Gallery: 2nd Annual Crescent City Freeride 2015

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April 22, 2015

The 2nd annual Crescent City Freeride went down this past weekend despite some controversy that had been stirred up over the past few weeks from a few local protesters. The local protesters had caused quite a public spectacle out of the gathering by making some wild accusations about the effects that the jet skis might have on the beach. This did scare off a few riders as they did not want to be involved with the controversy. Most of us chose to make the trip and ride in support of protecting the ride spot for future riders. In the end it was the right decision.

From the moment we arrived at the spot on Friday morning, we had nothing but positive comments and people that thought it was great that we were having a group ride in their town. Someone even brought us cookies! We were asked to come back again by many of the businesses we visited and some even encouraged our group to have multiple events. I feel 100-percent comfortable about riding at Crescent City as should any rider that chooses to ride in a safe and respectful manner.

After showing up at the Rooks house on Thursday night, we had a quick bite of dinner and caught up with old friends and made a few new ones. As the sun rose on Friday morning we headed to the beach feeling a bit giddy about how the surf conditions might turn out. The forecast had been looking good all week and we were pretty stoked to get in the water after the 10 hour drive down from Washington. As we unloaded and the morning fog started to lift, we were greeted by consistent 4-to-8 foot waves with good separation and the occasional 10-to-12 foot sets coming in out back. It was awesome.

I ran almost a full tank before coming back in on my first ride because I was just having so much fun. You know that moment when you should probably come back in for a break because your body is worn out and you feel like wet noodle. That’s the way I felt after every ride because the conditions were on point all weekend and it was hard to come back in and take a break. We did what you do at a freeride. We rode, took a break and chatted with some locals, visited, talked skis and what to do to our skis next, who’s buying a new hull next (Chris Batten). We ate some of my soon to be famous meat cups that include carne asada, bacon and asparagus. Friday night it was back to the Rook’s Paradise for a private party for all the riders and friends. We had great food and the rest of the freeride crew showed up in anticipation for Saturday which was to be the main day.

We didn’t quite know what to expect on Saturday considering the controversy that had been going on in town over this gathering. We showed up and unloaded just like any other day. We were again greeted by some really nice locals that had come to watch and see what the fuss was about. We rode, ate meat cups and visited all day as a group. We had no issues with locals or law enforcement and again the surf was really good but a bit smaller than Friday. We had great weather and rode a ton. There were about 20 total riders from all over the northwest to include out of town riders from Idaho, Oregon, Colorado and Washington with quite a few local riders.

By the end of the day, we along with the rest of the locals were scratching our heads as to what the big deal was in the papers. Everyone seemed to enjoy the fact that we were there and many were pretty baffled over the whole thing. My thoughts were that there really is no problem and I’m glad we got to see that first hand. Saturday night it was back to the Rook’s to have Tri Tip dinner and hang out. The food was amazing but the people were even better. What a fun night. NorCal Watersports showed up with some awesome Liquid Militia, ODI, and Jet Pilot gear. Dave Collins did his first superman of the day in the garage. Then five of us had an all night snoring contest in Kendri’s living room. I’m pretty sure I won.

Sunday we were all pretty worn out from all the riding the previous two days but Sunday would prove to be the best day of the weekend. That morning had some of the cleanest surf that I have ridden in. The sun was out and it was beautiful. We had one small incident where a surfer purposely paddled out into the area we had been riding but that was it. We rode again most of the day in killer conditions and sunny weather then loaded up and ran down to a crystal clear river to rinse out and play a little more.

All in all this was a fantastic trip and I can’t wait to get back to Crescent City for another ride. What an awesome spot with some of the coolest local riders and people you will meet. I can’t wait to see everyone again at the Grayland Open. Many thanks to Kendri and Roy Rook, the Jones, the Smiths and the nice local people from the town that hung out with us all weekend. A big thanks also to those that made the effort from all over (Roger Harnack, Chris Farrell, Pete McAfee and the Rooks) to protect a jewel of a riding spot from being shut down by a very few people with their own special interests.

