You know how this started: Freestylist Daniel Martin went completely insane and performed a staggering 20-something consecutive backflips during a performance during the final rounds of 2013’s UWP-IJSBA Watercross National Tour, and everyone went crazy. But what was more crazy was the chatter than ensued. “Was that a World Record?” “How many backflips is the World Record?” “Who’s recording this?”
Well, UWP Watercross’ AJ Handler has had enough and did the impossible. He booked a Guinness World Records Adjudicator to be present at this year’s Round 4 of the National Tour – namely the Sparks, Nevada stop scheduled for June 29th. So if you’re a freestyler who knows how to defy gravity and do so without losing your lunch, there will be a “flip off” held that you cannot miss.
Here’s the official announcement:
The Pro Watercross Tour is excited to announce that we have secured a Guinness World Records® title attempt for the “Most Consecutive Backflips on a Personal Watercraft” scheduled for Sunday, June 29, 2014 in Sparks, NV (Reno, NV). We are extending an invitation to Freestylist from around the world to join us in setting a New Guinness World Record.
A Guinness World Records Adjudicator will be on site to authenticate the record-setting event to present a certificate that officially proclaims the winner as the world record holder.
More information to follow for all the updates on the Guinness World Record attempt “like” us on Facebook.
As a slight departure from our usual fare of “Vicious Rumors and Vile Gossip” wherein we relay whisperings or try to slap some flesh on otherwise bare bones chatter throughout the personal watercraft industry, today’s edition will focus on some pretty sound and some not-so-sound predictions for the personal watercraft industry for 2014. It won’t be terribly in depth, as our crystal ball didn’t come in high definition. So again, don’t kill the messenger.
That being said, we at The Watercraft Journal are pretty enthusiastic for this new year. With all three manufacturers producing products that are not only unique to the industry but also to themselves, it will be very interesting to see how the new 365 days unfold. A great deal of politics (both within and outside of the industry) play a part as they directly effect both the economy and people’s willingness to make substantial purchases.
Understanding these factors and weighing the impact of the products being offered to an already highly competitive environment, it’s commendable that we participate in an industry that is so vibrant. It’s a testament to the passion of those who occupy our industry that PWC have survived through the fall of monumental highs to abysmal lows (both in sales and public opinion) only to begin to rise yet again.
Sea-Doo
Clearly, the company with the most riding on the line is Sea-Doo. The watercraft division of BRP has undergone some rather drastic changes in recent years. From unveiling innovations like brakes, fly-by-wire throttle control and computer-controlled suspension (iBR, iTC and iS, respectively), to terminating its sport boat line to the recent launch of the Spark, the company has been nothing less than daring – and if history teaches us anything – fortune favors the brave.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that the Spark will revolutionize the industry…at least his year. Despite the advertising imagery of hipsters driving their Toyota Prius to the lake with a Spark in tow, we predict the leading demographic of Spark purchasers to be (and have already shown to be) long-time PWC owners. The Spark’s appeal as a “throwback” to earlier days is core to watercraft enthusiasts and we’ll see more established enthusiasts picking up Sparks more than virgin buyers.
Ironically, we see Spark sales transcending brand loyalty. Yamaha, Kawasaki and even those remaining Honda loyalists will fall for the Spark’s old school appeal. Standup riders too will fall for the newcomer and much of Sea-Doo’s initial advertising will need to course-correct to reflect accordingly. It will be the established PWC owners who will actually assist Sea-Doo most in its drive to welcome in new buyers – as a burgeoning community of Spark owners will create clubs and communities to which new customers will find fellowship.
Yamaha
Although the brand with the tuning forks hadn’t gone anywhere, 2014 will be hailed as “The Year of Yamaha’s Comeback.” The online chatter and media hype over the much-improved SVHO-series watercraft will finally be venerated on the race course. Be it the closed course or on the dragstrip, the Yamahas will walk away with more class wins in 2014 than in recent years.
This will be attributed to an influx of racers defecting from other brands as they gravitate towards Stock and Limited classes mainly for budgetary reasons, also contributing to a decline in racer attendance for this year – with exception of a couple key venues. With less racers on the water and a greater percentage of them aboard Yamahas, it will definitely be a good year for the brand.
The migration of so many riders can be traced to high performance enthusiasts taking full advantage of Yamaha’s buyback and leasing programs to trade-in their older SHOs (as well as a few Sea-Doos and Kawasakis) for the 260-horsepower SVHO vehicles.
Kawasaki
We misspoke when we said that Sea-Doo had “the most riding on the line.” With only a few variations of two platforms, Kawasaki has more riding on less. Thankfully, all questions as to the worthiness of improvements made to the Eaton-blown 1.5-liter four-stroke will will be resolved as the Kawasaki’s 310-horsepower entry will lengthen the distance between it and the competition. The Ultra 310 – in all of its variations – will sweep all offshore/endurance races in 2014. Literally, all of them.
Almost comically, the success of the Ultra in the world’s most extreme conditions will almost become so expected it’ll be taken for granted. With it’s participation with MAV TV’s “Dangerous Waters” series, and its domination in open water combat, Kawasaki will launch a mid-year viral video campaign highlighting the vehicle’s toughness and all-water-terrain mastery, showcasing it as the Land Rover or Jeep of PWC.
The company’s original efforts to present brand as an “exclusive” product will fare no better or worse than other marketing campaigns as Kawasaki buyers are some of the most loyal in the PWC industry. The supercharged Ultra will unfortunately remain too far out of reach of mainstream budget-minded buyer who will find deals elsewhere, encouraging the company to expedite the launch of the completely redesigned STX platform for 2015.
I had Ross Champion explain to me once that, “Freeride is much more than just competition.” Initially, I understood what he was saying as meaning the community of freeriders is thicker than the bonds of typical competitors, and he’d be right. But upon giving it deeper thought I realized something else. Freeride wasn’t so much a sport as it was expression. Freeride is art.
After spending years looking through thousands upon thousands of images of freeriders performing some of the most daring, body contorting, gravity-defying moves, it’s a sport blending both man and machine, harmonizing the artificial and the natural, and in turn, creates some of the most impressive images in all of jet skiing.
These thoughts were never more prevalent than while reviewing this brief video from photographer/videographer Loren Haleston or “Loren in HD.” On hand for this past September’s Blowsion Surf Slam in Pacific Beach, Oregon, Loren wrote, “I’ve been trying to diversify my shooting lately and took a day in September to check out the professional stand up freestylers. Having never seen any of this type of sport before it was pretty mind blowing to watch these athletes pull off such moves in such uncontrollable conditions. I’ll hopefully be covering more of these in the future and adding to the range of possible camera angles.”
Although his technical breakdown of the day makes it sound very mechanical, the images that Loren was able to capture perfectly encapsulate the beauty, the fluidity and spirit of freeride. I might be a little late on the take, but I think I finally get what Ross was trying to explain to me. Please this video as much as I did:
Every New Year’s Day, a few brave souls tempt fate and take to the water to prove they are as mighty as the gods by beating back Mother Nature and rising above the elements. Some might say that is a bunch of B.S. because you live in Florida and Florida is a rider’s paradise. That may be true for eleven months out of the year, excluding of course, tropical storms, hurricanes, sink holes, and other natural disasters that just are a way of life here in the South. [Editor’s Note: Sorry, but Florida – particularly Central Florida down – is not “The South”] Each year on New Year’s Day, it’s a crapshoot but we ride nonetheless, and this year rung in some of the worst New Year’s Day weather we’ve had in years.
While many in the North might laugh at 59′, that’s pretty cold temperatures for Florida, and made for a daring day on the water.
As morning dawned, 59 degree temps, light rain, cold misty fog and 100-percent overcast skies combined with 15 mph NE winds created a less-than-ideal setting to jump in the water and ride our personal watercraft nearly 70 miles round trip.
Some folks had already thrown in the towel and rightfully so; who in their right mind looks at that recipe and embraces joy? Well, for the eight riders that went out that day, it was all joy and smiles, a bit of shivering but not one complained.
Leaving the ramp, we started with six Jetski Junkies, Michael and Leslee Baute with their newly upgraded Kawasaki Ultra LX 160’s, Mike Gast mounting his Sea-Doo RXP 255 along with Kelly Belval riding his Kawasaki STX-15F and Yasmany Caballero with some old school flavor on his Yamaha GPR1300.
