively).
While not an identical recreation of the original WaveBlaster, the EX ‘Blaster concept shows us a clear glimpse at what “could be,” particularly when given the RIVA Racing Stage 1 treatment. Frankly, we applaud the concept and acknowledgement of the brand’s own history and hope to see more concepts and ideas like these in the future.
This offer is available across the entire line-up. That’s right; every single FX is on sale. These savings are huge! We’re not talking about $100 here. Think about all the things you could do with that extra money!
• Save $2000 off on FX HO
• Save $2000 off on FX Cruiser HO
• Save $2000 off on FX SVHO
• Save $2000 off on FX Cruiser SVHO
The flagship FX range offers a bit of something for everyone, whether it be the entry level best bang for your buck FX HO stickering at USD $13,199 (AUD $19,199) or the fully loaded supercharged FX Cruiser SVHO stickering at USD $15,999 (AUD $23,199), there is a ski for you! The FX lineup has been engineered to deliver the ultimate combination of raw power, high end luxury features and cruising comfort.
Contact your local participating Australian Yamaha WaveRunner retailer for details and to take advantage of Yamaha’s limited time offer.
If you’ve been looking at purchasing a Sea-Doo brand PWC, Cycle Springs Powersports has an offer to temp you and make your purchase even sweeter! From now until July 6th, 2017, they are offering a FREE 4 year warranty on ALL Sea-Doo Spark models.
The Sea-Doo Spark is the most affordable all-around use watercraft on the market and does a fantastic job at making you or your family’s dream of days on the water truly possible right now! If you are looking at a great PWC to get into the market and out onto the water, you can’t go wrong with a Spark.
The Spark is playful, agile and easy to ride. It’s so light that it can even be towed with a small car; no pick-up truck needed here. Pricing is very affordable and ranges from $5,299 to $7,499 USD with skis offering a little bit of something for everyone.
Now is the time. Head on down to Cycle Springs Powersports and bring home a killer Spark. Don’t let this deal float away, you won’t regret it.
On Saturday, June 24th, the PWC world lost such an amazing young woman who played a huge part in the PWC community. It is with very heavy hearts that we here at The Watercraft Journal sadly announce the passing of Beatriz Curtinhal at the age of 22 following a fatal car accident in Spain. Beatriz was a two-time National Champion and former UIM (Union Internationale Motonautique) Continental Aquabike Class Pro Ski Women’s GP1 Champion. It’s truly a showcase of her exceptional talent on a ski that she was able to achieve these championships at such a young age.
“I am deeply saddened by this tragedy, which has taken away from us a promising young driver. On behalf of the UIM and the entire Aquabike community, I would like to extend to Beatriz’s family and her many friends our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences” said UIM President Raffaele Chiulli in a recent release. With the news spreading about the loss of Beatriz, competing riders in the Aquabike Continental Series that was scheduled that weekend in Penafiel, Portugal asked the organization to suspend the race as a tribute to their friend and fellow competitor.
We ask our readers to share a moment of silence and join us in sending thoughts, prayers and love to her family and friends. You will be missed Beatriz.
We covered the Jet Capsule in a 2015 article written about Jet Taxis weighing in at 3.5 tons and we also wrote a piece on the jet taxi in January of this year. We can’t get enough of these crazy pieces of watercraft. The machines are built by Italian Jet Capsule Company. Luca Solla is at the helm as CEO and Pierpaolo Lazzarini is the Chief Executive Designer for Jet Capsule, which is two years out from releasing their latest design, the Super Jet Capsule. According to insidehook.com, it is a miniature version of the original Jet Capsule. It may be the ultimate party boat for an intimate gathering of friends.
The Super Jet is powered by two diesel fueled engines, each delivering 250hp and reaching speeds up to 80mph. An eco friendly version of the watercraft is available with two 80hp electric engines enabling you to power through the water for four hours at speeds reaching 35mph.
The boat has the appearance of a jet ski with a sleek space-age capsule built around it. The aerodynamic shell is fabricated in dry carbon, which keeps the entire weight of the boat under 3,300 lbs. The interior is comparable to that of a small yacht. The 20 foot long Super Jet Capsule will accommodate 7 people including the pilot within its air conditioned space. The machine has an automatic docking system, photochromic windows, and shock absorbent seating. The Super Jet can be towed using a regular boat trailer. It is expected to hit the market in December 2019. We look forward to seeing them on the water.
Every Tuesday, SBT, Inc.’s Facebook page puts up a link promoting a new signature product. Regardless of what day of the week it may be, the price, value and quality of the featured product remains the best in the business, and last week, the spotlight was shone on Blacktip Jetsports’ line of Elite traction mats.
