Information for this piece was pulled from a story published in August 2002 for the Reader’s Digest “Everyday Heroes” series on “Killer Waves,” a day that would become known as 100′ Wednesday at Mavericks. Shawn Alladio was the featured subject for this particular story because of her heroic efforts to keep herself and her partner, Jonathon Cahill, from getting crushed and killed by the massive mountains of Mavericks. She is also the best in the business.
Alladio answered the call to work water rescue for the Mavericks Surf Contest at Pillar Point in Half Moon Bay,California. Cahill came along to train with her because he wanted to be a watercraft instructor and what better place to learn than Mavericks?
The surf contest began Wednesday morning with waves cresting 20 feet high as the guys were paddling out through the rocks. When the waves grew to 60 feet and more, surfers began turning toward the safety of the beach, leaving Alladio and Cahill alone in the mutant waves that blackened the horizon. After making several rescues near the inside, Alladio made the decision to motor outside for one last check in case anyone was still out there.
It was then that she and Cahill were met with the biggest waves they had ever seen. Both ski operators remained calm even though adrenaline was coursing through their bodies as they faced 60-to-100 foot waves while maneuvering their skis. Everything in their bodies told them to run the other way, instead both pilots faced the waves. Alladio instinctively knew that she and Cahill had no choice but to open up their throttles and blast over the incoming giants. Fear would not stand in the way of good decision making so instinct took over as Allidio screamed for Cahil to go!
By this time, the two riders were a quarter mile offshore and could not see land. Both of them had to keep pushing farther out to sea if they wanted to survive. Much to his credit, Cahill followed Alladios lead and they made it up and over the monstrous waves and then the ocean went quiet. Both riders stopped momentarily to let out primal screams and then rode to the safety of the shore.
Chances are, if you’re a manufacturer, a dealership or a custom shop within this niche industry, you’ve read the writing on the wall. Traditional print advertising yields little to zero result as so few would-be new customers subscribe to paper magazines. So you turned to Facebook (it’s free after all – well, to start that is), and that’s been good. Here’s the problem though, unless you’re aggressively pursuing, cultivating and feeding that Facebook/Twitter/Snapchat/Instagram/Google+/Pinterest account, your reach will run out. It’s the law of diminishing returns. So where to turn? The days of “build it and they will come” are gone. Today, we need to build it and take it to them. If you’re looking for fresh faces, you need to go to where the people are.
So where is that? Your best, easiest and most reliable source in this industry is The Watercraft Journal. No other outlet reliably produces more content, welcomes more new and returning PWC enthusiasts, and delivers more confidently on its obligations than any other magazine, forum or media outlet. Producing fresh, entertaining and informative magazine-quality articles each and every day, The Watercraft Journal has escalated to become the single-most popular personal watercraft magazine in North America (and is quickly zoning in on Australia) in just two short years. With nearly 1,000 articles published thus far, The Watercraft Journal also wields one of the largest catalogs of professionally-written “evergreen” PWC content on the Internet today.
You want your company to grow, to reach new and returning customers and a third-party resource to advocate and present your products. We at The Watercraft Journal want to continue to cultivate and support this intimate, niche industry and all those companies within it. This is a partnership ready to happen. Already over 20 companies have come to support The Watercraft Journal, and in return have been rewarded with high impact digital advertising, up-to-the-minute time-sensitive news posts, and intelligent and enjoyable feature-length content, all of which to direct its 200,000 annual readers to their storefronts. Let The Watercraft Journal be your partner and resource in helping grow your brand today. And here’s why:
February 2016
Consistent Growth Consistently
Steady growth is something that few companies in and out of this industry have been able to maintain for weeks or months at a time. Yet, when a digital publication can do it, it’s almost miraculous. Above and below you will see how how February’s performance numbers stack up against January’s (which are compared below). And more importantly it will be illustrated how consistently this title continues to draw in new and return readership month after month. It’s uncanny growth for such a publication when considering the industry, but not so much when you weigh it against the level, professionalism and consistency of the websites, blogs and magazines being produced and presented today. When you do that, it all makes much more sense.
January 2016
Total number unique readers: 24,221*
Total number of articles read: 57,448
Percentage of new readers: 60%
February 2016
Total number unique readers: 20,622*
Total number of articles read: 45, 465
Percentage of new readers: 61.54%
*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.
When Quality Is Just as Important as Quantity
It’s important to note that in this day of immediacy that there is a reliable source for top quality, professionally-written magazine content that is published each and every single weekday. Pending a national holiday, you won’t see a day go by without new and uniquely-written articles from The Watercraft Journal. Providing coverage from the entirety of the personal watercraft industry – be it touring, fishing, racing, freestyle/freeride, or do-it-yourself tech – we bring the enthusiast the widest array of coverage possible. And we produce more sustainable content than any other publication, be them print or memory-sapping downloadable PDFs – both of which we don’t do.
