Yamaha has a new four stroke ski on the market and boy is it giving everyone a run for their money! Yamaha riders Tony Beck and Chris “The Flyin’ Fish” Fischetti hooked up with Dean’s Team Racing and rode the new GP1800 for the win in Four-Stroke Runabout Stock class during the 2017 Mark Hahn Memorial 300 race.
Mark Klippenstein and Brian Baldwin rode to victory on a Yamaha FX SHVO in the Manufacturers Runabout Stock Class. Baldwin told The Watercraft Journal, “I think being on a bone stock boat really played to our advantage. We are able to lap every single person except for first and second in the Open class.”
The only modifications allowed for Manufacture Stock are handgrips and the seatcover so it is literally a bone stock ski. Baldwin continued, “I rode the first 200 miles straight and then switched off with my teammate Mike [Klippenstein], who was racing two other classes – it’s Mike who I have to thank for getting me out there to compete. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t have made it.”
Paul Pham and teammate Derek Diep grabbed first on their Yamaha FX SHO in the Veteran Master’s Open class. What a great day for Yamaha with teams prevailing in three classes.
Conditions were not ideal for racing with 35 mile-per-hour winds wreaking havoc along the 300 mile course. The racers persevered under demanding conditions and Executive Director, Mike Follmer acknowledged this feat by congratulating the Yamaha riders for taking on the 300 mile endurance race in gale force winds and choppy seas.
Yamaha’s Race Director, Scott Watkins had this to say about the GP1800, “We knew the GP on the closed course was going to be the boat to beat in 2017. But with a win in a 300 mile race with rough conditions, it’s clear this model is going to be more than just a champ in the closed course. “We are looking forward to the 2017 AquaX tour where the GP will make its debut on the closed course.”
Operating a personal watercraft is not easy, especially when you are riding at high speeds in a populated area. We hear it time and time again in the news about how people are renting some personal watercraft and it usually ends in both parties walking away with minor injuries. Sadly, a couple that was on a vacation in Phuket, Thailand were involved in a high speed crash which resulted in the death of Emily Collie, according to OZPWC.com.
Collie was on a vacation with her boyfriend Thomas Keating out enjoying the nice weather and decided to rent a pair of personal watercraft. The sun was shining bright and according to Keating’s representatives, the “strong sunlight reflecting from the sea made it impossible for him to see the jet ski being ridden by his girlfriend, Emily Jayne Collie.” While authorities do not believe that Keating caused the crash on purpose, he will be facing charges of reckless driving causing her death. His family has expressed their remorse because they had the opportunity to know Collie for the 18 months she had been dating Keating.
Many riders take riding their craft as second nature, but being inexperienced can prove to be fatal. According to Thai law, anyone using a jet ski is supposed to have a ‘captain’s permit’. Many tourists do not have a permit and many rental companies just write on the paperwork that they do.
Please be a defensive rider and understand that when riding in a populated area to not reach high speeds. Save that for open areas, because doing so could save someone’s life. We send our condolences out to the family and friends of Emily Collie.
And speaking of the RXP-X, despite Sea-Doo’s introduction of the 300-horsepower unit and its RXT-X sibling, much of the field for AquaX (and Pro Watercross, for that matter) consisted of big-inch Yamahas, the most surprising being the FX SVHO’s dark horse dominance over many offshore and endurance events in 2016, even usurping the mainstay Ultra 310X at the Long Beach to Catalina and KaruJet. And of course, how could we not mention Yamaha’s mothballing of the FZR (and S) for the smaller, lighter and more powerful (via power-to-weight) GP1800?
No doubt last year was one of surprises and unexpected turnarounds, and while we feel a little less equipped with supposed “insider information” (some of which happened to be purposefully misguiding), we do have enough deductive reasoning to make some solid predictions for this year (and more yet to come) that we’re 95-percent positive. Now, admittedly we’re over a month late with this story and have seen some motions to help solidify these prophecies, so we’re cheating just a little bit.
