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.
Two-stroke personal watercraft go up for sale every year and more and more people are looking to get out on the water without a large commitment on a new ski. Luckily the two stroke market is still very much alive and active. Older two-stroke watercraft offer a lightweight package that make horsing around a breeze, combine that with the fantastic smell of an oil/gas mixture and it reminds us why two-stroke watercraft are what nearly all of us grew up riding and loving.
Despite pressures from many organizations to outlaw two-stroke watercraft, these older skis make up a large amount of the watercraft population and people are still having a blast pushing them to their limits. Many older models are in fact becoming classics and nearly collectables. Thanks to aftermarket support, two stroke skis are often capable of great power and handling.
For those of us that aren’t made of money but want to get out on the water, buying an older two-stroke watercraft can be a scary task. With skis getting older many factors come into play to keep watercraft in good working order. Buying a used watercraft is a little like diving into water at night; you know you’ll get wet but have no idea if you’re about to crash into the floor.
Fortunately, motor enthusiast youtuber Fiero880 made a detailed video guide of what to look at when considering your next WaveRunner, Sea-Doo, or JetSki purchase. He points out several indicators that the untrained eye would likely miss such as changes in fiberglass texture, small oil deposits in the motor, or how well protected the watercraft has been from the elements. The video is a simple way to “do your homework” before going to check out what could be your next water toy.
Are you ready for a showdown? For the past six months, there has been a groundswell of buzz surrounding Yamaha’s SVHO-powered FZRs and FXs charging the racing circuit. Finally, with the first round of the UWP Pro Watercross Tour kicking off this weekend in Pensacola, Florida, we all get to see these sick machines in full force.
Yamaha will have a lot of extra firepower on hand, as they recently announced a partnership with Dean Charrier’s Dean’s Team and Riva Racing to carry Yamaha through the checkered flags first in close course and HydroDrag racing for 2014.
Here’s the original press release:
When it comes to closed-course and HydroDrag racing, Dean Charrier’s Dean’s Team and Riva Racing are two of the most dominate names in the history of the personal watercraft racing.
Charrier is considered today’s top tuner when it comes to Yamaha engines. Since 2009, Charrier-tuned WaveRunners have won five pro national titles, three pro world championships, and too many expert/amateur podiums to list.
“I’m excited to work with the new Yamaha SVHO platform as I think it will be on top for years to come,” commented Charrier. “The new engine makes awesome, reliable power along with proven performance and handling that I believe will add up to another successful year with Yamaha and Riva Racing.”
Riva Racing, the leading manufacturer of performance aftermarket products for personal watercraft enthusiasts, is virtually synonymous with Yamaha WaveRunner racing. Together, Yamaha WaterCraft and Riva Racing have dominated the past 20 years of closed-course racing.
But that’s not all, Yamaha followed the partnership announcement with a phenomenal announcement that not only will Yamaha have a full roster of world champions racing their WaveRunners, but leaked that Dustin Farthing will be returning to the water for this year’s IJSBA World Finals happening this October in Lake Havasu, Arizona.
Likewise, Yamaha is very proud to welcome Troy Snyder, Aero Aswar and Brian Baldwin who all defected from riding the Sea-Doo RXP-X to the new SVHO WaveRunners. This shift has stirred the waters quite a bit in the racing community and it’s sure to only shake things up more on the race course.
Here too, is the second announcement:
Riders committed to Yamaha for the 2014 Pro Watercross National Tour are Asian Beach Games champion Aero Aswar and IJSBA World and National champions Brian Baldwin, Rob Greenwald, Dennis Mack, and Troy Snyder.
Aswar, Baldwin and Snyder, all of whom are world-renowned riders, shook up the racing community recently with their announcement to leave Sea-Doo and the RXP-X in favor of the new Yamaha FZR WaveRunner.
“The horsepower of the FZR is like riding an Open class boat compared to the RXP-X,” said Snyder. “I had all three brands in my garage in December. Yamaha was the winner.” The decision was just as easy for Baldwin. “The Yamaha FZR has a better powerplant, more horsepower, handles better and is the all around better choice,” he said.
17 time National and World Champion Dustin Farthing will continue his close collaboration with Yamaha in 2014, focusing his efforts towards a Pro Runabout title win at the 2014 IJSBA World Finals aboard the Yamaha FZR WaveRunner.
Chris Fischetti designed an excellent technically-challenging course the kind that has been absent in closed course racing in a long time.
“Aqua Moto Grand Prix is a throwback race series dedicated to the heart and soul of personal watercraft racing origins.” states the official Aqua Moto Grand Prix website.
