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Sea-Doo Spark – One Year After Becoming The Watercraft Industry’s Instant Star.

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Events, Uncategorized

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accessible, affordable, awards, best, big hit, boating industry, deadmau5, history, innovation, miami, red dot, Sea-Doo, Sea-Doo Spark, Spark, star, test ride, timeline, tour, vanilla Ice

BRP is world renown for shaping the future of the powersports world and the impact the Sea-Doo Spark model had on the watercraft industry added to the company’s many monumental product launches. It has been a little over a year since the Sea-Doo Spark was launched to the public and since then the energy and excitement this revolutionary product has made is nothing short of amazing. Sea-Doo has long been the leading watercraft brand world-wide yet BRP knew there was an opportunity to offer a product that would make the dream of owning a Sea-Doo watercraft a reality with a completely re-thought and re-engineered design that made the Sea-Doo life more accessible to more people.

Lets take a high level look at the first year on the market of the Sea-Doo Spark.

Sea-Doo Spark unveil for the International Press.

Sea-Doo Spark unveil for the International Press.

September 9, 2013 – The Sea-Doo Spark was introduced to the International Press at Universal City Walk

 

September 11, 2013 – The Sea-Doo Spark was introduced to the North American Press in Orlando, Florida

September 15, 2013 – The BRP dealer network and the world was introduced to the new Sea-Doo Spark at the Dolphin Resort in Orlando, Florida. Soon after, the first production units were being shipped to Brazil, Australia and other southern hemisphere countries.

September 26, 2013 – The First container of Sea-Doo Spark units arrive in Australia. .

October 4, 2013 – The first production Sea-Doo Spark units are shipped to the US dealer network.

October 12, 2013 – BRP sparks some fun in Topock, California in conjunction with the IJSBA World Finals as the first public rides of the Spark are offered to Sea-Doo participants of the Sea-Doo Ultimate Owners Ride III.

Pro Surfer Sally Fitzgibbons and the Sea-Doo Spark

Pro Surfer Sally Fitzgibbons and the Sea-Doo Spark

November 9, 2013 – World Tour professional surfer and Australian legend Sally Fitzgibbons unveils BRP’s latest watercraft, the Sea-Doo Spark PWC, at an exclusive event in Sydney.

November 16-17, 2013 – Fans and spectators of the P1 AquaX event in St. Cloud, Florida see the Sea-Doo Spark on Display.

January 2, 2014 – The Sea-Doo Spark makes its boat show debut at the New York and Houston international Boat Shows.

2014 NMMA Innovation award winning Sea-Doo Spark

2014 NMMA Innovation award-winning Sea-Doo Spark

February 13, 2014 – The BWI (Boating Writers International) present BRP with the NMMA Innovation award for the Sea-Doo Spark, the sixth for BRP in six years.

March 16, 2014 – The Sea-Doo Events Team begins the #SPARKSOMEFUN Miami Take Over with various Sea-Doo Spark activities in South Florida leading up to the SPARKSOMEFUN Deadmau5 concert.

March 23, 2014 – A week-long of Sea-Doo activities in Miami, Florida culminate with a SPARKSOMEFUN concert with performance artist David Garilbaldi and EDM producer Deadmau5 at South Beach’s Fountainblue resort.

March 24, 2014 – Deadmau5 and Vanilla Ice go have fun riding the Sea-Doo Spark watercraft near downtown Miami, Florida.

DSC00783April  4, 2014 – The Sea-Doo #SPARKSOMEFUN Test Ride Tour begins its 33 stop, four-month, North American tour in Pompano Beach, Florida.

April 30, 2014 – The Sea-Doo Spark receives the Edison Award silver medal for innovation in San Francisco, California.

May 1, 2014 – Boating Industry named the Sea-Doo Spark one of their Best New Products for 2014.