Kawasaki
It has been purported that prior to 2017, Kawasaki’s total annual production runs have averaged around 3,500 units. That includes all Ultra configurations (LX, 310X, 310X Special Edition (SE), 310R and 310LX) as well as the aforementioned STX-15F. It was expressed to The Watercraft Journal that in order for Kawasaki to have justified building the new SX-R JetSki, a total 3,000 units would need to be sold in 2017 (whether that is domestic or international sales remains uncertain). Priced at $9,999 MSRP, the big JetSki has all the potential to meet that goal, but Kawasaki’s existing PWC dealer network will be tested to its limits.
We’ve already heard of faithful Kawasaki motorcycle and UTV dealers who’ve since jettisoned their watercraft offerings being “heavily encouraged” to pick up flooring of the SX-R – if only that one model. Surely, the heat is on for Kawasaki to move as many 160-horsepower JetSkis as possible to quantify the gamble. As a bit of insider info, we recently learned that foreign-built SX-Rs differ from domestics in its “labels, certification numbers, fuel tank, etc.,” in order to meet emission and regulatory differences in the US. This is good news, as the 4-stroke SX-R was designed to meet all 50-states’ clean air legislation.
As for the rest of the Kawasaki lineup, expect only the most minor in changes (meaning colors and graphics). We don’t expect Jetsounds or the premium LX seat to be found on the naturally-aspirated LX – although to us, it’s a perfectly logical addition. No, Kawasaki has placed all of its PWC eggs in the SX-R basket and will not be taking its eyes off of this prize for a good long while. The strategic efforts to shoehorn the SX-R into a variety of stand up ski classes for all existing sanctioning bodies should cement the brand’s motivations in anyone’s mind.
Sea-Doo
The brand gearing up for the biggest revolution in personal watercraft manufacturing has been doing so ever-so-quietly beneath many of our noses. Sea-Doo released two machines in 2017 that spell the inevitable future of the brand’s runabout lineup: the GTR-X and GTI ACE 900. Personally, we find the new GTR-X 230 one of the most outright fun machines we’ve ever had the pleasure of riding. The loose shallow-V hull of the GTI paired with the Ergolock seat of the RXP-X and powered by a torquier and hard-hitting supercharged ACE 1500 makes it an absolute blast to ride, but it is its CM-Tech deck that speaks loudest here.
Sea-Doo uprooted its conventional deck molding process for a new process of laying multi-layer thermoformed sheets of Acrylic and ABS into the mold before the fiberglass is injected. This results in a high gloss acrylic finish on the top deck that is more resistant to chipping and cracking due to the flexible nature of the acrylic sheets (as well as a smooth inner surface). This new, flexible CM-Tech material will be ideal when all medium and full-sized runabout hulls are eventually replaced with Polytec. *Gasp!* Yeah, you read that right. Sea-Doo is getting out of the fiberglass hull game…but not for a while. We give it 4-to-5 years before it all goes Polytech.
Sea-Doo’s new Spark-DNA-infused-GTI, the GTI ACE 900 is not a fluke or some runabout they built on a lark. There is a whole heck of a lot of forethought in this machine and it bears noting the incredible expense it took to develop a Polytec hull for a medium-sized runabout. Obviously, as of right now, the Polytech hull can only withstand the power delivered by the 90-horsepower ACE 900, but don’t expect that to last. We’ve heard of extensive testing involving a “Polytec 2.0” that will be able to handle the larger 130 and 155-horsepower Rotax engines (or 110-plus-horsepower ACE 3-cylinders. Hmm?) so a complete replacement of the fiberglass GTI hull is possible in the near future.
Last year we predicted a TR-1 powered SuperJet, and with the reveal of the EX Series and its completely redesigned pump configuration and lower horsepower (100HP vs. 110HP), makes the complete EX powertrain a direct replacement for the outdated SuperJet. We’ve been told directly that Yamaha is very inclined to sit back and watch how Kawasaki’s SX-R sells this year, and see how sales behave during its second year before launching its “SJ1000” (the name we’ve heard a few times). Equally, Yamaha is big on tradition and anniversaries, and 2019 marks exactly 30 years from when the first SuperJet was introduced. While we’d love to see the 4-stroke SuperJet hit the streets a year earlier, it all makes logical sense when you think like a multi-million dollar corporation.