We rode out the Manatee River from Parrish, FL out into Tampa Bay where the shallow of the Bay, combined with low tidal influence and 15 mph NE winds gave us 2–to-3 foot chop with a 2–to-4 foot wave rise. It wasn’t the nicest conditions to ride 10 miles across but everyone did it like a champ.
The Bridge Tender Inn proved to be a worthwhile stop on our ride, with a nice private beach, outdoor patio and plenty of good food on the menu.
From the mouth of Tampa Bay we turned into the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) heading south by Anna Maria Island, Bradenton Beach and Long Boat Key until entering Sarasota Bay at the end of Two Sisters Island. Here we decided to hit a tiki bar and warmup. Mike and Kelly lead us to a spot called The Bridge Tender Inn.
They had a small beach with a cafe outside/inside patio, good eats, nice folks, and we’ll definitely will be back. While at lunch we got word from Mike Williams and Brad Clark that they were just around the corner at Coquina Beach. So after lunch, we rode to Coquina to meet up. Mike and Brad are a bit more on the adventurous side as they were looking for waves to jump. So the whole crew left the ICW and headed out into the Gulf of Mexico.
We headed back towards Tampa Bay to find some rough stuff for the boys to practice their best tricks.
Normally this cut is a wave jumper paradise but today the Gulf was calm with a mild rise and fall so we made the decision to head back north to Tampa Bay to see if the soup was still being stirred out there. Once reaching the Bay, a few of us hit the waves. It wasn’t great for Mike and Brad to do any real tricks but they still pulled of some sweet air.
From there we hit the small island that guards the mouth of the ICW from Tampa Bay; a good spot to stop and camp without any cares of the real world. The tide was up enough to skate around the mouth of Tampa Bay and run the edge of Ft. DeSoto memorial back into the Manatee River. This is a cool short cut Vince Cobelo showed me a year back – only passable with high tide – but saves 7 or 8 miles off the trip and avoids the pounding of the Bay.
It wasn’t the best of days to ride but it was a day on the water with friends, and to me it would seem no better way to ring in the New Year then riding on New Year’s Day.
Have you ever heard of “you judge a man by his shoes?” Although that’s a pretty rotten way to topically size-up someone based upon their fiscal stature, it actually traces back to far more utilitarian roots. A workingman could be readily identified by his footwear, as the right shoe was tailored for the job. You wouldn’t wear lacy dress shoes to the construction site, would you? Nor would you typically clod around in your steel-toed work boots at a wedding? We didn’t think so.
That is why when it comes to riding your personal watercraft, footwear is understandably as specialized. When the sun is out as are the temperatures, it’s easy to forgo the footwear and ride barefoot. While that’s all good fun, humans lack the same natural traction pads to keep you from slipping and sliding in the tray. Likewise, the soft skin of your feet can be rubbed raw, scraped, and cut rather easily; turning a fun day on the lake into an impromptu trip to the emergency room.
As part of our long term testing, we’ve used these boots for several years now and have found very little fault. The only complaints were the time needed to dry after use and the discoloring caused by the glue leeching out of the sole after time.
Knowing this, many resort to wearing worn out tennis shoes, flip flops, wrestling boots and even Crocs while out on the water. Even the best athletic shoe doesn’t have the proper drainage or breathability that a waterborne shoe does. And never at anytime should you ever be caught wearing Crocs. Seriously man, show some self-respect. We’re not joking.
Rather, we strongly recommend using shoes specifically designed for water use, and not to put too fine a point on it, we strongly recommend Slippery’s Liquid Race Boot. Yes, that would make this the second review of a Slippery product that has received glowing praise from The Watercraft Journal, but it’s not for anything less than surviving some of the harshest usage.
Following our protocol of comfort over fanciness, the Liquid Race Boot is all aces in the fitment department. Featuring an internal heel and athletic sole, the shoe feels like a thick-soled high-top basketball shoe, with plenty of spring and give. The underside has a grippy rubberized pattern for plenty of traction with an anti-abrasive, highly durable heel and toe for increased durability. This feature comes in real handy to those riders to “lock in” their feet in the tray while riding in rough offshore conditions or through tight turns.
