The Watercraft Journal By The Numbers: August 2015

September 1, 2015

Although all are welcome to read each month’s “The Watercraft Journal: By The Numbers”, this monthly feature is primarily designed to serve as a performance report for our current advertisers as well as a resource for those companies looking to expand their brand’s reach to an actively engaged, digitally-inclined enthusiast readership. Thankfully, nearly two years of consistent and reliable publishing – and continued, steady growth – has managed to reeducate several companies of the new marketplace.

Unfortunately, there are still several companies continually mystified by “intangible clicks, unprovable registered subscribers, or the vague reference(s) to page views” resentful towards the evolving landscape, and there are others who enjoy enough steady work that the need to evolve is unnecessary. These are our industry’s great white sharks and crocodiles, animals efficient enough that the need to evolve eludes them. For the rest of the food chain, it is a matter of “adapt or die,” and that is why this report is published.

Those companies who do advertise with The Watercraft Journal and smartly use the creative content we produce on their behalf by not only allowing us to advocate their brand, but engages their own audience with our third-party content, sees the greatest return on their advertising dollar – as our readers purchase more product more often than any other PWC magazine in North America. We not only wield the largest reading audience of any publication, but our core audience is directly within your purchasing demographic. We know because it’s intentional.

Advertising with The Watercraft Journal presents your brand and products before the largest, most active and engaged magazine readership in North America. Yet, it is apparent that we need to break down what “clicks,” “subscribers” and “views” mean to the companies who otherwise have never consider these terms, and explain how through an advertising campaign with The Watercraft Journal can be used to benefit their business. Using the Google Analytic report below as our map, we’ll walk you through the words and numbers below, because we’re not anything if not helpful.

August 2015

What is a “User” and What Does It Mean to My Company?
A “user” is often referred to as a “unique visit,” or the number of individual visitors within a specified time period. [For example: if one person visits a website (4) times, it will be recorded as (1) unique visitor. -Ed] If a company is accustomed to purchasing ad space in a print magazine based on its readership, there’s some very basic math: In terms of a traditional paper magazine, a “unique visit” is equal to the sale of a single issue. It is estimated that the leading print PWC magazine sells between 2,400-and-2,650 copies per issue – or in webspeak, “2,400 unique views” every two months. Comparatively, The Watercraft Journal welcomed nearly 33,400 in August alone.

July
Total number unique readers: 31,543*
Total number of articles read: 67,887
Percentage of new readers: 68.5%

August
Total number unique readers: 33,396*
Total number of articles read: 79,334
Percentage of new readers: 63.5%

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

What Are Pageviews And What Does That Mean?
Above you will have seen the word “pageviews” or the total number of times an individual page has been viewed. As each new page is a new article, this number represents how many articles were read by a reader. If the same story is read more than once by the same person, it will be counted multiple times. If a story is particularly popular [or “sticky” -Ed], the individual pageviews for that story will be significantly higher. The more unique the story, more exotic the destination or how hot the news is the more likely the story will be sticky. And because we publish every day, the likelihood of a story becoming popular increases dramatically.

News articles published in July: 24
Feature articles published in July: 14
Total feature word count: 13,065 words*

News articles published in August: 22
Feature articles published in August: 16
Total feature word count: 13,899 words*

*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 118-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.

Who “Subscribes” to The Watercraft Journal?
First, we don’t have paying “subscribers” but we do have plenty of readers who come back again and again. As you’ll note above, out of our 33,400 “unique” readers for August, 36.5-percent of those were return readers. And yes, that also means that 63.5-percent of August readers were first-time visitors, adequately explaining our continued growth. It will be when you see those numbers transposed that our readership will have plateaued. But The Watercraft Journal excels at reaching more readers than anywhere else not only because of our reliably daily content, but that we take our content to them through our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and weekly newsletters.

August Facebook likes: 14,161
Top Five countries: United States, United Arab Emirates, Australia, Japan, France

How Do These Numbers Work For Me?
Getting your brand and products on The Watercraft Journal through our comprehensive editorial support and advertising programs not only provides high impact digital advertising to one of the largest PWC audiences in the industry, but also generates originally-written, professional magazine-quality content expressly tailored to highlight your company. If you’re looking to introduce an extra 33,400 potential clients to your company, then email [email protected] about advertising your company in the single-most popular PWC magazine.

