Although there’s nothing official coming from either camps, being the OEMs or any branch of the United States Armed Forces, we know that the American military is 1) the most well-funded peace-keeping mechanism to have ever existed on this spinning ball we call home and 2) is not against using any form of technology that would provide them the best tactical upper hand.
That being said, high speed insertion/extraction vehicles have been in regular use for decades. According to a report on specialoperations.com, “One example of these activities occurred during the early 80’s, when Maritime Branch personnel trained Nicaraguan Contras to use of high speed boats for attacks against Sandinista shipping. They also stood by to launch underwater sabotage attacks against ships docked in Managua’s harbor. Another example occurred in early 1991. This time Maritime Branch operators instructed US military SOF in the use of modified jet skis for a possible hostage rescue mission during Operation Desert Storm.”
Although the post didn’t specify whether these “high speed boats” were personal watercraft, we do know that Hellenic Special Forces were recently pictured on specially-prepped smoked-out Sea-Doo RXT 215 runabouts. The Special Forces Directorate had 12 Sea-Doo RXTs ordered from Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) for use against as counter-insurgent equipment.
Even grainy images of a seated one-man jet-driven personal watercraft allowed both “regular” blue water SEAL Teams and the counter-terrorist DEVGRU, and USMC Force Reconnaissance personnel to make quick, silent entrances and exits. Looking to put a greater emphasis on amphibious/waterborne training activities, Maritime Branch operators “receive training in conducting operations such as jet ski reconnaissance and hostage rescue operations along hostile shorelines,” according to specialoperations.com.
Even the veritable QuadSki has been seen in military/hunting camouflage livery. The versatility of the transforming QuadSki, as well as personal watercraft as a whole has not fallen on deaf ears. Even K38’s own Shawn Alladio has personally trained Navy personnel in property safety and rough water operation. It’ll be interesting to see what future history reveals about the use of PWC in the military, but until now, all we have are these shots. Enjoy!
The Watercraft Journal: Kev, you’ve got quite a few irons in the fire these days. What is Jetski Junkies – or better yet, who are the Jetski Junkies? And can you tell us a little more about how you came about creating the Jet Life brand?
Kev Hemingway: You could certainly say that. You know the question of who the Jetski Junkies are, is without a doubt, better described by our members. I believe that the words and expressions JJ members relay to others about their experiences and adventures, whether it’s a ride, overnight tour, out-of-state rally or even an expedition to another country. The stories each of them have, either individually or as a family to bring home, to tell their friends and maybe someday their grandchildren is priceless and with any luck, life changing in some way. This sets the tone for your next question about the Jet Life brand.
Jet Life became a term I used a bit when I was communicating with folks who had amazing stories or rides they had done or planned to do. These adventures seemed so epic that it was apparent to me that these folks, very much like my family, were watersport fanatics to the point that our lives twisted and wrapped itself around the sport of Jet Skiing. It became very obvious that we were eluding to the Jet Life and with a leap of faith, my wife and I trademarked the name and slowly, working through some adversity, began to put it out there. I feel Jet Life is more about PWC enthusiasts living more of a PWC influenced lifestyle and helping to spread the excitement of this awesome sport. I can’t think of a better way of doing that then with the club and creating a legacy like Jet Life for the sport.
WCJ: Steve, how did the Central Florida Jet Riders come about, and how did the CFJR become affiliated with Kev and the Jetski Junkies?
Steve Chown: My wife and I originally purchased our first set of skis back in the Spring of 2008. We enjoyed riding them but soon grew tired of the same lake rides and short river rides. We found it difficult to connect with other riders as Facebook wasn’t mainstream at the time. Like many, we used our skis less and less, and ultimately sold them due to lack of use in the Spring of 2011.
In April of 2012 we decided we really missed our skis and purchased a new Yamaha FX Cruiser SHO. Determined to get the most out of it we formed a Facebook group with several friends we had made when we previously had skis. After having the group for a few months we had a request to join from Kev Hemingway and soon realized our goals were parallel. To bring great people together to enjoy the sport to the fullest. We quickly began to share our events and plan events together.
WCJ: Steve, you mention that the CFJR isn’t a club, but a group of riders. What’s the benefit of such a loose affiliation?
