Monthly Archives: August 2011

Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan – UPDATE – Summer Ski Fest

30 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The Sea-Doo X-TOUR team caught up with Kevin Wussum the recently appointed Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan in Clearwater, Florida during the Summer Ski Fest. Wassum briefly fills us in on what he has been doing since his whirlwind visit to Montreal and CLUB BRP and what he has planned on the horizon.

 

 

You can join Kevin in Lake Havasu City, Arizona on Thursday, October 6, 2011 for the Ultimate Sea-Doo Owners Ride from the London Bridge to the Topock Gorge and back. All Sea-Doo owners of 2002 of newer models of watercraft and/or boats are invited. For more information on being a part of this ride, please visit the “events” section at facebook.com/SEADOO.

Sea-Doo Questions of the Month – September

29 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in Questions of the Month

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Ask us your Sea-Doo related questions and we will choose three to be answered by a Sea-Doo expert on camera. The subject matter can be anything, best ride locations, safety practices, design related, technical, where to race, best model for my dog, anything! We will post the answers video right here on OnBoard on Thursday, September 1.

 

Clearwater Summer Ski Fest with the RXP-X Experience

25 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by in Events

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The Sea-Doo X-TOUR will be outrunning hurricane Irene and hitting the brakes in Clearwater, Florida for the Summer Ski Fest.

The Tampa Bay Jet Sport Club is hosting a PWC enthusiasts get together where the socializing is just as high energy as the riding. PWC enthusiasts from around the south eastern United States will gather in Clearwater, Florida this weekend for multiple group rides, night time socializing and experience the new Sea-Doo RXP-X at the Sea-Doo X-TOUR, RXP-X Experience. Kevin Wassum will also be taking part in the festivities and will be prowling the waters on a 2012 Sea-Doo RXP-X.

The 2011 Summer Ski Fest will be based out of the Clearwater Beach Marriott Suites on Sand Key. The RXP-X Experience will take place from 10-4 on the waters in the Marriott area.

X-TEAM TUESDAY – PROFILE: Kevin Wassum, The Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan

23 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in X-TEAM Profile

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

SEA-DOO X-TEAM TUESDAY – August 23, 2011

BIO

NAME:                                    Kevin Wassum

SPORT:                                   PWC Adventurer – Ultimate Sea-Doo fan

AGE:                                     30

HOME PORT:                       Tampa, FL

FAMILY:                                 Corrie Wassum (Wife)

 

Kevin Wassum was recently crowned the Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan. kevin was one of over 850 enthusiasts that shared their passion for Sea-Doo in the contest launched in the Spring and concluding at CLUB BRP in Montreal in July. Kevin proved his passion and ability to share his experiences and is now continuing his Sea-Doo riding adventures with his friends and wife Corrie and will be sharing those experiences with the Sea-Doo World. Lets get to know him a little better.

 

The Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan, Kevin Wassum, preparing to ride with the Tamp Bay Sea-Doo Crew.

Kevin, where did you grow up and where does your passion for watersports come from?

I grew up in Sylvania Ohio, just below the Michigan border.  Despite our close proximity to Lake Erie I never really had any exposure to water sports in Ohio.  My love for the water comes from the family trips that I went on as a kid to my grandparents’ house in Connecticut.  They lived on Quiambog Cove off Fishers Island Sound so I was able to go boating on the ocean at a very young age.

What do you do away from the water to stay on the water? What’s your profession?

I work in downtown Tampa as a software engineer for a company specializing in healthcare software products.  Basically, I write computer code to facilitate the storage and transmission of healthcare data on various touch-screen medical devices and servers.  The devices and software that I work on are implemented by hospitals and medical centers all over the world.  Computer programming probably isn’t what most would consider an “exciting” profession, but it definitely helps provide a bit of balance in my life between intellectual and adventurous activities.

How were you introduced to Sea-Doo?

