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25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO – THE NEW ERA IN WATERCRAFT: THE 2002 SEA-DOO GTX 4-TEC

14 Friday Sep 2012

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Bombardier Recreational Products took the most popular watercraft platform of all time and made it better. The 2002 GTX 4-TEC was be the first four-stroke engine powered Sea-Doo watercraft and featured the new innovative and responsible Sea-Doo O.P.A.S. (Off Power Assisted Steering) system.  These and other technological and design advances set the stage for the new era in watercraft.

The bar was set again with the 2002 Sea-Doo GTX 4-TEC watercraft. Powered by the 155 horsepower, 1494cc three-cylinder Rotax 4-TEC engine, the 2002 Sea-Doo GTX 4-TEC changed everything the world knew about watercraft. Power, more environmentally-friendly, and innovation reached new levels with the engine.  The 4-TEC was the most powerful mass-produced engine ever in a Sea-Doo watercraft and exceeded all 2006 EPA environmental standards.

The 2002 GTX 4-TEC offered watercraft enthusiasts a new feeling with an engine that literally purred and provided better acceleration than any luxury performance three‑passenger Sea-Doo watercraft before it.  The low-end torque of the new 1500 4-TEC 155 hp engine powered through an all new 10-vane water jet pump, and straight-line tracking of the redesigned hull made the 2002 GTX 4-TEC a great watercraft for towing wakeboarders, skiers and tubes.  Totally unique to watercraft, the Rotax four-stroke engine emitted a rich, low‑frequency purr at speed and offered ultra smooth operation.  Also integrated into the GTX 4-TEC hull was a revolutionary cooling system.  This engineering feat included a closed‑loop cooling system that used the rideplate as a heat exchanger for the engine coolant in the same fashion as an automobile radiator.  The 2002 GTX design was also offered with the exclusive OrbitalDirect Injection technology watercraft engine.

Committed to responsible boating, Bombardier led with its GTX 4-TEC and GTX DI watercraft and its newest innovation for 2002: the Sea-Doo O.P.A.S system.  This system provided added maneuverability by assisting the steering of the watercraft in off‑throttle and off-power situations.  The system could easily be seen on each side of the hull on equipped models in the form of spring-loaded rudders.

The deck was another work of art from the award-winning Sea-Doo design team.  It featured precisely tailored lines and overall elegant proportions that flowed gracefully from bow to stern while the flared shear line effectively reducing spray.  The hull design offered operators a drier ride with musclecraft-type precision handling.  On the bow, the distinct ridged “gills” were engineered to redirect spray away from the operator, thus offering a clear line of vision and increased comfort.

The 2002 Sea-Doo GTX 4-TEC was one of the most impactful models in the history of Sea-Doo watercraft truly carrying the brand into a new era of technology and potential. The shift from two-stroke power to four-stroke power in personal watercraft had begun.

 

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO > Defining Luxury Performance Watercraft = GTX

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

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1992 Sea-Doo GTX, the first luxury performance watercraft

Bombardier lead the way in defining specific watercraft for specific users. 1992 was the year the ‘luxury performance’ watercraft customer was defined and a model was specifically designed for those looking for a more refined on-water experience through a more refined watercraft. The Sea-Doo GTX (Grand Touring with Extras) was born and again a new segment of the industry was introduced.  With the GTX people experienced the maximum in engine and Direct Drive Jet Propulsion performance with the engine package introduced in the 1991 XP nestled in the shell of the GT three-seater package with – relative of the times – plush seating and high-end graphics and colorization.

With the launch of the GTX model the Sea-Doo three-seater line was complimented with a more value minded three-seater model, the Sea-Doo GTS.  It was added to the line-up for the all around watersports family.

To promote the fact that the new Sea-Doo GT watercraft were more than capable of doubling as watercraft superstars and viable tow vehicles, Bombardier sponsored the budding Pro Wakeboard Tour. Anheuser-Busch, parents of Budweiser, sponsored ESPN’s “Hot Summer Nights” programming that brought lifestyle sports to the mainstream during prime time Tuesday night summer programming. Part of this programming was the Pro WaterSki Tour and new Pro Wakeboard and Kneeboard Tour where half of the scored pulls were done behind the new Sea-Doo GTX. This marketing effort was done to promote the ability of the Sea-Doo three-seater watercraft in being more than capable of towing these new ‘extreme’ sports and characteristic of being easier and more economical than traditional inboard boats while towing.