SC: We had previously been a member of a few different “clubs” we had found them to be political at times which hindered their growth and got in the way of the fun. We have attracted a great bunch of people who would rather not let club politics distract from the events and riding fun. We encourage all members to be involved with planning rides/events and helping out new member as well as those who have just purchased new ski’s and are new to the sport altogether.
WCJ: What kind of attendance do your events/rides regularly see? How about attendees from outside of your group boundaries?
KH: Our format has changed a bit over the years, each time I feel the level of our club escalated. In the beginning we were lucky to get 5 or 6 riders to come out. Over the past years we have moved from just your typical local ride and social event, to exploratory riding during the week with whomever could ride to a more structured event such as destination touring once a month. In addition, we have also done expedition rides out of the country and added out of state rally this year.
Now it is a combination of all of that plus race and buoy practices for those racing or interested in racing. On any given ride the attendance could be 20–to-40 riders. Due to the ride locations, size and reach of our club, there are always folks who are not locals and most all members have opportunity to make a few rides, if not all. This is solely attributed to networking with local and out of state PWC clubs in conjunction with our JJ chapters, around the country and in Canada currently.
SC: Depending on the time of year we have had as many as 32 skis on our Silver River Ride from Leesburg, FL, to Silver Springs, FL. In the winter months it’s not uncommon to draw 8-12 skis on a chilly day in a time of year most wouldn’t consider riding. We welcome all riders and promote safe and courteous PWC operation at all times. At times, we have more than one ride choice for the same day. This way people have a choice of where to go and what area suits them best.
WCJ: So together, the Jetski Junkies and CFJR have a pretty full schedule of rides year round, huh? Kev and Steve, what has been one of your most memorable rides? (either together or separately)
KH: Yes sir! Between our two clubs alone there are rides scheduled every weekend with some spilling over into the normal week which incidentally is my favorite time to ride, less ramp and water traffic, then you add in any networking with other local or regional clubs and let’s just say, there is no shortage of riding.
The most memorable ride, speaking for my family as a whole, our most recent rally, the South Carolina Waterfall Ride has been the highlight of my 33 years jet skiing. There is no way I can write a few lines to even do it justice but this was the prelude to the first National PWC Rally hosted by both the CFJR and JJUSA. With 47 riders representing five clubs and six JJ chapters coming in from around the country, it marked for me, a lifetime achievement of club ownership.
Hopefully Steve feels the same way! [laughs] We could not have picked a better location or time for this first rally. The landfall point was Devil’s Fork State Park in Salem, SC offering all accommodations and boat ramp access to Lake Jocassee, a man made lake that sits in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains offering up at least eight waterfalls ranging from small to large which are only accessible by small watercraft making PWCs the optimal vehicle to take in this Top 10 spot to visit and vacation. The breathtaking views, relaxing evenings all combined with the camaraderie of like minded people made this one of the best for my family, no one was disappointed…until we had to leave.
SC: One of the most memorable rides was The Great Okie Ride where our journey took us from the Kissimmee River near Sebring, FL across Lake Okeechobee to Stuart via the Okeechobee Waterway. We had 15-20 mph winds which made for a 22 mile ride across Lake Okeechobee in 4-6 foot seas. It was tough, but still a great time.
WCJ: Tell us about the kinds of watercraft your riders are using on your rides? Having put on so many miles on your skis (respectively), what has been your favorite?
KH: We have a wide variety of watercraft being run, most of them are four strokes and range in the years with a good mix of late model skis I would say. Yamaha and Sea-Doo were more prevalent up until 2013 and now we are seeing a larger influx of Kawasaki machines and Honda still has many machines out there as well.
I have personally been fortunate enough to have either owned or ridden about every machine manufactured to date and not one has every one thing you want. The machine that has come the closest to fitting my particular need is the Kawasaki 310 and regardless of model, the machine in itself lends more to the touring rider from 3 major perspectives: 1) The ride of the hull in rough water, 2) The large stock fuel tank at 21.6 gallons and 3) The massive, body smuggling storage it offers.
In ECO mode, the Kawasaki 310 is averaging nearly 5.5mpg on a 310hp SC engine. For myself, who travels and tours 100-plus miles minimum in one shot, all of the before mentioned features are assets. I also have the luxury of the amazing stereo system and cruiser seat with it’s new heat deflecting material which puts it over the top.
SC: We have members with all makes and models, stand-ups, two strokes all the way up to the state of the art machines. Sea-Doo, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, and I think I’ve seen a Polaris or two! I have personally owned Kawasaki, Sea-Doo, and Yamaha and they all make a quality machine. Each bringing something unique to the table. So far I have enjoyed my Yamaha the most.
Having put approximately 1,500 miles on it since purchase, it has served me well. We have seen many members regardless of brand, customizing their skis like never before. Usually people add performance mods but we’ve seen a huge spike in “bling” upgrades. People are having custom seats made as well as new vinyl lettering. Some have completely altered the factory graphics to personalize their ride.
WCJ: How extensive is the planning for a Jetski Junkies event/location ride? Is it like a one-time fee/vacation package or an impromptu group of friends riding together?
KH: That’s a great question and I will start by stating that I think a good portion of our Club success has come down to the planning. As stated above we have a few different layers within the ride structure so that determines what and how much planning is required.
Take for example, if it’s just a day ride, one tanker as we like to call it, that means we are most likely riding an area we are familiar. We plan on 70–to-100 miles so we plan accordingly for fuel and we already know if there is fuel on the water, etc. On any Tour or destination ride this requires weeks, sometimes months of planning, obviously not eight hours a day, five days a week but long nights when those stupid reality shows are crushing the TV is when I do 90% of my planning.
The average tour requires logistics, distance and mapping, GPS waypoints, marinas, fuel, ramps, food, destination hotel/resort, rental buggies/cars or taxi/shuttles, dinner, etc. Then you move into the rally which is months of planning and adjustment and continued follow up with both Sponsors and Riders. Lastly the Expeditions, these are the year long crushers that are so full of unknowns that no matter how much planning, prepping and effort may or may not matter. These are the trips out of country, ex. US to the Bahamas. For the one tankers and tours, everyone is pay as you go although we plan it all out, we give our members all the info to make their own arrangements. The rally and expedition trips are a bit more planning and require deposits which are needed to make arrangements on behalf of the Members as neither JJUSA nor CFJR have mandatory yearly membership dues and we work solely on our love and passion for the Sport.
SC: Most of our rides are informal and planned about a week in advance. We usually have at least two planned rides per month. Often time more in the warmer months. We have begun planning overnight and out of state rides recently with great success.
WCJ: As you mentioned Kev, recently, Jetski Junkies and CFJR went on a pretty big adventure to South Carolina. What made you pick that location What made it particularly attractive for a jet ski trip? Tell us about the trip – how long did you spend, what landmarks did you see, etc?
KH: A couple of our Members live relatively close and camp near by there quite a bit. They had posted pics of themselves on Lake Jocassee and the pics were amazing! After some research I tried to put together a quick impromptu ride in October during foliage season amongst a few other large rides we had planned, so it just didn’t work.
Well, Steve also saw those pics and we got together on face book and decided to reach out to the other local Clubs to see about setting up a ride and a few months later the Rally was initiated. The details came together in about three months and of course an evolution process took place during that time as more and more focus was put on the location. We were finding out about all the area had to offer and how amazing and beautiful it is and how it would make for one heck of a family retreat, thus the rally was born. The trip was May 1–4, 2014 with arrival Thursday May 1 for most. A welcome reception was hosted that evening with food and spirits to thank everyone for the long journey to come together. We had amazing stand alone Villas overlooking the lake for most as well as both RV and tent camping for others.
Friday, we rode Lake Jocassee approximately 60-plus miles hugging the shoreline and scavenging for as many waterfalls as we could find rushing down off the Blue Ridge Mountains. We took in at least nine waterfalls, some large enough to ride our watercraft right in and under, nothing compares to this, nothing. The most amazing part about this lake is it was man made for hydro-energy reasons and has depths reaching 300-feet yet still offering many sandy beach retreats and virtually no homes or business dotting the shoreline, just pristine shores and lots of wilderness and privacy. After an amazing day on the water, most of us got some eats and then headed over to the campsites for a campfire social, just an amazing way to end the day.