In August of 2006 my best friend moved to Florida to accept a teaching position in St. Petersburg.  My wife, Corrie, and I flew down from Ohio to visit him that same month.  I had always wanted to ride a Sea-Doo but never had an opportunity before that trip.  So, one of the first things we did when we arrived for vacation was to rent a couple of Sea-Doo GTIs.  That ride on the GTIs was my first experience with personal watercraft and I was instantly hooked.  From that day forward all I ever talked about was moving down to Florida and buying a Sea-Doo to ride year-round.  It took a year and a half of hard work to make that dream come true, but it was absolutely worth it!

Kevin, since then what are some of the adventurous rides you have done?

I’ve been lucky enough to ride all over the state of Florida, from alligator patrolled rivers and lakes to the state’s beautiful surrounding ocean waters.  But my most adventurous rides, and what most of the local riders know me for, are the rides I’ve done to the Bahamas.  After doing a practice ride from Miami to Bimini in 2010, we set our sights on the dream of making it all the way to the Exuma Islands.  It took us six months of constant planning and gathering of supplies, but we did it.  This past June I left Miami riding on a 2008 RXT 215 along with a Sea-Doo 180 Challenger SE carrying my wife and two close friends, Jeff Lackey and Ashley Sponaugle.  We rode from Miami to Bimini and then to Chub Cay on day one.  The following day we rode through Nassau and then down to Norman’s Cay in the Exumas.  In all, we were in Bahamian waters for nine consecutive days and made it as far as Staniel Cay before turning back.  The trip was not without some tense moments and we definitely had to earn every mile we traveled, but it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life; both very exciting and humbling at the same time.

Where is your favorite boating related event you have been a part of

Up until this past July my favorite boating event was probably the 2010 WaterTop/Barney’s Poker Run in St Petersburg, Florida.  That was really the first group ride that my wife and I were able to do.  The ride itself was a lot of fun and it had stops at several scenic areas around Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.  We also ended up meeting a lot of great friends there and have continued riding with them ever since.

Kevin's favorite local ride destinations - Egmont Key, Florida

More recently, I’d have to say my favorite “boating” related event was the CLUB BRP convention in Montreal.  Having never been to an event like that before, I really didn’t know what to expect but I was really blown away by the whole experience.  It was definitely “VIP” from start to finish.  To be able to see the BRP Design & Innovation Center was incredible.  It was also very cool to be able to walk through the manufacturing plant and see the same assembly line that my RXT was born on just a few years earlier.  But the best part was being one of the first to see the unveiling of the new RXP-X 260 and then having access to try all of the different models Sea-Doo makes.   It’s basically the equivalent of a kid being given access to everything in a toy store.

What is it about PWC riding that keeps you coming back?

I’ve been riding almost every weekend in Florida for three years now and I still get an adrenaline rush just from driving to the water with my RXT on the trailer.   For me, riding a PWC is the only time when I can completely clear my head of all the stress and complications that exist in day-to-day life.  As soon as I squeeze that throttle lever, it’s all about the moment and enjoying the ride; everything else drifts out of mind.

One of the greatest aspects about PWC riding is that it’s always different.  The water itself and everything in it are always in motion and changing.  You’ll never have an identical formation of waves or currents from one ride to the next.  Aside from that, there are just so many different ways to ride.  The Sea-Doo models available today are really very versatile.  Sometimes we go out and ride WOT until our tanks are empty.  Other days we take family members out sightseeing on slow, casual rides.  Some rides are short range and others last for several hundred miles.  With so many different ways to ride, it’s impossible to ever get tired of going out on a PWC.

Kevin, where is your favorite riding location and what is your dream ride?

My favorite local riding location will always be Egmont Key.  It’s a small island that sits at the mouth of Tampa Bay and has a lot of great scenery and history.  The route we take when riding to the island has a little bit of everything, flat water for speed runs, ocean chop for wave jumping, tons of wildlife, and water depths ranging from four to eighty feet.  In the early spring each year the water clarity is at its best and it’s easy to feel like you’re riding in the Caribbean.