Additional imagery provided by Patricia Fiske. Unedited originals can be purchased HERE.

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Videos: Watch These Dogs Riding PWC To Brighten Up Your Day

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Kevin Shaw

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April 21, 2015

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If there’s one thing that the Internet is full of is pictures of cats. (Seriously, people. What’s with all the cats?) Arguably, the other thing is funny animal videos. People love videotaping animals doing goofy stuff, and sure that’s all good fun, it doesn’t mean much to us PWC enthusiasts. Right? While journeying down the proverbial rabbit hole of watching funny pet videos can eat up more time than you might be willing to admit in public, we thought we’d toss together a fun compilation of some faithful canines enjoying their master’s jet skis on the water.

We’re sure you’ve seen one or two of these, but hopefully your day is busy enough that you haven’t scoured YouTube (at least, as much as we did for this article) and seen all of these clips. So if you’re a dog lover or just love watching other people ride their personal watercraft (which sounds a little creepy if you ask us), take a moment, make sure the boss isn’t watching over your shoulder, and enjoy some videos of man’s best friend going for a joyride with their best man.

You’ve all probably seen Diesel the bulldog, as this one’s gotten around for a few years.

Here’s Dolly the German Shepard sharing the tray of her master’s standup.

Gracie the Scotty enjoys some supercharged Sea-Doo RXP fun.

Hope is getting a face full of fresh air on Pomona Lake.

Bert rollin’ on a Kawasaki 650SX.

Cairn the Terrier riding out in the Gulf off of Key Largo, Florida.

Diamond the bulldog is a little uneasy riding for his first time.

This 13-year-old Corgi mix loves going for a ride on the family Yamaha FXHO WaveRunner at the river house on the Colorado River, Parker, AZ.

Take Point Now & Design Ability Develop New Adaptive Jet Ski Prototype

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Kevin Shaw

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April 21, 2015

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It was a single Facebook post by Design Ability that caught our eye. Immediately, The Watercraft Journal was in contact with Take Point Now’s own Team Leader, PK Ewing, who walked us through the development of this amazing prototype:

“Since I started Take Point Now, one of my goals was to create opportunities for my fellow veterans to experience the relief and exhilaration that I felt while on jet skis. I looked for adaptive controls for jet skis but did not find any. So I resolved to get one built as a way to bring a a severely Wounded Warrior onto my team and get him or her riding with us to show how veterans are unstoppable when we are teamed up.

“I contacted Bill Stuck of Design Ability Inc. Bill is a highly skilled engineer and has been building adaptive controls for golf carts, ATVs and side by sides for sometime and he was intrigued by the engineering challenge my project presented. I contracted him to build me a prototype jet ski that someone with only one arm could use.

“This prototype is based on a Kawasaki STX-15F personal watercraft. Instead of a traditional handlebar setup, we had the handlebars replaced by a single control yoke. One the end of the control yoke is a joystick. All control functions are incorporated into the single joystick. Throttle, start/stop, forward/reverse are all relocated so that they can be controlled by one hand. The yoke is ambidextrous and can be controlled by a left or right hand equipped rider.

“The second prototype (not yet built) is oriented to the rider with a disability to the lower body. Riding and controlling a jet ski requires use of the lower body to provide leverage against the seat and gunnels. Basically you use a lot of body english. A paralyzed rider or a rider with a very high leg amputation (close to the hip) would not be able to exert that leverage and would have difficulty riding and controlling the machine.

“We’re going to build a prototype saddle type seat that will hold a rider in place but allow the rider to dismount easily in case of the machine overturning. The saddle will be adjustable for comfort and size and allow the rider to exert leverage on the ski to aid in riding.

“My plan is to offer these as a template and inspiration for others to follow and improve upon. I’m going to partner with a non-profit that would serve as the mechanism to get more of these built. Bill has some proprietary work invested in this machine so we’ll work through Design Ability Inc. for details on its construction.

“Basically, Take Point Now will have a partner non-profit who will partner with marinas around the country to build these modifications & tweak them for each rider since everyone’s injury is different. Marinas have craftsmen and machine shops and can build adaptive controls based off of the general templates we’re building. Whatever costs the marinas incur would be written off through Take Point Now’s non-profit partner.

“However, and let me be clear on this: Take Point Now is not a non-profit. And we have not put this plan into action yet. We have a lot of legal research and wrangling to do before that happens. But the long term goal is for everyone who wants to get on a PWC (veteran or non-veteran) to be able to get on a PWC.”

Any non-profits who are interested in supporting Take Point Now’s long range goals should contact PK Ewing directly at (202) 739-1992.

Gallery: 2015 Wavedaze Spring Freeride Hits Virginia Beach

By

Pavlina Williams

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April 20, 2015

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Wavedaze Spring Freeride for 2015 was recently held on Virginia Beach in Virginia on April 10th through the 12th. This event was hosted and ran by Dan Swartz and the Wavejunkies. This close knit group of local freeriders have been hosting one of the most popular surf freerides in the country and this year was no exception. Over 170 skis were registered to ride during the event with many more in attendance. The host hotel, Quality Inn and Suites was sold out for the event as always. And this weekend’s ride is the first riding of the year for many attendees from the northeast states and Canada.

The boardwalk behind the hotel was where the event sponsors set up to show off the latest in freeride hulls and parts. This year’s Wavedaze title sponsor was Tiger Craft. Other sponsors included JetManiac, Rad Dudes, Rage Composite Works, Blowsion, Fast Elements, Free Form Factory, MOTO Option, JetTrim, Jettribe, JetLift, LAMD, Team Extreme, TPE, Thrust Innovations, and Trinity composites. This year, the freeride hulls on display included the Viper and Aquabot by Tigercraft, the Havoc by Rage Composites, and FFF 1.0 by Free Form Factory.

The ride started with some very cold weather on Thursday for early riding followed by some very strong wind on Friday. However, Saturday was beautiful and sunny for the main day of this always popular surf freeride.

This year’s Wavedaze featured Round 2 of the Krash Nationals USA freeride competition run by Aussie Nick Barton. Everyone enjoyed watching the competition and hopefully it will become an event tradition. The level of riding was incredible in all of the classes. Mike Barney won the Rookie’s class, Carter Brackett won the Amateur class, Craig Hammond won the Runabout class, and Jeff Bolte won the Masters class. Finally, Jake Bright edged out Brandon Lawlor to win Pro class.

Top left: This year also featured a freestyle riding exhibition by Johnny Leftly in the pool behind the host hotel just before the raffle on Saturday evening. The pool is very small for a hotel and everyone wondered how he would do trying to flip in such a small and shallow pool. He handled the challenge very well, flipping several times followed by a hop turn and then flipping three times just stopping in time to avoid slamming into the wall. Johnny’s ski is a new Rage Havoc hull running a TPE 1105cc freestyle motor with Full Spectrum 49 carbs, MSD total loss ignition, a Maxx 155 mag pump, and tuned by Phil at P&P Performance.

After the backflips in the pool was the always popular freeride raffle. The raffle raised $1,000 for the local volunteer marine rescue squad and approx $5,000 for local Wavejunkie Landon’s medical care. Saturday night featured the Wavedaze party at the Peabody Club with beverages provided by the Rad Dudes. A free shuttle from the host hotel to the club was provided.

As always, Wavedaze was a well organized event featuring details like ATV’s with trailers and a fueling station for skis and security overnight each night for riders’ skis and vendors’ booths. This event is one of the best run freerides that continues to grow in popularity each year.

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4-Tec Performance Releases V-Tech Yamaha ECU Programmable Tuner

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Kevin Shaw

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April 20, 2015

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Today is a big day for fans of hauling some serious tail. Now you have the ability to reflash your own Yamaha ECU without having to remove it from the ski thanks to V-Tech. The V-Tech Tuning Bundle Pack on sale now comes complete with everything you need to tune your 2009-2013 Yamaha WaveRunner.

