“She’s over there!” PWC’s, boats and jacked gun-toting dudes in suits chasing down Bollywood’s sexy Katrina Kaif on her personal water scooter in Bollywood’s newest release, “Bang Bang” an Indian action film remake of Hollywood’s “Knight and Day” starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
What is super cool is the use of PWC’s and the newest water jet-driven device, the Zapata Flyboard. The Flyboard has been taking the world by storm as an inexpensive accessory to your current PWC with a price tag more than 1/10 less than the Jet Lev. This hilarious outtake you are about to watch features Katrina Kaif, aka “Harleen,” attempting to get away from potential murderers when out of nowhere, Hrithic Roshan, or “Rajveer” strapped into the Flyboard and packing some serious heat, breaches the ocean surface multiple times firing a hail of bullets, taking out bandits one by one while getting Katrina to safety.
Yes, the clip is a bit bright, albeit CGI and yes, humorous but at the end of the day, there is a movie out there utilizing PWC technology which helps to bring awareness to the world. It was the first time that something like this was used in Bollywood or Hollywood and Hrithik became the first actor to do a flyboarding stunt in a film.
Fun Fact: Hrithik injured himself during one of the Flyboard scenes which set back the film a bit; however, Peter Hendra, owner and Managing Director of Australia’s Flyboard X, played Hrithik’s stunt double, and if I must say so, did an excellent job.
Want to know the surefire way to cause a riot on a personal watercraft performance webforum? Threaten additional governmental intrusion on their horsepower. That’s what happened over this past weekend at Greenhulk.net. With the posting of a single image grabbed with a cellphone, PWC enthusiasts went rabid howling vengeance against purposed increased emission standards, boating safety standards and anyone driving a Prius (OK, maybe it wasn’t that bad).
Nevertheless, the image in question did raise several eyebrows that required some earnest investigation. The note we received from Greenhulk’s own Jerry Gaddis was innocent enough, “Here’s a Rotax engine in a Chaparral jet boat. Notice the wet catalytic converter. I wonder if we will see this on future PWCs? [Also] notice it also has an 02 sensor.”
For those unclear what a catalytic converter does, let’s back up. A catalytic converter (or “cat”) is commonly found on automobiles dating back to the early 1970s between the exhaust manifold and muffler. The muffler-like chamber houses a ceramic honeycomb (or ceramic beads) coated with platinum and palladium, the catalyst that converts the hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water, and the nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and oxygen.
Previous iterations of the catalytic converter were indirectly responsible for notable losses in performance, but coincided with an across-the-board shift in manufacturers producing high-performance vehicles. The addition of recirculating air/exhaust systems, lower compression rates, gentler cam lobe profiles and cubic displacements only worsened the landscape. Fatefully, catalytic converters were singled out for robbing horsepower, thereby hailed as blight to performance vehicles.
So when the image of a water-jacketed catalytic converter seen interrupting the exhaust from a Rotax 4-tec to the waterbox was published on the Internet’s most popular PWC performance forum, people started to worry what this meant for future watercraft? Did Sea-Doo know of pending future emission standards requiring the additional converter? Would it rob power? How much would it weigh? Does it mean we would need to “smog check” future personal watercraft?
Our first clue was that Jerry mentioned it was on a Chaparral jet boat. We immediately went to the official Chaparral website which proudly featured the catalytic converter stating, “We’re dedicated to respecting the environment and minimizing the effect that our powertrains have on it. With legislative requirements in mind, BRP developed a marine exhaust gas after-treatment system with a ‘3-way catalytic converter.’ This unique system fulfills the 5g CO + NOx within a nominal power of 260 HP.”
This “3-way” converter meets the current “4-star” emissions standard that Rotax is very proud to announce. Hailed as part of the company’s “social responsibility,” Rotax writes, “Our success is not only measured by the performance of our products. It’s measured by our actions as a corporate citizen. For the environment, it all begins with reducing the carbon footprint of all of our products and operations, guaranteeing compliance and leading the way for industry. We achieve this by continually reducing fuel consumption, exhaust emissions and noise.