May 3, 2014 – YouTube video producer Devin Supertramp shots his, “Skateboarding on Water” Wakeskate video with the NIKE wakeskate team behind the Sea-Doo Spark. The video has been viewed over one million times.

July 10, 2014 – The Sea-Doo Spark wins the prestigious Red Dot Award for product design.

July, 2014 – The Sea-Doo Spark proves to be the star of the summer as young families  search the BRP dealer network for the Spark of their choice.

September 15, 2014 – The 2015 Sea-Doo line of watercraft is launched to the public.

DCIM100MEDIA

There were thousands more highlights for the Sea-Doo Spark in its first year and most of those included the fun had by the thousands of owners who joined the Sea-Doo family by purchasing the most accessible watercraft on the market, the Sea-Doo Spark. You can join the trend setters by pre-ordering you Sea-Doo Spark, or any of the other models of the Sea-Doo watercraft family by simply clicking SPARKSOMEFUN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO, A VIDEO HISTORY

29 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Behind the scenes

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25 year, 3d, awards, best, boat, bombardier, brand, brp, championships, di, dolphin, fun, gt, gti, gtx, history, hx, jet, jetski, pwc, racing, rx, rxp, rxt, rxx, Sea-Doo, ski, sp, story, video, wake, watercraft, xp

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.

We take a look back over some of the milestone Sea-Doo watercraft models, innovations, awards, accomplishments and fun over the past 25 years. The Sea-Doo brand story is one of historical magnitude in the power sports and marine industries as very few brands have dominating an industry the way the Sea-Doo brand has led the personal watercraft industry.

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO > 2003 > THE FIRST 185HP SUPERCHARGED FOUR STROKE WATERCRAFT ENGINE AND VANS TRIPLE CROWN EDITION IN 2003

15 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Sea-Doo Lifestyle

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2003 GTX 4-TEC Limited Supercharged, 25 years of the modern sea-doo, best, cassette, GTX SC, hampson, history, history of sea-doo, horrell, indianapolis, jetski, jetskiis, laborite, nascar, power, Sea-Doo, sea-doo history, seadoo, seadoo jetski, speedway, stewart, Supercharged Sea-Doo, support, wake, wake skate, watercraft history

Lift the engine cover on the 2003 Sea-Doo GTX 4-TEC Limited Supercharged or GTX SC watercraft and you would see red. Because red was the color of the watercraft industry’s first supercharger. A supercharger boosts the power of an engine by substantially increasing the air-fuel mixture injected into the combustion chambers. By force-feeding more air into the combustion chambers, the 4-TEC Supercharged engine produced an astounding 185 horsepower. Unlike turbochargers, which only kick in after exhaust gases reach a pre-set level, the 4-TEC supercharger was always on.  So throttle response is immediate, without any of the dreaded “turbo lag.”

2003 sea-Doo GTX 4-TEC Limited

The 2003 Sea·Doo GTX 4-TEC Limited Supercharged and GTX Supercharged gave the phrase “Pumped Up” an all-new meaning.  The supercharged 4-TEC marine engine offered consumers the most horsepower ever available in a watercraft. The Sea-Doo brand team leveraged their relationships with Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte and Bombardier’s sponsorship of the Indianapolis Speedway by launching these 2003 Sea-Doo watercraft with unheard of horsepower in conjunction with the Brickyard 400 NASCAR race. Media were invited to the race then the following morning Stewart and Labonte rode the watercraft to a dock on an Indianapolis lake to greet the media.

 

 

2003 Sea-Doo GTX Vans Triple Crown Edition watercraft

The Sea-Doo brand was heavily involved in launching the sport of wakeboarding in the early ‘90s and was doing it again in the early 2000s with the sport of wakeskating. Wakeskating was more technical than wakeboarding and didn’t require big wakes and focused on rail riding but also meant riders fell more. That change in tow vehicle needs led the way to the first tow specific watercraft in the industry, the 2003 Sea-Doo GTX 4-TEC, Vans Triple Crown Edition. Van’s was leading the promotion of action sports in 2003 and a partnership was formed in addition to the Cassette wakeskate team riding exclusively behind Sea-Doo watercraft.

