It is not often that consumers get to see behind the scenes of the actual testing and development process of new PWC performance products. Thanks to WatCon’s John Zigler, that process has been documented in a new video published to YouTube, as he and his team conduct final prototype testing of the new RCJS Billet Tri-Scoop intake grate for the 2021 Yamaha SuperJet.
The video covers the late stage of the testing program, after many revisions of the scoop. The three prototypes on display for this test are all of a similar style, so it can be assumed the process effectively honed previous scoop candidates down to this converged design. Within this style, the three versions have different blade angles, sizes, depths and positions. It is the right combination of parameters that Watcon is looking for, to hit the sweet spot of hook up, speed and handling and braking.
Testing begins with the standard scoop, with both objective speed runs and subjective handling / hookup / braking testing as a baseline control. Then the prototypes are run through the same tests. Despite the first prototype actually producing the greatest speed, it was ultimately the second iteration that ended up being selected for production as it had the best overall performance. This version was only around one mph slower than the fastest candidate, but hook-up in choppy water was improved, as was braking performance.
Visually the design differs significantly from the factory scoop, which has three longitudinal rails and no side blades, only a small centre blade mounted fairly far forward. In contrast, the RCJS unit has only two longitudinal rails, a much larger and further rearward centre blade, and the addition of side blades to direct more water into the top and sides of the impeller. Go to watcon.com to order the RCJS Billet Tri-Scoop and watch the testing video here:
