The Thrust Innovations crew took no time airing out their skis.
This event started three years ago when Howard Simmons (aka “Blue”) of Blue Port Worx, a freestyle engine builder with JetManiac invited some friends over to ride and celebrate his birthday. Since then, the event has grown each year, and this year’s ride had over 40 skis and riders.
The ride has evolved from a small local central Florida event to a regional event drawing riders from all over Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee. Chris Anyzeski and crew from Thrust Innovations made the trip up with four skis stacked in a pickup bed after leaving their trailer roadside after an axle failure.
The event is held at the lakeside engine building compound of Blue Port Worx on Alligator Lake in St. Cloud, Florida just southeast of Orlando. Alligator Lake is over 3,400 acres and the largest lake in the Kissimmee chain of five connected lakes.
What waves were provided by a wake boat when freestylists and freeriders needed additional amplitude.Originating as a birthday bash for Blue Port Worx’s Howard “Blue” Simmons, the Alligator Lake Ride has become an annual tradition.
This ride always has a wide variety of skis and riders with a equal array of riding styles. There were surf riders from both the east and west coasts of Florida and lake riders from all over. For some of the riders that are just accustomed to riding surf, it is a big change to ride freshwater and jump and slash boat wakes. There were riders from teenagers to a local veteran rider in his 70’s still riding his SuperJet with stroker motor.
There were many types of skis including both stock and modified SuperJets and FX1’s, carbon Superfreaks from JetManiac and Blue, Backie Chans, Rickters, Xscream KDXs, Superfreak Titans from Thrust, and Superfreak Circus from Tem of Superfreak; all running engines ranging from stock 650s to monsters from DASA, PHP, and XScream.
The flatwater highlight was a freestyle expression session showdown between Chris Anyzeski on Tem of Superfreak’s Circus with a DASA 1200 and Lucas Vasconsuelos on his KDX XS1200 powered ski. It is amazing to watch these two riders dueling on two of the most capable flatwater skis ever built.
For a “non-event” this fun ride weekend welcomed riders across Florida, Georgia and even Tennessee. Everyone had a great time at this low key backyard freeride and look forward to returning next year.
Say what you will about the new Sea-Doo Spark, the creative types at BRP have sure had a lot of fun promoting the little-runabout-that-could. Charging head-first into an aggressive marketing campaign, Sea-Doo has placed the Spark before more eyes than any personal watercraft before it over the past decade (or more).
Sure, the weird rave party in Miami with Deadmaus was an exclusive affair chocked full of celebrities and enthusiasts of personal watercraft and glow sticks, but what’s really jumped at us are the YouTube videos. Edited with catchy pop tunes over happy, shiny people riding colorful plastic Sparks is sweet enough to give you cavities.
The latest of YouTube sensation hails from uber popular action/lifestyle videographer Deven Graham (aka Devin Supertramp). Together with the incredible wakeskate talents of the Nike/Sea-Doo Wake athletes – Nick Taylor, Ben Horan, and Jen GilanFarr – Devin successfully shows how the Spark can tow a wakeskater (with a second passenger, no less!) and upset some cattle to boot!
Of course, Sea-Doo sought out Devin for his massive Youtube following to better introduce the new entry-level craft to a whole new demographic of would-be customers, claiming “With the Sea-Doo Spark, the boating life is much more accessible to more people than ever before, and is poised to help re-spark the marine industry.”
Say, how would you like a Sea-Doo RXP-X producing not the advertised 260 horsepower, but a true 320 ponies? And how would you like it brand new, never-before beaten on or raced? And how would you like it in show-level condition and loaded to the gills with RIVA Racing gear? Oh, and just for good measure, a brand new Load Rite trailer to haul it from the showroom to the lake?
Right now, this insane project is sitting pretty in the dealer’s showroom looking for a new home. Originally a GEICO show ski that followed the boat show circuit, the RXP-X is powered by a 320-horsepower 1,499cc Rotax 4-stroke motor with ZERO hours of use. Packed with lots of upgrades, including a RIVA Pro Series Steering system, billet iControl levers, RIVA Cold Air Intake kit, RIVA intake grate, RIVA Pro Series sponsons, RIVA Billet Trim Tabs, RIVA rear mat, Solas Impeller, RIVA Free Flow Exhaust, RIVA Intake Manifold Upgrade Kit, RIVA So-Con GPS overide, an ECU reflash, and finished with custom paint and graphics.