Right now my dream ride would be a fourteen day adventure from Miami through the Exumas and then all the way down to Turks & Caicos.  Long distance adventures across the ocean on Sea-Doos are pretty addictive.  Once you experience the excitement of riding in foreign waters, it’s difficult not to want to keep pushing the limit and go further each year.  There’s definitely nothing quite like racing a Sea-Doo around foreign islands in turquoise blue water.  To be able to travel that far and be so close to the water the entire way is just an incredible feeling.  I think you lose that connection with the water when you travel in a large boat.  Besides, I see the passengers on the large boats when we pass, and there’s no way they’re having as much fun as I am.

What are you riding right now and what are looking forward to?

My current watercraft is a 2008 RXT 215 nicknamed “The Red Dragon.”  Typically I ride it whenever I go out locally, and I use my wife’s black RXT 215 for long distance rides.  We’ve got a combined 381 hours between the two of them.  I’m pretty obsessive compulsive about cleaning and maintaining them so I have no doubt they’ll see another 381 hours of operation.

Obviously right now I’m really looking forward to getting the new 2012 RPX-X 260.  I was extremely impressed by it in Montreal and I can’t wait to race it around the Gulf down here in Florida.  The fact that the engineers were able to increase the RXP-X’s hull length, cornering capability, and playfulness all at the same time is just amazing.  It feels like you’ve got the maneuverability of a smaller watercraft and yet it also seems much more capable in rough water conditions.  I like the approach Sea-Doo took this year when they focused on building the total package; it has great power and they really put an emphasis on handling and the ergonomics of the craft itself.

BRP thanks Kevin Wassum for his time and passion for the sport and Sea-Doo.  You can follow Kevin’s adventures on the OnBoard blog and on his Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/tampaseadoocrew

2012 Sea-Doo model year Press Event – Montreal, Canada

22 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in 2012 Club BRP Coverage

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Every year BRP invites the marine media to a unique boating destination where they are introduced to the new year’s Sea-Doo watercraft, boats and accessories by the people who designed and engineered them and who will market them.  Over a few days the media live the Sea-Doo Life and are introduced to the new models and brand direction for the coming model year. They also have the opportunity to experience how BRP’s new designs, technologies and innovations will progress the recreational marine industry in the real world, on the water.

Thirty-six marine media members from every corner of the globe converged in Montreal, Canada this past July to take part in the historic CLUB BRP MONTREAL and the 2012 Sea-Doo “PUSHING THE LIMITS” Press Event.

The following video offers just a taste of what these elite marine journalists experienced at the 2012 Sea-Doo “Pushing the Limits” Press event  and what they thought of the new Sea-Doo RXP-X watercraft.

BEHIND THE SCENES – PART 2 – “The Unveiler”

19 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in Behind the scenes

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

BE A SEA-DOO INSIDER

Many of you probably viewed the video for BRP’s “Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan” contest this past Spring.  The video with a handsome 40 something riding an actual veiled watercraft through a winding river only to have the veil flying off and ending with the voice over, “You’ll want to BE THERE”.

When you’re a passionate enthusiast you want to be at all the cool places and in this case, win a chance to personally be in Montreal when the real 2012 Sea-Doo models would be introduced.

Just in case you didn’t see “The Unveiler” you can view it here.

THE PROJECT

The Sea-Doo Marketing Team wanted to promote the Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan contest, teasing the model year 2012 Sea-Doo line at the same time. They had to communicate a specific message and had to overcome some challenges in producing a teaser video. They asked, “How do we show the new 2012 RXP-X and at the same time hint towards the GTR 215… but not show it, leaving them wanting more?” The videos had to end with the viewer wanting more and encourage them to enter the Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan contest to see what the veil actually flew off of.

