What makes a good rumor is its likelihood of actually being real, the surrounding facts backing up the claim, and the source. Today’s edition of “Vicious Rumors and Vile Gossip” has two out of three of these locked in, so we’re sure to trigger the “BS meter” in a few of you reading this. And we’re OK with that because for every couple of stinkers, we hit one right out of the park.
This is not the first time you’ve heard us espouse the possibility of a 4-stroke standup. In fact, we pushed the idea so hard that Kawasaki told us to stop. And, when opportunity arises, we happily report on a new hand-built projects whenever we get the chance (like HERE and HERE). Heck, it was even our April Fool’s joke this year. It’s not that we have an agenda, it’s just that we know the technology (and demand) is there.
And apparently, we’re not the only ones. Both Spyjet and Franky Zapata have shown interest in developing a line of 4-stroke standups – specifically employing the successful Sea-Doo ACE 900 motor. Tuners are making well over 110 horsepower with a simple reflash (Vtech Tuned reports 120-plus-HP), and turbo applications are pushing that number upwards to 200 ponies.
Unfortunately, BRP has been less than enthusiastic to open the doors for crate motor ACE sales, though Sea-Doo’s own Tim McKercher told The Watercraft Journal, “BRP’s Evinrude propulsion division is open to discussing providing power packages to any (quality/well managed) boat company that can sustain a solid volume level of units per year for an extended length of time. And they must have a dealer network capable of providing high quality service/support.” Requirements that would appear neither builders could meet.
Nevertheless, possibly the most revered name in top performance Sea-Doos, Les Cooke is believed to be near completion on a series of standups featuring the ACE 900 motor with a completely proprietary hull design. Called the SDC Trak 903, the ski is only being hinted at on the official Sea-Doo Centre website with a tease that the Trak 903 will make its world debut at Jetcross World Cup race in Doncaster, stating:
“Doncaster partnered this year with the Jetcross World Cup to host the biggest European race Event of all time. SDC proudly announces the premiere of the Trak 903 taking place in Doncaster 24-25-26 July 2015. The new Stand-up model introduces a simple, easy and reliable 4-stroke technology to bring back the fun, freedom and excitement of riding a ski. Come and join the 2015 Jetcross World Tour in Doncaster, UK and be the first to ride the all new SDC Trak 903.”
Our sources did mention that the Trak 903 might’ve seen some action in the UIM’s Casto, Italy event last month, but could not confirm whether it was campaigned or not. What we do know is still pretty substantive. First, all of Cooke’s hardware, hull design and performance components are exclusive to Sea-Doo Centre. Next, we know the range in power in which Cooke’s Trak 903 skis are producing:
Three models are expected to be offered, a 90-horsepower unit tuned to out accelerate all current Lites class skis, a very competitively priced 120-horsepower unit, and an incredible turbocharged Pro Open/GP unit producing a dyno-tuned and proven (replete with dyno sheet) 225-horsepower. This is impressive, as even the most finely tuned triples cap off at around 195 horsepower.
More importantly, the 4-stroke SDC Trak 903 promises to out perform traditional triples in fuel consumption rates and remain 50-state legal. Unfortunately, such an over-the-top machine will cost a pretty penny. The Watercraft Journal hasn’t been told a number yet, but have been warned “it ain’t cheap.” We were also told that Cooke has pushed the higher-end Trak 903’s power further, but doesn’t want to “rock the boat too much.”
It is very likely that the advent of the 225HP Trak 903 will incur the ire of many a traditional GP or Open ski builder, and put Cooke’s latest invention in the crosshairs of potential protests. We hope that’s not the case, but delving into the chasm of race politics is a discussion for another day. Either way, the debut of the SDC Trak 903 is just over a month away, so it will be interesting to see how it fairs against the tried and proven triples.