And we’re also very happy to note that since well before and carrying through Memorial Day, WMF Watercraft has been off-loading dozens of pre-owned and refurbished personal watercraft unlike any other used PWC dealer around. These guys move some serious product and it’s very likely that this race-ready show-stopper RXP-X will not last long so you better act quickly.
Tired of your usual riding spots? Looking for something a little more exotic? Well, we think we might’ve found the right location for you: the gorgeous Island of Ibiza. Located in the Mediterranean Sea just off the coast of Spain, Ibiza plays host to the Jetbou, a 10-day personal watercraft festival and massive adventure ride that is literally incomparable to what most of us PWC enthusiasts have experienced.
Organized by Paul Hughes, this year’s festival is already scheduled for the third through the 13th October. Participants are entreated to full service treatment, as they take trucks full of participants’ watercraft on the 1,200 mile journey from the UK through France and Spain, then catching another ferry to the Island of Ibiza.
Riders then fly out on a 2-and-a-half hour flight from the UK to join in the festival. Hughes told The Watercraft Journal, “Last year we took 107 watercraft. It was the 10th anniversary of the Jetbou festival. This year we already have 58 skis booked.”
Sponsored by Yamaha, Icom, Brittany Ferries, Hydro Turf and Line 1, Hughes encourages those interested to visit www.jetbou.co.uk.
The official press release is below:
Do you own a Jetski? Do you want to Jetski in the Mediterranean Island of Ibiza? From £395 for Stand Ups and £725 for Sit down Jetskis we will organise return transport for your Ski to Ibiza from locations around the UK and organise security at night for your ski and safety boats for trips around the island. We launch your ski every morning and recover it every night night! We organise the hotel and nightly entertainment. All you have to do is organise your flights. Interested then look for more details on www.jetbou.co.uk or call Paul on 07879461803
Small details abound on the whole FX series WaveRunners, including this padded watertight storage bin for your phone, keys and wallet.
We’ve grappled with the amalgam of “luxury” and “performance.” Too often these terms get thrown around a little too loosely in our industry, and often at the hands of the OEMs themselves. What exactly makes a personal watercraft a “performance” craft is usually pretty easy to define, while a true “luxury” PWC is as difficult as nailing Jell-O to the wall. Thankfully, Yamaha Motor Corp. doesn’t pigeon-hole their various models by such limitations.
For the brand’s full-sized runabout class – the FX – there are three variations of performance; the HO, SHO and SVHO. Of course, the Super Vortex High Output package constitutes much more than Yamaha’s all-new for 2014 SVHO engine, which takes the Super High Output (SHO) engine and radically increases the overall efficiency by 110-percent.
The SHO’s cast pistons have been replaced with 8.5:1 compression forged pistons. Likewise, the SHO’s 42-pound injectors have been swapped for larger 60-pound squirters, and a larger intercooler is 22-percent more efficient over the prior unit. Lastly, a larger, 86mm HKS supercharger spools up to an impressive 60-percent more boost thanks to a new 6-vein impeller.
The 2014 FX Cruiser SVHO is the single-biggest selling luxury performance PWC on the market today, outselling both entries from Kawasaki and Sea-Doo.Yamaha maintains the right-hand reverse lever (now featuring a mechanical Neutral gear and “N” indicator) as a safety precaution.
The SVHO package also includes a race-bred 8-vein pump housing a 160mm impeller, producing significantly more thrust. The Yamaha’s new-found power is delivered with gusto, catapulting a single rider with only a gallon or two of fuel in the 18.5 gallon tank from 0-to-30 in 1.5 seconds, and to 60mph in just over double that. Once properly broken in (a factory-suggested minimum 10 riding hours), the SVHO-powered FXs have been recorded to speed a tick or two past 70 miles per hour.
