You might think that the summer riding season is over, but to many, it’s only the beginning of the fall riding season! That being said, it’s never too late to make the Personal Watercraft Industry Association’s “Safe Rider Pledge.” Taking this pledge certifies that you recognize the need and will always wear a life vest when riding a PWC. You’d be surprised how many people today fail to ride with the proper safety equipment, and the PWIA is looking to put a stop to it.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, 82-percent of all fatalities by drowning in 2013 were caused by persons not wearing a life jacket. That’s a disturbing number, folks. Besides operating a vehicle intoxicated, drowning due to not wearing a life jacket is one of the easiest to avoid fatalities possible. Keep that in mind the next time you or someone you know decides to pass on wearing a life jacket!
Filling out the PWIA pledge takes only a minute, but it also has the possibility of earning you some awesome gifts, including a $50 Amazon gift card! Sure winning stuff is a great motivator, but really, you should fill this out because you believe in what the PWIA is trying to accomplish. We did, so should you!
There’s all sorts of junk out there professing to increase horsepower, from fuel additives to air filters. We’re not exactly sure where or how they’re able to substantiate their claims, but there’s no shortage of hucksters promising increased performance if only you’ll fork over your hard-earned cash.
The big difference between those who claim to make power and those who actually do is evidence. RIVA Racing‘s parts make power, and that claim is backed by hours and hours and hours of testing, both on the water and in the dyno room. So when Mark Sheffield from RIVA’s Research & Development department made us wise to a certain dyno session, we were all ears.
The coconut telegraph was already buzzing that Yamaha’s Super Vortex High Output 1,812cc four-cylinder 4-stroke was a power-maker, but to what degree remained somewhat of a trade secret. (We’ve received “unofficial” results that the SVHO in factory trim makes anywhere between 258 and 264 horsepower.)
While impressive, the real question is what is the SVHO capable of. For that, Scheffield has the answer, “Our target RPM with the [RIVA] Stage 2 SVHO kits is 8,300 for the FZ models, and 8,400 for the FX models.” Yet, for this particular test, the RIVA research crew wondered what the SVHO could do at 9,000 RPM…and did so using pump gas!
But the only internal change to the SVHO engine was RIVA’s Valve Spring Kit (spring retainers) to keep the valves from floating at such high RPMs. Below is the video with the dyno sheet beneath it. Scheffield concluded, “Although we were able to make these dyno pulls on pump gas, RIVA highly recommends using a higher octane fuel if you exceed 8600RPM and 18lbs of boost.”
Sorry to start your week with some bad news, but regulars of the Pro Watercross Tour will be sad to learn that fan and racer-favorite, Colonial Beach, Virginia, will be missing from 2015’s National Tour. The location of the Liberty Cup, Colonial Beach has historically played a significant part in the year-long points race, with the shoreline location providing a perfect backdrop as the nation’s best contend for National Championships.
Unfortunately, money was the “driving factor” for the Colonial Beach Chamber of Commerce’s decision to discontinue hosting the Pro Watercross National Tour race. According to an interview with Chamber President Carey Geddes by local outlet The Journal, “during the first three years of the event, the chamber lost roughly $7,000 per year – in 2014, the group lost $9,000.”
“The deciding factor involved reduced contributions from the town by $2,000, NSWC Federal Credit Union pulling their sponsorship and many corporate sponsors cutting their contributions in half. Geddes said those moves left the Chamber with a $7,000 shortfall.”
Geddes concluded, “We took everything into account – the loss of $7,000 in funding, the additional monies that would be required to have the corporate challenge, money to repay damages done to the rental cottage. We couldn’t stack the $7,000 loss on top of the $9,000 lost.”
Recently, the Pro Watercross had started billing the town an additional $1,250 fee, making the Chamber’s contribution for the weekend event $9,000 a year. This next year marked the third in the standing contract with Handler and the Pro Watercross Tour, and the Chamber exercised its option to cancel the deal. According to The Journal, Handler told Geddes that “if the Chamber did not have a decision and a $5,000 check for [Pro Watercross] by October 1, they would move the Liberty Cup portion to Tennessee.”
Of course, that deadline has since passed, and no word has been released regarding announcing a Tennessee venue as the new site for the Liberty Cup. Look to The Watercraft Journal for more updates regarding the Pro Watercross Tour as they come.
While the pebbled shores of Lake Havasu City’s Crazy Horse Resort were jam-packed with racers and spectators at the 33rd annual Jettribe IJSBA World Finals, on the other side of the island a group a few dozen thick were gathered around Site Six’s beach listening to Sea-Doo’s Tim McKercher. “This is one of my favorite ride,” McKercher preluded. “The 45-mile ride will take us past Lake Havasu and up the Colorado River.”