The “chassis” is made from Slippery’s “Airmesh” – a perforated material offering superior ventilation and drainage as extra drain holes siphon out any extra moisture. The Liquid Race Boot has a removable inner 1.5mm neoprene booty that slips in and out easily with the use of the boot’s durable pull-tabs and thick laces. A heavy-duty Velcro strap cinches the top of the boot tight.
But don’t let the “race” part of the boot deter you. This is a great shoe for recreational riding as much as for racing. Providing plenty of protection while keeping your feet comfortable are attributes in riding apparel good for any condition.
The shoes’ integrity never failed. We never snapped any laces, tore any pull tabs off or had a sole split – which are all major complaints of competitors’ race boots. No, the Slippery Liquid Race Boots are definitely a winner across the board.
Money. It’s said to be the “root of all evil” and what fills the Chuck E. Cheese’s ball pit in Dustin Farthing basement that he plays in twice a day. It’s also what’s keeping many would-be personal watercraft enthusiasts from purchasing the brand spankin’ new supercharged runabout they’ve been eying for months now. And while Yamaha can’t do much about Dustin’s dream to recreate Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin, they’ve done something huge to help you along in purchasing that new WaveRunner you’ve been drooling over.
Yamaha WaveRunners has managed to create two major firsts for the personal watercraft industry – a guaranteed buyback and leasing program. This creates an easy and affordable route to personal watercraft ownership for “new group of consumers looking for convenient payments and no obligation.”
Here’s the official release for the Leasing program:
KENNESAW, GA – December 27, 2013 — Yamaha WaterCraft, a division of Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A., today launched the boating industry’s first leasing program to bring familiar, automobile-like lease plans to the personal watercraft industry. The flexible program is designed for consumers who may not qualify for conventional OEM financing programs or those looking for the flexibility of a lease that includes the option to return or purchase the WaveRunner after 36 or 48 months.
According to Bryan Seti, Yamaha WaterCraft national marketing manager; the goal of the leasing program is to make the fun and excitement that comes with riding a Yamaha WaveRunner more accessible to more people. Upwards of 90 percent of the consumers who choose to lease a new Yamaha WaveRunner will qualify.
“Many of these consumers currently lease a car or have had a great experience leasing a car in the past. For them, the flexibility of leasing is preferable to purchasing,” said Seti. “And if these consumers decide to purchase the WaveRunner in the future, they now have the option to do that after 36 months, or simply bring it back at the conclusion of their payment schedule.”
And the release for the Buyback program:
KENNESAW, GA – Just in time for the official kickoff of the 2014 boat show season that begins in January, Yamaha WaterCraft today announced the boating industry’s first guaranteed buyback program that provides buyers of new Yamaha WaveRunner personal watercraft the opportunity to return their WaveRunner to their dealer after 36 months, and simply walk away or easily trade up to a new model.
When a customer purchases a new 2013 or 2014 WaveRunner and finances on a 60-month term, the buyer can now have the peace of mind knowing that they have the option to return the PWC to the originating dealer after 36 months as a guaranteed buyback. The unit will be valued according to NADA (National Automobile Dealers Association) standards, and in the event that the customer owes more that the NADA Used Trade-In Value, the remaining loan balance will be paid by Yamaha up to $2,500.
According to Bryan Seti, Yamaha WaterCraft national marketing manager, “Yamaha WaveRunner buyers can now purchase a new model with the confidence of knowing that any negative equity after three years will be paid off at no cost to them if they decide to trade-up or simply walk away.”
“Our customers asked us to create a program that allows them to move in to a new WaveRunner with the least hassle possible,” said Seti. “Now, our customers can enjoy great 60-month financing terms with the peace of mind of knowing that they are only locked in for 36 months with no responsibility for selling their used unit.”
For more information about the Yamaha WaveRunner Leasing Program, visit HERE.
Patience can sure be a virtue but sometimes it sure is a pain. While weather has shut down most of the United States to riding our skis, we’re waiting for the latest updates from our event promoters. Thankfully, the crew putting on the Greenhulk.net HydroDrags has been hard at work cementing the 2014 locations and dates.