But again, the sucker punch-fast speeds of the SVHO doesn’t fully encapsulate the complete rider experience of the 2014 FX Cruiser SVHO, because although it was pretty much all we wanted to do, this particular WaveRunner isn’t defined by just hauling some serious tail around the lake.
Yamaha has taken several steps to get to this level of refinement. The current FX hull was only recently redesigned, extending the chines and massaging a few other points, hoping to inject a little more adrenaline into the three-seater segment.
Don’t let the FX Cruiser SVHO’s refined appearance fool you; this ski loves to cut a hard corner like its rowdy FX SVHO sibling.The new SVHO engine is a staggering 110-percent more efficient thanks to a larger intercooler, fuel injectors supercharger, and higher compression pistons.
Hewn from the brand’s proprietary NanoXcel material, the deceptively lightweight FX Cruiser SVHO tips the scales at 875 pounds (dry). Likewise, hours have been poured into seemingly minor details, like a flat and contoured, pistol-style hand grips, responsive and easy to reach toggles on the handlebars, and a true mechanical neutral gear (with indicator) in throw of the reverse lever.
Tilt steering has all but become a standard feature on the FX series, as well as the twist-cap dry storage found both in the dashboard – a padded cubby for cell phones, keys and wallets – as well as a watertight bin beneath the rear seat.
Yamaha’s FX units also feature one of the broadest swim platforms in the industry with a flat-topped folding swim step.
Fore and aft are ample storage, totaling 33.5 gallons of stowage. The rear box is “wet” and therefore is best suited for tow ropes and swimming accessories as the glove box and bow storage is best for valuables, towels, bags and such.
Yamaha engineers eliminate the need to reach over your handlebars to toggle through in-dash settings by positioning the controls below the bars.With a romp of the throttle, the FX Cruiser SVHO erupts in a fury of acceleration, catapulting you to 30mph in 1.5 seconds. Yet, the 1,812cc plant performs best throughout its mid-range, continuing to pull to its 70mph max speed.
The Cruiser package not only adds the tiered and scalloped stadium-style seating, which comfortably positions riders in stepped seating, but also provides the FX a statelier Yacht Blue Metallic livery and grey-on-black Hydro-Turf matting.
Additionally, the gauge cluster features a second LCD screen to the right of the analog speedo/tachometer providing available air/water temperatures, fuel consumption rates and fuel “countdown” meter, and a digital compass.
While the additional Cruiser package digital readout was appreciated, we wish the compass wasn’t so vague, giving actually heading coordinates rather than the generic “north” or “northeast.” Likewise, the FX gauges are a little dull compared to the eye-catching cluster on its FZ platformed siblings. While easily readable and navigated, the two square LCD screens are a tad on the boring side.
Other small quibbles include Yamaha’s pop-up cleats, which are too dainty for dockside mooring lines to use effectively. Likewise, while we enjoyed the added comfort of the Cruiser seat, the thick cushioned bolster discriminates against taller riders placing us too far forward for our preference.
Besides the ample swim platform and folding boarding step, the rear of the Yamaha FX Cruiser SVHO features two-tone Hydro-Turf mats and a convenient “wet” rear storage locker.Although Yamaha’s bow storage is the smallest of the OEM’s full-sized offerings, it does fill most rider’s needs, and is big enough to swallow a complete PWC cover and a pair of lifevests (we know, we crammed ’em all in there).
Yet, with a rap of the throttle, these small grievances go flying behind us like so much scenery. Without gushing too emphatically, the SVHO gallops to top speed in seconds, rises to plane almost immediately and responds almost intuitively with the flick of the trigger or a twitch of the steering. We found that despite its upper crust persona, the FX Cruiser SVHO revels in deep-in-the-tray, leaning out over the rail cornering – almost daring you to keep into the throttle longer than your brain’s caution sensor would recommend.
We love, love, love the FX SVHO in the corners with the manual trim set a notch or two down. Seriously. It’s a whole lot of fun. Just slide off to the side of your seat, drop your knee flat into the footwell, lean hard and nail the gas while snapping into a turn. It might be the g-forces at play, but the smile stretching across your face will last for hours.
