Congratulations to our Sea-Doo Image of the Week winner Matt Lackore! Thanks for sharing your “I Brake for my new Son″ Sea-Doo image! Matt visited  one of the America’s Motorsports dealerships in Tennessee and checked out the 2013 lineup with his new son.

Matt entered the Sea-Doo “I Brake For…” Sweepstakes and his image was chosen as one of our featured images of the week.  His image received the most votes in the weekly contest.  He won a Sea-Doo Signature Tee and a white sports cap.

Congratulations Matt! Thanks for sharing your Sea-Doo lifestyle with us!

If you’ve never owned a personal watercraft and don’t know much about them, this blog is for you. Sea-Doo watercraft from BRP are jet-propelled boats that operate much like a motorcycle or snowmobile. They provide the same exhilarating sensation of skimming over a surface and being able to go almost anywhere. Virtually unsinkable, family-friendly and completely reliable, an advanced technology Sea-Doo watercraft is easy to operate, with unmatched handling and turn-on-a-dime maneuverability.

So it’s time for you to go shopping. You’ve already made a good choice by visiting Sea-Doo’s On Board Blog, so now familiarize yourself with available models and technologies on the Sea-Doo website. Then it’s time to hit the pavement. BRP sells Sea-Doo watercraft through its own global dealer network, much like automobile manufacturers do. Sea-Doo dealers are not only very knowledgeable about Sea-Doo watercraft, they also offer parts, service, storage, trailers and accessories galore. Yes, your Sea-Doo dealer can outfit you with everything from PFD‘s (Personal Flotation Devices) and wetsuits, to covers, dock ties, bumpers and anchors…plus an array of colourful inflatables for towing the kids.

Want to try before you buy? Some dealers rent Sea-Doo watercraft, while others have demo units you can arrange to sample. Tracking down a rental outfit may be a bit of a challenge, but start by asking your local dealer or googling “PWC rentals”. BRP also offers demo tours each summer. Many dealers, all over the US and Canada, are participating in the Try a Sea-Doo program this summer where you can make an appointment at the dealership and they will let you test ride their Sea-Doo watercraft.  Once you climb aboard your first Sea-Doo watercraft and go for a ride, I guarantee you’ll want to try it again!

When it comes to purchasing a personal watercraft, there are two major questions to ask yourself: “What brand should I buy?” and “What model should I buy?” Let’s assume that you’ve already decided to buy a Sea-Doo watercraft because it’s the only one with a brake, hands-on-the-handlebar reverse, suspension and many other industry-leading exclusive features. So what model do you choose? To help make this choice, ask yourself who, what, where and how much…

Who Will Be Riding Your New Sea-Doo Watercraft? If it’s intended primarily as a family-friendly watercraft, then it needs to be versatile, flexible and easy to ride for all skill levels. Will it frequently or seldom be used by multiple riders (operator and passenger(s)? Do you have lots of friends and guests who might also be using it? But if you think the primary use is for adults to go cruising and do some exploring, then that’s another thing. Maybe the purpose of your new acquisition is to keep your tow sports happy teens entertained. Or could it be that you’re a performance buff who’s looking for new thrills on the water. Of course, the reality is that it’s often a combination of the various “who’s”, but try to nail down a hierarchy that snapshots your present situation, including factors like experience, gender, weight, age and availability.

What Will Your New Sea-Doo Watercraft Be Used For? The answer to this one falls naturally out of your “who” answer, but also think about the “what” separately. What can a Sea-Doo watercraft do? What are the specialties of each specific model? What uses are you most beneficial to you? What if you or members of your family are really into tow sports? How might your “what’s” change over the next couple of years as ages, interests and priorities change?

Where Will Your New Sea-Doo Watercraft Be Used? Fresh or salt water? Big water or sheltered back channel? River or lake? Always on your own lake or primarily on other waterways – or a mix of the two? If your home waters are navigable and interconnected with adjacent waterways, will you want to go exploring? Your “where” will help you determine which model best suits you.

How Much Can You Afford to Invest in Your New Sea-Doo Watercraft? For me, this question breaks down into: “What can I afford now?” and “What can I afford for tomorrow?” After years in powersports, I’ve found that it always pays to invest in the best technology available today because I’ll enjoy it longer and get more for it on resale. It’s also interesting to remember that that unlike with other new boat transactions, Sea-Doo watercraft are all-in-one priced as an integrated, turn-key package including its purpose built and perfectly matched 4-stroke Rotax engine (instead of boat and motor from different manufacturers).