“In fact, whatever the product, BRP manufactures some of the powersports world’s cleanest and quietest engines. In the community, BRP prides itself in being an active member and advocate for the communities within which we live and work. As a multinational company, it’s our responsibility to ensure that our presence is beneficial to the communities where we are located. What’s more, we make it our mission to support education and training to encourage responsible use of our products.”
While this might sound like very pleasant marketing boilerplate, it does speak to Rotax’s commitment to compliance to both governmental, environmental and social standards. But, what all of that didn’t do was clarify whether we’ll be seeing Sea-Doos with big honkin’ catalytic converters crammed under our seats. For that, we turned to LOOK Marketing and Sea-Doo representative, Tim McKercher who happily shed some more light on the subject:
“Jetboats now fall under the CARB & EPA Inboard/Sterndrive standard. Their current “4-Star” level is 5 g/kW-hr of Hydrocarbon (HC) and Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx). Meeting that requires a catalyst.
“PWCs are not classified as Inboard or Sterndrive boats. Jet boats used to be classified under the PWC standard, but that changed a couple of years ago. These Rotax propulsion packages are also utilized in Scarab and Glastron boats from RBH (Rec Boat Holdings).”
Whew! Well, it sounds like we have our answer. But that is not to say that Rotax’s 3-Way Catalytic Converter will never be found inside of a Sea-Doo. Environmentalists are always biting at the heels of PWC and as long as we have proper representatives lobbying to retain some sense of preservation for watercraft we should be in the clear. Thankfully, today’s PWC have never been more environmentally-friendly, clean, quiet and safe (all the while producing more horsepower and fun) than ever before.
The King’s Cup – Jet Ski World Cup 2014 took place in Pattaya City, Thailand, December 4th to the 7th. The first King’s Cup – Jet Ski World Cup was held in 1996 and hosted competitors from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. In 1997 and 1998, the event expanded to hosting riders from the Asia Pacific region, and then moved on to hosting riders from all over the world in 1999. Today, riders from over 30 countries around the globe competed at this year’s King’s Cup – Jet Ski World Cup.
The five main Jet Ski World Cup categories which receive the highly acclaimed King’s Cups are Pro Runabout Open, Pro Ski, Pro Freestyle, Pro Sport GP and Pro Runabout 800 Open. This year was also the first time that there was an Endurance category at The King’s Cup – Jet Ski World Cup, consisting of 2 motos, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Other classes welcomed Novices, Amateurs, Womens, Experts and even a Spark class.
The annual Jet Ski World Cup or “King’s Cup” has grown to become one of the world’s premier events, with top level accommodations, a pristine event location and amazing hospitality for both rider and spectator.
Some of the biggest names in jet ski racing swarmed the southern Bangkok beaches, many looking to repeat their previous wins from the IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu City, Arizona let than two months earlier, the American Pro Watercross Tour and the Aquabike World Tour. Unfortunately, a seemingly never-ending sequences of misfortune, back luck and mechanical troubles upset the field and provided spectators with a whole new set of champions.
Qualifying rounds took place in the morning for the Novice classes, Friday 5th December. The event made short time of Motos 1 and 2 for the Novice, Junior, Expert, Amateur and Pro-Am Spark stock classes. Moto 3 for these categories took place on Saturday, 6th of December, with their fourth and final motos on Sunday.
With five classes eligible for the coveted King’s Cup, another 13 other classes welcomed hundreds of racers from 30 countries worldwide.
The excitement started early on Saturday, in Moto 1 of the Pro Ski class. Rockstar/Kommander South African rider Dustin Motzouris got the holeshot and led the race until he dislocated his shoulder, causing him to fall off his ski. Luckily, his shoulder popped back in but not before Chris MacClugage managed to take the lead. MacClugage took first in Moto 1 followed by Dustin Motzouris in second, Nacho Gucudiola from Spain in third.