BRP also wanted to tease a riding style that epitomized what is special about the new RXP-X – the fun it provides while turning – with out making it obvious they were launching a new musclecraft. They also brainstormed about how products have been teased and introduced in the past… The cliché pulling the sheet off style unveiling came to mind, but to make it captivating the unveiling would be done in the new products environment –  in action, on the water.

But not any water. The 2012 Sea-Doo RXP-X’s uniqueness is how much fun it is to turn and this could not be conveyed running in a straight line across an open lake or bay and they couldn’t use buoys; that would be too obvious of what type of product was coming.  A watery road course was the right visual where the rider was forced to turn. The St. Johns River in Central Florida offers this landscape.

THE CHALLENGES

The timing of this project presented some challenges. The first was the prototype RXP-X units were not ready in the late April time frame this video needed to be shot. In reality, an actual RXP-X unit was not needed. The solution was to use another model (in this case a Sea-Doo GTI SE 155) and add some shaping details that gave the watercraft a different appearance when under the veil.

The second challenge was the St. Johns River was near historic low water marks, making it shallow in many spots but more threatening, was the fact this forced a much more condensed living area for the large alligator population. And it was mating season!

World renown, 2X X-Games Barefoot waterski champion, Peter Fleck, who some call “Aquaman” because of his watersports prowess was chosen as the talent (rider) as he is a good looking guy in his mid-40s and most importantly, fearless. Much of the running footage was shot via helicopter and the shooters (videographers) said they could not keep count of the number of “gators” they saw as Fleck meandered down the river. If you knew where to look in the video you can actually see a few alligators on the edges of the frame.

The St. Johns River footage came together with the intro footage being collected in; Lake Irvine, CA, Parker, AZ, Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, AZ and Tampa, FL.

In the next edition of BEHIND THE SCENES – we will share some of the images from the 2012 Sea-Doo watercraft and boat photoshoot showing how they captured some of the amazing visuals you see in the promotional materials in print, online and on television.

 

 

PLEASE NOTE: ALL OF THE TALENT AND PRODUCTION PERSONS INVOLVED WITH THIS BRP-SEA-DOO PHOTO/VIDEO/FILM SHOOT WERE PROFESSIONALS AND SOME OF THE BEST AT WHAT THEY DO. THE ACTION ALSO TOOK PLACE IN A CLOSED COURSE/WATERWAY. DO NOT TRY ANY OF THIS YOURSELF.

AGENCY: WaterTop Unlimited

PRODUCTION: Fiction Studios

 

Weekend with the Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan

15 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan

≈ Leave a comment

So what do you do when you are the Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan? You are on the water! But not just the water, a lot of beach is usually involved and as you will see, air too!

Kevin Wassum, the recently crowned Ultimate Sea-Doo Fan Contest winner has been busy managing his normal life and squeezing in an excessive amount of Sea-Doo riding and boating with wife Corrie and friends.

Check out what Kevin did last weekend in Tampa, Florida.

http://youtu.be/2huLO-jcg-8?hd=1

Kevin will be leading the pack at the Summer Ski Fest in Clearwater, Florida the weekend of August 27-28 aboard a new 2012 Sea-Doo RXP-X with T3 hull and ErgoLock. Stay tuned and see what future Adventures Kevin will experience while living the Sea-Doo Life!

 

– The Dolphin

 

 

Sea-Doo X-TOUR – NEW RXP-X EXPERIENCE

12 Friday Aug 2011

Posted by in Events

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

The new Sea-Doo RXP-X is the most complete high performance personal watercraft to ever be introduced. This new benchmark model turns like a slot car, goes through chop like its not even there, connects the rider like a lego block and proves that power is useless unless it can be fully realized. The new T3 hull and ErgoLock system is combined with the potent ROTAX 4-TEC HO engine to offer a watercraft that allows the rider to fully extract all of the power to achieve maximum performance.

