We’ve joked before that there’s really no convincing lie you can tell to anyone (or yourself) to justify purchasing a new personal watercraft other than you’re looking to buy a new toy. Well, according to a recent report by Health Fitness Revolution, there’s enough of a solid argument to buy a new PWC that it might be worth calling your health insurance to see if they’ll cover it.
It turns out that the benefits of jet skiing to one’s health are impressive – and we’re not just talking about standup skis here, either. Rather, even a few hours of pleasurable riding aboard your favorite runabout can provide your body the adrenaline, endorphins, and cardio that your otherwise “packed schedule” can seem to permit for time at the gym. So forget the treadmill or stair climber, get out on the water!
Improves cardiovascular system: Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced jet skier, you will be giving your cardiovascular system a good workout on the water. Improving your cardiovascular system increases blood circulation, bringing more nutrients and oxygen to your tissues and helping to remove waste from the body more quickly.
Tones abs: The art of skiing is to keep yourself steady on the slippery slope. To help balance yourself, you naturally engage your core stability muscles – the deep muscle that starts on either side of your spine and runs around your body, ending up in your pelvic region.
Balance and coordination: Crouching and sitting on a jet ski and trying to maneuver it around water is a hard task. Increasing and decreasing the speed while there are waves teaches you to learn balance.
Improves endurance: Riding a jet ski through tough waves can be a great calorie burner. Doing this for 30 minutes every day will increase your endurance, so that you’ll find that you can exercise for longer periods of time while doing a cardio workout.
Burns calories: Jet skiing surprisingly is a great sport that burns a lot of calories. An average 150-pound person can burn 238 calories in the span of just 30 minutes.
Entertaining and fun: As a fun recreational activity, jet skiing can be done while on a family outing or when enjoying the beach with friends. There is a certain level of thrill that comes with the speed. You will never get bored while out in the water with a jet ski.
Muscle strengthening: The main muscle groups being worked while Jet skiing are your leg and arm muscles while trying to maneuver the Jet Ski and keep it at a stable position. Another main muscle group being worked are the Abdominal muscles as you try the balance the Jet Ski and ride it through waves and move away from obstacles.
Concentration: Jet skiing teaches you to focus and concentrate on where and how you are riding. This can translate to learning to take a risk and focus on how to get through the task while not being distracted.
Stress relief: Just being out in the water and soaking in the sun with the sound of water splashing next to you is a great stress-reliever in itself. Because it requires you to focus on the water while driving a jet ski, it makes you forget about all other worries.
“What do you give to the man who has everything?” Well, unless you’re shopping for Superman, the answer should be pretty simple, jet ski stuff! And if the recipient already has a bunch of jet ski stuff, the answer is “more jet ski stuff.” We know this, and we know you know this, and the good folks at The Watercraft Superstore know this too. That’s why they’ve got the all-new e-Gift Watercraft Superstore Gift Certificate.
Designed to be as simple as making any regular ol’ purchase online, The Watercraft Superstore Gift Certificate is available in denominations of $25 all the way to $250! And it’s good for any purchase from Watercraft Superstore’s online store or catalog. Simply select how much you’re willing to give, and how many cards you want to buy, and add it to your basket.
Shortly thereafter, an email will be sent to your inbox with a printable gift certificate image and instructions for redeeming for purchase, either through The Watercraft Superstore’s web store, or on the phone.
As WCSS says, “We’ll be glad to assist you in your purchase and redemption of this wonderful gift. We can also customize the “To” and “From” fields of the image, a personalized gift for your PWC enthusiast.”
Seriously, nobody wants another gift card to Applebee’s, and homemade greeting cards only work on moms and grandmas. Give the gift of greater riding enjoyment today!
It’s been nearly half a year with our Jettribe Special Forces Moto Pants and we’re just coming to terms with them. The purpose of riding pants have always eluded us. Although they sometimes look cool in pictures, we don’t see how they actually are useful, if not sometimes a hindrance. In our mind, riding apparel should do two things: protect from the elements and potential injury, and be comfortable (ie. retaining body temperature and range of mobility); and most riding pants fail to do either well.