Fellow South African and Dustin’s brother, Tyron Motzouris followed the podium in fourth as reigning World Champion Kevin Reiterer experienced technical problems and rounded out the pack in 12th position. Moto 2 of Pro Ski started with Valentin Dardillat with the holeshot, MacClugage in a close second, and Kevin Reiterer in third. Chris MacClugage managed to take the lead from Dardillat. Kevin Reiterer closed in on Dardillat and passed him through the split, ending with Macc winning in moto 2, Reiterer second, and Dardillat third. Dustin Motzouris got a good start but the ski kept cutting out which knocked him backto 6th place.
Even the hardiest of racers had to battle just to keep ahead. Pro Runabout Open racer Jared Moore struggled all weekend, breaking down in 3 out of 4 motos. Dustin Motzouris’ brother Tyron held his own in a strong field of Pro Ski Open racers.
Saturday’s Pro Runabout Open Moto 1 began with World Pro Runabout GP champion James Bushell grabbing the holeshot and leading from start to finish. Chaowalit Kuajaroon from Thailand took second, and Yosef al abdulrazzaq took 3rd. In Moto 2, George Kasza from Hungary took the holeshot, James Bushell came out second, and Jean Baptiste Botti in third. Botti managed to pass Bushell, rearranging the field with Kasza first, Botti second and Bushell third.
Sunday, December 7th picked up the action in Pro Ski with Moto 3. Out of the gate, Motzouris took the holeshot, Kevin Reiterer slotted in to second place, and MacClugage was in third until Klippenstein passed. Dustin managed to hang on to first place, with Reiterer close behind him. Klippenstein took third and MacClugage in fourth.
Beautiful conditions and weather prevailed all weekend to give these competitors the best environment possible to rise to the challenge.
But the arrangement was a tentative one, as the final moto had Dardillat with the holeshot, Macc in second and Austrian Reiterer close behind. Working his Hydrospace as best he could, Reiterer got pass MacClugage for second place finish. Although Macc was pushed back, the 19-time IJSBA World Champion took the overall win and the coveted King’s Cup, returning 2013 King’s Cup winner Dustin Motzouris took second, Kevin Reiterer third, fourth to Valentin Dardillat, and fifth to Mike Klippenstein.
Age isn’t a factor when talent, experience, training and determination combine. Huge congratulations to Chris MacClugage on his King’s Cup win in Pro Ski Open.
Pro Runabout Open’s Moto 3 started with Chokuthit Molee taking the holeshot, Bushell slotted in to second, George Kasza in third, and Botti in fourth. Bushell moved in to first when Chokuthit broke down. Kasza briefly moved up in to second until he broke down, giving way for Botti to move in to second, and gain on Bushell.
Botti passed Bushell, but had to go out to take the equalizer, allowing Bushell to move back up to first only to be passed by Botti again. Botti went on to win Moto 3 with Bushell second, and Chaowalit Kuajaroon in third.
In the final moto, James Bushell got the holeshot on the inside split, while Botti got the holeshot on the outside split. Botti managed to take the lead and carried it through the checkered flag, with Bushell in second and Chokuthit Molee in third. But instead of a fourth place overall, it would be a disqualification for Jean Baptiste Botti, who did not pass the tech inspection due to an illegal fuel tank as per the rules.
The overall podium had Bushell in first, Japan’s Isahai in second and Yousef Al Abdulrazzaq in third. Kylie Ellmers and Yuki Kurahashi had a good battle in the Pro-Am Womens Ski Limited, with Kylie winning Motos 1, 2 and 3 with Yuki in second. Yuki won Moto 4 with Kylie in second.