Enough of the marketing copy, you have to experience the new Sea-Doo RXP-X to truly understand how revolutionary the design is. You don’t ride on the new RXP-X you ride with it. You gotta try it to get it! And when you try it once you;ll want to ride it again, and again, and again as the RXP-X has a technique and every time you ride it you learn something new to go faster and turn tighter.

So BRP loaded up a few of the pre-production units right after the historic CLUB BRP event in Montreal and began a mini tour of select high performance focused PWC events. The X-Tour is hosted by professional racers/riders Cody & Shane Hawkins and Dalton Platt and they will be visiting PWC race events and performance owner enthusiast event to allow people to experience the next generation of high performance watercraft the new Sea-Doo RXP-X.

Sea-Doo X-TOUR – RXP-X Experience

August 13-14         – Toyota IJSBA National Tour – Round Eight

Anderson, South Carolina – Sadlers Creek State Park

August 20-21         – Toyota IJSBA National Tour – Governor’s Cup

Charleston, West Virginia – Magic Island (for more info http://www.uwpinc.com)

August 27-28         – West Florida Ski Fest – Tampa Bay Jet Sport Club

Clearwater, Florida – Exact Demo Location TBC

October 1-2              – TENTATIVE – Greenhulk.net’s MUD BUG

Morgan City, Louisiana

October 6-8              – IJSBA World Finals

Lake Havasu City, Arizona  – Crazy Horse Campgrounds

November 5-6            – RIVA HydroDrag National – PWC Drag Race Event

Polk City (Lakeland), Florida – WaterSki Hall of Fame Facility – DISPLAY ONLY

All Test Riders must be a minimum of 18 years of age and possess a valid Drivers License.

The World Finals event will include many special BRP/Sea-Doo activities in addition to the RXP-X Experience. Activities will also include the 2012 Sea-Doo X-TEAM Showroom with many of the 2012 line-up on display in Performance Alley, The Sea-Doo X-TEAM Owners Ride on Thursday, October 6 from the London Bridge to Topock via the Colorado River, the Sea-Doo X-TEAM Bounty Challenge, and several night time activities with the Sea-Doo X-TEAM.

 

Stay tuned to OnBoard and “LIKE” us on the Sea-Doo Facebook page to stay up to date on these event details and others coming soon from the X-TEAM.

– The Dolphin

 

X-TEAM TUESDAY – PROFILE: Sea-Doo Racer Troy Snyder

09 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by in X-TEAM Profile

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

 

Floridian, Troy Snyder is a successful businessman and embodies what the Sea-Doo X-TEAM is all about as the Reigning PRO STOCK PWC racing National Champion

 

SEA-DOO X-TEAM TUESDAY – August 9, 2011

BIO

NAME:                                TROY SNYDER

WATERSPORT:              PWC Racing

AGE:                                    39 years old

HOME PORT:                  Bradenton, Florida

FAMILY:                           Married with one child

 

The Sea-Doo X-TEAM is comprised of watersports enthusiasts who take their Sea-Doo activities beyond the norm. They are the true water breathers. Those who take their recreational time on the water and turn it into more; it could be a championship, a world record, an extreme adventure, inventor of new tricks and/or redefining style. Regardless of what it is it involves pushing the limits and their vehicle of choice to take them on this journey is Sea-Doo watercraft.

This Tuesday we talk to long time PWC racer Troy Snyder a self made, successful businessman with a competitive drive that bounces off the rev limiter. Snyder has been involved with the sport of PWC racing at the elite level since 1995 and has experienced a fair amount of success along with the heart breaks that come with the sport of racing. Regardless of what life paths he walked, the sport of PWC racing was in his blood, BRP yellow blood at that and today he continues his quest for racing glory. Lets get to know Troy a bit better and see what keeps his engine running.

 

Troy, where did you grow up and how was your competitive spirit developed?