Wakeskate legends and Cassette team riders Thomas Horrell, Aaron Reed, and Danny Hampson all rode behind Sea-Doo watercraft exclusively and led the charge in watercraft becoming the preferred tow vehicles for their fledgling sport.  The fact that Sea-Doo watercraft could turn around quickly and the new 4-TEC engines minimized exhaust made Sea-Doo watercraft the ideal tow vehicle for these athletes to hone their sport. The Vans Triple Crown edition featured a retractable tow pylon with observer grab handles and the 4-TEC engine allowed the driver to hold a constant speed compared to competitive models that struggled at the 18-25 mph ideal tow speeds.

With one year in the field, 2003 Sea-Doo 4-TEC powered watercraft were leading the charge to overturn legislative restrictions put in place based on previous watercraft technology. The new cleaner, quieter 4-TEC engines and Sea-Doo O.P.A.S. (off powered assisted steering) changed how legislators and the public viewed personal watercraft and led the way in shifting perception of watercraft from socially acceptable to socially desirable.

 

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

14 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Sea-Doo Lifestyle

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2002, 2002 GTX 4-TEC, brp, cassette, first, four-stroke, gtx, hampson, history, horrell, jetski history, jetskis, new jetski, sea-doo history, seadoo history, seadoo jetskis, vans, wake, watercraft

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.

 

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO > 1998 SEA-DOO GTX RFI, FIRST CLEANER TECHNOLOGY WATERCRAFT

10 Monday Sep 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Behind the scenes

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1998, clean, cleaner, d-sea-bel, emissions, environmental, fuel injection, gsx, gtx, history, leader, limited, quieter, reduction, rfi, rotax, Sea-Doo, sound-reduction, Technology, xp

By the late 1990’s the personal watercraft industry was nearing ‘maturity’ in the marketing product lifecycle and Bombardier spearheaded the responsibility of responsibly leading the sport into the next era with new, cleaner technology. 1998 marked not only a monumental model year for the Sea-Doo brand but for the entire industry.  The drive for the industry to be more environmentally responsible equaled that of becoming more socially acceptable.  The goal of the Sea-Doo brand team in 1998 was to not only to meet these objectives but also surpass them and ensure Sea-Doo watercraft would elevate the sports status to becoming socially ‘desirable’.

1998 Sea-Doo RFI watercraft

The 1998 Sea-Doo GTX RFI watercraft would be the first production watercraft equipped with cleaner technology including fuel injection and sound suppression. The RFI (Rotax Fuel Injection) system would reduce emissions by up to 30% and increase fuel economy by up to 15% and the D-SEA-BEL sound reduction system would substantially reduce sound emissions. The model would lay the groundwork for all cleaner watercraft technologies to follow.

The RFI system was a semi-direct fuel injection system that supplied fuel at a much more precise, metered rate than standard carburetors. The D-SEA-BEL sound reduction system utilized a series of baffles acoustical foam and Hemholtz resonators to cancel the frequencies irritating to the human ear.   The Sea-Doo GTX RFI would help lead the charge in educating governing bodies around the world on the proactive efforts the industry was taking to address any and all concerns.

1998 Sea-Doo XP Limited watercraft

Performance was also at the forefront of the 1998 Sea-Doo watercraft line with the launch of three ‘Limited’ models with the Sea-Doo XP Limited, GSX Limited, and GTX Limited, all equipped with the new 160 hp Rotax 1000 series twin cylinder engine.  These Limited models distinguished themselves as a “step above” the rest with unmatched power and performance. The 1998 Sea-Doo line will hold an important place in the history of personal watercraft

 

 

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO > 1995, the First Suspension Seat and the “Slant” Engine