The fourth annual Sea-Doo Ultimate Owners Ride, the newly minted tradition kicked off early Saturday, October 11, 2014. Happening the same weekend as the largest single personal watercraft event in the world, the IJSBA World Finals, hosted in the self-proclaimed “PWC capital of the world” Lake Havasu City, Arizona, the one-day Sea-Doo Ultimate Owners Ride guides enthusiasts from across the country (and continent, for that matter) through some of the most scenic locations on the river.
Sure enough, entrees from the US and Canada began pouring in long before the first band snapped at the Finals. Travel plans were made, skis were prepped and fuel tanks filled in anticipation of yet another successful Ultimate Owners Ride. Participation was a meager $10 per watercraft (encouraging many to ride 2-up), with all of the proceeds going to support the Junior Stars PWC racing program.
Although a preliminary meet-and-greet was held at local Mudsharks Brewery the night before, Saturday morning saw the mooring cleats filled with a variety of Sea-Doos, from half a dozen Sparks, plenty of supercharged RXTs, RXPs, and GTXs, a pair of 3Ds (which we were personally excited seeing), and a sprinkling of brand-new 2015 models provided as eye-candy by the BRP crew. Even a Sea-Doo 210 jet-boat joined the party, and provided this author a fine platform to take pictures from.
Although this year’s attendance was slightly reduced from previous years (dwarfed by the reported 40-percent decline in attendance in this year’s IJSBA World Finals), the group was managed by the Sea-Doo crew, with plenty of riders acting as herding dogs along the ride, particularly as we made several stops along the route. From Site Six, we ventured out, south around the tip of the island to travel up through the famous Havasu Channel and London Bridge, but were unfortunately turned back by the Lucas Oil drag boats that were competing on the island’s south side.
Doubling back, we journeyed up the California-side of the lake towards the mouth of the river, passing the raucous cacophony of the World Finals on the island’s northern end. There, we stopped to regroup before heading up toward the Havasu Sandbar. Leaving as early as we did, temperatures remained cool and boat traffic was at a minimum. This encouraged quite a few to romp on the gas and kick up some spray before taking a short break.
From fully-equipped GTX Limiteds featuring BRP’s intelligent suspension soaking up the chop to entry-level 60-horsepower Sparks, the crowd gathering around the infamous sandbar were all smiles, stopping to exchange notes, compare craft and trade tales of misadventures on the water. The short recharge prepared the riders for a slow cruise through Topock Gorge. Idling through the shady canyon, the large group of skis filled the river wall-to-wall, passing pontoons, day-boats and thundering jet boats up the river.
Passing through the no wake zone and beneath the suspended pipelines, we were only a short distance from the Pirate Cove Resort. The thematic desert resort occupies a secluded corner of the river with a long low-speed vein of beach prior to opening up into the cove. It took a while, but the large group of Sea-Doo riders finally gathered together for some fun – including a Sea-Doo Trivia Challenge for BRP prizes and a provided lunch.
While some chose to linger a little longer in the comfort of the Pirate Cove, others made good use of the free time and shot out into the river as quickly as possible. By early afternoon, boaters had filled up the canyons and sandbars, with no shortage of high horsepower boats churning up the Colorado – giving plenty of shoulder-high rollers for riders to launch their Sea-Doos from. With the mercury rising, most returned to Site Six by 2 or 3pm.
But that wasn’t the end. McKercher invited all of the participants to return the following day to the giant Sea-Doo display at the World Finals to take in Sunday’s “pro show” of racing. With a big spread of piping hot pizzas, cold drinks, and shaded seating, many came back to watch the world’s best racers contend for top honors. Considering all of the planning, fun and adventure that Sea-Doo crammed into this weekend, if there’s another company that did more to give its customers a better lifestyle experience, we haven’t found them.
In our near year’s worth of publishing The Watercraft Journal, we’ve been very blessed to welcome advertising partners who have reached out to us first. These companies have shown their marketing prowess by recognizing the branding abilities only available through the Internet’s ONLY daily personal watercraft magazine. The newest of these savvy companies is EZ Throttle. Hailing from Stuart, Florida, EZ Throttle manufacturers the industry’s most ergonomic throttle extension lever.
Taking less than a minute to install, the EZ Throttle slips over all Yamaha and Kawasaki personal watercraft, as well as all X-Series and iTC-equipped Sea-Doos (more specifically, Sea-Doos featuring finger throttles). The EZ Throttle allows you to ride all day long without the usual fatigue you get using the same one or two fingers all day, but your whole hand! Not only does it improve your grip, but permits for greater leverage for precise throttle control while towing tubes, skiers or skaters!