Saturday took us all to Lake Keowee, just a few short miles away from Devil’s Fork State Park. Lake Keowee is separated from Lake Jocassee by a 300-foot dam and is approximately 20 miles long yet offering nearly 300 miles of shoreline. Lake Keowee, not as noted for waterfalls although there are some, is better recognized for all the massive and beautiful homes dotting the shoreline as well as all the small islands throughout the lake with beautiful sandy beaches you can ride right up to and hang out for the day. Another 70 miles that day just cruising and exploring the aqua green waters and taking in a very cool waterfall and finding jump off rock where the locals cliff dive. If that wasn’t great enough, the day ended back at the CFJR HQ for a pulled pork BBQ dinner & dessert combined with Awards, Prizes and lots of swag! Sunday everyone left out on their own wrapping up one of my most memorable Jet Ski trip experiences.
SC: Last October I saw a member who lives in the Carolina’s post a photo of herself on her ski in front of a waterfall. She mention it was in South Carolina. I show my wife the photo and said “We’ve got to get a group trip up there!” We asked Kev if he’d be interested in joining us with his group and six months later we had over 30 skis on Lake Jocassee from as far away as Texas and New Jersey. The location was perfect.
Devil’s Fork State Park, Lake Jocassee with at least eight waterfalls accessible by ski, the Smoky Mountains and the Nantahala National Forest as the backdrop. It was a no brainer! Witnessing 80-foot high Laurel Fork Falls from a PWC in the waters of Lake Jocassee is a once-in-a-lifetime shot. Crossing from SC to North Carolina to see the Keowee Toxaway cable bridge was breathtaking as well.
WCJ: Do your groups have any more combined out-of-state rides planned? What does 2014 hold?
SC: We are currently working on an annual national trip that I will let Kev explain in detail. [laughs] We will continue to ride together locally and on overnight and out of state rides!
KH: Yes, actually we have an expedition to the Bahamas this June planned as well as a combo RV/jet ski tour to New England and back which will bring us to Lake Hartwell in SC, Lancaster, PA and Lake Sunapee in NH. The Fall will bring our annual Atlantic Coast tour, which is Ormond Beach to Jekyll Island, GA with a bonus Atlantic Coast tour, which will be Jekyll Island to Hilton Head, SC being planned currently and then the Jetski Junkies hold it’s annual Tampa Invasion ride bringing together Florida clubs and riders to do a 50 mile insertion ride right into downtown Tampa.
Last year we totaled nearly 40 PWCs and hope to add a few more this year. In addition to that both Steve and Michelle of CFJR as well as Angi and myself for JJUSA are in full on planning mode for next year’s National PWC Rally to be held in one of the most sought after ride locations in the United States, New York, New York, respectfully dubbed “Freedom Ride 2015”. All of the info can be found on the website and on Facebook. We hope to continue in planning, hosting and rallying members and riders from around the country to plan and attend the National PWC Rally each and every year.
Before the safety police get all uppity, this is not another case of a “celebrity too cool to wear a life vest.” This is clearly a posed, professionally-taken image for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s Instagram account (it’s actually a pretty awesome thread. You should subscribe).
Captioned, “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads” with the hashtag “#GoldCoastRidin”, The Rock took to the waters of Australia’s Gold Coast in between days on the set of his newest big budget blockbuster “San Andreas” a earthquake-themed disaster flick titles after the titular Southern Californian fault line.
The shot of the 41-year-old aboard a Pearl White Yamaha FX HO was grabbed in Queensland a couple of weeks ago and has made the rounds on various media outlets. The former professional footabll player-turned professional wrestler-turned action movie star began filming a couple of weeks ago. The thriller follows a helicopter pilot who has to trek across the state to find his estranged daughter, due to hit theaters in 2015.
According to The Daily Mail, “This all follows a landmark year for the actor, as between Fast & Furious 6, Pain & Gain, G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Snitch, he became 2013’s highest grossing Hollywood performer, with a combined total of $1.3billion in box office receipts.”
Sometimes, you just plain miss out on something awesome. And this year’s National PWC Rally hosted by Jetski Junkies and CFJR (Central FL Jet Riders) was definitely one of these. The location for this awesome three night, four day trip featured two full days of riding around South Carolina’s Devil’s Fork State Park, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Riders were met with a welcome reception, before enjoying days of amazing riding around Lake Jocassee and Lake Keowee. There, riders were provided with a campsite social and served a pulled pork BBQ dinner (with dessert) and treated with no shortage of swag, prizes and gifts.