So for 2017, don’t expect much in the way of changes to its current lineup. Yamaha squeezed a few new models into the gray areas it had in its line (the VX Cruiser HO and FX Cruiser Limited), so we’re thinking they’re pretty tidy in their offerings. New colors and graphics will be enough to satisfy most although we’re tickled with the idea of a 125-horsepower EX GP, but that’s a story for another day.
According to OZPWC, three men were arrested for allegedly stealing personal watercraft, boats and other motorized vehicles in Sydney, Australia. The men, ages 22, 29,and 32 were accused of altering registrations and reselling stolen cars and various types of boats. Several groups of law enforcement agencies were involved in the sting operation. A group called Strike Force Eastcode, comprised of the Marine Area Command and the State Crime Command’s Property Squad, began the investigation into the auto scam in February 2016.
Officers from the Marine Area Command along with assistance from the Property Crime Squad, Public Order and Riot Squad, and Region Enforcement Squad executed four search warrants in Punchbowl, Wiley Park, Milperra, and Greenacre. That is when officers took possession of three vehicles, two boats, and numerous engine parts. All of these items were believed to be stolen property and will be further investigated by forensics teams. The warrants were issued Tuesday, February 14, 2017, a year after law enforcement began their operation into the alleged fraudaulant activity of reselling stolen vehicles.
At this time, Strike Force Eastcote has seized twelve jet skis, eight boats, and four cars and the Force isn’t finished! The investigation will continue until police officers are satisfied. The police would love your assistance in this ongoing investigation so if you have any information, call Crime Stoppers at 1800.333.000 or contact them online.
Surfing has been an extremely popular water activity that is known for having a relaxed lifestyle, pushing yourself to new limits and “catching the perfect wave.” In the recent years, companies such as Red Bull, Monster and other action sport companies have helped grow the sport of surfing. With it growing at an extremely fast rate, surfing is getting unprecedented exposure. With the exposure, the sport has reached out to skilled personal watercraft riders to tow the surfers out in the water so that the surfers are not exhausted when a perfect wave comes. It is no easy task to maneuver a large, three-person watercraft with crashing waves. The rider is risking their life so that the surfer can find their perfect wave.
Recently, Strong Island Jet Ski Instagram Account posted a video featuring a tow boat and a surfer out in the ocean. Unfortunately for this tow boat rider, it ended bad as a crashing wave overpowered him and threw him off his craft. While the video does not show if the rider was okay, we know that it would have definitely had an impact on him. We hope that every tow boat rider, freestyle rider and average coast rider who ventures out into the rough ocean stays safe. It is a ton of fun but it is extremely dangerous. Please understand your skills and if the weather forecast calls for bigger swells than your capabilities maybe you should just wait till next weekend. Be safe out there and have fun.
If superstition was at play, it couldn’t have been more evident. The 13th annual Hot Products Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300 Presented by Yamaha was rife with grueling conditions and brutally rough water, but no presence of black cats or broken mirrors could keep some of the mightiest offshore and endurance racers at bay. Regional, national and world champions of every stripe showed up in force, with returning French champions Jean-Bruno Pastorello and and Jean Baptiste Botti ready to retain their 3-year-championship title.
Canadian Mike Klippenstein and crew rolled in deep, with North Carolinian Brian Baldwin riding a Klipper-branded Yamaha FX SVHO in Manufacturer Stock class, as Klipper himself partnered with Australia’s Christian D’Agostin aboard a Pro Runabout Open FX SVHO and two other teams including another runabout and a ski class. Other notable returns included Craig Warner, Tony Beck, Chris “The Flyin’ Fish” Fischetti, Nicolas Rius, Cyrille Lemoine, Mark Gerner, Dustin Motzouris and Emi Kanamori. In all, 36 teams occupied the beach waiting for the “go.”
Forecasts spelled dire news for racers, as Lake Havasu suffered under blistering 20-plus-mph winds, churning the massive lake fed by the Colorado River into a swirling cauldron of white caps and crisscrossed swells. The whipping winds dropped the temperature from uncomfortable to bone chilling, and racers glared out at the water dreading every inch of its 10-mile lap.