07 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Behind the scenes

≈ 1 Comment

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1995, 717 engine, 787, award, championship, dealer, gtx, history, hx, imtec, industry, leader, network, nmma, rotax, Sea-Doo, slant, suspension, xp785

1995 Sea-Doo HX

The Sea-Doo brand was embracing the watercraft industry leadership position in 1995 and product development was progressing at an astounding pace. Two new Rotax marine engine platforms were introduced in 1995, the 717 twin-cylinder and the 787 RAVE (Rotax adjusting variable exhaust) engine.  The 717 engine was nestled into the new Sea-Doo XP hull code named the X4 hull that spawned from learnings from the companies race teams. This hull’s design included a nose section dropped down and extended the transom with interchangeable trim tabs for greater surface area touching the water for better handling than the previous version hull.

The headliner of the 1995 line was the new Sea-Doo HX watercraft. The Sea-Doo HX featured a very aggressively designed hull with extreme keel angles and ultra narrow running surface for slicing through chop and a pronounced inward angled gunnel chines to allow the machine to lean into turns similar to a motorcycle with the industry’s first production suspension seat that compressed with the g-forces of a turn to lower the rider’s center of gravity and absorb shock in straight line chop.  The Sea-Doo HX was inspired by the dolphin and the design characteristics can be seen in the shape of the HX. The 1995 Sea-Doo HX was the first watercraft to win the prestigious NMMA IMTEC award (now the NMMA Innovation Award).

Sea-Doo Limited edition XP785

Bombardier also released a monumental watercraft called the Sea-Doo XP 785, a limited edition performance model featuring the new 787 “slant” engine featuring the RAVE system perfected in Ski-Doo snowmobiles to change exhaust timing to maximize low end torque and top end RPM. This would be a historical model introduction that would go on to be the winningest racing runabout watercraft model of all time.

Watercraft racing would be close to its all-time peak in popularity and the biggest names in the sport were now competing in the Pro Runabout class with the Sea-Doo X-TEAM led by the sport’s most popular rider, ‘the flyin fish’ Chris Fischetti.  The Sea-Doo brand was also growing its involvement with the Pro Wakeboard tour as wakeboarding was quickly overtaking traditional skiing as the most popular tow sport. Enthusiasts began to realize they could be pulled by the Sea-Doo GT model watercraft making wakeboarding easier, less expensive, and more accessible to more people.

Innovation in the three-seater category continued to grow that segment with the Sea-Doo GTX receiving a power upgrade in 1995 with the addition of the 657 Rotax engine and first ever touring seat option for a plusher ride.  Personal watercraft was the hottest recreational product in the industry and the Sea-Doo dealer network could not get enough product to fill demand.

Bombardier also became very proactive in the areas of social responsibility and boater education with the “Boat Smart From the Start” campaign. To gain public attention boating safety and responsible watercraft operation the Sea-Doo brand was partnered with the world’s most popular TV show of the time, and a show that’s theme was water safety, Baywatch. Many of the actors made public appearances at boating events promoting safe boating practices as well as lending their time for Public Service Announcements for proper watercraft use and wearing Personal Floatation Devices (PFD).

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO > 1994 – Sea-Doo Goes Racing

06 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Behind the scenes

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1994, 657, bo, championship, Florida, gtx, history, leader, national, racing, rotax, Sea-Doo, sponsons, valcourt, xp

1994 Sea-Doo XP watercraft

In 1994 personal watercraft were all the rage and the industry was growing at an unprecedented rate among recreational products.  The Sea-Doo brand continued to strengthen its new found leadership position with product innovation and aggressive marketing of this relatively new sport.  Performance was at the forefront of product innovation while the cottagers and all around watersports enthusiasts found a new found freedom and the brands new tagline “Everybody’s Doing It!” held true.