The city managers have signed with HydroDrag series promoter Mikey Young to hold a dual event (drag racing, closed course and freestyle) in Morgan City the weekend of May 1st through May 4th, also making it the official dates for annual Mudbug for this year.
Previous Mudbugs featured some of the fastest time trials in all of jetskiing, but the growth of the event as well as the dangers in hosting such an event caused the radar runs to be cancelled at the ‘Bug and moved over to the licensed and and insured HydroDrag series.
Thursday will be a general ride day, with closed course racing on Friday and the first part of Saturday. The HydoDrags will kickoff after the three classes of closed course races conclude Saturday morning with Speed Alley on Sunday.
As is with the “welcome to all” philosophy of Greenhulk, Jerry extended the invite, “Feel free to come earlier than May first. I know many of you do every year.”
Y’know what’s awesome? Being popular (says the guy who was anything but popular in school). OK, OK, that’s a little snarky, but as I talk with people about what I’ve been up to lately, I commonly get the question, “So you started a jet ski magazine…in November?” Yeah, the timing could’ve been better, but despite launching a nearly infinitesimally seasonal publication in wholly the opposite season, The Watercraft Journal has continued to grow. Grow in readership. Grow in advertising. Grow in enthusiasm.
Even as personal watercraft enthusiasts shake off their Thanksgiving turkey-induced comas, shovel the snow from their driveways, and check off the final names from their Christmas gift shopping lists, people still found time to check in each and every day to scope out the latest news, interviews, product and PWC reviews on The Watercraft Journal. Oh you know, because we’re still the ONLY online source for daily industry news, as well as weekly interviews and reviews.
You’d think I’d take this space to reminisce about 2013, as there was a lot going on – from James Bushell’s British invasion on the National Tour and the drama that ensued, the launch of Sea-Doo’s entry-level killer, the Spark in light of Kawasaki’s spiking of the horsepower-football and Yamaha finally taking the leash and muzzle off of their killer 1.8L-powered FZ and FX series. Heck, I could even blather about the rise of the online PWC magazine, but no.
I refuse to look in the past when there is so much to anticipate in the future. Here’s why:
Something Like a Recipe
I wanted to do something different with The Watercraft Journal. Nowhere else could enthusiasts find a steady source for originally-written, unique industry news and weekly one-on-one interviews and product/personal watercraft reviews – that is, in addition to a steady diet of in depth and informative feature articles, technical how-to’s and event coverage (there’s a lot of those coming your way soon), and y’know, just more good stuff than you can shake a stick at.
Feature articles published in November: 9
Total word count: 9,027 words
Feature articles published in December: 12
Total word count: 9,510 words*
*When this number is translated to print publication standards equals a 90-page magazine. Please note that this number does not include an average of two uniquely-written news articles published daily.
Something For Everyone
“In-your-face” isn’t really our style, but “honesty is the best policy” is (that is, except for our “Vicious Rumors and Vile Gossip” articles, but you already knew that). We want The Watercraft Journal to be part of your morning routine. When you sit down with your first cup of coffee or bowl of cereal to check your emails, we give you a reason to come back each and every day. And best of all, you did – even on Christmas, which, c’mon people, put the iPhone down and have another slice of pie).
November
Total number unique readers: 6,236
Total number of articles read: 17,072
Mobile users: 35%
December
Total number unique readers: 6,972*
Total number of articles read: 21,695
Mobile users: 33%
*This number is considered equal to an individual sale of a single copy of a magazine.
Something Different
Unlike traditional print publications, online media needs to do one thing – just one thing – perfect: publish a steady stream of compelling content. As realtors are quick to quote, “Location, location, location,” online media is all about “Content, content, content.” And getting that content “out there” is nearly as important. That’s why we so feverishly use outlets like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and a weekly newsletter as this publication’s newsstand.