Promoters and organizers Ross Wallach, Mike Follmer and Jim Russel briefed the riders as quickly as possible, expediting the race’s start from 10 to 9am in an effort to get racers off of the water before weather worsened. With the bark of a shotgun, the racers sprinted down the gravely beach of the Crazy Horse Resort, many doing their best to wholly leap ahead of the shoreline onto the backs of their watercraft. Others fumbled through the surf, clamoring aboard and igniting their starters, and speeding away.
Past a dozen years of hosting the event, this year’s Mark Hahn went off with little to no complaints. To mark the event, Kawasaki hurriedly rushed the production of its long-awaiting 1,498cc 160-horsepower 2017 SX-R JetSki in an effort to satisfy IJSBA homologation standards. With over 800 units purportedly crated and on their way to dealerships across the nation, the SX-R was permitted to participate in the event alongside custom built SX-R 800, Bullet, Trinity and Kommander race hulls.
The agonizing conditions proved a boon for the 8-foot, 7-inch standup, and its 551-pound heft managed the swells deftly. One of The Watercraft Journal‘s on site photographers, John Carter remarked, “[It] was interesting. I saw a number of sit-downs getting passed by the SX-Rs.” Klipper, who spread himself over 4 different classes, joined Chad Zeman and Johnny Smith in Pro Ski Open, earning a 4th place in the class.
Conditions were the name of the game this year, unlike other years where smooth, glassy waters made it a matter of fluid pit stops and keeping one’s ski together over 300 miles. Carter continued, “It was a brutal day for the riders. You could see the difference in riding style as the race went on. In the beginning, [many] were standing up and bouncing on [their] knees with the waves. By the 20th lap or so, they were like a rag dolls just hanging on.”
Klippenstein’s Pro Open craft blew an O2 sensor on the second lap and had to be towed in losing 10-15 minutes before he got back out. Rius, sadly fared little better, nursing the craft in to shore suffering a mechanical. Former Hahn 300 champion, Mark Gerner and teammate KC Heidler – who suffered a debilitating get-off that resulted in a broken fibula – bumped them from contention. In fact, as Gerner explained, “[Heidler] swam for ‘what felt like forever’ – over 35 minutes – to his ski [that] was blown to shore.”
To the relief of all those competing, Pastorello and Botti completed the 300-mile endurance race at just over 5 hours and 30 minutes. Not only did it mark a 4th consecutive win for the duo, but Pastorello’s 6th overall win aboard a heavily modified Kawasaki Ultra JetSki. In fact, the big winner for this year’s race seemed to be Kawasaki, who not only took the top two spots in Pro Runabout Open, but the top 7 places in the 4-stroke Ski class – giving their new SX-R a heck of a christening.
As Klipper split his time amid three runabout classes and one ski team, Baldwin rode 250 of the 300 miles, riding the FX SVHO to a win in Manufacturer’s Stock class. Klipper and D’Agostin managed a third place finish in Pro Runabout Open (and 5th overall after 3 penalties and a long pit stop) with France’s Jeremy Poret taking second place. Havasu’s own Beck and Fischetti rode their GP1800 to a win in 4-stroke Stock class, and Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Botti took home a win in 4-stroke Mod Ski class.
Of course, the big winners were all those who completed the crucible. Many shared echoing sentiments, offering huge thanks to all the sponsors that made this year’s race possible, with special thanks to all the Mark Hahn organizers and staff.
The Kawasaki manufacturing facility located in Lincoln, Nebraska exceeded the goal of producing 500 jet skis for the new International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) division. The crew in Lincoln built 800 of the 2017 Kawasaki SX-R’s and shipped the first batch of the stand up skis to 321 Kawasaki, a long time dealership in El Dorado, Kansas. The new jet skis will soon be available on the east and west coasts of the United States. The four-stroke stand up jet skis were made in time for entry into the Mark Hahn 300 which took place in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, February 12th.
