The one thing that can be counted on from our friends below the equator is that they won’t let a good moment go by that can’t be squeezed for the maximum amount of good times as possible. In such fashion, we weren’t surprised by James Tod and the rest of the JetSkiShop.com taking the day to take a half day jaunt in the water.

This also marked another opportunity for James to break in his new 2014 Kawasaki Ultra 310R, which has him swooning over the hard-hitting acceleration and offshore characteristics.

Not the thing of legend, but a nice day on the way, James and crew due a fine job in the video below capturing the good natured fun that took place just a few weeks ago on April 12th. A pack of a few dozen left in the afternoon to enjoy a great sunset ride that ended with a BBQ and bonfire on the beach. That is, if you’re into that kind of paradise.

Those few club members whose skis are equipped with LED and neon lights took the water after the sun dropped below the horizon and enjoyed a short night ride as well. Make sure to click the video below and enjoy the view:

Quite frankly it happened on a lark, with a quip made between The Watercraft Journal’s Editor-in-Chief Kevin Shaw and Kawasaki Product Manager Bret Snider during our test ride of the new 2014 Kawasakis, challenging him to race the intimidating Long Beach-to-Catalina Offshore Championship happening every year in Southern California in late July. Little did we know that Kawasaki would call us out.

That conversation sparked a no-holds-barred effort to charge the Long Beach-to-Catalina Offshore Championship (or LB2CAT for short) as Kawasaki agreed to equip The Watercraft Journal will a brand new 2014 Kawasaki Ultra 310R JetSki for the 56-mile open ocean race. Soon after other manufacturers stepped up to the plate to provide support for The Watercraft Journal’s invasion of the biggest offshore race in the United States.

With that, we want to announce with great aplomb our supporters: First to the bat was Western Power Sports, the fastest growing distributor of powersports products in the nation, with over 120,000 products including off-road and street motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile, and watercraft parts and accessories.

WPS pitched in an awesome Fly Racing F2 Carbon Trey Canard Replica helmet made from the same carbon fiber/Kevlar technology as the Formula brain buckets. WPS also provides us with an amazing Fly Racing Pro Lite Carbon Leatt neck brace and a pair of Dragon Alliance MDX Hydro goggles (with extra lenses no less!).

Covering the rest of our riding gear, we’re very excited to welcome JetPilot who provided us with a fantastic setup of an Apex Race John and Apex S/E vest, a pair of Immersed shorts, gloves and JetPilot’s Race Boots.

Lastly, we’re excited to announce that Derrick Kemnitz Jr. of Hurricane Industries will be providing us a custom wrap for our 310R’s hood.

It’s exciting stuff to have all of these awesome companies behind us as we compete in the lauded Manufacturer Stock class. That’s right, we’re going stock-for-stock, so expect a heck of a showdown – especially as PWCOffshore.com and other racers and supporters have ponied up an impressive $1,200 purse for the class championship!

As today’s modern runabouts become more and more advanced with electronic throttle controls, engine management systems and draw closer and closer to the watercraft that were once the things that won world championships, owners are finding ways of making their new purchases all that more personalized. In fact, we at The Watercraft Journal are big believers in making something “your own,” and we’re excited to share what we think is the best – and easiest – way to do it.

The performance aftermarket is rife with a variety of go-fast parts that can eke out all the more horsepower from your stellar-running machine. But when it comes to giving your ski a little bit of a personal touch, many are reticent to alter their ski’s appearance. Frankly, that’s ridiculous! Sure, you could cough up some serious cash for  custom paint job and pray it comes out the way you envisioned it, or you could do something easier, faster and completely unique: a custom wrap!

Vinyl wraps are becoming incredibly common these days; from trucks, sportscars and personal watercraft, vinyl wraps can radically change the appearance of your ski without pulling it apart and repainting the various panels. Best of all, each panel can be quickly replaced if scratched or torn! Try that with a trick paint job! We spotted French graphic designer and graphics printer Sticksone on his Facebook page and loved the aggressive and eye-catching designs.

And it’s been said for some time now that the Europeans are the best at looking like professional racers on the water. Color-coordinated helmets, wetsuits, and riding gear all matches their skis. Even the Amateur racers look sharp and more importantly professional. If watercross is ever to step up to to grab the attention of a larger audience, a little bit of presentation will work wonders.

You might not have heard of the Norwegian Jetski Club and that’s OK. But, you should know that they are doing a better job at building the future generation of jet ski racers than anywhere else in the world. This is a big statement, and we mean every single syllable of it. The Norwegian Jetski Club has managed to create a complete culture of elevating youth racing through positive engagement, individual achievement and healthy competition.