Jettribe’s Special Forces Moto Pants, on the other hand, try to make the best out of an otherwise bad situation. Made from a durable, Sato 420 D. and ballistic nylon that has been double coated with PU for wind and water resistance (nearly the very same material used for heavy duty canvas gear bags and backpacks), the Special Forces pants are not too thick that they don’t allow some breathability. In fact, several vents are sown into the pants’ pattern to allow air flow, which also reduces the ballooning/parachute effect at high speeds.
The seat, inner thigh, waistband and crotch are made from a very forgiving, breathable neoprene, providing superior agility over conventional riding pants as well. Large injection-molded plastic snaps cinch at the wait and along the shin guards that house Velco-secured pockets for the removable impact cells. Although sold separately from the pants, the impact cells are filled with energy-absorbing foam, and formed with impact-resistant ABS plastic and Polycarbonate, all within a EVA outer shell.
A four-pack of the Removable Impact Cells retails for $64.99, which combined with the $149.99 retail price of the Special Forces pants, totals a staggering $215 for the complete package we tested here. The pants (with the four inserts) are estimated at a total weight of 4 pounds, but when wet (which, they do retain quite a bit of moisture when soaked), tip the scales closer to 7 pounds, making them both uncomfortable while riding, and chilling when at speed. Worse off, the pants create a great deal of drag when swimming, and could dangerously weigh down a weak or injured swimmer.
Jettribe has imbued their Special Forces pants with some added features to ease the impact of the price tag, too. A rubberized eye hook is stitched into the beltline to hang up for drying, and large cargo pant-style thigh pockets can store gloves or sunglasses and feature drain holes to prevent mold growth. A wide boot-cut cuff fits over any sized riding boot, and large rubberized billboards adorn the hips. Silk-screened “Jet Grip” print covers the seat of the pants to provide some additional grip.
Despite the extra ventilation, the heavy duty material creates a great deal of wind resistance, and quickly chills the already cool water clinging to the canvas, particularly at speed. When all said and done, we were still left a little perplexed by the purpose of riding pants in general. Jettribe has done their best to make them equally comfortable and protective, but ultimately, the Special Forces Moto Pants are hefty both in weight and price.
It was in early 2008 when we were first introduced to Honda’s completely relaunched and re-imagined Aquatrax lineup. The new year brought a completely radical “clean sheet” redesign to the table, beginning with a tall, near vertical bow, near-inch deep reverse chines beginning at the thick, plastic bowsprit and running the length of clearly Kawasaki Ultra 250X-inspired hull ending with pronounced outtermost chines. Running below the flattened keel, the bow’s Deep-V design eased into a planing hull, allowing the newly rechristened F-15X sluice through chop, but still skim across the water’s surface at speed.
While at Personal Watercraft Illustrated, we hailed the hull as being one of the most impressive we had encountered, particularly for a full-sized 3-seater. Although propelled by a 155mm axial pump, spinning the prop’s shaft was a truly impressive four-cylinder 4-stroke, dual overhead cammed 1470cc plant fed by an intercooled IHI turbocharger pushing 10psi down the 1.5-liter’s 54mm throttle body, and maintained by a one-of-a-kind two-stage dry sump oiling system, with a network of oil ets spraying up beneath the piston skirts while reducing overall windage and frothing, all adding up to a moderate 197.3 horsepower.
Coming in at 133.8 inches long, the F-15X was a hair longer than the aforementioned Ultra, and tipped the scales slightly lighter, at 955-pounds (with fluids). Add to that the new hull characteristics, and the F-15X Turbo fit somewhere between the Ultra 250X and the Yamaha SHO, at least in the eyes of the media. Unfortunately, Honda effectively priced their relatively frills-free craft right out of contention ($13,299 MSRP in 2008), especially when all other manufacturers provided more horsepower and Sea-Doo offered a mile’s worth of options like full iS (suspension), iBR (brakes), and iControl (fly-by-wire throttle), for nearly the same price.
TruckBoss; you may or may not have heard the name before. Well known in the outdoor recreational world, they are highly regarded in the spheres of off-road and snow powersports. Yet, in the personal watercraft industry, the brand is only beginning to make waves.
Made by Marathon, a Canadian company based out of Edmonton, Alberta; TruckBoss has been designing, manufacturing, selling and installing their USA-built truck decks for over 15 years. (In fact, Marathon was the first company in the world to commercialize the term “sled deck.”)