Performance was further pushed following the introduction of the Sea-Doo XP.  As the performance runabout continued to gain popularity the 1992 Sea-Doo XP was upgraded with V.T.S. (a manual Variable Trim system) in addition to the rear grab handle and twin carb and tuned pipe performance package. 1992 also marked the first IJSBA National racing Championship for runabouts in which Palm Bay, Florida racer Bo Dupriest claimed the first ever title aboard a Sea-Doo watercraft.

 

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO – 1991 AND THE BIRTH OF THE MUSCLECRAFT

03 Monday Sep 2012

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Up to 1991, watercraft were general purpose ‘get around on the water’ vehicles. Riders would ride around in a relatively defined area and in some case this led to riding around a “bouy-course” which leads to going around the buoy-course faster than the other guy and this led to looking for more performance.  If they wanted a little more performance they had to look to the aftermarket as production models were very, well, ‘vanilla’ performance wise yet there was a wealth of aftermarket products available to up the performance or give that customized look. Performance out of the box had not been a consideration, until 1991.

The 1991 Sea-Doo XP changed the game. This model changed the perceptions of what was possible straight from the ‘factory’ when Bombardier launched the XP with the first production twin carb (carburetors) system, tuned exhaust pipe, and screaming neon graphics. The XP (extra performance) was the new ‘must have’ vehicle for performance enthusiasts and quickly become the watercraft of choice for the fledgling runabout (sit-down models) closed course racing.

The 1991 Sea-Doo XP was the first high-performance specific production model and gave birth to the term, “Musclecraft”.

 

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO – 1990 INTRODUCTION OF THE THREE-SEATER GT

02 Sunday Sep 2012

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1990 marked a monumental year in the personal watercraft industry.  Bombardier would invent a new segment in the fledgling industry with the introduction of the Sea-Doo GT (grand touring), the first ever three seater-watercraft. The GT wasn’t alone as the 1990 Sea-Doo watercraft line included three new models and added in a touch of color. The Sea-Do0 SP was introduced as the base model and the SPi was a step up (the “i” stood for stainless steal impeller, that was a substantial performance gain over the standard aluminum cast impeller) and of course the GT model.

The Sea-Doo GT received its share of criticism as industry insiders argued if people really wanted to ride three-up on a watercraft. What the GT did offer was a legal platform to pull skiers with that opened an entirely new usage of watercraft with room for a driver, observer and skier. The longer platform with a, relativly, oversized storage bin in the bow made ‘touring’ a reality on watercraft. The 1990 Sea-Doo GT also included reverse, substantially assisting in docking situations.  Little did anyone predict that eventually three-seaters would eventually make up roughly 90% of the market. The 1990 Sea-Doo GT was a monumental watercraft in the history of the industry.

 

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO: THE 25 DAY COUNTDOWN TO 2013

31 Friday Aug 2012

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In 1988 two young men brought to market a product they knew in their hearts would create an entirely new product segment that would change the recreational products industry forever. These two men were the sons of two men who attempted to do the same thing 20-years prior, but proved to be ahead of their time. In 1988 it was the right time for Pierre Beaudoin (who is now CEO of Bombardier Inc and son of Bombardier and BRP chairmen of the board, Laurant Beaudoin) and Denys LaPointe (who is now Vice President of BRP product design and innovation and son of Sam LaPointe) to launch the modern Sea-Doo watercraft.

Pierre Beaudoin with the first modern Sea-
Doo watercraft coming off of the Valcourt, Quebec production line.

The 1988 Sea-Doo 5801 model changed what a watercraft was and could do. It was the first two-passenger watercraft with a V-Hull (thus the V-Shape of the logo between the ‘A’ and the ‘D’) rotary-valve engine producing a class leading 55 hp, and capable of cutting through chop and physically capable of pulling a skier (legally, you must now utilize a three-seaters to tow). The 1988 Sea-Doo gave birth to an industry with huge potential and gave Ski-Doo snowmobile dealers a product to market when it wasn’t snowing.

A lot has changed over the past 25 years for the modern Sea-Doo watercraft with technological advances outpacing nearly every other motorized product in the world.  As a result of these advances and focus on on-water performance, fun, and safety, well over 1.2 million people have bought and enjoyed Sea-Doo watercraft with their families and friends.  BRP has been the market share leader in the watercraft industry for 19 of those 26 years and this stems from the passion Bombardier and now BRP puts into every product. Jose Boisjoli (the current President and CEO of BRP) leads the company with the mantra, “product is king” and no where has that proven more true than with the modern Sea-Doo watercraft.

Over the next 25 days BRP will celebrate the past 25 years of the modern Sea-Doo on the Sea-Doo Facebook fan page highlighting each model year leading to the launch of the 2013 line of Sea-Doo on September 24, 2012.