The logic of good answers to these questions should make your Sea-Doo watercraft shopping easier and more cost-effective. Hopefully, it will also make dazzling colours and appealing graphics less of a distraction!

By Craig Nicholson, The Intrepid Cottager

“There are plenty of features that make a GTX stand out, but it’s nearly impossible to overlook the all-encompassing “i” monikers, namely Intelligent Brake and Reverse (iBR) and Intelligent Throttle Control (iTC), all part of what Sea-Doo dubs iControl.”

Read the whole story at: http://www.personalwatercraft.com/manufacturers/sea-doo/2013-seadoo-gtx-215-review-1182.html


BRP’s Sea-Doo GTX 215 is the most powerful, non-suspended Sea-Doo model in the luxury performance segment.  For 2013,  the GTX 215 features iBR, iTC with the award winning ECO mode, cruise/slow speed modes, fuel consumption display, VTS, plush custom touring seat, hinged seat, tilt steering with digital infocenter, fold-down reboarding step, large glove box and watertight removable storage bin.

For more information on the Sea-Doo GTX 215 and our full line up of watercraft visit: www.sea-doo.com

Wearing a PFD

With summer fast approaching, families and friends are anxious to enjoy time in the sun and on the water – boating, fishing, riding a Sea-Doo watercraft, paddling and more. During all recreational water activities it’s important to remember safety precautions.

But, with approximately 500 people drowning each year from recreational boating accidents, it is imperative to spread the message of responsible boating and a simple life-saving strategy – “Wear It!” – wear a Personal Floatation Device (PFD) at all times on the water.

Together with boating safety advocates, the National Safe Boating Council reminds boaters of the importance of boating safety, such as wearing a PFD, boating sober, knowing navigational rules, and having a proper lookout during the 2013 North American Safe Boating Campaign. The yearlong effort kicks off with National Safe Boating Week recognized in the United States and Canada from May 18-24, 2013.

This year during National Safe Boating Week and throughout the campaign the National Safe Boating Council will highlight stories of real boaters whose lives were saved by wearing a PFD.

U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in almost three-fourths of recreational boating fatalities in 2011, and that 84 percent of those who drowned were not wearing life jackets. That’s why boating safety advocates continue to push for increased and consistent PFD wear on the water.

Today’s PFDs are comfortable, stylish and easy to wear. In fact, they don’t even have to be ‘jackets’ anymore. Old-fashioned, bulky orange life jackets have been replaced with new varieties of life jackets, including neoprene and other high quality, low density personal flotation devices.

For personal watercraft and water sports: Inherently buoyant lighter-weight life jackets are rigged, with multiple buckles and clasps to keep them secure after impact with the water. Sea-Doo has a full line up of PFDs designed to fit rider style and budget.

The North American Safe Boating Campaign unites the efforts of a wide variety of boating safety advocates, including the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators, Canadian Safe Boating Council and many members of the National Safe Boating Council. The campaign is produced under a grant from the Sports Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund, administered by the U.S. Coast Guard. Partners hold local events, teach classes, offer on-water training, distribute educational materials and perform free vessel safety checks, among other activities.

Congratulations to our Sea-Doo Image of the Week winner Kurt Ngsaye! Thanks for sharing your “Checking out the RXP-X″ Sea-Doo image! Kurt attended the Orlando Sea-Doo “I Brake For…” Test Ride Tour and rode models from the 2013 lineup.

Kurt entered the Sea-Doo “I Brake For…” Sweepstakes and his image was chosen as one of our featured images of the week.  His image received the most votes in the weekly contest.  He won a Sea-Doo Classic Green T-shirt and Sea-Doo Splash Cap  so he will be wearing his Sea-Doo style.

Congratulations Kurt! Thanks for sharing your Sea-Doo lifestyle with us!

Riding a Sea-Doo may spur this urge a bit more than the average vehicle. After all, Sea-Doo watercraft are breed to be performers and in the arena of professional watercraft racing has dominated closed course races around the world. You may have thought about racing but don’t know where to go and aren’t interested in buying a lot of race specific parts or modifying your very reliable, stock Sea-Doo watercraft. And maybe lining up to a veteran racer may seem intimidating. But that burning desire to feed your competitive side hungers every time you squeeze the throttle lever of your Sea-Doo watercraft.