And while this system currently supports Yamaha WaveRunners built between 2009-2013, V-Tech assures that a 2009-2013 ECU can be programmed to work on a 2014 or newer ski. The Bundle comes with the V-Tech Maptuner with Yamaha tuning cable and (1) tuning license. Of course, more tuning licenses can be purchased separately if you have multiple skis to tune.

According to the announcement on 4-Tec Performance, “with the Maptuner you simply connect the tuner to the ECU and the ski’s battery, and you and read/write to the ECU to reflash the ECU with a performance map.”

As of right now, there are three tuning choices: Stage 1, Stage 2 and Stage 3:

STAGE 1
This stage is designed for a original ski without hardware modifications.
Power Output: 240hp-250hp @ 8300rpm. Rev limiter is set at 8450 RPM.

STAGE 2
The Stage 2 tuning is designed for a ski with aftermarket air intake and exhaust and supercharger modifications up to 15 psi boost pressure.
Power Output: 250hp-260hp @ 8400rpm. Rev limiter is set at 8500 RPM

STAGE 3
The Stage 3 tuning is designed for use with after market air intake, exhaust modifications, after market intercooler and up to 17 psi boost pressure. A rising rate fuel pressure regulator is required for higher boost pressure. The boost cut limiter is disabled.
Power Output: 300hp @ 8500rpm. Rev limiter is set at 8600 RPM

There are quite a few other features available through this bundle which can be reviewed HERE.

Vicious Rumors And Vile Gossip: Oops! This One’s Been Redacted

By

Kevin Shaw

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April 20, 2015

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[Sorry if this isn’t what you were looking for. The story was pulled for very good reasons. Hopefully this happy picture will cheer up your Hump Day. – Ed.]

Video: KJ Johansson Snowmobiles Up a Whitewater River

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Ocean Priselac

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April 17, 2015

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This is the introduction of a cool feature showcasing professional snowmobile racer Kalle “KJ” Johansson from Ornskoldsvile, Sweden who likes to shred year ‘round. He rides his snowmobiles in Pemberton, Whistler, and Alaska during the winter and spends his summers in Sweden taking his snowmobile river step up into swift water rivers. His step up is a snowmobile that is set up similar to a stand up Jet Ski. It looks like an exciting, yet painful way to take on rough and rocky swift water.

A video of Johansson released in December 2014, shows him cranking his Polaris river step up on land, wearing a full set of gear, including a GoPro strapped to his helmet allowing him to grab his own wild footage. He gets a fast start on the riverbank and proceeds to hold his speed while getting underway in the moving water. He maintains a controlled line even at high speeds in the churning waterway, holding steady all the way up the river.

He hits a couple of small waterfalls and those do not appear to slow him, though the ride is rough, especially when he hits what appears to be class 2 and 3 rapids. The guy is fierce! Once Johansson complete his fast moving water ride, he lands his ski safely on the riverbank, totally stoked. What an incredible ride!

Johansson is sponsored by Slednecks, 509, Evolution Powersports, Fox Shocks, Route 99 Motorsports, Snow Pulse, Mountain Sports Distribution, RSI Racing, HTR Designs, XXX Mod Rods, Boondockers, HMK, Timbersled, and My Package. Check out the Johansson’s crazy ride below. Warning, the song used in the video is painful.

Real Review: Urban Armor Gear’s Outland iPhone 5/5S Case

By

Kevin Shaw

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April 16, 2015

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Admittedly, we were a little confused when first approached by Urban Armor Gear to review one of their “military-grade” smartphone cases. “You understand that we’re a jet ski magazine, right?” we replied to the original proposal. “Yes. We liked your LifeProof case review and thought our product might be a good fit for one of your reviews.” Taking a moment to look through UAG’s product catalog we wrote back, “None of your cases are waterproof. Being a jet ski magazine, that’s probably going to work against you.”