The backdrop for all the pictures you see of the new 2014 Sea-Doo models, Lake Jocassee is best known for an abundance waterfalls dotting the shores. Nearly 300 feet lower is Lake Keowee, separated by a man-made dam. Keowee is lined with, as Jetski Junkies’ Kev Hemingway puts, “ridiculous yet beautiful homes, new age castles, some waterfalls but mostly for the amount of islands dotted all throughout the lake.”
Enjoy the video recap of the near-week long trip and try not to turn green with envy.
It had been the end of last summer since my last trip to the Atchafalaya Spillway and with the Spring rise commencing, I knew deep water was abundant. And, like the rest of the South, Louisiana got a “real winter” in early 2013; surface vegetation would not be a problem either. Over the levee I had to go. Joining me for today’s ride was an old high school buddy of mine, Mike Gautreau. Mike and I still live in the same community and usually share a cup of coffee each morning before starting our day. I knew it would be a special treat to share a day riding together.
Our plan was to mark some trails in the spillway, then pick up and re-drop on the Belle-side of the levee. We made it to the launch just after 10am finding very little traffic, save the crawfishermen, and a stiff 25-to-30 knot breeze coming straight out of the south. I chatted with one of the fishermen hauling out his morning catch who had just returned from Grand Lake and reported, “three to five footers.” Hmmm… We hadn’t left the dock and we were already on Plan B.
The Belle River Public Launch: the jump-off point for a ride on the wild side in the Atchafalaya Spillway.
It mattered not – there was too much water in other places. We put the wind at our back and bounced north in the Intercoastal through the two-foot chop until we found Old River. With the majority of the wind blocked off, we traveled the length of the river taking Bayou Mallet where the two waterways met. A mile into Bayou Mallet we came across a large O&G operation putting large assets in place. After a brief discussion with a tug captain, we learned that an extraction unit was being installed to capture a large pocket of natural gas sitting 30,000 feet below us.
Sitting 30,000 feet above the riches of South Louisiana.
We idled past the work zone (and I later note it was the only time we stopped for traffic) and took back to the trail. We crossed over via Middle Fork, and took the turn into West Fork.
Although this was the same track to Grand Lake, I’d thought we’d investigate the Skeeter Canal which I have not been down in over 25 years.
With this part of the trail not marked, we went “off the grid” where I only made two wrong turns before finding the correct route. It was a good feeling knowing I found the way from some long ago remembered route shown to me by my father so very many years ago.
A wrong turns easily finds the end of the trail.
We carved our way through the Zig-Zag canals (aptly named) and was once again back at the O&G work zone in Bayou Mallet. Again, we zipped over through Middle Fork and then made the turn left (as opposed to the earlier right) and worked our way back to the ramp while completing an ugly “Figure 8” through the swamp. It was noon when we arrived back at the ramp, where back to the other side of the levee we went.
Treacherous waters at Persimmon Pass.
Our second drop of the day was at Doiron’s ramp in Stephensville. With the bikes back in the water, we went straight to Gros’ Marina where the burgers were hot and the band pumping out some tunes. Refreshed, we took to the water, heading south in Four Mile Bayou and then east into Bayou Felix. We took Felix nearly all the way to Grassy Lake, but decided to skip the open water and circumnavigated our way through the canals and bayous.
We finally found Belle River, near Persimmon Pass that connects Lake Palourde to the smaller Grassy Lake. The wind was howling in the pass and we opted to idle through the rough water. Heading back up north, we each took on five extra gallons of fuel at the Mosquito Bar where we ran into some friends from back home.
A smooth cruise down Bayou Felix.
After a quick break, we were back on the trail and on a camp-hopping tour of Belle River. We made a few stops as we found friends and relatives on our northward track. It was at our last stop, just across the river from the Spunky Monkey where we found some friends and one television celebrity – Glenn Guist of the History Channel’s “Swamp People.”
Left to Right: Billy, Glenn, and Mike
With the wind still gusting and the clouds threatening, we mounted the skis for the last time and headed back for the ramp. It was a fifteen mile sprint and twice we were hit by a few stinging rain drops. It was a great day of riding, seeing the sights, and visiting with friends. And wouldn’t you know it – one mile shy of the ramp I found one more friend, Jerry Gaddis. We had a very brief visit, but I’ll see him next week at the annual Mudbug PWC Rally. I know he’ll be there; it’s his party.
