It's that time of year again. It is getting very close to the end of the seadoo season and it's time to give my machine a bath and a quick oil job and find my winter seadoo cover. I have a great time on the water this year. The weather was a bit wet but I was still able to get out most weeks with my friends. Taking my Seadoo around the lake a warm summer mornings is my most favorite summer activity. The thrill and enjoyment of that exercise has never worn off for me.
I am definitely sad that the summer is drawing to a close. If I'm lucky I might get out once or twice before October but I'm not counting on it. I have my Seadoo on the trailor and it is ready to be towed in either direction. I can tow it back to the lake if I have the opportunity or, lacking an opportunity to get to the lake, I can tow it back to my buddy's garage where I store it for the winter.
The one thing I need to do is to find a new Seadoo cover. My old one was in pretty rough shape at the start of the summer and deteriorated even further over the course of the summer. Seadoo covers are not hard to find but I am a little bit picky about the design, colours, and price. If at all possible I would like to get a second hand Seadoo Cover. I would be fine with green, blue or purple but the colour must be dark with lighter highlights. I particularly do not want anything like a lightning bolt or flames on it. Do I sound picky?
I started my search for Seadoo Covers on Craigslist. I posted an ad stating that I was looking for a good quality Seadoo cover for under $100. So far I have not been contacted. I understand that there are a few more free websites and I intend to post ads there as well. A friend of mine suggested that I post a "wanted ad" on the bulletin boards of all the local marinas, boat supply shops and boat dealerships. I think that's a good idea and I will get around to that next week. The same friend also suggested that some Seadoo PWC dealers may sell second hand Seadoo covers on consignment. That is also a good sugestion. If anyone has a good idea on how to buy a seocnd hand Seadoo cover I'd love to hear from you.
If I am unable to locate a decent second hand seadoo cover I will end up buying a new one with the hopes that there might be some end of season sales. Whatever happens I want to start the 2010 Seadoo season with a new Seadoo cover.
I also manged to get out on the water in some other forms of personal watercraft . Everytime I went to my parent's cottage I was able to windsurf and canoe. the quietness of those types of PWCs make a good change from the thrill of riding my Seadoo PWC.
I hope everyone had a fun and safe summer. I look forward to seeing everyone for the 2010 PWC Season. In the interim, I will keep you updated on my search for Seadoo cover.
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Friday, 14 August 2009
Which PWC is Best For You?
Which is the best personal watercraft? You can't imagine how many times I have been asked that question. Asked without context, this question has absolutely no correct answer. The answer depends on your likes and dislikes, the ages and physical abilities of the user or users, your budget, and, perhaps most importantly, the body of water that you will most regularly have access to.
Some personal watercraft or pwc are best suited for single users. In this case the user must be old enough to operate the pwc and be a competent swimmer. Some motorized personal watercraft require a license and the license itself will have a built in age requirement. Some require a minimum amount of physical strength to operate. Some personal watercraft are perfect for small rivers and streams while others can be used their full potential on larger bodies of water. Some pwc require strong and consistent winds. some require waves, while others are best suited for windless flat water. Some have motors and some don't have motors.
As you can see, the answer to "which personal watercraft is best suited for a single 24 year who is in good shape" will be much different to "which personal watercraft is best suited for a 75 year old that has been told by his doctor to get some more exercise".
Personally, I lean towards owning a Seadoo PWC as I live near a large lake that is perfect for Seadooing and I have a tight circle of friends that I regularly Seadoo with. However, when I visit my parent's cottage I really enjoy windsurfing and canoeing.
Each different PWC comes with it's own pros and cons. Before you invest in a PWC you should think realistically about what type is best suited for you and your family. Your first PWC should not be a Seadoo that you can only manage to use once per year even if that type of PWC seems to be the most fun.
In later posts I will go over in detail the pros and cons of a number of different types of PWCs that I hope will help you to answer which type of PWC is best for you.
Some personal watercraft or pwc are best suited for single users. In this case the user must be old enough to operate the pwc and be a competent swimmer. Some motorized personal watercraft require a license and the license itself will have a built in age requirement. Some require a minimum amount of physical strength to operate. Some personal watercraft are perfect for small rivers and streams while others can be used their full potential on larger bodies of water. Some pwc require strong and consistent winds. some require waves, while others are best suited for windless flat water. Some have motors and some don't have motors.