Since its release in 2010, Marathon has designed the TruckBoss deck to perfectly match their customers’ various uses – ranging from ATV’s to snowmobiles with a 2,000-pound load rating. Now, they have upped their game by diving into the personal watercraft world.
This move was a big milestone for the company according to CEO Kent Nattrass, who told The Watercraft Journal, “We see going into the PWC market as helping complete the TruckBoss story. The main goal behind TruckBoss has always been to have a product that every form of power sports could use. We have one more application we are planning to release next year and then the TruckBoss story will be truly complete!”
In expanding the TruckBoss brand into all facets of powersports – sand, sea and snow – TruckBoss has never been so diverse in its many applications. Below we’ve broken down three major features signature to the TruckBoss line that makes this brand of deck systems so diverse.
Flexx Loader
New to the TruckBoss Deck solutions lineup is the Flexx Loader technology, allowing you to carry up to three standup PWCs or two full-sized runabouts on your deck – and is fully compatible with any brand of PWC. Now you no longer have to worry about additional trailer insurance, maintenance or restrictive highway speeds.
With the Flexx Loader rolling cart system, it gives you three completely innovative functions: The main function is to allow safe travel and unloading/loading of your PWC almost anywhere. With the Flexx Loader and the TruckBoss’ “No Operator Load” winch system, loading your PWC onto your truck no longer involves any effort. All you have to do is hook to your ski’s bow eye and the electric winch safely and effortlessly loads your PWC onto your deck.
With an adjustable winch mount at the front of the deck, two units can be loaded side-by-side in minutes with no more ramp incidents. The Flexx Loader system is also compatible with dirt bikes as well as PWC.
The second function of the Flexx Loader is that it acts as a temporary overnight beach dock for your PWC. With it properly secured to the system, you no longer have to worry about it floating away. With the optional Buggy system, it allows you to access the third function of the Flexx Loader: loading and unloading your PWC wherever you want!
The Buggy system converts your Flexx Loader rolling cart into a fully rollable buggy, allowing you to move your PWC virtually anywhere for easier loading and unloading. The Buggy also works very well to store your PWC on for winter! With the “capture channel” system, the Flexx Loader is easily secured to the deck for travel using a simple king pin and hitch receiver system. Rear hooks and a safety strap finish the very simple tie-down process.
Above: The TruckBoss deck is great for those mud-hungry off-road powersports fanatics. With its “No Operator Load” winch system, it’s the absolute safest way to load your PWC, ATV or Side x Side. Now you no longer have to deal with sketchy situations while trying to drive your ATV or Side x Side, or winch your ski up a steep ramp onto a conventional truck deck.
SuperClamp
For those powersport enthusiasts that live in colder climates and enjoy snowmobiling, the TruckBoss has you covered. With the TruckBoss, it not only allows you to load up to two full sized snowmobiles on the back versus the usual one you can haul in the box of your truck, but it also allows you to properly and safely secure your sleds down with the TruckBoss’ built-in Superclamp lock down system.
This tie-down system has a tension adjustment knob that allows it to fit any ski height. The Superclamp has a newly designed handle with an advanced over-center cam, and built in safety lock system making this system easy for anyone to secure. It’s much better than rope and tie-down straps!
You can choose to haul one snowmobile if you’d like and when you want to haul two, the TruckBoss has sliding sides that expand outwards to give you the room to haul both. With the previously mentioned Flexx Loader system, you can also load your sno-bike on the deck! Everything on the TruckBoss is designed to be used by one person with a quick load and unload process of around 60 seconds.
Additionally, the TruckBoss is the only truck deck on the market that offers “SureSeal-Fit” technology. With this, it fully seals the deck to the top of your box so the cargo in the bed of your truck will remain 100-percent dry and safe regardless of the conditions outside.
You can load your soaking wet PWCs or snow-covered snowmobiles onto the deck without worrying about them soaking everything stored below in your box. It also means that when your tailgate is locked, the TruckBoss is the only deck in the market that provides a secure tamper proof seal to keep all your valuables safe underneath!