With a full tank of go-juice in the SVHO’s belly, we clicked an impressive 69.8mph on our Garmin GPS. Correcting for the barometric pressure on Lake Allatoona, Georgia, that speed becomes a 70.3mph, and that’s pretty dang fast for a bone-stock factory-built runabout.
Impressively, the FX Cruiser SVHO is the industry’s biggest selling luxury performance runabout. These machines are in high demand and quite frankly, we understand why. Priced at $15,399, they come in thousands of dollars cheaper than fully-loaded offerings from both Kawasaki and Sea-Doo. Coming in lighter, less expensive and faster than the aforementioned competitors, it’s no wonder the FX Cruiser SVHO is pulling ahead of the rest.
[Editor’s note: Huge thanks to Yamaha’s Andrew Cullen for letting us beat on a pair of SVHO-powered FX’s for a couple of days and snapping all of our action shots in this article!]
Pierre Maixent would dominate the brackets and rise to the top of the podium for the 10th anniversary of the Montalivet event.
Last weekend the world’s best freeride jet skiers gathered in France for Round 2 of the IFWA tour. It was the 10th anniversary for the Jet Jump contest held at Montalivet beach. The entry list has continued to grow each year, with riders from all over the world. This year showcased the best standup and sit down riders competing to earn points towards the IFWA world championship title. New for 2014 is a Women’s division. It’s great to see some women participating in the sport.
Americans Zack Bright and Brandon Lawlor shipped their skis across the pond, and packed their bags for the French coast; Bright riding a Krash Industries Predator built by the team at Blowsion, and Lawlor riding his Rickter FR2 built by TC Freeride.
The TC Freeride team is so close to each other, Brandon Lawlor loaned his teammate from Mexico, Abraham Ho his purple and yellow Rickter to compete on for his heats. That really shows us the family in the Freeride world.
American Brandon Lawlor fell to Maixent before moving onto the quarter finals.The riders head to Round 3 of the IFWA this weekend in the UK.
Zack Bright couldn’t be missed in his Burn Industries gear and his bright paint job. Although, Lawlor could be the model for Jet Pilot with his matching purple and yellow throw back colors. That really shows us the family in the Freeride world.
The waves were 1-to-3 foot with some wind chop for most of the competition and the riders always come out to display their biggest bag of trick no matter the conditions. This is what makes this sport so entertaining. Riders were throwing themselves, pushing the limits to move onto the next heat. The format was head to head competition. Up riding first was Brandon Lawlor who took down James Shield and forced Shields into the LCQ. Up next was Abraham Ho who out rode Romain Coureau forcing Romain into the LCQ. Zack Bright rode flawlessly in his heat against Theo Roman and moved onto Heat 3.
In the top 16 riders for round 3, Lawlor had a tough draw with one of the best in the world, Pierre Maxient. Lawlor wouldn’t advance as Pierre riding was too much. Abraham Ho took on Federicho Bufacchi in round 3 and Federicho came out on top. Zack Bright rode against Steven Foot in round 3 and had a strong run to move onto the quarter finals. Zack Bright got revenge for Abraham against Federico in the quarter finals to move onto the semi-finals.
Zack Bright, the only American to make is past the quarterfinals, was now riding against Australian Michael Anthony. Michael came out on top and earned an entry into the finals against Pierre Maxient. Zack Bright would go onto defeat Gil Beurnier in the consolation finals earning 3rd place and getting on the podium. Pierre Maxient would take down Michael Anthony in the finals earning the number one spot up on the podium.
There are deals, and then there are deals, and friends, we’ve got a deal for you. As of this morning, Yamaha WaveRunners is offering an exclusive package for those of us who would rather quit than sit: a smokin’ deal that gets you a brand-new 2014 Yamaha SuperJet for $99 a month. That’s right, for the first two years of ownership, you pay less than your cell phone, cable or your mandatory Obamacare bill.
This new sales incentive program is yet another that the good folks at Yamaha have pieced together in recent years to make purchasing a new or a pre-owned WaveRunner as simple and pain-free as possible.
As you might know, Yamaha only produces a limited run of the two-stroke 701cc SuperJet each year, typically holding to a limit of 500 units or so. SuperJets move fast, so getting your grubby little hands on one is a challenge if you’re not on the ball. Now is your chance to purchase the very last OEM-produced standups in the industry, and for cheap!