The King’s Cup has managed to escalate to the highest ranked events in all of jet ski racing by racers, race teams and spectators, even surpassing that of the lauded IJSBA World Finals, according to some. Huge cash payouts, a pristine tropical setting, top-level accoutrements and accommodations and some of the toughest competition in the world makes the Jet Ski World Cup a world class event and one not to miss.
Some of you surely remember the downward spiral of PWC sales after the bubble burst, which trended until around 2012. In 2012, the industry saw it’s first growth again and became a likely alternative to getting on the water in a more inexpensive manner due to the rising fuel prices. Add to that a worldwide surge in jet ski clubs bringing riders together, riding more often, causing a ripple effect of maintenance, new sales, aftermarket upgrades and much more. 2012 also brought changes and movement in the HydroDrags creating a fast growing and very popular water drag race series that is now held multiple times a year in Florida.
In 2013, the introduction of the AquaX had racers’ and manufacturers’ attention offering a venue to run a mostly showroom stock ski and 2014 was the groundbreaking way to the all new PWC Arena Racing coming March 2015 in Naples, FL. The growth over the past two years in all of these areas, combined with manufacturers stepping up and listening to the consumers by producing some of the best and well designed PWC’s to date has caused a double digit increase in PWC sales across the nation that has not stopped yet. According to Info Link, PWCs came out a “Big Winner” in 2014 with a nearly 23-percent growth calculating to some 47,000 units.
One Florida Sales Manager for a Tampa Bay powersports dealership is very optimistic. Looking back at PWC sales the last two years, the dealership has seen double-digit growth with 2014 realizing a 28.7 percent increase in PWC sales over their previous 2013 sales year. This is great news! All the hard work an efforts by manufacturers, dealers, club owners, promoters, media outlets, etc. combined with the Internet and social media are finally attracting new youthful riders while retaining the multi-generational riders currently invested in the PWC Nation.
The love of this sport finds us pushing the limits from time to time. In the right and safe environment that may be perfectly fine. One of the most important things true riders know is you always wear a life jacket, you don’t drink and ride, you disconnect your Yamaha “pisser” when pulling tubes or boarders behind your runabout and you do not go fast close to shore.
We came across this video which at first seems harmless but as you watch closer, a multitude of issues become apparent. First the visibility spout, Yamaha’s trademarked rooster tail, should always be disconnected when pulling someone behind your watercraft for their safety and ability to have visibility. The second thing you notice is the speed in which the WaveRunner is traveling.
For most wakeboards, knee boards, tubes, etc. being towed on plane, the recommended speed is somewhere between 18 – 25mph. The runabout pulling the tube in this picture has the capability of a max speed close to 63/64 mph and from the looks of the tube flying in the air most of the time, you can bet that WaveRunner is moving quite a bit faster than recommended speed.
As the ski comes closer – making it’s approach near the beach – you’ll notice, neither driver nor passenger (spotter), who incidentally is sitting backwards, have life jackets on. Not sure what this clowns were thinking (we’re game to say they weren’t thinking at all), and then the guy sitting backwards flips of the ski and the guy in the tube flies off the tube nearly hitting his unvested spotter.
The last thing of course, is the speed in which these folks were going near shore. We have had so many injuries both with long term effects and even death caused by reckless driving near shore that it is a amazing people like this are still out there giving the rest of us, a bad name.
Hey it’s great to have fun, it’s exhilarating to push the limits from time to time, let’s just ensure we are doing it safely without the endangerment to others. Always wear a life vest and do not speed into or near shore.
You know it’s gonna be a good year when one of the world’s largest brand of PWC soft goods (wetsuits, life vests, rash guards, shorts, gloves, boots, towables, etc.) calls you up and says “We love what you’re doing.” Well guess what, we love what you’re doing too! And that is why we’re so excited to welcome Jobe to The Watercraft Journal for 2015. As you can expect, we’ll be conducting a lot of testing on the newest Jobe gear and toys to help you get the most from your new riding season.
