Earlier this month, possibly the biggest swell of 2014 blew into Portugal’s epic surf spot, Nazare churning up mammoth waves from Punta Galea to Jaws. As Portugal prepared for what was sure to be one of the site’s biggest sessions, big wave surfers Garrett McNamara, Ross Clarke-Jones, Hugo Vau, and Sebastien Steudtner embarked on an adventure to push their very limits.
According to a report first published on The Inertia, Red Bull team leader McNamara “lost a jet ski in 20-feet of whitewater. Andrew Cotton got smashed beyond belief, and Ross Clarke-Jones proved that once you’ve got it, you can never lose it.” The video below documents the surfer’s exploits and illustrate the sheer magnitude of the waves that pounded these watermen to a pulp.
McNamara, of course, is no stranger to the location or putting himself within arm’s reach of shirking his mortal coil. The elder statesman of big wave surfing was first believed to have ridden a 100-foot-high wave near this same spot and McNamara famously rode waves caused by the calving of ice from Alaskan glaciers almost seven years ago. It’s an incredible show of fortitude and daring, and charging into waves like these is not for everyone. But as McNamara and his compatriots have shown, locations and waves like these wouldn’t be possible without the aid of personal watercraft.
One of Europe’s most popular manufacturers of soft goods riding gear, Jobe decided to switch things up a bit for 2015 throw in some color to their products. Breaking away from last year’s collection of black and white riding gear and apparel, Jobe’s Ruthless lineup gives riders a new range of wetsuits (with new aggressive color accents).
To ring in the new lineup, Jobe produced a whole new catalog of the Ruthless lineup and a series of videos to reveal their new products – like Jobe’s Ruthless Long John Men F-Flex with yellow accents. While the catalog and videos have been circulating around the Internet for a few months, Jobe recently released a fun behind-the-scenes video of the photoshoot not only highlighting the new Ruthless products, but all the fun everybody had.
In addition to the new men’s collection, the women and kids collections got new colorful designs as well. You’ll spot a few cool additions to the Jobe line like some sweet towables and even lifevests for your dog! There’s lots to be seen in the new catalog, so after you watch the video below, make sure to peruse the new Ruthless collection by clicking HERE.
It was late 2006 when Kawasaki introduced the world to its new full-sized runabout, the Ultra 250X. The sharply chiseled JetSki touted the biggest engine producing the most horsepower of any personal watercraft before it; 35HP over the closest Sea-Doo and an astounding 70HP ahead of Yamaha. Equally, the 250X unseated the brand’s STX-15F as its flagship craft, and rightly fixed Kawasaki back atop the heap of performance PWC.
It was also the first watercraft I ever rode as an editor for a jet ski magazine. It was also the first supercharged 4-stroke PWC ski I had ever ridden despite the RXT and RXP being introduced a couple of years earlier. The staccato whistle of the roots-style blower shrieked angrily in my ears with each swell I leapt over. The deep V-hull split the undulating surf like a Coast Guard Cruiser. It was a surreal experience, uprooting everything I knew a jet ski to be. It was transformative.
But that year’s IJSBA World Finals, beneath the shade of the Kawasaki racing rig’s awning, were a line up of heavily modded STXs. Why? I queried, when the Ultra was so impressive? Sure, master craftsman Les Cook had grafted the rough-water Ultra hull to the smaller 15F in perfect Frankenstein fashion, and Skip Holmes seemed to be the only tuner who could make the 250X a closed course contender; but it was only after several changes were made (bracing, weight distribution, etc.) over the following year that the Ultra could serve as a worthwhile buoy course competitor, completely making the STX-15F obsolete.
Racers have been using the STX-15F as a racing platform since it’s early days as the STX 1100. It’s time for a refresh.
Today, the STX is less of an addendum to Kawasaki’s lineup than the SuperJet is for Yamaha (rather, rumors of a new SuperJet hull and a variety of engines are being considered). As it stands, the STX is 13 years old with the only major change being the graduation from the 12F to the 15F when the first Ultra 250X was released (making the 15F seven years old). Once the gilded crown of Kawasaki’s runabouts, the STX remains as the company’s deep-discounted entry level unit sitting quietly in the background as new 310-horsepower Ultras soak in the spotlight.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
A year ago this January, I sat with some of the biggest names in Kawasaki’s watercraft division discussing this very topic. Soaking in the balmy night air of Florida’s Duck Key resort, I pitched the possibility of a Ultra-powered STX dubbed the “STX-310R.”