As you can see, the answer to "which personal watercraft is best suited for a single 24 year who is in good shape" will be much different to "which personal watercraft is best suited for a 75 year old that has been told by his doctor to get some more exercise".
Personally, I lean towards owning a Seadoo PWC as I live near a large lake that is perfect for Seadooing and I have a tight circle of friends that I regularly Seadoo with. However, when I visit my parent's cottage I really enjoy windsurfing and canoeing.
Each different PWC comes with it's own pros and cons. Before you invest in a PWC you should think realistically about what type is best suited for you and your family. Your first PWC should not be a Seadoo that you can only manage to use once per year even if that type of PWC seems to be the most fun.
In later posts I will go over in detail the pros and cons of a number of different types of PWCs that I hope will help you to answer which type of PWC is best for you.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Seadoo PWC Engines
Bombardier and it's reincarnation as the the Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) have been producing personal watercraft and Seadoo engines since 1968. There was a 20 year holiday from 1968 until 1988 and BRP celebrated a 20 year anniversary in 2008. Through the history of these machines the engines have evolved from air cooled problem prone machines to super sleek powerful racers
Bombardier produced the first commercially available PWC in 1968. The first model had an air cooled engine and the second model had a liquid cooled engine. However, due to the limitations on engine technology at the time, the products had a number of problems. The company discontinued the project in 1969 and did not produce another model until almost 20 years later. Bombardier introduced Seadoo Sport Boats to their product line in 1994. These Seadoo Sport boats used the same two-stroke engines as was used in their PWCs.
In 2002, BRP began to use a much superior and efficient four-stroke Rotax engines in their machines. These engines were all fuel injected and some are supercharged and intercooled to further increase performance. The last Sea-Doo pwc to use a two-stroke engine was the 3D-DI stand-up.
When the RXP was introduced in 2004, it was by far the fastest and most powerful four-stroke engine two-person PWC ever produced. It could kick out 215 horsepower and could reach speeds close to 70 mph. When the RXT was introduced one year later, it was the most powerful 3-seater on the market. It had the same engine as the RXP and could reach the same speeds at the same acceleration.
Starting in 2007, almost all Seadoo Sport Boats were available with either two 155 hp engines which combined to make 310 hp, or with two of these engines supercharged and intercooled, which could produce 215 hp for a combined power of a whooping 430 hp.
In 2008, RXP and RXT models were introduced offering a special "X" engine package. This package increased the power of the engines to 255 hp. The introduction of this new package was an attempt to compete directly with the 250 hp Kawasaki Ultra 250X. BRP's Sea-Doo personal watercraft now claims to be the industry leader in engine output, with the RXP-X and RXT-X models producing 255 horsepower while boasting of an incredible acceleration of 0-50 mph in a matter of 2-3 seconds.
These personal watercraft are very fast and as each year goes by faster and faster models are being introduced to the market place. There will come a time when fast is fast enough for Seadoo PWC engines but it would appear that we have not reached that point yet.
Bombardier produced the first commercially available PWC in 1968. The first model had an air cooled engine and the second model had a liquid cooled engine. However, due to the limitations on engine technology at the time, the products had a number of problems. The company discontinued the project in 1969 and did not produce another model until almost 20 years later. Bombardier introduced Seadoo Sport Boats to their product line in 1994. These Seadoo Sport boats used the same two-stroke engines as was used in their PWCs.
In 2002, BRP began to use a much superior and efficient four-stroke Rotax engines in their machines. These engines were all fuel injected and some are supercharged and intercooled to further increase performance. The last Sea-Doo pwc to use a two-stroke engine was the 3D-DI stand-up.
When the RXP was introduced in 2004, it was by far the fastest and most powerful four-stroke engine two-person PWC ever produced. It could kick out 215 horsepower and could reach speeds close to 70 mph. When the RXT was introduced one year later, it was the most powerful 3-seater on the market. It had the same engine as the RXP and could reach the same speeds at the same acceleration.