It’s a pretty good day when you can wake up and share that one of the industry’s most respected and well known companies has recognized the value in your enterprise. That is why all of us here at The Watercraft Journal are very excited to announce the addition of Hydro-Turf to its growing list of advertisers. Together with HT Moto and HT Premier, the whole Hydro-Turf family has demonstrated a continued commitment to supporting the entirety of the personal watercraft industry, from the top level world-traveling racer to the everyday enthusiast looking to get the most from their PWC, and we’re very honored to be a small part of that.
Hydro-Turf has a long history of providing top quality EVA-based, non-skid soft matting and padding for personal watercraft, as well as boats and paddle boards. In recent years, Hydro-Turf expanded its reach to developing high quality canvas seat covers for PWC, motorcycles, UTVs, sandrails and dune buggies (and much more) through its HT Moto line. Not only has Hydro-Turf become the central provider for aftermarket enthusiasts, but the OEMs themselves, most notably providing Kawasaki and Yamaha with mats for their latest high horsepower machines.
Improving the look of your ski has never been so beneficial, as new Hydro-Turf mats provide added traction, impact resistance, and comfort. Today, Hydro-Turf products are found in and out of the water across the globe, as the brand has become an international name. For you racers, you’ll see Hydro-Turf as the title sponsor for the HT Pro Watercross Tour (which The Watercraft Journal was the first in the world to provide a full recap, results and photo gallery), as well as other regional and national events. Expect to see much, much more from Hydro-Turf here at The Watercraft Journal over the next weeks and months.
Two weeks ago kicked off the racing season in a big way, with both the first round of the Jettribe West Coast Nationals Series (how can it be both the “west coast” and “nationals”? – Ed) in Parker, Arizona as well as the inaugural Aqua Moto Grand Prix in Lake Havasu, Arizona. And our friends at Jet Renu were at both events in a big way.
Not only did the new Jet Renu rig make an appearance in Havasu, providing spectators, racers and passersby with a hands-on look at the most comprehensive personal watercraft cleaning and detailing system in the industry, but they provided some impressive “goodie bags” for selected winners. Likewise, sponsored Jet Renu racers Mark Gomez and Jake Zier were in fine form at the Aqua Moto Grand Prix.
Recently, Jet Renu broke into the MX market. Jet Renu’s own Nanette Defalco Moreno said, “Our Jet Renu brand has since morphed into more than just watercraft. We are now “Watercraft & Motorsport” with distributors world-wide, some of which are private label.
“We are also, very pleased to say that after a long tumultuous effort we can finally say that Jet Renu will be on Amazon in the next two weeks. Which allows us to be purchased worldwide by those who otherwise would not be able to appreciate our product’s where the lack of distributors may not be available.”
Again, this is big news for Jet Renu and we congratulate them on the growth and encourage all of you to check out their awesome products!
Listen, whether you like it or not, the Sea-Doo Spark has gotten the industry’s attention. The lightweight entry-level ski has made a big splash with hardcore enthusiasts, racers, casual riders and newcomers across the board. Sea-Doo’s goal of “two on a trailer” for the price a full-sized runabout is still viable and bringing in the buyers.
Don’t believe it? Sea-Doo’s own media is saying that the public reaction to the Spark has been so strong that sales are nearly maxing out 2014 production numbers, meaning the Sparks are actually selling out! Hopefully, this new demand won’t hike up the prices at the dealerships, or it’ll undo all the good this entry-point-friendly ski has made.
But do not dismay, Sea-Doo vows that dealers will have all the units necessary to meet demand and is continuing with its Sea-Doo Demo Ride Tour. To whit, Middle Tennessee’s own America’s Motor Sports dealerships is hosting its own Spark demo weekend at the scenic Nashville Shores Park in Percy Priest Lake just east of downtown Nashville, Tennessee.
Many will recall Nashville Shores as the once location of the annual APBA Nationals, as well as a host of events throughout the last couple decades. Held Friday, May 30th to Sunday, June 1st, the Sea-Doo Demo Tour will also feature some great deals on Sparks, as well as the entire Sea-Doo lineup. So don’t miss out on your chance to try out the Spark and maybe go home a new Sea-Doo owner!