Even if you missed our exclusive interview with Rob “Vanilla Ice” Van Winkle this time last month, there’s no denying that the former pop rapper cut his teeth riding for Sea-Doo in the 1990s. Vanilla Ice was a genuine professional racer – even climbing the national ranks to be listed as the sixth best runabout racer in 1993. We know that it’s a little strange, sort of like finding out MC Hammer was a professional spelunker or something.
Nevertheless, Vanilla Ice makes his second appearance here on The Watercraft Journal as being the central celebrity interview in this surprisingly long (46-minutes) feature video “Search for Adventure” on a very unique and very cool New River Gorge whitewater race. The New River in West Virginia is some of the most torrential water in the Appalachians and has been known to severely injure and even kill those who dare to tame it. This video showcases some of the best riders at the time – Christy Carlson, Victor Sheldon and Vanilla Ice – as they attempt this feat on their respective personal watercraft.
Sheldon and Carlson are the only two daring the challenge aboard then-new Kawasaki 750s with Van Winkle giving it a go aboard a Kawasaki runabout. Obviously more manuerverable and lighter, the two standups have an advantage over Ice and his sitdown, and prove the better weapon over the rider’s 4-day journey, which will take them through a stretch of Class 5 rapids. We won’t give it all away here; rather, watch it for yourself. It’s some seriously vintage fun!
Sure, personal watercraft can be a huge bucket of fun and a great way to even vent off some aggression at the end of the week – but every now and again, we find a PWC is the best way to slow down, relax and draw a little closer to nature. Then, interestingly enough, sometime nature comes to us.
“A man was recently joined by an unexpected guest during a morning ride on Falmouth Bay in the United Kingdom,” a recent article in the Huffington Post recounted. “In a video shared by Cornwall-based Chough Productions, a dolphin follows a Jet Ski rider as he navigates the bay.”
While many of us have enjoyed the company of a dolphin or two in the distance, this experience is entirely unique as the mammal swims alongside the watercraft, even porpoising out of the water right alongside him before diving beneath the ski.
On the description on YouTube, the rider explains, “It followed me for over 10 minutes. Every time I stopped he would pop up beside me and wait for me to start again.”
The Post continues, “It’s not the first time a dolphin has swam alongside someone for an extended length of time. Last month, a pod of dolphins accompanied a long-distance swimmer across New Zealand’s Cook Strait after a great white shark drew near.
“In another instance earlier this year, a dolphin who was separated from her pod off the coast of Australia sought out beachgoers to play with near Sydney.”
What does the most dynamic personal watercraft cleaning and detailing system have to do with a 600-horsepower high octane massively-rebuilt Yamaha SHO? Plenty, if you ask its pilot Colin Richards. Richards has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Jet Renu and has happily promoted the spray cleaner and wax manufacturer along with his big displacement Pro Open Yamaha FX.
See, Richards steps up to the plate with a storied history of racing open-wheel racecars in the United Kingdom before coming to the States and stepping aboard a PWC. Richards picked up one of the very first big block 1,813cc Yamahas when they first debuted and never looked back. After campaigning his WaveRunner for a couple of years he decided it was time for an upgrade:
“I decided if I was going to rebuild it, then bigger is better!” Richards explained to The Watercraft Journal. “So I started by designing new cylinder liners and with the help of LA Sleeve. They made them to my specs – there is no head gasket. As with all aspects of the engine only the head and the cylinder block castings are OEM. Everything else is to my specs.
Richards intends on his SHO to tout the largest Yamaha engine in the world – totaling 1,987cc and producing in excess of 600 horsepower. He recently recapped, “It is my intention this year to win the [Triple Crown] offshore races.” Although Richards and his wild Yamaha didn’t make it to February’s Mark Hahn Memorial 300, he does intend to be present at the upcoming Long Beach to Catalina Offshore Championship.
This new sales incentive program is yet another that the good folks at Yamaha have pieced together in recent years to make purchasing a new or a pre-owned WaveRunner as simple and pain-free as possible.