Starting in 2007, almost all Seadoo Sport Boats were available with either two 155 hp engines which combined to make 310 hp, or with two of these engines supercharged and intercooled, which could produce 215 hp for a combined power of a whooping 430 hp.
In 2008, RXP and RXT models were introduced offering a special "X" engine package. This package increased the power of the engines to 255 hp. The introduction of this new package was an attempt to compete directly with the 250 hp Kawasaki Ultra 250X. BRP's Sea-Doo personal watercraft now claims to be the industry leader in engine output, with the RXP-X and RXT-X models producing 255 horsepower while boasting of an incredible acceleration of 0-50 mph in a matter of 2-3 seconds.
These personal watercraft are very fast and as each year goes by faster and faster models are being introduced to the market place. There will come a time when fast is fast enough for Seadoo PWC engines but it would appear that we have not reached that point yet.
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Old Seadoos
I came across a fabulous website on older seadoos. Only a few of us remember the old Bombardier Seadoos of 1968 and 1969. Remember Bombardier's jet powered aqua scooter, as they were called then? The company discontinued making the Seadoos after 1969 due to inadequate engine technology and did not start to manufacture these marvelous machines again until 1988.This website is full of old pictures of Seadoos and seadoo brochures. You can check it out at http://www.oldseadoos.com .
Back in those days Bombardier had the same colour scheme for their ski-doos and their Seadoos. Any one who loves browsing through retro pictures and has a fascination with the styles and fashions of the late sixties will love this site. It has fully downloaded the promotional brochures for both 1968 and 1969.
For those gear heads amongst us, the site goes over the old engine specs in detail.
So whether you are a fashionista, a hobby mechanic, or a student of recent history you will enjoy this site on the first Seadoo PWC.
Saturday, 2 May 2009
A Quick History of Personal Watercraft
In the late sixties one of the members of the Bombardier family had an idea. His idea was to transform Bombardier's famous ski-doo into a form of water scooter. The Bombardier family spent many summers on and around the lakes of the Laurentian region of Quebec and enjoyed motor water sports. In an effort to actualize their vision the Bombardier family approached Clayton Jacobsen II. Jacobsen was the inventor of the stand-up Kawasaki Jet-Ski. Jacobsen drew his inspiration from riding motorcycles.
So with Jacobsen's dream of driving motorcycles on water and with the Bombardier dream of driving Ski-doos on water, the men joined forces to create something great. The development of the Seadoo PWC had just begun. Jacobsen had used a jet pump to drive his stand-up machine rather than an outboard motor. Once Bombardier sent sent him an 18-hp Rotax engine, Jacobsen started to design a sit-down version of his machine.
So with Jacobsen's dream of driving motorcycles on water and with the Bombardier dream of driving Ski-doos on water, the men joined forces to create something great. The development of the Seadoo PWC had just begun. Jacobsen had used a jet pump to drive his stand-up machine rather than an outboard motor. Once Bombardier sent sent him an 18-hp Rotax engine, Jacobsen started to design a sit-down version of his machine.
The first engines were air cooled instead of water cooled and Jacobsen had trouble designing a hull that would allow in the needed air. Eventually, in 1968 Bombardier bought the right's to Jacobsen's first model. Bombardier revised the design slightly by rounding out the hood and adding yellow and black paint job made famous by Ski-doos.
The next year in 1969, Bombardier updated the original engine. The new engine used liquid-cooling rather than air cooling and that solved a lot of problems. Certain elements of Seadoos that never changed were the bench seats and the steel handlebars. Both of these design elements were taken directly from the Ski-Doo snowmobile designs.
Despite their passion for the Seadoo they couldn't over come certain problems with the engines and corrosion. Jacobsen had a number of great ideas that involved some rubber components and waterproofing but Bombardier failed to incorporate much of those ideas. After 1969 Bombardier gave up on the dream of a Seadoo. They didn't manage put another Seadoo on the market until 1988.
Jacobsen repurchased his patent from Bombardier in 1971 and eventually sold the designs to Kawasaki. Jacobsen's deal with Kawasaki evolved into the creation of the Jet Ski.