November Facebook readers: 1,011
November Facebook weekly reach: 19,623
Average Facebook readers’ age: 25-44 (equaling 47% of total readership)
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, United Kingdom, France, South Africa
December Facebook readers: 1,255
December Facebook weekly reach: 22,752
Average Facebook readers’ age: 25-44 (equaling 46% of total readership)
Top Five countries: United States, Australia, Greece, United Kingdom, Canada
What’s Coming Down The Pike
December was a big month for us. Not only did we partner with Greenhulk.net, but Yamaha Motor Corp., USA as well. We’re still a few months away from prime riding season, but never fear! There’s plenty of awesome stuff coming your way next month. Expect some cool action from our friends off Australia’s Gold Coast, a sick review of Kawasaki’s race-ready Ultra 310R JetSki, and our next-day event coverage of the much-anticipated 2014 Thrust Innovations Daytona Freeride! We’ll also have some cool features laced between all those, so again, there’s still plenty of reasons why to come back to The Watercraft Journal each day.
On the tail of yesterday’s announcement that the personal watercraft industry ended the year on an upswing of 15-percent in industry-wide sales (particularly as the powersports industry has seen only moderate increase since the bottom fell out in 2009), it’s with some very big smiles that Sea-Doo kicks off the New Year.
Obviously the biggest news for the PWC market share leader was the launch of the Spark, which weighing in at 400-pounds, and costing (at minimum $4,999), it’s the entry-level runabout that transcends brand loyalty, standup vs. sitdown rivalry, and pretty much everything else in between.
Even despite the negative chatter stemming from contrarians, the Spark has and continues to generate an almost unrivaled level of buzz, and that alone is something to be excited about. Sea-Doo has plenty to celebrate for in 2013, including a stellar presence at this year’s past Hot Products IJSBA World Finals in Lake Havasu, AZ, or its nationwide Test Ride Tour…but c’mon, the Spark is pretty huge news.
Also, there’s a bunch of “behind the scenes” shots from Sea-Doo’s promotional videos, advertisements and holiday shots. So take a quick break and relive the good times from 2013 courtesy of Sea-Doo:
Closed course racing is definitely exciting and is, besides possibly indoor racing, possibly the most spectator-friendly form of personal watercraft competition. Yet, closed course has some serious setbacks that have been traced to the eventual decline in attendance and spectator attention. Increasing speeds, escalating prices, and rising dangers have all been linked to closed course racing (specifically with runabouts), and consequently has given way to new attention being given to offshore/endurance racing.
Surely Kawasaki is well aware of this, as their spectacular Ultra series (250, 260, 300 and now 310) have all been the favored weapon of choice of offshore and endurance racers. That’s not to say Yamaha and Sea-Doo don’t have a dog in the fight either, but as more and more oceanfront venues open up to offshore racing, Kawasaki only continues to increase its edge.
With tropical events like Karujet, last year’s Russian offshore gauntlet and even the annual Long Beach to Catalina Offshore National Championship, open water racing is quickly climbing the ranks of hardcore competitive PWC racing. The rougher the water the better, and the season is upon us. Now, for the first year, the Martinique Jet Race will be held in the Caribbean, welcoming the world’s most daring racers to jet around the tropical island for three days.
We are happy to announce you the 1st Edition of the ” MARTINIQUE JET RACE ” which will be held from January 31st till February 2nd, 2014 in Martinique, French island in the Caribbean Sea.
Martinique is an island full of persistent scent of flowers, a real jewel laid on the Caribbean Sea which will seduce you by its unique sites and its marvelous coastal landscapes in the most warm and brilliant colors.
In this idyllic natural frame, we chose to welcome you for 3 days of intense competition:
On Friday, January 31st, 2014: Fort-de-France / Saint-Pierre, closed course at Saint-Pierre, Saint-Pierre / Fort-de-France On Saturday, February 1st, 2014: Fort-de-France / Sainte-Anne, closed course at Sainte-Anne, Sainte-Anne / Fort-de-France On Sunday, February 2nd, 2014: Fort-de-France/Fort-de-France
This competition will be welcomed and hosted by the main city of Martinique, Fort-de-France, and pilots will be heading towards two cities: Saint-Pierre and Sainte-Anne.
We remain available for any further information and count on your presence among us for this major international sporting event.
More information about pricing is available on this link (ENG/FR).
You know how this started: Freestylist Daniel Martin went completely insane and performed a staggering 20-something consecutive backflips during a performance during the final rounds of 2013’s UWP-IJSBA Watercross National Tour, and everyone went crazy. But what was more crazy was the chatter than ensued. “Was that a World Record?” “How many backflips is the World Record?” “Who’s recording this?”