Greenhulk Now Offers Haltech ECU Kit for Yamaha WaveRunners

Kevin Shaw

September 1, 2015

There’s a lot of talk about horsepower these days (oh, who are we fooling? We’ve been talking about horsepower since we first domesticated the horse). With so much chatter coming about a new Sea-Doo engine producing over 300 horsepower, the Yamaha guys are starting to get anxious. With the new crop of WaveRunners released, many are wondering what is needed to keep their Yamaha ahead of the Doos.

The industry’s biggest forum www.Greenhulk.net announced late last week that their online store www.PWCPerformance.com is now stocking the all-new stand alone ignition system for the Yamaha WaveRunners from Haltech. Designed for all Yamahas running the 1.8L naturally aspirated and supercharged engines (HO, SHO and SVHO). With the Haltech tuner, supercharged Yamaha 1.8L engines can go 70mph with a RPM limit of 7700RPM.

By simply raising the rev limiter, the Haltech is able to increase maximum speed, as well as the boost pressure, which subsequently encounters the following common RPM limits:

8250RPM – 75-76mph
8550RPM – 77-78mph
8650RPM – 80-82mph
8850RPM – 82-83mph

Haltech’s own press release provides the following steps necessary to not only achieve these top speeds but maintain engine longevity: “When revving this engine above 8500RPM it is recommended to fit a higher grade valve spring and retainer kit. The engine uses a returnless constant pressure referenced fuel system. The fuel system will require upgrading when trying to achieve around 77 mph+”

Features specific to the Haltech include Direct Fire Ignition, Sequential Injection, Electronic Throttle Control, Knock Control, Idle Control, Kill Switch, and an O2 control (When used with a Wideband O2 sensor kit). Of course, this direct ECU replacement is suitable for all Waverunners with the 1.8L 4 cylinder engine including all FX, FZ and VXR/S units sold between 2008 – 2015.

“Real world testing with the Elite 1500 kit on a 2015 stock PWC has seen the maximum speed at 68.8mph. By fitting the Elite on the base map the ski went 78.8mph, and then with tuning went 82mph.”

Of course, PWC Performance also carries all of the secondary performance parts – such as larger fuel injectors, return lines, and supercharger services – to not only help you push your WaveRunner to 80 miles per hour and beyond.

Kevin Shaw: Passion Projects, Racing and Going For Broke

Kevin Shaw

August 31, 2015

I’ll admit as the head of my own company that I’ve made a more than a few “decisions of passion” that have resulted in unnecessary grief, rather than taking a calm, calculated approach. While doggedly pursuing a passion project has ruined many an entrepreneur, company and even Hollywood director, when such an endeavor is executed to its designer’s full intent we get Disneyland, the Tesla Model S P85D, and Star Wars.

Lately, I’ve been dedicating quite a bit of my time on prioritizing where The Watercraft Journal focuses its efforts (ie. budget) for the upcoming year. In doing so, I’ve been pouring over hundreds of pages of analytic reports; Which stories were our most popular? Which stories “blew up” and then quickly “fizzled out” when others’ popularity lasted several weeks or even months? Which stories completely tanked? And, where were we spending the most money in correlation to the story’s popularity?

Then came the awkward moment when I realized that our racing coverage was nowhere within that sphere. Not a single race story was within our all time Top 50 articles at all. Like, even in spite of being the single-most popular PWC magazine in North America, welcoming over 280,000 unique readers who’ve digested over 776,000 articles since our launch in 2013. Regardless of our massive (and continually growing) readership, racing coverage fell below everything else.

This made me reevaluate the quality of content we produce. Domestically, we lead the industry in comprehensive, quality race coverage that is both originally-written and produced. I’m proud of our racing coverage. I’m proud of the contributors who keep us on top. Their talents are only matched by their professionalism. But race coverage is by far our largest expense. And according to our numbers, it doesn’t move the needle.

One day, in a little hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant in Anaheim, California, Hydro-Turf’s Arno Olbricht chided me, “I couldn’t even open your 2014 World Finals coverage. It took forever to load. What did you have, like 300 pictures?” As I sat across from him digging into a pair of fish tacos, I laughed, “It was actually over 500.”