Now you can replace and upgrade your personal watercraft with any number of combinations from Blacktip’s 15 different colors and patterns, truly giving your PWC a unique look and one specific to your tastes. “Our color chart helps you pick the color you want by simply rolling over the color,” states Blacktip. Don’t wait until your mats are looking ratty, tattered or discolored! Order yours today and get them in time to swap ’em out and have your ski looking great for the weekend. Installation takes literally minutes with their adhesive-backed, peel-and-stick ready-to-apply mats.
Just as impressive are Blacktip’s Elite series of seat covers. No longer do you need to wait weeks or months to have a tiny 2-man shop stitch together a custom, multi-panel pattern for your runabout! Blacktip Jetsports has the colors, patterns and applications uploaded to a handy template on their website, allowing you to design your uniquely-stitched Elite seat cover before making a purchase! And yes, it only takes days to receive your finished seat cover, ready to install and looking great.
Three weeks ago, the competitors and staff of the Pro Watercross Tour were in Lake Lewisville, Texas, but last week they made the trek across the country to Sparks, Nevada to chase the championship for the Pro Watercross Tour. The city is a great backdrop for racing – minus the altitude, which wreaks havoc on all the race tuners and equipment! But, as they say, everyone has to deal with the same conditions.
Admittedly, the turnout of riders was pretty light – even for Sparks standards. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that this season Pro Watercross allows each competitor to drop a round, thus some of the tour regulars decided not to make the long trip. But some of the die-hard competitors like Billy Dearman, Michael Osborne, Hayden Skellet, Team Faith, Eric Gabriel and his family, AJ Luinstra, Jeff Dyckowski, Troy Snyder, Craig Warner, Kevin and David Redinger and West coast regulars Pete Zernik, Ian Roberts, Thomas Pagen, Mitch Jonas, Matt Rollings, Chuck and Jodi Evans made it a spectacular event.
In the IROC Stock class it was once again the Gabriels versus the O’Rourke’s on Sea-Doo Sparks. The Gabriels came out swinging with Eric Sr. taking all 3 moto wins for the overall win. Brian O’Rourke finished the weekend going 3-2-2 for second overall. Justin Gabriel took the final spot on the podium with 2-3-4 and Monica O’Rourke finished fourth with a 4-4-3. Great racing was the story in the IROC Stock class as the skis are so closely matched.
In the Sport GP class, it was regulars Billy Dearman, Michael Osborne and Eric Gabriel battling it out for the bragging rights and championship points. Dearman grabbed the early holeshot and lead in Moto 1, which seemed to have set the tone. But a late race bobble by Dearman opened the door for Osborne to take the Moto 1 win. Osborne followed up with a Moto 2 win grabbing the holeshot and leading wire to wire and was sitting in the catbird seat for the overall. Moto 3 saw Dearman taking the win but it wasn’t enough for the overall and with Gabriel going out in Moto 2 with a mechanical the overall going to Michael Osborne.
Ski Super Stock was full of local area riders who came to show not only their riding skills, but also their tuning skills as well. Gabe Hooper had them covered going 1-1-1 to take the overall. Chuck Evans followed suit with a 2-2-2 for second and Matt “Happy” Rollings rounded out the podium with a 3-3-3 on the weekend.
Women’s Ski Limited saw Jodie Evans and Trinity Klecker battling for the overall. The nod went to Evans with a 1-2-1 finish for the Overall while Klecker went 2-1-2 for second overall. Kenya Acosta rounded out the overall podium spot going 3-3-3 for the weekend.
One of the largest and most exciting classes was the Am Ski Stock class. The battle throughout the weekend was between Caleb Kile, Team Faith’s Dawson Newby, and Matt “Happy” Rollings. Rollings looked to have the speed to get it done early on winning Moto 1. But Newby answered back with a Moto 2 holeshot and wire to wire win. Meanwhile Kile was steady bagging two seconds in the first two motos so going into Moto 3 it was anyone’s race for the overall.
Newby started on the inside pole position which seemed to be the preferred spot throughout the weekends racing, but Calen Kile ripped a huge outside split holeshot and walked away with the win. Newby held the rest of the pack off to take 2nd and tie for the overall but by way of the tie breaker it was Kile with the overall (2-2-1), Newby with second overall (3-1-2) and Rollins with third overall (1-4-3).
The Pro Show was made up of 3 classes: Pro-Am Runabout Box Stock, Pro-Am Ski GP, and Sport Stock which made its Pro Show debut due to how large the class was. In Pro-Am Runabout Box Stock it was another battle for the overall win. Rydal, Georgia native, Jeff Dyckowski kicked things off with a Moto 1 win over Judge Motorsports Troy Snyder who had a slight get-off to finish second. Young Brandon Warner jumped on borrowed equipment and made a splash so-to-speak and rode to a second overall with a 3-2-2 edging out Dyckowski who followed his Moto 1 win with two third place finishes. That gave Snyder the overall for the weekend – his 6th in a row in Sparks with a 2-1-1.