I grew up in Bradenton, Florida, born and raised.  I grew up playing football but raced motocross on Honda 250r ATV (there was no CAN-AM then!), and actually won the Atlanta supercross back in maybe 1986…but I loved football. I was the starting strong safety on the 1989 Florida state 5A high school football championship team, the MANATEE HURRICANES.  We finished #2 in the USA Today national poll that year!  I went on to earn a scholarship to play at a small school in Kansas. So I guess you could say I became accustomed to winning.

 

Troy what do you do away from the water to stay on the water? What’s your profession?

Snyder is the hands on President of Snyder Built Custom Homes

I’m state certified residential contractor; state certified master plumber, and journeyman electrician.  I build between 20-30 $150,000 house from the ground up.  I don’t just ride around and let a telephone build my houses, I BUILD THEM! From clearing the land to turning the key to the front door, we do it from A-Z.   Thus the name of my company is SNYDER BUILT!  We remained strong during the housing downturn as we never stepped over our boundaries during the boom, we build close to the same number of houses today as we did five years ago. Being smart, consistent and steady wins the race!
How were you introduced to watersports?After college I had a good friend invite me to the beach to ride this Sea-Doo thing!  I was like, “what is it?”  He told me I’d love it!  It was a 1994 Sea-Doo SP I think with a 580cc engine!   What a blast. The next weekend I bought one!  Of course, the next model up so I could beat him!  My first Sea-Doo watercraft was a 1994 SPX with a 650cc engine, big stuff then.  A few weeks later I see a guy show up at Bayside Beach with numbers on PWC and that’s when I found out they raced PWCs.  With my motocross background, and the Sea-Doo being somewhat similar to a ATV – it had handlebars – I said, “I can win where do I go!”  That’s is how the bug bit me.

Tell the Sea-Doo fans about your first competition, how did it go?My first race was at Orlando, Florida. My buddies came with me and said, “Man, you have to race beginners!”  I said, “No way put me in expert. Well I didn’t I raced novice and WON!!!  They said I was crazy!

My best story is actually my first National Tour race!  I raced expert 1200 mod on my Sea-Doo XP 800 in Virginia Beach, VA in 1995.  In the mid-‘90s PWC racing was huge, factory semi’s, ESPN coverage; this was one of the original X-Sports. I drove there with my 16 yr old brother with my XP 800 in the back of my truck with no beach cart, tent, ATV, nothing!  We pulled into the pits and my brother asked me, “Troy you sure you can race with these guys?”  The Factory race team set-up in the pits was awesome but intimidating at the same time.  I took a me against the world attitude – which I still hold today, probably a little too much at times. I thought, these guys can’t beat me!  On the (starting) line there was about a dozen factory Yamaha WaveRaiders with me on my Sea-Doo!  Fifteen laps later in the big surf I was the winner!  Bruce Brahms, the Sea-Doo race manager then, ran over and asked who I was?  He screamed, “You the first guy to win a 1200cc national race on the XP 800 expert or pro!” “Really?”  Soon afterwards I teamed with world-class tuner Bo Dupriest and Neptune Racing and have been with him one way or another ever since.

Troy since then what are some of your accolades?

1995 Finished #13 Overall on the National Tour with one victory! Only raced two rounds!
1996  #2 Overall on the National Tour
1996 Broke the World Record time in Slalom at the World Finals
1997 #2 Overall at the World Finals
– Took a 12 year hiatus to grow a business and a family
2009 #4 Overall in Pro Stock on the National Tour
2009 #3 Overall at the World Finals in Pro Stock
2010 NATIONAL CHAMPION PRO STOCK on both the IJSBA & APBA National Tours
2010 #3 Overall in Pro Stock at the World Finals
2010 WORLD CHAMPION expert limited.
2011???? Tell you in a few months!

Where is your favorite PWC race site?

My favorite race site is everywhere I WIN!!!  But Lake Havasu in Arizona where the IJSBA World Finals (World Championships) are held every October is the coolest place to win!  A lot of tradition there!