“Yeah,” he poked back. “I gave up after a minute.” Then Arno looked at me pointedly and asked, “Who’s even reading it? Racers just looking for pictures of themselves to share on Facebook?” He had a point. Race coverage never fetched more than a few thousand views, and most of those were repeat readers.

During the first year of The Watercraft Journal, I spent several nights staying up until 2 or 3 in the morning hurriedly editing hundreds of pictures, hammering out the last few sentences, formatting results, and polishing freelancer’s syntax and grammar, just to get that precious claim of “first to press” with coverage. I pushed my contributors and photographers to the brink of quitting, I drained our budget, and all for what? A few hundreds clicks.

This year I experimented by pulling back. No more early-morning thrash sessions. No more harassing midnight texts to photographers. I also dropped the picture and word count. No more 2,500 Tolstoy-esque recounting of the minutest details. This year we went full “Joe Friday,” just the facts, ma’am. And you know what? Yeah, we’ve come in second once or twice, but you couldn’t tell by our readership. The numbers (although steadily growing) didn’t really change. Nobody really seems to care just as long as the pictures are pretty, and our photographers are some of the best.

My inner-entrepreneur is constantly screaming “Do you want to be successful? Follow the money. Look at Dustin Farthing. He isn’t racing. He’s selling 180-horsepower WaveRunners to moms and dads.” And that nagging voice would be right. Sure, young, hip millennials look cool and fill up Instagram with sweet Vine videos, but who’s writing the checks? Again, follow the money.

So again, why bother? Why will The Watercraft Journal keep blowing thousands of dollars year after year on race coverage that just a fraction of our readership even cares about? Because I still think it matters (as I’m sure many of you do too). Racing is the bleeding edge of the sport. Only a brave few can balance on that thin line, and its these select few who help push this sport forward. Racing doesn’t carry jet skiing, that much has changed. But it does sharpen it.

Maybe that’s a bad business decision on my end. Frankly, I don’t really care.

Go get wet,
Kevin

All images courtesy of Alie Block’s Photos by Alie and are available for purchase HERE.

IPD Graphics’ September Finals Prep Sale

Kevin Shaw

August 31, 2015

Listen up, you racers. We know how it goes: You’re all pumped to get ready for your next race. You’re thrashing to get your ski in perfect running order (or close enough), and you’ve barely enough time to call your boss to ask him for a couple days off. Things come together pretty quickly and you gotta be ready to jump at a moment’s notice, that’s why IPD Graphics is offering this “No Last Minute Orders” preemptive September Finals Prep Sale.

If you’re paying attention, you’ll know that there are three major championships happening within 3 consecutive weeks of each other: the IJSBA National Championships hosted simultaneously during AquaX’s Grand Prix of the Sea, in Cocoa Beach, FL, September 18th-through-20th; the inaugural Pro Watercross World Championships held in Naples, FL, September 19th-through-27th, and of course, the quakysense IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, AZ, October 3th-through-11th.

IPD is offering this exclusive promo code for complete graphic kits orders, placed online only. Simply type in TWJ-FINALS-25 and hack 25-percent off of your IPD Graphics’ price tag. As IPD Graphics’ own Casey Mauldin told The Watercraft Journal, “The promo code expires on the 15th, and the idea is to create urgency for [racers] to place their orders in with enough time for us to minimize a high amount of rush orders, which happens every year.”

So, while IPD Graphics has a stellar track record of delivering even when under the gun, don’t wait to the last minute to get your ski looking professional. Take advantage of this awesome coupon code (TWJ-FINALS-25) offer, save some cash and get your ski looking fresh before the race by going to IPD Graphics’ online store NOW.

Gallery: RIVA Racing’s 2016 Yamaha FZR 350

Kevin Shaw

August 28, 2015

Yogi Berra once quipped, “You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it’ll go.” With the public unveiling of Yamaha’s lineup of 2016 WaveRunners less than a week ago, and the massive corresponding public response thus far, it is unequivocal that RIVA Racing‘s timing couldn’t be better.