Likewise, this partnership comes as Jobe launches it’s all-new Ruthless collection. With new colors for their well-crafted suits, vest and gear, there’s also newly designed Ruthless Long John F-Flex wetsuits, a thick winter-weather drysuit and fullsuit, as well as riding gear for the whole family, including the wife, kids and the family dog! That, and not to forget a full lineup of casual apparel and high speed, maximum-fun towables. If you’re looking for new gear for 2015, Jobe’s Ruthless line is the most complete we’ve encountered!
Here’s the official press release:
For the 2015 PWC soft good collection Jobe decided to switch things up a bit and add some color to the products instead of keeping a combination of black and white like last year’s collection. Working with different color schemes on different products you can now match your gear with the color of your PWC.
Taking a look at the brand new wetsuit range we can see that different color accents are used ranging from blue to orange, really making the products more alive and pop out. Below you can see the Jobe Ruthless Long John Men F-Flex with yellow accents. Besides the fashionable look of the suit it’s a 2.5 mm suit that features integrated 10 mm shin, knee and inner knee protection. Stay protected and warm in style!
In addition to the men collection, the women and kids collection got new colorful designs as well. Looking for instance at the Jobe Ruthless Neo Side Entry Vest, you immediately notice its bright and feminine pink color really standing out and so will you with the brand new Jobe Ruthless soft goods.
But then the bottom fell out two days before this past September 5th through the 7th. Everything that could’ve gone wrong did and we were left swallowing a heap full of crow: we would be without coverage from one of the biggest freerides of the year. Sorry folks.
Thankfully, the one big thing the annual Blowsion Surf Slam happening on the shores of Oregon’s Tierra Del Mar Beach is no lack of media coverage. Rags like Pro Rider, Wet Racer and even Watercraft Rider lined the shores, cameras in hand, snapping away at all the aerial action. But all of those pale in comparison to the gifted eye of Ludo Mouveau and the Fullgaz crew, as they captured some of the world’s greatest freeriders and racers.
Held just north of Pacific City, the Surf Slam is free to the public, welcoming over 100 Pro and Amateur competitors from around the world to compete for cash and glory. Joining them were a swathe of talented PWC racers displaying high speed turns around a buoy course all while battling the Pacific Coast’s unpredictable surf.
Hey guys. It’s your daring do-gooder Editor-in-Chief, Kevin here. I woke up this gray and wet Wednesday this the early signs of a headcold. The numb, slogging ache that comes with a winter’s chill. You know the type. And as I perused my morning feed of industry news, I couldn’t help but be drawn back to the same video I’ve had stowed in my “to do” file for over a year. Published way back in December of 2011, the content itself isn’t incredibly timely, but the action therein still resonates. Three years ago, Hurricane Irene pummeled the East Coast, pounding the northeastern shoreline with massive inky black swells, whipping winds and sheets of rain.
Y’know, the perfect weather to drag out the skis and go surf jumping in.
Below is a fun compilation of a few day’s rides, as a trio of friends – using two Kawasaki STX-15Fs and a Yamaha GP1200 – confront Mother Nature in all her fury off of Long Island. Interspersed between some pretty impressive one-handed head- and shoulder-high jumps is some great high speed footage blasting through the grassy wetlands nearby. Towards the end, the beating surf gets the best of the Yamaha, washing off the seat and swamping the engine compartment. The first STX comes to assist and also gets washed out before the second Kawasaki needs to come to the rescue.
With over half a million views, this video has definitely picked up some traction over the years, but again, sitting here loaded up on cold medicine and pushing back the desire to curl up back in bed, this fun video was something really fun that I wanted to share.
You read that right! This coming January 15-through-18, 2015 is the 2015 Thrust Innovations Daytona Daytona Freeride presented by Aquamoto, Watercraft Superstore, Super Freak Skis, Grand Seas Resort, Pro Rider Watercraft Magazine, ExoticSigns.com, Hydro Turf, Wamiltons Customs and Jet Renu!