The brainchild of world champion Chris “Flyin’ Fish” Fischetti, the first ever Aqua Moto Grand Prix turned out to be a great event despite other racing events taking place the same weekend. Paired up with the Lucas Oil Drag Boats at Rotary Park in Lake Havasu City, AZ, the Aqua Moto Grand Prix fetched a solid turnout for the inaugural event.
Fischetti brought vintage class racing back to Rotary Beach, alongside the Ken Smith Memorial Drag Boat Nationals event this past May 2nd – May 4th.Here’s a good glimpse at the heart of the Aqua Moto Grand Prix – vintage horsepower made simple. It was all about the “braaap” of two-strokes this weekend.
Lineups consisted of Kawasaki 440/550s and the like – the premiere skis back in the day – for the two-day event, featuring multiple motos each day with “sudden death” racing woven into the competitions – not a common practice found in today’s races, but something that Chris wanted to highlight for those who have never been a part of that style of racing.
According to Patrick Goldsworthy, the “sudden death” matches had two similarly-based boats face off side-by-side for two laps with the winner moving on to the next heat. Ultimately, the best two in each class battled it out for the win and bragging rights.
The amazing Lucas Oil drag boats were reaching speeds of 150-plus-mph on the quarter mile track with times of under six seconds.Shawn Alladio and the K38 Safety Crew were on hand providing an extra dose of professionalism along with top notch safety.
The motos were six laps of intense riding with several classes leaving the same starting line within seconds of each other. A tight, well-placed buoy track made the competitors not only aware of their competition, but also other classes as they jostled for position.
On Saturday, the weather was calm with no wind whatsoever. By 8am the drag boats started their qualifying efforts in their due process of elimination, reaching speeds of 150-plus-mph on the quarter mile track with times of under six seconds.
Cory Vancleave performed like a champ on his throwback 550 and vintage Jet Pilot colors.Pro Watercraft Racing’s own Chris Hagest took a break from developing some of the hottest standup products to carve up the course.
While all this was going on, the riders’ meeting was held for the Aqua Moto before the first practice and moto at 11am. Some of the notable riders that showed up to the line on Saturday included Jake Zere, Cory Vancleave, Brandon Felish, Brooks D’Antonio, Jason Schriner, Guy Vinatieri and Chris Hagest.
In the 550 Vintage 1 class Jake Zier took the overall checkers with Brooks D’Antonio edging out Vancleave in the first moto for second place and Cory taking second overall. Chris and Guy were in the Vintage 3 class, both having a solid day battling back and forth with Guy taking the overall and Chris getting second.
The most exciting racing came on Sunday as “The Slasher” Victor Sheldon battled rail-to-rail with Lake Havau’s Tony Beck, with Slasher continually showing the cheering crowd how to properly leg drag.Tommy Bonnacci battled it out in the Sport class on his Bomber IPD Graphics ‘Blaster through the motos.
Then it was back to the boat racing, but towards the end of the day, the wind picked up where the boats were not able to run for safety reasons allowing the vintage skis to steal the show with an elimination bracket; a short two lap shootout to determine the winner. It was great for the riders because they were able to ride more than normal.
For Sunday, the day was a little more relaxed. Some riders went home as others showed up, including notable names like Mark Gomez, Tommy Bonnacci, Victor Sheldon and even Chris MacClugage who arrived Sunday to witness firsthand what the Aqua Moto was all about.
High winds late in the day Saturday and throughout Sunday shut down the drag boats but gave the jet skiers plenty of time on the water.Andy Runkel tore it up on his ‘Blaster, rubbin’ rails with the other Vintage class racers.
The morning started of calm as the boats continued to battle but as the wind started to pick up and the event was put on hold, giving more time for the vintage skis. Without already starting Victor Sheldon made his presence known.
Victor quickly came out of nowhere to take the checkers in the first moto. The second moto however was a different story as Tony Beck grabbed the checkers with the two of them banging bars all the way to the end. Mark Gomez also made his mark in Vintage 1 550 by taking the clean sweep in both motos and edging out Jake Zier in the first moto.
All in all Fischetti did a great job on the event with getting the sport back to its grass roots of riding with all the riders having fun.
In Vintage 5 Jake took the overall checkers on his Yamaha ‘Blaster by beating out Bonnacci in both motos with Bonnacci finishing second. Since the boats could not compete because of the wind; again another elimination bracket was created and the Aqua Moto Grand Prix took center stage, which meant for more riding time to put on a great show for the fans.
Special thanks go to Patrick Goldsworthy for his quick reporting and Theresa Solberg for the extra pics!
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.