While being regaled at the Amelia Island Ritz Carlton, Yamaha dealers were entranced by RIVA’s wickedly-prepped, hand-built Yamaha FZR 350 – and immediately bathed their social media accounts with snapshots of the one-off custom runabout. “It literally came together about two weeks before the dealer show,” RIVA’s Dave Bamdas explained recently to The Watercraft Journal. “We wanted to build a custom machine that showcased RIVA’s Stage 2 performance kit (as well as some other components).”

The craft put on display started life as a 2015 FZS, as indicated by its white deck and black hull (whereas the 2016 FZR features a red hull). In making the FZR 350, a massive list of top grade performance parts were necessary to make the FZR’s 350-horsepower a dyno-proven reality. As Bamdas said, the FZR 350 starts with RIVA’s Stage 2 kit, but there’s quite a bit more than that found on the WaveRunner. The 1.8L SVHO began its transformation with a RIVA/Vi-Pec V88R3 Pro-Series ECU, SVHO Intake Manifold Upgrade Kit, Valve Retainer Upgrade Kit, and Engine Breather Upgrade Kit.

Feeding the retuned SVHO both added air and fuel is a Yamaha 1.8L SVHO/SHO Supercharger Shaft Upgrade Kit, a RIVA/HKS Yamaha Power Cooler SSQV Blow-Off Valve, Power Filter Kit, a High Flow billet fuel rail, and fuel pressure regulator. And keeping the added boost charge cool and regulating the engine temperatures is a RIVA’s Yamaha FZ & FX SVHO Power Cooler Kit, SVHO Pro Series Engine Cooling Upgrade Kit, and RIVA Pro Series Water Box.

RIVA then replaced the FZR’s stock plate with a RIVA FZR/FZS Performance Ride Plate, FZ SVHO Stainless Intake Grate and RIVA FZ SVHO Pump Seal Kit, not to mention a new Solas Yamaha 160mm Concord 13/20 Impeller and a pair of Pro Series sponsons. All of this of course, not only pushes the FZR’s 1.8-liter SVHO 4-cylinder to produce a dyno-tested 350 horsepower at 8,300rpm (well over the stock 250 horsepower at 7,500rpm), but enables the FZR 350 to run up to a GPS and radar-proven 82mph.

On the outside, the Yamaha received an incredibly clean-looking custom graphics kit designed by Exotic Signs. Hydro-Turf traction mats covering the deck and footwells. Like the RIVA FZ mirror block-offs that were custom anodized, the FZR 350 features a brilliant orange highlight color throughout the execution, from the stitching in the RIVA/Jettrim custom seat cover to the RIVA FZR/FZS through-hull rear exhaust kit ring, to the billet inserts of the Pro Series sponsons.

Topping the FZR and concluding the build is a RIVA FZ Pro-Series steering system, Pro-Bar 32-inch runabout bar, and billet throttle, all sharing the same anodized orange hue. Built by RIVA’s own research and development team (the same geniuses who design and test every RIVA Racing part and component), the precision execution of the build is impressive, and the claims of both horsepower and top speed have been etched in stone.

So what will happen to the FZR 350? This one-off machine will be on display at RIVA Racing’s booth at the IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu, Arizona. After that, Bamdas shrugged, “Well, we’ve already gotten a few offers on it. We’ll see what happens after Finals.” But that doesn’t mean that the FZR 350 is gone for good. In fact, RIVA announced that they will be building 25 FZR 350 WaveRunners over the next few months for ready-to-run purchase.

The limited production run of FZR 350s will not be identical to this model, Bamdas explained, although all 25 production units will share a similar engine package with identical horsepower and performance results, but will likely leave out a few extras to keep it below the rumored $25,000 asking price.

Of those extras, Bamdas confirmed that all the extra anodized color-matching will remain as part of the package, but that there is the possibility of the ViPec being replaced with a RIVA reflashed ECU. Additionally, as all FZR 350s will be on the new 2016 Yamaha FZR, the anodized orange highlights are expected to be changed to red to match the new crimson hull.