Beneath the two-piece bench seat of the STX is the real estate necessary to fit the current 1.5-liter Ultra 310X powerplant. Only the slightest of changes would be necessary to shoehorn the supercharged powerhouse into the lowly ski, namely moving the ECU bulkhead forward into the front stowage bin area and reconfiguring the waterbox/intercooler/pump configuration. The latter point requires the only major modification to the powertrain.
Unchanged since swapping from the 12F to the 15F over seven years ago, the STX hull has remained the same for a dozen years.
I suggested replacing the factory’s massive vertical intercooler with a smaller-yet-equally high volume cooler from RIVA Racing (as an example), and a single high performance waterbox placed opposite the intercooler. Similarly, the STX’s 155mm pump replaced with the Ultra’s 160mm axial-flow, single stage jet pump. And, a fixed-position, exposed motocross-style neck and handlebar (identical to the 310R) could replace the staid steering system.
Besides a woefully necessary redesign of the hood and top deck, the SMC fiberglass hull could effectively remain untouched if the hull was paired with an aggressive top-loader intake grate, ride plate and adjustable sponsons. The STX is small, nimble and now touting the most horsepower in the industry. What more could you want? One featured I begged for was launch control:
Similar to the Launch Control Mode on the high tech KX450F dirt bike, the system activates a second engine map for more efficient off-the-line starts. Like the KX450F, the ski’s Launch Control Mode is activated by a button on the handlebar, where the new map (tune) slightly retards ignition timing to dial back the engine’s torque and reduce cavitation off the start, disengaging and returning to the standard engine map automatically once the rider once reaching a specified MPH.
IJSBA World Champion Craig Warner’s Votech-supercharged STX-15F is a living example of how the STX can be used to outperform Yamahas and Sea-Doos handily.
I outlined a price and availability structure that would ensure the requesat interest, hype and demand: Kawasaki would pattern the STX-310R’s release similar to the recent H2 and H2R superbike releases, teasing the ski with viral videos, slowly leaking information over several months building up to a large-scale reveal. Dealers would be encouraged to take deposits on the ski early as delivery of the units wouldn’t be for several months out.
For 2016, only 505 units would be built to meet racing homologation standards. Priced at slightly above the luxury 310LX, the STX-310R would be Kawasaki’s most advanced, aggressive and potent personal watercraft ever built. I dreamed of a small “hit squad” of hand-picked and vetted racers to campaign the new STX-310R throughout the US National Tour, patterning after Yamaha’s masterful execution of their 2014 season, clinching four National Titles.
Effectively, Kawasaki could convert their wallflower STX-15F into a race-ready, top performance machine equal (if not superior) to Yamaha’s SVHO-powered FZR and Sea-Doo’s RXP-X 260 overnight. And considering the equipment the STX-310R would come stock with, championships in closed course and HydroDrag Pro Runabout Stock classes and the AquaX series are almost a given. Of course, we fully expect the same Launch Control Mode to be made available at the very least for the Ultra 310R, as it has seen so much use in competition already.
Again, this is what I shared that one night. I think people would want it. I know I would. Wouldn’t you?
‘Tis the season folks, and we’re really happy to share that employees of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. (as well as the company’s marketing agencies) joined together to raise funds drum up toy donations totaling nearly $15,000 for the 22nd Annual ABC7 and Southern California Firefighters’ “Spark of Love” Toy Drive.
All of the toys were donated live on ABC7 Los Angeles, with a crowd of Kawasaki employees on site to support the cause. Of course, we’re not at all surprised that a few Kawasaki-branded ride-ons, bicycles, foot-to-floor toys and much, much more for children of all ages made it into the mix either. ‘Cause c’mon, kids want to be part of Team Green too.
PowerSports Business quoted Richard Beattie, Chief Operating Officer, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., stating, “All of the toys donated will go to children who live right here in Orange County where our company’s headquarters are based, so it makes sense that our employees would want to give back to their own community. This is the seventh year we’ve participated with Spark of Love and we look forward to many more years to come.”
