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.