Bamdas told The Watercraft Journal that the final parts list and MSRP will be revealed in mid- to late-October. Of course, that doesn’t mean that a FZR 350 can’t be had today, as all of the parts used to make the custom one-off machine are available currently at RIVA Racing’s web store. Having ridden a Stage 2-equipped FZR previously, we can attest that it’s the real deal; and now as a complete package, it’s definitely a home run.

►

Gallery: Middle Tennessee PWC Club’s “Big Lake” Ride

Mike Majka

August 27, 2015

The Middle Tennessee Personal Watercraft Club continued its 5th Anniversary season with its August “Big Lake” ride to Lake Cumberland, KY. This was the club’s first excursion up to the lake, with ten PWC’s and thirteen people making the two hour drive northeast of Nashville, Tennessee to the lake.

Lake Cumberland is a reservoir in Kentucky, built in 1951 by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The primary reasons for its construction were a means for flood control and the production of hydroelectric power. Its shoreline measures 1,255 miles and the lake covers 65,530 acres at the maximum power pool elevation. The reservoir ranks 9th in the U.S. in size, with a capacity of 6,100,000 acre feet of water, enough to cover the entire Commonwealth of Kentucky with 3-inches of water. The main lake is 101 miles long and over one mile across at its widest point.

Home base for MTPWC during the weekend was the Lake Cumberland Resort Lure Lodge & State Dock Marina for our steeds. We arrived at the launch ramp at 9am. It was a little challenging on setting a schedule because time zones would literally change back and forth from central to eastern on your cell phone as you would move two feet in either direction, but once all the confusion died down, we proceeded to launch the skis at the resort’s launch ramp. It was very wide in in great condition.

We had to move skis to the state dock marina and then move the trucks to the lodge, and then from the lodge you can catch a shuttle down to the marina. We shoved off Saturday around 11am. Our ride plan for the day was to head to the eastern end of the lake (around 50 miles) have lunch and return. We headed across the lake on a beautiful 82-degree day. It was very scenic with rolling hills and sheer cliffs, with many boats enjoying the day also, making our ride quite challenging.

We stopped a couple times along the way to regroup and have a water break. When we arrived at the split of the Cumberland and Big South Fork rivers there was a small marina named Burnside. They had a small patio grill were we gathered for a burger and fries and conversation. Afterwards, we leisurely headed back to state dock for the night stopping along the way for a swim and water break. Arriving back to state dock, we rented a slip to keep the skis tucked in for the night. Saturday night we gathered for a great buffet at Lure Lodge then turned in for the night.

Club members Bryce and Renee Laurie said, “The canyons were gorgeous! The wakes and traffic made the ride quite a work out – I loved it! The State Park Lodge was clean and well kept up, we were impressed with our room and even more impressed with the beautiful view of the lake from our balcony! Met up with everyone a couple hours later at the Lodge restaurant and enjoyed good friends and food.”

Sunday morning, all woke early and gathered for coffee, planning to hit the water early to avoid so much boat traffic. The ride plan was to head southwest to the dam, then to Seventy Six Falls and ride Otter Creek. It was a short trip to the dam were we took some pictures and then headed to the falls up Indian Creek. There were two no wake zones as we headed up the branch past a marina and a power transformer that made me kind of nervous sitting in the middle of the lake.

Once we passed these points, it was smooth water back to the falls. What an awesome site as we rounded the bend and it came into view, this was simply one of the coolest spots we have been on our skis. You could ride behind it and through the falling water. It became quite the playground for the club as each of us got washed by the cold water (and the facial expressions were priceless). A nearby houseboat admiring the fun we were having asked for rides through the falls, which we happily complied, only asking for a group picture in return!

The Lauries echoed, “The weather forecast was originally calling for rain days before, so we had our rain gear with us but the clouds moved out and the sun prevailed all day! We headed out to Seventy Six Falls, as I understand it, the waterfall got its name from the numerical value given to the survey area that it encompassed, and its name does not reflect the number of falls or the height of it. The waterfall was beautiful – and what fun it was to ride through it! Some folks who were parked on a houseboat next to the falls wanted that ultimate experience as well, so some of the MTPWC club members gave it to them! Several children and parents climbed aboard our member’s skis and road behind and/or through the water falls, the children screaming with pure joy! At Seventy Six Falls, the water beneath us was 83 degrees but the waterfall – that was some exhilarating cold water!”