For PWC owners in the United Kingdom and the southeastern United States, specifically Florida, comes a new PWC event the P1 Aqua Cross series. This is a new form of PWC racing that is open to only riders with completely stock watercraft. Its the ultimate, “run what you brung” racing. The courses are also much less complex and open than traditional closed course races that one may see at the IJSBA World Finals.  Multi-time world champion watercraft racer Lisa Barsby of the UK developed this series in the UK to bring a new crowd to the family sport she loves. Barsby address the barriers keeping current owners from racing. The goal of Aqua Cross racing is to make it easy, safer, affordable, and fun for anyone and everyone with a PWC.

The classes are broken down by stock horsepower ratings to allow every category of PWC to compete head-to-head on equal equipment. There are three main categories offered, 300 hp, 250+hp, and 200+hp.  other than a PWC all anybody needs is protective riding gear, and a set of racing numbers.

The US events include:

June 15 & 16 – Daytona, Florida

July 20 & 21 – Pahookee, Florida

August 17 & 18 – Cocoa Beach, Florida

September 14 & 15 – Marathon, Florida

The UK events include:

June 1-2 – Hull

June 29-30 – Plymouth

July 13 & 14 – Eastborn Extreme

August 10 & 11 – Torquay

For more information on racing your Sea-Doo in a new, no pressure racing series, visit P1 Aqua Cross

Sea-Doo GTR 215

Read the whole story at: http://features.boats.com/boat-content/2013/04/sea-doo-gtr-215-real-bang-for-the-buck-in-a-pwc/#ixzz2Su2BKrfhBRP’s 2013

The Sea-Doo GTR 215 is based on the playful yet predictable handling of the GTI platform while offering more power from its supercharged Rotax 4-TEC marine engine. The GTR 215 carries the Sea-Doo performance heritage with strong acceleration and handling prowess. It’s easily tunable with aftermarket accessories. The GTR 215 is also fully equipped with the Sea-Doo iControl technologies including iTC and award-winning iBR system, allowing the rider to stop up to 100 feet sooner than any other watercraft*. The Sea-Doo GTR 215 features: integrated infocenter, with the Sea-Doo iControl technologies including iTC and award-winning iBR system, allowing the rider to stop up to 100 feet sooner than any other watercraft*. The Sea-Doo GTR 215 features: integrated infocenter, high-performance VTS, 116 liters (30.5 US gallons) of storage and grip and groove seat.

For more information on the Sea-Doo GTR 215 and our full line up of watercraft visit: www.sea-doo.com

When people talk about “bells and whistles,” at least in the way of personal watercraft, it’s typically cruise control they’re talking about. Cruise control is a great feature that so many of us aren’t used to on a PWC that its often considered a superfluous option, like a backup camera or fuzzy dice.

Only when using your watercraft for long distance rides, cruises through areas with stretches of limited speeds (everyone who has traveled Florida’s St. John’s River knows what I’m talking about), or leisurely exploring your lake or river have realized that maybe cruise control ain’t all that bad after all.

One such enthusiast recognized this before bringing home their brand-new 2013 Sea-Doo RXT-X from America’s Motor Sports and opted to have BRP’s Cruise Control and Ski Module Kit installed. We followed along the installation process and were surprised how deceptively uncomplicated it truly was. But be warned, there’s quite a bit of wiring to be mastered in this installation, so if tangling with electronics is not your forte, then why not have your local shop or dealer tackle this.

The BRP Sea-Doo Cruise Control and Ski Module (Kit # 295 100 455) is designed to add cruise control and the ski towing options to all iControl-equipped runabouts and comes with all this equipment seen here.

Thankfully, the rear access panels in the S3 hull make wiring significantly easier. Start by disconnecting your battery, and follow each of the steps to wire your new harness into the existing factory plugs.

All iControl-equipped Sea-Doos (from 2009-on), are built in a modular fashion, meaning that parts and accessories can be added to or removed from all skis rather simply. This “parts bin” process helps to simplify assembly, reduce part numbers, reduce production costs and make working on them significantly easier. The iControl unit is a base foundation from which all levels of accessorized Sea-Doos are built upon.