So if there was any question in your mind prior to reading this review, the answer is no. The UAG Outland case offers zero water protection, which may be a deal breaker from the get-go. Yet, after using the Urban Armor Gear Outland iPhone 5S case for over a month now, we’ve come to like it nonetheless. Urban Armor Gear prides themselves on meeting all military drop-test standards (MIL STD 810G 516.6), and the hard outer shell has a neat ammo box design replete with faux Allen screw fasteners.

The UAG Outland iPhone 5/5S case is fitted with a special honeycomb rubberized padding that shrouds the phone and insulates it from impact.

UAG’s patented composite design fuses the tough case with a soft, impact-resistant core that features a honeycombed rubber design helping to insulate your phone from shock and impact. The outer shell also features some very nice over-sized tactile buttons making use easy, and large ports that don’t interfere with your battery cable or headphone plugs, as well as “un-compromised audio” meaning the case doesn’t muffle your iPhone’s already paltry speakers.

Another nice touch is the incorporation of an engineered rubberized camera lens bezel that works to deflect unwanted flash interference and glare. The case is lightweight but durable, and the screen is surrounded by a soft rubberized lip and rear skid pads that provide 360-degree protection from scratches and abrasions. We even purposely dropped our phone more than a few times to watch it safely bounce once and come to a stop without jarring our phone too badly.

Apart from its complete lack of environmental protection (sand, water, dirt, etc.), our only other complaint was the “crystal clear HD screen guard” that never fully adhered to our phone’s touchscreen despite properly cleaning prior to installation. One edge never stuck while bubbles were persistent throughout the surface. When it finally started to interfere with our interaction with the touchscreen, we finally peeled the plastic film off and threw it away.

While we like the UAG case itself and find it to be a great source of protection from drops and impact, it’s total absence of any resistance to debris or moisture makes it an unsuitable choice for the avid personal watercraft enthusiast, or even the truly active outdoorsman. Accidents happen and nobody means to get their phone wet, and the added insurance that your phone is protected is just too valuable to ignore.

Unfortunately, the UAG Outland iPhone 5/5S case fails to protect from any forms of moisture, as well as the penetration of dirt, sand or even pocket lint.

Jimmy Wilson Leaks New Judge Motorsports-Built IPD-Wrapped Skis For 2015 Season

By

Kevin Shaw

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April 16, 2015

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Of all of jet ski racing’s favorite homegrown Pro Open ski racers, Jimmy Wilson just let loose some insider info on his plans for 2015, as well as some sick sneak peeks of his new Pro Open and Pro Stock skis, each prepared by the legendary Tim Judge of Judge Motorsports.

“2015 will be a pretty cool year for my wife and I,” Wilson told The Watercraft Journal earlier today. “Our first child is due to be born July 9th. We will still be going racing but we won’t be able to make the entire tour. We will be in Florida for the first two rounds [Panama City and Pensacola, respectively – Ed.]. I’ll have to miss the next two rounds [Reno and St. George]. As long as my wife and child are okay, I will drive out to Texas with my dad and then finish the tour from there.”

Above left: IPD Graphics supplied Wilson with all-new graphics and a custom color scheme for 2015. Above right: Very trick Jettrim mats fill the tray with contoured matting.

When it came time to peel back the cover on his new trio of skis, Wilson was very excited to announce: “Judge Motorsports has built three of the sickest skis out there for me to race in 2015. I have 2 Open/GP skis built by Tim Judge, and a brand new Yamaha SuperJet built by Tim Judge for Stock class. Our Open/GP skis have some really cool tricks in store for 2015 and I have been training harder than ever to try and be able to hold onto them.”

With the season’s starter a month away, Wilson was sure to express his gratitude, saying “Thanks to my family and some amazing sponsors I will be out racing and contending for a title this season, including Judge Motorsports, JAM Racing, ADA Racing, IPD Graphics, FroWerxs, Hidden Trails Motorsports, Broward Motorsports, Jettrim, Hot Products, Amsoil, Prowatercraftracing.com, Fly Racing, Bomber Eyewear, Hurricane Racing, OptimaRacing.com, TheBicycleChain.com and my family!”