After spending a good hour and a half there, we headed back out Indian Creek to the lake, and then a short ride to get to Otter Creek. I highly recommend this ten mile ride up this very winding and narrowing creek. We stopped at the old Zula Loop Bridge were we were exhilarated by the ride and gathered for conversation and swim time. Another hour was spent enjoying our day before returning to state dock for lunch and goodbyes. In all, we rode 160 miles over the two days and look forward to returning next year to explore the many creeks and hollows we missed this time.

Club members Jeanette and Tom Hill said, “The ride on Cumberland Lake was a great time with great people. Beautiful weather, the lake was gorgeous, rock cliffs, beaches a little of it all. Saturday’s ride was nice with the group heading to Burnside for a late lunch. Sunday’s early start for Seventy Six Falls was perfect. Lake was quieter and more of a chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery. Being able to ride under and through the falls was definitely a highlight of the ride. Going back into Otter Creek was also fun, a bit like a slalom course. Winding up the trip with a late lunch at the State Dock marina with good company made for a great weekend! We would love to come back in the fall.”

The Lauries concluded, “Mike did a great job of coordinating the trip in spite of that he had never been there. Things went very well and timely so we could do what we love – ride! This was a great trip and we hope that it is on the ride calendar for next year too. We enjoy a lot of rides throughout the season, and this one was our favorite this year, the only way to improve it would be to add a few more days to it – there is plenty of lake to explore – could easily spend a week there!

►

Stay Alive With Life Cell Marine Safety’s Survival Kit

Ocean Priselac

August 27, 2015

The Life Cell Marine Safety product line was created to bring boaters a piece of mind. The Life Cell is available in four different sizes and its purpose is to keep essential safety gear onboard in an easily accessible location in case of an emergency. It was created in a way that will keep people together in the water by using attached lanyards. The boxes are brightly colored, making them easily visible to rescuers. The available sizes are big enough to assist groups of two, four, six, or eight people.

This is an essential product for any boater who wants the added security of keeping essential gear stowed in one place. The Life Cell includes a black mounting bracket that will allow the case to float free if a vessel sinks or capsizes. A separate metal mounting bracket for boats with railings may be purchased as well.

Life Cells hold all mandatory safety equipment, EPIRB, flares, air horn or whistle, V-Sheet, Torch, Heliograph or mirror. There is also space for keys, cell phone, radio, and some other small items. However, it does not include this equipment. It is up to you, the boater, to ensure that the box is properly equipped. The product does include a two year warranty.

The Life Cell became a reality in a Australia when two adults and their two eleven year old boys survived an accident at sea. Their boat sank quickly, giving them only seconds to find the safety equipment that would help save their lives. The traumatic experience inspired them to create what they dubbed, Life Cell Marine Safety. The adults realized how poorly most boating safety equipment is stowed on boats and because there is no standard of protocol, the boys parents think lives are being lost. They hope to change this with Life Cell.

Spied! 2016 Kawasaki Ultra 310X Uncovered Early

Kevin Shaw

August 26, 2015

Well, it happened again! Last year we couldn’t believe our eyes when the trucks rolled in and Australian Kawasaki dealer Brisbane Kawasaki rolled out the (near) complete lineup of 2015 Jet Skis and posted a whole bunch of pics on their Facebook page. Well, early this morning, pretty much the same dang thing just happened but at Guadalupe’s JetStyle, who just posted two handfuls of pictures of the dealer uncrating a brand-spankin’-new 2016 Ultra 310X.

Again, these are spy shots of an early delivery of a 2016 Kawasaki Ultra 310X Jet Ski, well before the official release which is expected shortly. Because Kawasaki’s Jet Ski lineup consists of several units based upon the STX and Ultra platforms, this peek is only of the single pearl-white-and-green-graphic’ed 310X you see here. Besides a swap in hood and fairing colors and some stylish graphics, the Ultra appears otherwise untouched, which had been predicted.

This, of course is a little disappointing to many who were expecting something new from the brand who kicked off the Jet Ski industry 40 years ago. With all the news coming down the pike from Yamaha’s introduction of two all-new models to their VX lineup, and a whole new entry-level engine that is both more powerful and lighter, to a year’s worth of rumblings about Sea-Doo’s push to over 300-horsepower in their supercharged models, another year of “BNG” (Bold New Graphics) from Kawasaki stings a little bit for fans of the Big K.