The Pro Am Ski class did not disappoint as the course designers stuck a log jump at the end of the front straightaway after the merge of the split start, which made for three exciting 12 minute-plus one lap Motos. Once it again it took several guys mixing up the moto results to emerge one overall winner for the weekend. Craig Warner on his new Kawasaki SX-R 4-stroke rode hard but ultimately came up a little short finishing fourth overall with a 4-2-3. Pete Zernik looked strong all day and even took the Moto 3 win and earned himself a third overall finishing the weekend with a 3-4-1. Local boy Ian Roberts looked good early finishing second overall with a 2-1-4, and it was David Redinger taking the overall with a 1-3-2 finish.
The Sport Stock class had some drama as the top two competitors in the championship points race Billy Dearman and Jeff McPhail bumped more than once in more than one moto. McPhail, on his new Team Faith ride, took the first two moto wins and looked to have the field covered. But Dearman was never fully out of it and after a bunch of rubbing on the Moto 3 start, he was able to rattle McPhail into making a mistake, which saw McPhail having to take the make-up buoy, relegating himself to 6th while Dearman battled for the lead in second with Rod Bigman who went on to take the moto win. McPhail rode hard to pass up to 4th but it wasn’t enough to take the overall from Dearman who finished with a 2-2-1 to tie MacPhail’s 1-1-4.
Despite the light turnout, the racing in Sparks was exciting and the crowd that came was entertained. The City of Sparks really rolls out the red carpet for the Pro Watercross Tour and its competitors and the venue is one of the best on the circuit. Next stop on tour is Atlantic City, NJ. Stay tuned!
All images courtesy of Michael Lojewski. For full-sized, unedited versions, click HERE.
If you’ve never heard of Vanquish Yachts before, you will now! They have just released a brand new watercraft that is sure to cause waves in the market. Based in the Netherlands, Vanquish Yachts offers you something truly unique. Their high-end, high-performance yachts are built by hand using the very latest construction techniques. Their boats have a radical appearance and an elegant allure that sets them truly apart from anything else on the water. While they are well known for their larger vessels, they have just released a brand new product based around the styling and design of a PWC. Their stunning Vanqraft VQ16 “Jet ski Yacht” is sure to be a hit.
The Vanqraft VQ16 is a crossover between a superyacht and a jet ski. Stand at the helm of this spacious 5.07 meter-long beauty and you are guaranteed to enjoy the thrill of a genuinely unique watercraft. The best part is; you can also have five of your friends or family on board! For the eagle-eyed enthusiast, you’ll recognize a lot of the Vanqraft is based off of a Yamaha FX.
Powered by a 160-horsepower Yamaha HO 1.8L engine, you can easily reach 40 knots on the water. If you want to go even faster, you can opt for the supercharged SHO-powered “Veloce” edition that roars along at more than 50 knots! The craft also features a full reverse feature which gives you full flexibility and maneuverability [we presume this is by employing Yamaha’s RiDE system -Ed.].
Like all of their other watercraft, the VQ16 is fully customizable and will be built to your exact specifications or taste! The VQ16 isn’t cheap though, with a sticker price of $79,950 Euros (around $89,000 USD before tax, we’ve been told). The supercharged Veloce version stickers at $94,950 Euros (around $106,000 USD before tax). While they aren’t cheap, they look totally sharp. Check it out!
It’s about time, right? Yeah, we were feeling the same way. Now that we’re 4 years into publishing the world’s most popular personal watercraft magazine, we thought it was about time that we created some much overdue apparel and decals for all to enjoy! We’re starting things off small with a single shirt and decal design, but as orders continue to roll in, you can bet to see more designs, colors and other goodies appearing soon!
For 2017, we’re starting off with The Watercraft Journal’s new “Busted Lip” T-shirt showcasing IFWA and IJSBA world champion freerider, freestyle(r) and racer Mark Gomez shredding on his Rickter in some very cool, vintage 1980’s colors and design. The shirt itself is printed on industry-leading Gildan 6.1oz 100% Cotton T’s using a M&R Challenger IIID 12-Color, 14-Station Automatic Press, your shirt will still look great after hundreds of washes and thousands of hours of wear. (Available in S to XXXL)
For the decal, much is the same, including our new “Busted Lip” design – perfect for your ski, trailer, or tow vehicle. This full color, contour-cut decal is printed and cut on a Roland XR-640 Pro 4 and laminated, ensuring that this will look as good in 5 years of outdoor use as it does today! Right now, we’re only accepting credit cards, but will soon have PayPal capabilities in a few short days. All orders have a flat rate for shipping (which includes sales tax) of $3.95 no matter how big the order! (We’re cool like that.)
So CLICK HERE, or visit “SHOP” on the Navigation bar and get your shirt and sticker TODAY!