Smartboxx
Another awesome product offered is the Smartboxx. It’s a rolling cargo box that’s designed to fit in any full size pick-up truck. It is ideal for use with your TruckBoss Deck System or under a standard tonneau cover allowing the use of the entire box space all within easy reach. With the rolling Smartboxx, you no longer have to crawl into your box to reach the items in the back.
The TruckBoss takes three hours to install and requires absolutely no drilling so when you eventually take it off your truck, it leaves no trace behind. The materials used in a TruckBoss meet or exceed the fit and finish of any truck it is mounted to. Nattrass said, “No other product on the market can match the value, features and all-weather, hard-service performance built into each and every TruckBoss deck system.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5cISoKitPk
With its proprietary aluminum no-weld build and exclusive No-Maintenance Anodized Finish, their product is designed to outperform and outlast anything on the market; including the trucks they are mounted to. “After years of service it will transfer easily and quickly to another vehicle with little effort and next to no depreciation in value!” Nattrass continued.
Every TruckBoss has over 120-feet of SureLock capture channels on the deck, side rails and headache rack; giving you virtually unlimited tie-down points. The capture channels are angled in such a way to act as a lock washer giving you the comfort and peace of mind that you load will remain secure wherever you go! With these channels, you can haul absolutely everything from bicycles to firewood!
With the 12th annual Mark Hahn Memorial 300 ready to go (with the iconic firing of a 12-gauge shotgun), racers from across the globe are flocking to Lake Havasu, Arizona’s Crazy Horse Resort – ground zero for the IJSBA World Finals months later. As the shadow world’s longest continuous race looms high overhead, many last minute changes, modifications and entries are being made.
PWCOffshore.com’s Tom Cruz told The Watercraft Journal, “I am sorry for GL’s unexpected misfortune at the last minute and we will miss him. That being said, the race goes on and I’m excited about partnering with world champion Emi Kanamuri on the Kawasaki platform that she knows so well. We will do good things on the race course.”
PWCOffshore.com’s Mark Gerner (former Mark Hahn 300 winner in 2009) followed up, saying, “We will miss GL, he worked hard for this race and we are all sorry for his last minute misfortune. My phone started ringing off the hook when people started realizing we had an open slot for the Mark Hahn. We had many options. We actually reached out to the Kanamori’s and we’re thrilled to have Emi on board. As we all know, she is truly world class. We look forward to a great race and wish all competitors a fun and successful race.”
It’s not often that an event within the PWC community can celebrate 20 years of waterborne fun! The annual Tennessee River 600 is doing exactly that in 2016, and will be kicking off a week’s worth of fun this July 23, through July 30th. Riders from around the world have participated in the TN600, and have all praised the event as a “must” – as do we!
Now 600 miles might sound like a herculean feat, but don’t fret! The 6-day ride makes regular stops for breaks, locks, snacks, swimming and good ol’ fashioned playtime, so there’s lots of good times to be had as well as accomplishing one of the longest continual rides in the industry! And this year, the ride is “going back to 1997” and riding from Paris Landing State Park to Knoxville, TN! It’s a change up from the previous years, so it should make things a little more interesting.
According to Dennis Beckley, “We’re already working on getting the hotel rooms blocked off, and we’ll have more information available when they’re ready. In the meantime, why not spend some time browsing through the more than 750 images from our 2015 event! That will get you fired up and ready to ride while waiting for this cold winter to end!
“We’ll have more news and updates coming in the near future so stay tuned. If you’re not signed up for our newsletter or following us on Facebook, go ahead and do that as that is the best way to stay up to date!”
As the snow thaws over most of the northern hemisphere, watercraft enthusiasts are preparing to de-winterize their machines, drawing back the covers, pumping out the thick wintertime lube and pouring in fresh oil, and generally rousing their craft from a long hibernation of stagnancy. With that comes the usual “spring cleaning” in preparation for that first group ride or favorite springtime meet.
Helping to expedite this process all the more is XPS Lubricants. The official oil for all BRP products (Can-Am, Ski-Doo, Sea-Doo and Can-Am Spyder), XPS’ range of product reaches far beyond that of just engine oils, but includes fuel additives, oil and fuel filters, assembly lubes and grease, antifreeze/coolants, as well as a comprehensive collection of cleaning and detailing chemicals.