AquaX Championships To Include IJSBA National Championships

By

Kevin Shaw

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April 15, 2015

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September is going to be a busy month if you’re a jet ski racer. Not only is there AJ Handler’s Pro Watercoss World Championship scheduled for September 19-27, 2015 at Sugden Park in Naples, Florida; but now the P1 AquaX tour stop set for September 19-20, will now also act as the IJSBA National Closed Course and Freestyle Championships for many of those looking to perform and compete at this year’s IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

The move is not entirely a surprise, but the closeness of the two events – AquaX’s being the second-to-last race of the 2015 season, and Handler’s being a week-long culmination of the year’s class races – both in date and location (Cocoa Beach and Naples, Florida, respectively) also makes for a bit of friction. Those looking to compete and place in either series are likely to spend no less than two weeks’ worth of travel, preparation and participation.

It’s also difficult to measure which is the larger story to emphasize here: the addition of the IJSBA National Championship to AquaX’s penultimate series event, or the partnership between the AquaX and IJSBA to accomplish a one-two punch to the recently divided world of jet ski racing. Either way, September is sizing up to be an exciting one and if closed course racing is what revs your motor, there’s going to be no shortage of it.

Here’s the original release published today at p1aquax.com:

P1 USA to promote IJSBA National Championship in Cocoa Beach, Florida
New agreement sees P1 partner with the IJSBA to provide outstanding marketing platform for the personal watercraft industry

P1 USA has announced that its Grand Prix of the Sea event in Cocoa Beach in September featuring the penultimate round of the P1 AquaX Championships will now include the IJSBA National Closed Course and Freestyle Championships, delivering a unique schedule of world-class personal watercraft racing.

“P1 AquaX has been taking the US racing community by storm, impressing sponsors and competitors alike with new ideas and redefining production standards at personal watercraft events” said IJSBA managing director, Scott Frazier. “The IJSBA is very excited to forge a new future, full of exciting possibilities, by partnering with P1 and their highly accomplished team.”

The partnership, now in its third year, gives P1 USA the rights to promote IJSBA flagship competition classes that provide riders with qualifying positions for the IJSBA World Championships in October. The one-year agreement includes an option to renew for 2016.

“P1 is proud to be strengthening its relationship with the IJSBA in promoting their National Championship this year. We believe that the combined event creates a logical racing structure for riders from a recreational to professional level and provides the perfect marketing and promotional platform for the industry” commented P1 CEO, James Durbin. As with all P1 racing, the Cocoa Beach Grand Prix of the Sea will be broadcast in more than 100 countries and domestically on the Fox Regional Sport Networks.”

Starting on September 18, the event will take place over 3 days in a popular area of Shepard Park, Cocoa Beach on the east coast of Florida. The opening day will be set aside for rider registration and technical inspections. This will be followed by 2 days of action-packed competition that is expected to attract a bumper entry from the world’s very best watercraft racers, including AquaX racer and current IJSBA World Champion Troy Snyder. “I am very excited to have a professionally run Closed Course IJSBA National Championship” enthused Troy. “There is nothing better run than AquaX and it’s great to see IJSBA choose P1 to deliver this event”.

The P1 USA season gets underway later this month in Daytona Beach, Florida with the opening round of the P1 AquaX USA Championships when more than eighty personal watercraft racers are expected to descend upon the world famous Daytona Beach resort. On Sunday April 26, the race action will be broadcast live between 11.00 am and 12.00pm on seven of the Fox Sports regional networks, including P1’s partner in Florida, Sun Sports. The event will also be broadcast live in Europe and Asia on the Fox Sports International channels.

For more information about the Cocoa Beach event and how to enter, please visit the P1 Grand Prix website at www.p1grandprix.com