JetStyle’s own Pascal Gounouman provided The Watercraft Journal with the images and informed us that the Ultra arrived only yesterday, so deliveries are still very early. Obviously, the official unveiling will happen shortly and we look forward to seeing what else might be lurking behind the curtain for Kawasaki, but until then, enjoy these spy shots.

Video: Couple Soupes Up Swan Boat With Sea-Doo Parts

Kevin Shaw

August 26, 2015

You’ve probably seen them before; the fiberglass motorized swan-shaped boats that starry-eyed lovers rent to meander around the lake. Well, one of the iconic swans from the former Rainbow Valley has traded in its leisurely ways for some higher horsepower action in New London Bay, on the Canadian island’s northern shore.

Previously powered by an electric trolling motor, the swan boats operated via an on-off button and topped out at about half a kilometer an hour. Clearly that wasn’t enough for Ellen Clarke and Steve Smith who contacted Clark Waite to build something a little more aggressive for his friends. The end result is a Swan boat with a complete Sea-Doo hull and Rotax motor capable of reaching speeds as high as 37 miles per hour (with seating for four).

Named “Birdie,” the concept came to Ellen’s brother Pierce Clarke last year. The couple joked that they needed a boat to go with a cottage they had just finished. The joke soon evolved into them needing a swan boat. Taking the joke to heart, Waite found a swan boat that was being sold by a man who purchased it from Rainbow Valley, and went to work.

The transformation took about 10 months and more than $10,000, as the boat’s structure had to be re-fiberglassed, as it was cut into five pieces and remolded back together.

“They’re all laughing and yelling. Especially all the people we see out on the boats. And even people when we go under the bridge are stopping on the bridge and looking over the bridge and everybody’s got their phones,” Clark said in an interview with CBC News.

Mermentau River & Lake Arthur: Our Ride Went Off with a BANG!

Billy Crews Jr.

August 25, 2015

When I normally report to The Watercraft Journal you can pretty much bet it’s a few words and pictures or video produced from a day spent on the water. This is going to be different. Sure, a ride was involved, but what I report today is not about the ride. This time, the ski presented our group the ability to make a report for the local news; read on…

It was the second ride in as many days, with today’s ride taking place on the lower Mermentau River and Lake Arthur in south-central Louisiana. With the skis off the trailer we headed due south down the beautiful Mermentau and eventually into Lake Arthur. It was while we were having lunch that an afternoon thunderstorm blew across the lake. Nastier than average, the storm unleashed torrents of rain and a dazzling array of lightning bolts to match.

P7260131 — Yep – something has definitely gone wrong on the other side of Lake Arthur.

As the storm moved on and the skies cleared a large plume of smoke was billowing from the far west bank. Then came what sounded like fireworks. We waited for the final few drops of rain to clear out and we mounted the bikes to check out the scene.

As it turns out, an unmanned oil well site took a direct hit of lightning. Everyone knows oil and water don’t mix. As it turns out, oil (and gas, under pressure) and lightning don’t do so well together, either. The pops we had heard earlier were 25′ tall holding tanks exploding.

Not long after the fire started, the local authorities had evacuated community residents within a one mile cautionary zone – which obviously didn’t apply to us. Near the bank and taking pictures, we could feel the heat from 400 yards away. Despite the distance, it was too far for some of us: Shawn took a side trip via a local boathouse and pier and had soon closed the distance to half in order to record a few seconds of live video.

From 200 yards away, gas and oil belch and flare as high as 75 feet into the air. For all the damage to the site, it was later reported by the local news that no loss occurred to residential property nor were there any reports of injuries. In other words, all-in-all, it was a good ride.

P7260170 — Heading for home beneath the Hwy 14 bridge, the fire still rages from just over a mile away.

“ Mermentau River & Lake Arthur:Our Ride Went Off with a BANG!” was originally published by Billy Crews Jr. on July 30, 2015 and can be read in its original form at PWC Trailfinder.

1...357358359...439 Page 358 of 439