According to a Facebook post by Nicholas Foederer, each day will have four EMT/Lifeguard/Active Volusia County Police Officers on site with a rescue ski ready to go, ensuring that participants and spectators will be kept safe and have emergency access.
According to Nicholas, the party start early on Thursday and lasts well in to Sunday evening. Below is the tentative schedule:
Thursday January 15: Gates on beach open around 6am as the event starts officially 9am. Riding starts at 9am and ends at 5pm (in coordination with the city noise ordinance). All vehicles, cars and trucks need to be off the beach 30 minutes before sunset (approximately 5:20pm). From there, the festivities will move to Mick’s Tavern for the meet and greet party, where attendees are invited to “party on the pool deck ’til whenever.”
Friday January 16: Gates on beach open around 6am with riding starting at 9am and ending at 5pm (noise ordinance). Again, all cars and trucks need to be off the beach 30 minutes before sunset.
Saturday January 17 (main event day): Gates on beach open around 6am (with parking availability on a first come-first serve basis). The riding schedule follows the same, beginning at 9am. Noon (12pm) starts the SBT/Watercraft Superstore sponsored lunch, with the Surf and Style competition beginning at 12:30pm.
The Aquamoto 3 class race (Sport, Standup Open, Vintage) starts at 2:30pm with all riding ending at 5pm. Stay around for the 6pm raffle. Again, all cars and trucks need to be off the beach a half hour before sunset (appox 5:20pm); city officials recommend you have them off before 5pm. An after party on pool deck will have sponsored drink specials.
Sunday January 18: The final day is much of the same with gates on beach open around 6am, riding beginning at 9am and ending at 5pm with all vehicles off the beach 30 minutes before sunset. The event officially ends at 5pm, but there will be the final party on pool deck ’til “whenever.”
And remember, if you can’t attend, The Watercraft Journal will be the only magazine attending to provide you our stellar full-length feature coverage (with a huge photo gallery) faster than anybody else. Y’know, like we always do.
Out-rigging a personal watercraft for offshore fishing use isn’t as expensive as you might think, but then again, to do it right (and have it last), it takes more than a bunch of PVC pipe and contact cement. If you enjoy the subject of jet ski fishing, then you’ve probably seen this outfitted Yamaha SUV before. I often get questions about how I did it or how much it cost, so I thought I would do a post on the subject.
My brother recently purchased a used 2001 Yamaha SUV 1200 just like the one I’ve been using for a while. It wasn’t the most popular ski Yamaha produced, but the SUV is very stable, the engine is reliable and the extra storage comes in real handy. I rigged it up for him and took some pictures of the process as well.
First off, purchasing a used 2001 Yamaha SUV with 85 hours set us back $5,000. Next, we picked up some necessary navigational equipment, namely a chartplotter/sounder for $500 and a VHF radio and antenna for $180. We also grabbed an Optima gel battery ($150), and some marine grade hardware and wire connectors ($200) as well as some miscellaneous safety equipment (flares, mirror, compass, Spot GPS tracker, dye pack, whistle, air horn, life vest, personal strobe, anchor, rope and chain for around $500). Finally, we dropped the ski off for some custom pipe fabrication to hold our rod holders and cooler ($850).
All in all, we ended up with a pretty nice fishing ski for $7,380 give or take.
We searched out for a pretty clean 2001 Yamaha SUV 1200. With 85 hours on the clock, it was in pretty good condition for $5,000.Extra power is necessary to run all of the extra electronics we have on board. The Optima gel battery was secured in the rearward storage bin.We installed the sounder in the bottom of the SUV’s hull.Once our custom-fabricated rod holders were completed, we mounted the VHF radio and antenna to the ski.Finally, we mounted the GPS/chartplotter above the handlebars.Needless to say, my brother is very happy with how it turned out.