The XPS Watercraft Cleaning and Detailing Kit is unique to the brand, as it is the most complete package offered through XPS, providing an All-Purpose Cleaner (32oz.), a bottle of Boat and PWC Wash and Wax Concentrate (32oz.), a bottle of Vinyl Cleaner (32oz.) and Spray Cleaner and Polish (14oz.), as well as two (16-inch x 16-inch) microfiber towels, a deluxe wash sponge and it’s own resealable (3.56-gallon) storage/wash bucket.
Commonly retailing for $45, the XPS Watercraft Cleaning and Detailing Kit is more convenient than anything. The All-Purpose Cleaner is adequate when cleaning most dirt buildup but struggles to break up larger messes like bird droppings. Likewise, the Vinyl Cleaner works well but fails to remove deeply-embedded dirt from the light-colored porous seat covers without quite a bit of elbow grease.
We found the best use for the Spray Cleaner and Polish was in acting as a sealer after we already washed and scrubbed our Sea-Doo down with the XPS Wash & Wax Concentrate (using about 2-3 ounces per gallon of water, as per the instructions) and supplied sponge, and drying it completely. We found that the foaming aerosol works best to protect the porous NanoXcel deck of our Spark, rather than a stand alone cleaner.
Although it doesn’t leave our Spark with an as-new luster, it does give it a muted shine, which is better than other cleaners and waxes we’ve encountered (some of which have actually left a white waxy residue). Simply put, the Spark tends to show dirt and discoloring marks more than traditional fiberglass-and-gel coat PWC, so finding a suitable cleaner and sealant has been tricky.
The different chemicals included in the XPS Watercraft Cleaning and Detailing Kit aren’t perfect on their own merits, but together in a complete kit that comes in a sealable container that can be stored in your trailer’s storage box or in the bed of your truck until its time to wash down your PWC at the launch ramp, makes it all the better. BRP is all about maximizing your enjoyment out of their products, and offering this pre-packaged kit is just another step in that direction.
Clearly springtime is upon us (because we’re going riding today without the need of a wetsuit), and that means that you’re going to see business start picking up. In preparation for the big season that we’re expected to have this year, Cycle Springs Powersports, Tampa’s biggest powersports dealership is looking for an experienced PWC technician/mechanic. The pay is pretty good, the benefits are solid and the environment is great. If you’re thinking about a new career or simply relocating to a new company, we think we found the right fit for you!
Come work for a fun company with great people. Cycle Springs Powersports, Tampa’s biggest powersports dealership is hiring.
Looking for experienced Watercraft Technician. Must have at least one years experience, valid drivers license and own tools. Preferably Certified Manufacture Tech. Friendly person with great work ethics and available to work on Saturdays.
Possible relocation expenses. Pay is $15/hr and up depending on experience. After one year. Medical insurance, 401K, Bonuses, Holidays and Vacation. Great, fun, casual work environment. Many company parties and events.
Please send resume to [email protected] or give us a call 727-771-1211 ask for Dragon.
The TorontoPWC (Personal Watercraft) Club is hosting its 2016 Jetski Season Opening Cruise & BBQ this upcoming May 22nd 2016. As the announcement reads, “Cruise with us along the waterfront, departing from 120 Lakefront Promenade in Mississauga to our final destination of Bluffers Park in Scarborough. The Toronto Police Marine Unit will escort us through the Toronto Inner Harbor, so we get to see the city like never before.
“Take this great opportunity to come meet everyone involved in the Ontario personal watercraft industry & other riders from the community. This event provides a perfect place to meet fellow PWC related business owners and riders/enthusiasts alike.” The TorontoPWC staff will have the beach prepared for the group’s arrival making this it a worry-free event. And make sure to bring the whole family.
The TorontoPWC club will also have professional photographers, demonstrations of the Jetovator and Flyboard, raffles, aerial drone footage, swimsuit models, BBQ, participating watercraft dealers/companies, group jet ski cruise, and more including a police escort from Toronto Police service through the Inner Harbor! There will also be prizes and trophies for the “Most retro ski,” the “Most modded ski,” the “Most original ski,” the “Loudest stereo on PWC,” and the “Longest distance traveled to attend the event.”
There’s a whole lot more information to be read at TorontoPWC’s website, which you can access HERE, including what to bring/wear, sponsorship opportunities, the itinerary, and lodging information.