All of the toys donated during the ABC7 Spark of Love toy drive are distributed to local children in need who are in the area by Southern California Fire Departments.
It’s the longest continuous offshore, open-ocean race in the United States. Also being the 20th anniversary, “Long Beach to Catalina and Back” or “LB2CAT,” is also the longest-running offshore race in the US, reaching back to the mid-1990s (that is with a short break in the mid-2000s for a couple years).
The 58-mile endurance sprint has riders racing to the Southern Californian island of Santa Catalina Island and straight back to Queensgate Harbor, Long Beach. And although the straightline course seems pretty straightforward, navigating the undulating sea state, ever-changing currents, and unexpected the elements can complicate the course in short time.
In addition to helping promote and present the event, the PWCOffshore.com crew edit together a video recap of year’s LB2CAT race. The DVD cuts between exclusive “eye-in-the-sky” helicopter footage, GoPros mounted on racer’s helmets, and pre- and post-race interviews. With a running time of nearly 80 minutes, the video documents the brutal offshore action in near real time. Commentators Ian Howard and Will Johnson provide the play-by-play with decent pacing and informative tips.
Surprisingly the focus drifts from Warner, who as not only a member of the PWCOffshore team, is also the front-runner for his fifth LB2CAT offshore championship, but hints at possible contention from Mike Klippenstien’s purportedly 90MH turbo-powered Yamaha FX SVHO and others.
Included in that group is fellow Factory Kawasaki racer Kanamori, who masterfully pilots his showroom-stock ’14 Ultra 310R into the leader position at one point, as Warner smartly dials back his turbocharged Ultra several times throughout the race. With a world record at risk, Warner opted to preserve his ski rather than risk a DNF.
The gambit paid off, earning Warner his fifth LB2CAT win, and third consecutive win to boot. Kanamori, who needed to stop to refuel half way back to the mainland, was bested by PWCOffshore.com’s own KC Heidler in the final seconds.
Post race interviews reveal the an equal mix of exhaustion and elation in the faces of the riders. The accomplishment of completing the LB2CAT is enough to be proud, and while some were clearly fatigued, almost dizzy with exhaustion, others were visibly charged and raring to return next year.
For those interested in participating in the LB2CAT next year, this is a “must buy,” if only as a training video. You can get yours HERE. And for those looking at polishing up on your offshore and rough water riding, we also suggest picking up the DVD for the many tech tips offered throughout the video.
We think we’ve found the next big thing: a land-and-sea relay race where competitors have to lap a complex ATV course only to cross the finish line and run down the beach to their teammates aboard a PWC for additional laps around a closed course. Debuting in Kuwait, the first annual Red Bull Bar Bahr was organized by Club Basil Salem Al-Sabah and sponsored by Ford Middle East, Kuwait Kawasaki, Rhode Aamrzinsa, Sabah Al-Ahmad City Marine general for Youth and Sports and DFI in Kuwait.
Participants were divided into three groups and only the three fastest teams graduated to the final round. The winning team came home with a brand new naturally-aspired Kawasaki Ultra LX JetSki and some serious bragging rights. At the end of the day, once the sand and sea spray had settled, duo Mohamed Al Khalji and Mohamed Burbaya took championship in the first ever Red Bull Bar Bahr.
In the video below, you’ll see that the teammates controlled the final bracket race – both on land and sea – from the start, leaving the other teams battling for the remaining podium positions. The owner of the winning Mohammed & Mohammed team, Al Khulaifi Purbaa Qaúlaan said, “We are very pleased with this result, it was a fun race. Races were not easy, but the competition was very strong but we were able to win thanks to our efforts and perseverance. Were not only our participation in order to win, but in order to encourage this kind of sports. We thank the curators of the event and we hope to provide more activities, whether on land or at sea.” [pardon the incredibly crappy Google translation – Ed.]
When one door closes, another opens. RIVA Racing Support Team rider Troy Snyder had a tremendous and turbulent year. The one to give fellow Factory Yamaha racer Aero Aswar the toughest competition for the Pro Watercross National Tour title for Pro Runabout Stock class, Snyder bounced back from defeat and managed to clinch the Expert Veterans Runabout World Championship at this year’s IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
Not only did Snyder grab second place in Hydro Stock class (bested only by Stan Hightower), but took home the world championships in Hydro Spec, Hydro Super Stock, and Hydro Unlimited drag classes on his #2 and #110 Yamaha FZRs. Although Snyder won’t be exchanging the National Tour for drag racing, it does keep him and his skis sharp, giving him an edge when the band snaps next year.
Congrats go to Troy, Yamaha WaveRunners, RIVA Racing, Judge Motorsports, Dean’s Team and everyone involved!
As of this writing, it’s 38-degree outside of The Watercraft Journal offices. And with a week left to Christmas, we’re still a ways away from de-winterizing our skis and venturing into the water. That is why this video from our friend James Tod at the JetSkiShop.com is so delightfully painful. We loved watching this group of adventuring jet ski enthusiasts tour Australia’s picturesque Hamilton Island, but also really, really resented those guys. Seasonal sports suck.
The JetSkiShop has made a name for themselves – in addition to being Australia’s “Number 1 jet ski shop” for Honda, Sea-Doo, Kawasaki, Yamaha WaveRunners – by conducting these monthly trips throughout the Gold Coast. Located in Ashmore, Queensland, the JetSkiShop and staff recently added new Yamaha WaveRunners to its showroom floor (as seen above).
“This was our trip last year,” James wrote us. “I can’t wait to get in the water for this [next] year’s trip!” The week-long trip to the Whitsundays in the Great Barrier Reef, took this group through some of the most pristine riding locations imaginable. “We were based on Hamilton Island for the week. Each day we made a trip around the tropical waters, which included watching migrating whales with their calves. The week’s onshore activities featured bonfire castaway night on a deserted island, some off-road touring and, of course, lots of jet skiing.
It struck us as being incredibly premature to make an announcement as to which new personal watercraft model would be the best for the year until say, the end of the year. That is why we waited until today to unveil The Watercraft Journal’s top pick (and runner-up) for the title of “Watercraft of The Year.” Of course, this decision didn’t come to us six months ago and we’ve been simply waiting things out, but comes after hours of deliberation, days of testing, and weighing all of the factors that make a vehicle stand out among the rest.
Mind you, there are several characteristics attributed to specific models that cannot be scored against another. To be fair, you can’t score a budget-friendly Yamaha VX Sport against a fully-loaded GTX iS 260 Limited, and expect the outcome to be fair. Rather, we had to evaluate each of the craft The Watercraft Journal personally laid hands on throughout its publishing year on its own merits, its impact on the industry and its overall reception by the market. Ultimately, it’s not a matter of simply being our favorite, but your favorite as well. So with that being said, here are our runner-up and 2014 Watercraft of The Year.
2014 Watercraft of The Year Runner-Up: 2014 Yamaha FZR Super Vortex High Output WaveRunner
It’s actually difficult to write this knowing how close the 2014 Yamaha FZR SVHO was to taking the coveted position as the first-ever 2014 Watercraft of The Year award. Ultimately, it was the FZR’s steeled position as a closed course turn-and-burner that fatefully bumped it from the top of the podium. But as history would show, very, very little was able to best the ’14 FZR from grabbing the top spot of any podium this year. In fact, it was this race-ready craft that dominated more motos in more races across the Pro Watercross Tour, the IJSBA World Finals and the 2014 Jet Ski World Cup than any other personal watercraft before it.
Replacing the existing Super High Output 1,812cc 4-stroke plant, the Super Vortex High Output package supplies the Yamaha with larger fuel injectors, redesigned lightweight pistons, increased oil and coolant volume, and 22-percent-more efficient intercooler, but a redesigned, larger (86mm) supercharger housing and 6-vein compressor wheel producing 60-percent more boost. The improvements coax an honest 260 (plus) horsepower from the SVHO. But the changes are not only to the engine: A performance-bred 8-vein pump and 160mm impeller pushes significantly more thrust through a new 3-degree nozzle (with cast-in diffuser veins) with a large 85mm exit diameter.
Combined with a new top-loader intake grate, a redesigned ride plate and longer, more aggressive sponsors made it very clear the SVHO’s intentions. The changes made to the FZR unveiled the brilliance in the WaveRunner’s 6-year-old hull’s soft-edged design. For those taking count, the appeal of the new SVHO spurred the defection of 11 top level racers from Sea-Doo to Yamaha. And at the conclusion of race season, the new Yamaha had three Pro Runabout National Titles in Pro Open, Limited and Stock, as well as IJSBA World Championships in Pro Stock, Limited, Expert Runabout Veteran and Women’s Runabout.