What is it about PWC racing that keeps you coming back?

Snyder leads the pack to the first turn on his Neptune Racing Sea-Doo RXT-X

I love Racing!  Going into the first turn side-by-side with 11 other guys at 70 mph is my reason for racing!  I love it! I came out of retirement to teach my 8-year-old son, Tory how to win!  Best way to teach is to show him!  He’s my biggest fan and this is a great family sport to be involved in!

Troy, where is your favorite non-racing, riding location?

My favorite ride spot is “Bay Side” right by the Long Boat Key, Florida bridge!  You can be in the Gulf of Mexico in seconds and there is a great four to five feet break right offshore!

What are you racing right now and what are looking forward to?

I am competing in the Pro Stock class on a Neptune Racing prepared 2011 Sea-Doo RXT-X with additional support from Snyder Built, Slippery When Wet/Thor, Bomber Eyewear, JetTrim Neptune Racing and of course with the added support from the Sea-Doo X-TEAM Bounty racer contingency program.  I’m looking forward 2011 World Finals!  I have unfinished business with the Pro Stock class there!  I also can’t wait till I get my hands on a new Sea-Doo RXP-X 2012.  My son and I shot a video with the RXP-X focused on the new ERGOlock system before it was public that should be coming out before the World Finals. That was fun and should be pretty good because the new RXP-X is AWESOME! With Neptune Racing power this Sea-Doo watercraft might go undefeated next year!!

BRP thanks Troy Snyder for his time and dedication in regard to his the pursuit of PWC racing glory aboard Sea-Doo watercraft.  You can follow Troy on his Facebook page, www.facebook.com/sluggertroy

Being Weather Wise

04 Thursday Aug 2011

Posted by in Sea-Doo Lifestyle, The Intrepid Cottager

≈ Leave a comment

Weather is a determining factor in Sea-Doo touring and destination cruising. Obviously, optimum cruising  occurs on a hot, sunny day with little wind and not a cloud in the sky. I’ve had my fair share of these glass surface days when my Sea-Doo etches a virgin line across a mirror of water. I’ve also had rides I’ve decided to cancel because of predicted thunderstorms or too high winds.

Believe me, you never want to be out when severe storms are imminent. No ride is worth putting yourself in potential danger. If you are out and the sky goes black and ominous, seek shelter quickly, preferably at a marina or cottager’s dock, where you can get off your PWC onto solid ground until it’s over.

I just wish the weather folks would get it right more often, or even agree with one another on one forecast. Basically, I’ll go on a day tour if the chance of rain is 40% or less. Anything over 50% and that day’s ride occurs near my cottage where scrambling home is an easy option.

Sometimes, rain is predicted for later in the day. That’s when I’ll choose a quick, half-day excursion (early mornings are normally the calmest time of day) and hopefully, be off the water by noon or so.

I also watch the wind closely. Higher winds mean higher waves. They can slow my ride or make it difficult, especially on big water. On windy days, I’ll choose a more protected route like a river or other narrow waterway.

The direction of the wind is also important. If the angle of your selected narrow waterway coincides with the direction of the wind, say both running west to east, then that can really whip up the waves along that narrow space.

Temperature is another factor to watch. For me, if the mercury is 22˚C (71.6˚F) or less, it’s a long sleeve and pants or even a wet suit riding day. I’ve Sea-Doo’d when it seemed that ice would start forming on the surface and I’ve almost had heat prostration from being out all day in a 33˚C (92˚F) clam bake, with me as the clam. But mostly, the weather cooperates when I ride because I’m on top of it.

My point is that for day touring and destination cruising, you need to be more weather aware. In upcoming blogs, I’ll chat about what to wear in various conditions to keep your Sea-Doo ride enjoyable. Talk to you next time!

Craig Nicholson, The Intrepid Cottager