Alumni of the Norwegian Jetski Club – as it caters to 8-to-17 year old riders – have gone on to compete in France’s stellar Freegun Jetcross Tour as well as other UIM sanctioned events. Part of the Norwegian Jetski Club’s success has been its accessing of professional racers to step in and coach the kids in improving techniques. One such racer did exactly that this weekend, Kevin Reiterer.

On the shores of Bergen, Norway, thirty kids lined up to train with the twelve-time world champion, spending three days “discussing tactics and trying out training techniques in and out of the water,” according to a press release issued by Reiterer’s camp. Despite the 3°C (37.4 Fahrenheit) cold water, smiles were had by all.

“I was really impressed how so many people of Norway, have so much passion for a summer sport and most of all are so passionate about it. It was an amazing experience and everytime they ask me, I will be back to hang out with them!” Reiterer stated. “The little guys dueled for hours in the wavy water, on and with many horsepowers.”

Reiterer vowed to return after competing in the G-Shock Pro Tour in Thailand. Until that time, enjoy the video recapping his experience as a guest coach below:

Wait, what? You might’ve seen these two stellar Sea-Doo RXP-Xs before. Built to order by WMF Watercraft for Amanda and Ryan Peters, these two machines were meticulously taken down, modified using some of the best parts and components made available by the personal watercraft industry, and reassembled, tuned and shown nationally in several boat shows before going back to the owners.

But as the new year dons, so do new interests and the Peters are interested in finding a new home for their favorite Sea-Doos. That is why WMF Watercraft is listing these fine skis for an insane bargain price of $26,999 for both skis, the trailer, and a pair of covers.

Just so you know, these two skis are perfect examples of WMF’s custom capabilities. Ryan’s dayglow yellow-and-black 400-horse Pro Open RXP-X features nearly everything RIVA Racing has for pushing a T3-hulled Sea-Doo deep into the 80’s, including RIVA’s billet steering system, trim tabs, intake grate, cold air kit, through-hull exhaust kit, intercooler, supercharger kit, valvetrain retainer kit, intake manifold element removal kit, and a race-tuned ECU.

Amanda’s RXP-X had all of the factory dayglow yellow panels on the RXP-X replaced with a Hot Pink Pearl. Modifications to hers aren’t as extensive as her husband’s, but equally impressive. Most of the tricks made to Amanda’s ski were to merely “unlock” the Rotax 4-tec engine, including the aforementioned intake manifold kit, quick flow exhaust kit, and air breather, along with a slightly retouched ECU.

For the potential buyer who loves serious horsepower and on-the-water performance, WMF’s pair of tuned Sea-Doos are an insane steal at $26,999. That’s at-new prices and excluding the thousands upon thousands of dollars of aftermarket parts and labor in building and test and tuning. Seriously guys, get on this deal.

It’s Friday. For the most part, it’s been an unseasonably cold April and you deserve a break. So for your enjoyment we present some harmless fun: this cool stop-motion film of a group of daring Playmobil big wave surfers charging some epic construction paper and cotton ball waves.

Filmed in parking lots, backyards and even some actual sandy beach, this little video is a feat of patience and suspension of disbelief. What’s great is that the video is clearly helmed by some experienced surfers, as a variety of waves, breaks and tubes are properly represented, as well as some larger than life almost North Shore-level waves.

Not to be forgotten, even some of the featured surfers are seen being towed in and picked up by personal watercraft, furthering exhibiting the commitment to realism. You gotta hand it to this group of filmmakers and their dedication to such a fun seemingly brainless flick. Of course, it’s said that true talent is making something look effortless, and these guys are showing a whole lot of talent.

From the outside looking in, you would think that every Australian who loves riding personal watercraft in the surf is a professional freerider. More footage of amazing aerial action keep pouring out of the land Down Under than even America’s famed Oceanside, California.

One talented athlete, Luke Rotolone, has been publishing his aquatic acrobatics on his YouTube channel, showing off his skills behind the throttle of him lime green DASA-powered Trinity-hulled freeride ski or his equally hued WaveBlaster.

Personally, we get a kick out of seeing freeriders grabbing sick air with the slightly larger, slightly heavier ‘Blasters – if only just to prove the “I’d rather sit than quit” guys wrong. But changing people’s minds is never one single logical argument away.

We learned that Luke had fractured his pelvis rather badly recently and is recuperating rather well despite the presence of some new screws and plates holding him together.