In the case of this RXT-X, the sportier runabout came from the factory without cruise control. Expecting to take in some long hauls this season, this savvy buyer opted to have the cruise module installed – including the necessary Cruise button on the handlebars.

All work pertaining to electricity on your PWC should begin with disconnecting the battery cables. On this particular unit, the battery is found beneath the rear starboard access panel. The electrical component support is mounted to the battery holder with the diagnostic connector attached to it.

Don’t Get Your Wires Crossed

Remove the connector and pull the plastic plug from the socket, as you’ll be inserting a new wire terminal and your new harness. With your new wire installed into the diagnostic connector plug, you need to route your new harness wire along

For many, wiring is not for the faint of heart. Installation of the cruise control module requires wiring in a secondary harness with accompanying fuses. The fuse positions are marked out clearly in the instructions and require little more than some patience to get them all in place.

Next, you need to detach and uncover the fuse box. Following the diagram supplied in the kit by Sea-Doo (also found HERE), remove the seal plugs and bus bar to install your new wire terminals to complete the circuit from your connector to the fuse box. Be mindful to follow the specific plug orientations in the fuse box. A audible “click” will be made when a terminal is properly inserted.

Once the harness is wired into the connectors and the fuse box, the new module can be attached and plugged in. The module is held down tight with zip ties.

Once the fuse box is recovered and reinstalled,go back to your battery and reinstall the component support. reattach the diagnostic connector with a little big of dielectric grease to the module connector (input).

Now its time to install the Ski Module. Secure it to the battery support with a zip tie (check to make sure it won’t move), and apply some more dielectric grease to the module diagnostic connector, attaching it to the vehicle’s connector. (FYI, the new module’s connector can now be used for vehicle diagnostics instead of the standard connector.)

Getting a Grip On The Handlebar Control

Accessing the back of the gauge cluster requires only a flat screwdriver. Disconnect the connector plug to insert two more terminals to control the cruise module and communicate to the LCD display.

As the RXT-X (and likewise all GTX and RXT models) feature tilt steering that pivots the entire gauge cluster, accessing the back panel of the gauges requires opening up the front storage cover and moving the steering to its highest position. Using a flat screwdriver, unlock all of the plastic tabs careful to pry open the panel from the gauge support. With the panel off, disconnect the gauge cluster.

Since this has the X-Steering package, remove the top cover over the throttle. The locking tabs should unsnap from the lower housing. The kit replaces the factory switch cover, all you need to be mindful of is carefully unsnapping the throttle accelerator sensor (TAS) from the plastic tabs holding it down.

With the TAS unplugged and removed as well as the gauge control switch, route the new cruise control switch harness through the factory sheath. This new harness will connect the new cruise control button to the terminal connector that plugs into the back of the gauge cluster.

Next, install the two new pre-stripped wires into the back of the connector. Once the terminals are coated in dielectric grease, reconnect the plug to the gauge cluster. Now, install the cruise control switch to the housing, followed by reinstalling the gauge control switch and the TAS. Using the new X-Steering button cover, install the rubber button and the new cover (making sure that all the buttons align with the new cover).

Sea-Doo Old School ’89

Congratulations to our Sea-Doo Image of the Week winner Andrew Cunningham! Thanks for sharing your “Old School ’89″ Sea-Doo image!

Andrew entered the Sea-Doo “I Brake For…” Sweepstakes and his image was chosen as one of our featured images of the week.  His image received the most votes in the weekly contest.  He won a pair of Sea-Doo Amphibious Riding Goggles and will be riding in Sea-Doo style.

Congratulations Andrew! Thanks for sharing your Sea-Doo lifestyle with us!

“The GTR is squarely the more carefree, fun-loving younger sibling to the very serious, in-your-face RXP-X. We liked the GTR 215 most immediately because we understood its soul. And we think you should too.”

Sea-Doo GTR 215

The 2013 Sea-Doo GTR 215 is strong and powerful.  It is equipped with a supercharged engine, and high-performance VTS(Variable Trim System) and our iBR (Intelligent Brake and Reverse) system, this musclecraft is your easiest access to racing thrills and it’s easily tunable with aftermarket accessories.

To read the full review click here: http://watercraftperformance.com/2013/04/16/the-boxer-2013-sea-doo-gtr-215/#.UYKBuYJAveE

For more information on the Sea-Doo GTR 215 and our full line up of watercraft visit: www.sea-doo.com