News articles published in January 2015: 25
Feature articles published in January 2015: 12
Total feature word count: 11,040 words*
News articles published in February: 30
Feature articles published in February: 7
Total feature word count: 5,264 words*
*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 78-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.
Putting the Word Out To The World
As we’ve said before, The Watercraft Journal doesn’t require any sort of download, or paid subscriptions or even a password to log in and access our industry-leading content. What that has done is make us the single-most popular outlet for PWC news, reviews, tech and coverage in North America. We’re the first source that people check (we know, we have the data to prove it). And with our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and weekly newsletters, we bring our content directly to them. No waiting around for updates. No checking the mailbox. If they’ve got a computer, a laptop, tablet, smartphone or Apple Watch, they can read The Watercraft Journal
February Facebook likes: 15,195
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, France, Canada, United Kingdom
Changing Seasons, Changing Gears
Although February showed a slight change in content allocation, continued and measured growth was the name of the game with The Watercraft Journal. As we close up the last lingering weeks of winter, we’ve been amazed with the continuing growth of readership, regardless of the weather outside. In fact, The Watercraft Journal continued growing during this past winter (January and February) enough to eclipse last year’s April and May. That’s really saying something, and an incredible indication of the power of this audience. So again, if looking to grow your clientele, reach a broader audience of would-be customers and spread the word about your brand, product and services, let The Watercraft Journal be your resource and email [email protected] about advertising your company in the single-most popular PWC magazine today.
Purchasing from a dealership doesn’t have to be an uncomfortable process, but unfortunately, many seem to feel that way. Pushy salesmen, mountains of paperwork, overpriced service all seem to be synonymous with the dealership experience – but again, that doesn’t need to be the case. And Cycle Springs Powersports in Clearwater, Florida, is proving that fact again and again. This family-owned franchise dealership has risen to the top of not only the highly competitive Florida market, but to the nation as a whole, selling literally hundreds of personal watercraft from all three major manufacturers a month!
Started by Noel Hughes and Marty Skapik out of a small garage in 1989 on the Dunedin Causway, their dedication and commitment to maximizing the customer’s purchasing and service experience has helped to grow Cycle Springs into premier dealer on Florida’s west (gulf) coast.
In addition to selling the latest watercraft from Yamaha, Kawaski, and Sea-Doo, Cycle Springs offers parts and service for the aforementioned as well as Polaris, Quadski and Flyboard. In fact, Cycle Springs also produces many of its own performance parts, which are not only available through their online store, but also through Western Power Sports (WPS) and other outlets.
Moreover, Cycle Springs includes in the sale of ever single watercraft they sell, free pop-up cleats and spray-in engine oil fogger kits to better preserve the engine’s longevity. Combining that with Cycle Springs‘ Lifetime Engine Warranty, Money Back Guarantee and 50% Pre-paid Maintenance Plans, there’s no dealer offering a richer, more complete buying experience. They even take every new customer down to the water to show them how to properly launch and dock their ski, its unique features and proper riding techniques.
Undoubtedly, many of you saw the viral video swirling around social media feeds a year ago of an all-black GP-class Yamaha FZR with a turbocharged SVHO engine and open exhaust claiming to be a Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine swap (which it clearly wasn’t). Unlike the fake video, we’ve seen our fair share of unusual engine swaps, from turbocharged Spark motors wedged into lightweight Krash Industries’ freeride skis to supercharged Yamaha SVHO powerplants shoehorned into turn-of-the-21st-century GPR hulls. But, the four-stroke powering this mid-2000’s Sea-Doo GTX has got to be the most unusual yet.
What you’re looking at is a Malaysian-built ’03 Sea-Doo GTX that has lost its 185-horsepower 4-tec 3-cylinder Rotax outfitted with a Toyota 4A-GE “Blacktop” 20V 4-cylinder. The engine is well-known among engine tuners as being groundbreaking in several aspects: first produced in 1995 (through 1998), the 4A-GE 20V was one of the first production 5-valve engines in history, as well as featuring four 45mm throttle bodies. Recognized by its black top, the 4A-GE employed Toyota’s Variable Valve Timing (VVT) system worth an advertised 160–165 horsepower at 7,800 rpm and 120 ft·lbs at 5,600 rpm.
Although rated at 165hp, the 1.6L, many believed the fifth-generation 4A-GE engine produced closer to 200 horsepower (naturally aspirated) due to its high compression ratio (11:1). Now the engine that has become the darling for the drift scene really doesn’t make sense in a Sea-Doo when it makes arguably the same power at the stock 4-tec, and tuned supercharged Rotax plants can crank out three or four times that kind of power, but hey, it’s Monday, so we don’t care.
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.”