The 2014 Yamaha FZR SVHO is arguably the most aggressive, thoroughbred musclecraft that Yamaha has built since the two-stroke GP1300R. Although the GPR hull has gained new life as the darling design for HydroDrag racers, the FZR will likely affix itself as Yamaha’s most unapologetic closed-course-racer-from-the-factory that the PWC manufacturer has ever built to date. And that is why it has been one of our favorites for 2014 and the single-strongest contender for the title of 2014 Watercraft of The Year.
2014 Watercraft of The Year Winner: 2014 Sea-Doo Spark 2-up HO
You cannot argue with how popular Sea-Doo’s little-runabout-that-could is, and frankly, neither could we. Even with manufacturers spending thousands of dollars to throw some pretty nasty shade at the entry level machine, Sea-Doo dealers across the nation sold out of these things. Sure, with it’s bargain basement starting price of sub-$5,000, dealers barely made enough off of the sale of each unit to pay for the breakroom’s morning box of donuts, but that didn’t stop dealers from clawing over themselves to place orders when BRP reopened production mid-year.
According to Sea-Doo’s Tim McKercher, the Spark was “the number one reason the industry saw double digit growth last year.” Although we’ve received conflicting numbers over the past months – reporting that domestic Spark sales ranged anywhere between 8,000 to 11,000 – the sheer demand of orders placed by Sea-Doo dealers is enough to quantify the Spark’s popularity. Earning the position as the 2014 Watercraft of The Year isn’t weighed solely on total sales, although in this case it definitely helped a lot.
Rather, the Spark is also a winner because of its spirit. It’s a callback to years that many of us feared the manufacturers had forgotten, when an HX, a couple of buddies and a well-stocked cooler could provide a full-day’s worth of laughs. The two-seater (or “2-up”) Spark with the available High Output 90-horsepower tune is frankly, the only way to go, as lesser 60HP and 3-up units failed to stir the same smiles as the other. When equipped smartly, the Spark is fun, loose and playful, returning us to the days of powerslides, nosedives and other forms of aquatic mayhem.
Sure, the Spark is not without its faults, and detractors will site the polymer construction, nearly non-existent storage or its “tipsy” hull feel. But again, that’s not what the Spark is all about. It’s meant to be rowdy fun, not a long distance, pile-on-the-whole-family cruiser – there’s plenty of others that will do a better job. Even with its 48-different variations, the Spark is little more than a banana seat, a jet pump and a throttle. And that’s OK. In fact, it’s why we like it. It’s the ultimate waterborne go-cart. And it’s that spirit why Sea-Doo’s 2014 Spark 2-up HO is our winner for The Watercraft Journal’s 2014 Watercraft of The Year. Congratulations!
As you’ve might’ve noticed, there’s a whole lot of holiday specials springing up as we inch closer to Christmas. Although only 8 days away (as of this publishing), there’s still plenty of time left for your holiday shopping. And if you’re looking for a great Christmas special for the personal watercraft lover in your life (or you’re looking to treat your favorite toy), our friends at Diptech Performance have just the thing.
As an official dealer for JETSKI.XXX products, Diptech is offering a whole set of cleaning products (with a bucket and sponge) for $100. This package is usually priced at $114.75, so you’re saving nearly 15-percent off of regular price on what Diptech calls “The perfect cleaning products for your jet ski, trailer, car and riding gear.”
Besides the aforementioned bucket and sponge, the Christmas Special also includes JETSKI.XXX’s Extreme Clean Jet ski wash ($19.95), Extreme Tow wash and wax ($19.95), Extreme Condition ($24.95), Extreme Polish ($29.95) and Extreme Fresh wet suit wash ($19.95). For those of you unfamiliar with the JETSKI.XXX brand, it’s only a small part of the larger JET SKI CLUB and JET SKI TV group out of Australia. Including Financing, Insurance, Deals and nearly every other imaginable service, the JET SKI group of sites is working to improve all PWC enthusiasts’ riding experience.