According to the IJSBA’s announcement, the 2017 SX-R may be used at any IJSBA sanctioned event in any category where the machine is eligible. However, the addition of this division does come with several restrictions listed in the paragraph below:
If the SX-R is used in Ski Mod classes, the watercraft may not utilize aftermarket hulls. If the SX-R is used in Ski Limited classes, the watercraft is required to meet Ski Stock rules. The SX-R are not eligible for use in Junior Ski classes until IJSBA approved speed control measures are announced. For answers to any questions about this new division, please direct them to [email protected]
There’s a bit of a vacuum in our industry when it comes to establishing an apparel brand for the mainstream customer that a few have stepped in to try to fill. For the most part, JetPilot was the premier brand to provide both quality riding gear and casual apparel for the jet ski enthusiast for the longest time – and for many diehards, JetPilot remains in that position. Unfortunately, for the mainstream, companies like JetPilot and others – Slippery and Jettribe to a lesser degree – are either geared towards a younger audience or that of strictly hardcore racers – none appeal to the core PWC buyer who trends in their upper 40’s all the way into the mid-60s.
A few months back, industry leader SBT, Inc. announced its own line of apparel and riding gear. The selection consisting of a neoprene tour coat, slip-on laceless riding booties, and a long sleeve rashguard, provided an abbreviated offering of quality, entry-level and budget-friendly items. We got our hands on the whole selection and opted to review each item individually, beginning with the rashguard. Priced at $19.95, the long sleeve rashguard is lowest-priced item in the selection. Wielding the benefits of both a watershirt and a sunshirt, the SBT Racing rash guard protects from damaging UV rays and wicks away water to help keep you warm.
Equally, the rashguard earns its name by providing protection from chafing from a life jacket. The white with navy blue and gray Lycra construction is durable but we found the white difficult to clean when worn in the ocher-red lakes of northern Georgia or the muddy banks of Tennessee (thankfully, we shot these images before testing began). When wet, the white does appear somewhat translucent, which might be a turn-off for many. In light of the unisex sizing (S-XL), it clings rather tightly when wet, despite the shirt’s suitable stretchiness. Thankfully, its water-wicking properties means it dries rather quickly, particularly in the sun.
Stylistically, the pattern and color selection looks good – except for the awkward “racing” script running down the right arm. Many commented on it stating it looked “tacked on” or “last minute.” Our suggestion is that if SBT is looking to launch “SBT Racing” as its own brand, the “racing” ought to be incorporated into the SBT logo itself. As stated earlier, the white can tend to be embarrassingly revealing when sopping wet, so maybe a darker color is in order. With more and more enthusiasts choosing to protect themselves using modern swim shirts (instead of caking on layers of sunscreen), a proper rashguard might be just what you’ve been needing – and SBT’s new long sleeve rashguard might be just the right fit for you.
The third Annual Bradenton Area River Regatta scheduled to take place Saturday, February 4th was totally jam packed with events including something for all 100,000-plus who were in attendance! All of the water sports action was set up on the Manatee River. The Jet Action Sports Mayors Cup, which is also the first round of the Action Jetsports Surf and Turf Championships comprised of five classes, was a big deal taking place on the water in the midst of all the other festivities. It featured Runabout Enduro Stock, Ski Stock and GP. And Sport Spec and GP.
All of the happenings at the regatta sounded super fun and exciting with close to 100,000 people expected to show up and watch everything go down from Flyboarding, Wakeboarding, Jet Ski Freestyle, Extreme Pogo, concerts, 5K run, fishing tournament for the kids, fireworks, and many more activities and it was free to attend! All you, the spectator,needed was a portable chair and some money for food and drink since a beer garden and food vendors were offering provisions.
In the past 2 weeks the picturesque village of Nazaré has been shaken by something different; this time it was not the giant wave surfers, enfacing once again the world-famous “cannon”, but rather something unique in world terms: a man and his Jetski challenging the Atlantic in its greatest demonstration of strength and power.
Abraham Hochstrasser, a Mexican professional Freerider, famous for the tricks he performs at high altitude, were in Portugal to surf and fly in Praia do Norte, in a promotional Freeride action, together with a wide team of vídeo capture professionals who will visit during the year various parts of the globe collecting images for a super production about the giant waves and those who dare to confront them.
“It is so scary. The impact of waves on this site is brutal!” – said Abraham on the first day that he surfed at Praia do Norte, a 35-minute journey in which he faced waves of about 7 meters. And that was just the beginning.
As days goes by, the ocean gained new proportions as it entered through February, but the Mexican refused to stay ashore, and wrote a new story to join many others that make these waves the most famous of the World.