EZ Throttle’s non-slip, easy-grip throttle extension features a full-hand molded grip simply slides over your throttle and is tightened down to a supplied backing plate with two Allen screws. A pair of set screws allow you to adjust the position of the EZ Throttle to your OEM trigger. You’ll see some great reviews and product testing on the EZ Throttle from us at The Watercraft Journal soon, so make sure to stay tuned!
Of course, boater safety courses (which are soon to become mandatory in California) aren’t anything new, and are regularly held throughout Australia. Our Brothers in The Land of OZ know all about ’em, and have made it a point to help encourage responsible boating practices by promoting such classes. One outfit is our favorite Melbourne one-stop-shop for all things PWC, Diptech Performance!
In addition to providing PWC enthusiasts the best in customer service, performance tech and riding equipment and apparel, Diptech regularly hosts safe boating courses – nearly once a month, and the next session isn’t too far away; this upcoming Thursday 23rd October at 6pm, which coincidentally, will be the last course Diptech will be hosting before the Melbourne Cup weekend. Riders looking to participate need to complete the official course to receive their license. There are still some spots left, so call to reserve a place 8401 3956. The cost is $120 cash on the night, so be ready.
Backflips were once the single-most impressive and difficult to execute tricks in all of freestyle. Preparing an engine with enough low end torque and a lightweight machine to be able to snap out of the water with enough force to rotate itself and the ride a full 360 degrees was possibly one of the biggest challenges apart from training the athlete enough to pull it off.
Today, modern freestyle skis are almost pre-programmed to whip out consecutive backflips with the greatest of ease. Modern lightweight engines erupt with insatiable amounts of torque, launching lightweight aftermarket skis (rife with billet aluminum and carbon fiber components) high into the air with just the flick of the throttle. If you like backflips, expect to see at least a dozen of them in nearly every freestyle routine.
That’s why we gotta love Lee Stone. Clearly fed up with so many dishing out repetitive backflips throughout their routines, Stone snapped off a dozen or so backflips, but landing each one standing on one foot as if to say, “You like backflips? Here, chew on these!” But if Stone’s IJSBA World Championship freestyle routine wasn’t enough to wow you (make sure you read about his crowd-pleasing heel-clicker backflip), Stone also went about shattering the current world record for consecutive backflips.
The final participant in the Macc Racing Flip Off, Stone needed to surpass Texan Jace Forest’s final count of 24 flips. It was a steep order to fill and many feared that the afternoon’s winds whipping up the lake would make it too difficult to surpass. Undaunted, Stone set a course for well past the flag tower, and continued snapping off repetitive backflips until finally stopping at a dizzying total of 36.
The effort earned Stone the grand prize of $2,000 presented by Hydro-Turf and Macc Racing, and a spot in the latest copy of Guinness World Records. Don’t believe it? Watch the video below:
The only tools needed were a Philips-head screwdriver and an electric drill with a 1/2-inch drill bit.
It’s only a matter of time before Ride Power USA’s design for a cell phone charger is as commonplace on modern personal watercraft as folding swim steps and tilt steering.
Considering not only the convenience but safety and potential life saving qualities of having a plug-in-ready phone charger on personal watercraft, it’s actually surprising Ride Power USA has gone so long unchallenged by the OEMs thus far.
Choosing to perform a review (and obviously an installation) of Ride Power USA’s Android Phone Charger was a no-brainer from the minute we discovered the brand’s easy-to-install system.
The simplistic design is so straightforward that the only reason it took us longer than the suggest hour to installation was because we needed to photo-document the process. In all honesty, it took us less than an hour, including the time to toss in a few cosmetic additions.
The Ride Power USA phone charger kit is available in 3.5-foot for Androids, and 4-feet for iPhones 4 and 5.Step One when always working on your PWC is to disconnect the battery.The Android plug required the large 1/2-inch bit. The angle isn’t perfect from this position, but works.The hole provides us a direct shot to the positive battery terminal, allowing for a very clean and uncomplicated installation.Although not part of the Ride Power USA kit, we found this two-piece grommet to help seal up the hole we made in the glove box. Cheap rubber grommet kits can be found at any auto parts store.Feeding the cord through the hole, the grommet helped seal up the hole we made with the drill and holds the wire in place.The Quick Disconnect plugs into the battery tender with an easy snap. We coiled up the extra cord footage with a black zip tie.We grounded our phone charger to the bottom of the Sea-Doo RXP battery bracket and attached the positive to the battery terminal.With our battery’s positive terminal reconnected, the Ride Power USA phone charger is live and ready to work. The ease of the installation definitely earned the kit some serious points.
Priced at $69, the Ride Power USA kit can be as expensive as a full tank of fuel at your local dockside fuel pump, but given how often we bring our phones with us – be it for pictures, GPS mapping or just never being able to go anywhere without our smart phones – the purchase was worth every penny.