Although many had initial doubts of Kawasaki’s JetSound speaker system unique to the 2014 Ultra 310LX, the buying public clearly couldn’t be happier with the MP3-playing sound system – as evidence by the vehicle’s initial sales over the past quarter.
Between the controls of the 310LX is a Jensen head unit that control Kawasaki’s new JetSound audio system. The LCD display communicates with your USB memory stick, MP3 player or iPhone/iPad/iPod (or other digital music player) to a pair of 30-watt waterproof speakers mounted below the mirrors, powered by an amp rated at 20W (x2 channels, max 40W x2).
Let, for those who want to push their LX to the limits, swapping out the plastic handlebars for a sturdier aftermarket set means losing that head unit…that is, until now. SE Speedmagic has modified their billet steering cover that housed the cruise control until (allowing for a billet aftermarket throttle trigger) to also house the JetSound head unit.
Relocating the Jensen unit from the handlebars to the dash allows riders to enjoy their music while riding without sacrificing the added security of durable MX-style handlebars. The Osaka, Japan company has been perfecting the art of providing top quality components that add convenience, strength and durability with a bunch of innovation. Make sure to check ’em out.
Besides coming with a special iPhone 5/5s case, the olloclip comes with lens caps, a carrying pouch, and iPod touch 5th Generation adapter.
Every now and again we get our hands on something that albeit not entirely specific to personal watercraft, fits itself perfectly in the sport. One of those little gems has got to be the olloclip 4-In-1 lens (in our case, for the iPhone 5/5s).
If you’ve never heard of olloclip, don’t be disappointed. Unless you’re a big tech geek, a professional photographer or Machead, you likely wouldn’t have. They’re not exactly a mainstream item. The camera in the iPhone 5/5s is already a stout little piece at 8 megapixels.
There’s no shortage of high resolution images of gorgeous vistas, beautiful landscapes and quirky candid shots of friends and family taken from iPhones without the assistance of an olloclip – and that’s fine. The olloclip 4-In-1 lens isn’t meant to “fix” the iPhone camera but enhance it.
The standard camera lens of the iPhone 5/5s is rather narrow, whereas the quick-connect olloclip 4-In-1 lens includes a broad-spectrum Fisheye, Wide-Angle and two Macro lenses in one small, compact package that easily fits in your pocket.
Using the Wide-angle lens while snapping a panoramic shot opens up the vista by double. Detail shots of engine compartments, pumps or other hard to reach spots are made easy with the 10X and 15x lenses.Although the olloclip is cheaper than most decorative cases ($69), it’s not by any means “cheap.”
The olloclip’s lenses are made with precision-ground, coated glass multi-element optics, as the barrels are made from red-anodized CNC-machined aircraft grade aluminum. The lens simply slides over the iPhone’s corner camera, holding snug thanks to the olliclip’s soft plastic center body.
Switching between the Fisheye and Wide Angle lenses is as easy and reserving the olloclip, immediately changing the angle and range of the image. The 4-In-1 lenses are fully-capable as well, the Fisheye lens captures “approximately a 180° field-of-view”, the Wide-angle lens doubles the field-of-view of the standard iPhone lens, and the 10x and 15x Macro Lens has an approx. 18mm and 12mm focus distance (respectively). To access either Macro lens, simply unscrew and remove the Wide-Angle or Fisheye lenses.
We first tested the olloclip at the 2014 Nashville Boat Show and were pleased with the results. Since then, we’ve used the olloclip at nearly opportunity.
For those who regularly use their iPhone for photographing and recording video while riding, the added field of view is worth the price of admission alone.
Given the cost of SLR cameras and the increasing technology imbued in our smart phones, the olloclip is the budget-friendly solution that we had been asking for. Although, we’ve misplaced the little satchel more times than we’d like to admit (thankfully, we’ve found it a day or two later), the little palm-sized attachment has delivered in a big way.
Although the post didn’t specify whether these “high speed boats” were personal watercraft, we do know that Hellenic Special Forces were recently pictured on specially-prepped smoked-out Sea-Doo RXT 215 runabouts. The Special Forces Directorate had 12 Sea-Doo RXTs ordered from Bombardier Recreational Products Inc. (BRP) for use against as counter-insurgent equipment.
