I’ve introduced enough novice riders to Sea-Doo’s iControl technology that I understand how some folk may be confused at first. I’ve even heard dealers lament about customers that thought something was wrong because they couldn’t seem to get their new Sea-Doo working properly. 99.9% of the time, the Sea-Doo watercraft was fine. The real problem is that few of us read manuals anymore, myself included.

My confusion started when Sea-Doo introduced its exclusive iControl technologies. Suddenly and unlike my old Sea-Doo’s, I couldn’t get my new one started. So I broke down and read the manual – and voilá! – I can now get started every time.

To understand how the new starting works, think of it like this: previous Sea-Doo watercraft were an engine assisted by a computer. This meant that plugging in the DESS cord and depressing the red start/stop button would fire up the Sea-Doo engine and the computer would tag along in tandem. But iControl models are more like a computer assisted by an engine. This means that I had to learn to take care of the computer first, before it would enable engine starting.

So now, my steps are:

1. •I press the red start/stop button before doing anything else. This activates the computer, which signals “Welcome to Sea-Doo” on the centre of my gauge cluster.
2. •I promptly plug in my DESS cord. If it’s on properly, I hear two beeps.
3. •I depress the red start/stop button again – and bingo! – I have ignition.  No other order or combination works, so I memorized this one.

I also learned that I don’t have to do this every time to start my new Sea-Doo. If I have been riding already and want to shut down briefly, I keep the DESS plugged in and turn the engine off by depressing the red start/stop button. Because the computer remains active for about three minutes after engine shut off, I have that window of time to get my Sea-Doo started up again using only the red start/stop button.

The folks at Sea-Doo addressed my reluctance to read manuals. Today, new Sea-Doo’s come with not only a great manual, but also a waterproof, quick facts card that briefly summarizes key and basic operating info we need to know. But believe me, I get far more out of my 2013 Sea-Doo watercraft now, after having read the manual carefully than I ever did before. So my best advice to new Sea-Doo owners is learn your manual. You’ll be glad you did. Talk to you next time!

By: Craig Nicholson, The Intrepid Cottager