Watercraft racing was a prime time sport on ESPN and the personalities were becoming household names as many of the stars began migrating to the runabout class as factory sponsorship and support was now in play. The first Sea-Doo factory support team riders were introduced at the Sea-Doo factory in Valcourt, QC with a dozen of the world’s top riders competing on Sea-Doo XP models. Sea-Doo riders would dominate the IJSBA National Tour that year with a major handling component being developed, the curved sponson. The curved sponson gave these higher performance watercraft better stability at speed and helped cornering ability by digging into the water. Sponsons would make their way on nearly every watercraft that followed.  1992 National Champion Bo Dupriest claiming the hotly contested Pro Runabout National title again in 1994 with a hull/sponson combination elements that would be carried over to future production models.

1994 Sea-Doo GTX watercraft

The 1994 Sea-Doo GTX received upgrades including the addition of the 657 cc Rotax rotary valve engine with tuned pipe and brass insert in the water jet pump, introduced in the XP the year prior.  The growing popularity of the three-seater for towing led to a standard mirror being added for observing skiers.

Development of future product was intense in Valcourt and the Grant, Florida test facility with benchmark models in development as the marketing efforts reached the general population with a mass TV and radio campaign and a dealer network that now spanned North America.

25 YEARS OF THE MODERN SEA-DOO – 1993, TAKING THE LEAD IN MANY MANNERS

05 Wednesday Sep 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Behind the scenes

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1993, 657, byerly, espn, gts, gtx, history, hot summer nights, IJSBA, leader, learn, market share, murray, pro wakeboard tour, racing, Sea-Doo, shapiro, sp, spx, teach, watercraft, xp

1993 Sea-Doo XP watercraft

The Sea-Doo brand was solidified as the design leader of the personal watercraft industry in 1993 with the launch of the second-generation Sea-Doo XP model. The 1993 Sea-Doo XP was truly the next generation high performance watercraft with modern visual design utilizing smooth, flowing lines and integrated vents, handles and seating on an entirely new top deck and hull. The 1993 XP also upped the performance ante among two-seaters with a marine use specific 657cc Rotax rotary valve engine with twin Mikuni carburetors and a tuned pipe producing 65 horsepower.  The power was put to the water with a new brass insert jet pump, capable of efficiently processing the higher horsepower and utilized the first electronic trim system.

1993 saw runabout racing take a strong hold at IJSBA and APBA watercraft races and the Pro class races were now broadcast on ESPN’s Hot Summer Nights coverage of summer sports. Watercraft racing was one of the original extreme sports and the Sea-Doo XP was at the forefront of this movement as the manufacturers began to see the “what wins on Sunday sells on Monday” phenomenon take affect and factory support of racers began.

Also collecting airtime during ESPN’s programming was the Sea-Doo GTX on the Pro Wakeboard Tour where half of the competition was conducted behind the new Sea-Doo GTX three-seater platforms. Pro wakeboard legends such as Scott Byerly, Darin Shapiro, Gator Legert, Russell Gay, Shaun Murray and others took this fledgling sport to prime time behind Bombardier’s support.

This year also was monumental for the industry as the Sea-Doo brand became the new market share leader, surpassing the Kawasaki watercraft brand.

1993 Sea-Doo watercraft line included; Sea-Doo XP, Sea-Doo SPX, Sea-Doo SPi, Sea-Doo SP, Sea-Doo GTX and Sea-Doo GTS, and the unique Sea-Doo Explorer a Direct Drive jet propelled RIB (rigid inflatable boat).

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

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Behind the scenes

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1992, bo dupriest, bombardier, brp, bud, championship, espn, extra, extreme, first, grand, gts, gtx, gtx introduction, history, IJSBA, luxury, new, performance, pro wakeboard, Sea-Doo, title, tour, touring, variable trim, variety, watercraft, win, xp

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

Posted by Sea-Doo OnBoard Editor in Behind the scenes

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1991, first, heritage, high-performance, history, leader, musclcraft, racing, Sea-Doo, twin carb, xp

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”.

 

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