Being that the charger is “live” there is a threat of wearing down your battery if you leave your phone plugged in all day with the ski off – but again, that’s no different than with an aftermarket stereo system. We definitely recommend this kit and want to suggest that the OEMs pay attention to this awesome innovation.
Big thanks go to Matt Lackore and the use of his immaculate Sea-Doo RXP 215.
Well, if you weren’t at this year’s 2014 Jettribe IJSBA World Finals then you missed out on a lot more than being witness to some of the most exciting personal watercraft racing (but more on that in a second). Factory Yamaha’s Aero Aswar earned his win in Pro Stock and Yousef Alabdulrazzaq in Pro Limited Runabout classes. Joining the two Dean’s Team racers were wins in Women’s Runabout, Runabout Open Slalom, Expert Runabout Veterans, Expert Runabout, and Amateur Runabout, making the weekend definitely something for Yamaha WaveRunners to be proud of.
In addition to bringing home a lot of hardware for the brand with the tuning forks, Yamaha was on site in a big, big way with a whole corner of the midway dedicated to the brand, showing off the new RiDE dual-throttle braking and reverse system as well as the return of the last remaining two-stroke watercraft in the industry, the SuperJet.
For those on hand, special fliers were available offering an amazing $1,000 off on the purchase of any 2014 or 2013 SuperJet between October 4th through the 31st of this year. Although the coupon states that it must be present at time of purchase to present the special code printed on the back (code: C2-N2M), we’re hoping dealers will be willing to let it slide just this one time. (Oh, and the offer isn’t valid in either New York or California because those states are jerks.)
Finally, Yamaha is launching it’s all-new ShopYamaha.com e-commerce website for all of you looking to score on some seriously cool Yamaha gear before anybody else. The new site is, according to the press release, “the newest way for you to browse and purchase Yamaha accessories and apparel online. Find every day essentials like dock lines and anchors along with knee and wakeboards. Plus Genuine Yamaha covers to protect your baby this off-season.”
On September 18, 2014, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill No. 941 which, by 2018, will require California boaters (including PWC operators) to pass a safety course and obtain a vessel operator card.
According to SB 941 legislation, the new vessel operator cards will be issued to California residents upon passing an examination, for a fee of $30, and will be “valid for the life of the person to whom it is issued.” After the January 1, 2018 deadline, boaters/riders cited in violation of the requirement will be subjected to a $100 initial fine and ordered to immediately obtain a valid vessel operator card. Subsequent violations incur progressively stiffer penalties – up to $500 on the third citation.
In its first year, only first-time boaters 20 years of age and younger will be required to possess the certification. However an ascending schedule will be implemented in years following that will eventually require all boaters, regardless of age, to acquire an operator card by January 1, 2025.
Fortunately, those operating a rental vessel, competing in an organized race event, or under direct supervision of a vessel card-carrying adult, need not obtain the operator card. Further, those visiting from other states or foreign countries (for a maximum of 60 or 90 days, respectively) are also exempt, provided they meet the applicable requirements, if any, of their home state or country.
Until now, California stood as one of only five states (including Alaska, Arizona, South Dakota and Wyoming) that did not require any certification or licensing to operate a motor-driven watercraft; any person age twelve or older could legally operate a boat or personal watercraft in California’s waterways. Recent support from select law enforcement agencies, private business owners, and pro-regulation coverage from news agencies in Northern California (statistically the most dangerous of California’s waters) lent momentum to the bill originally introduced in February by Senators Bill Monning and Mark DeSaulnier.
Those lobbying for more stringent boating regulations have cited recent U.S. Coast Guard data showing California as the nation’s number two most dangerous state for boaters, with about 2,775 boating accidents between 2007 and 2012, placing behind Florida’s 3,800-plus incidents. According to data from the California Division of Boating and Waterways (published in an investigative article on NBCBayArea.com), the vast majority of these collisions are caused by operators not paying attention and lack of education, compared to the fraction of such incidents caused by alcohol or drug use.
Opposition to stricter regulations has been strong in years past, with former California Governor Gray Davis vetoing a very similar bill in 1999, arguing that “there may well be reasonable measures we can adopt to enhance the safety of boat operators, but unfortunately this bill will not accomplish that goal. There is little evidence that a written test alone will improve the piloting skills of motor boat operators or reduce boating accidents. Until such evidence is brought forth, I do not believe it is appropriate to require millions of Californians who enjoy boating as recreation to run the gauntlet of yet another government bureaucracy to obtain licenses to pilot their boats.”
As the 2018 deadline draws near, California residents can expect to receive literature from the state with information on obtaining the vessel operator card. Examinations are expected to be offered both in-person through approved course providers, and (thankfully) via Internet through the division’s website.
