2017 Yamaha WaveRunner EX and EX Deluxe: Watercraft Review

The new entry-level WaveRunner EX Series comprises two affordable watercraft with three-seater capacities, class-leading storage, increased fuel, track-proven engineering and fun performance from the latest compact three-cylinder TR-1 engine.

OVERVIEW
- The EX Series offers a lot for your money
Yamaha's new 2017 WaveRunner EX Series hopes to build on the raw and contagious enthusiasm for watercraft that's been a feature of the entry-level aka Rec Lite market for the last few years.

Teaming affordability with the Yamaha's reputation for reliability, and a good dose of on-water fun, the EX duo will be available at local dealerships at the end of 2016.

The two entry-level EX Waveunners are pitched at the 65 per cent of new watercraft buyers who are themselves new to the sport. Yamaha gives credit where it's due to Sea-Doo for helping ignite the entry-level market with its Spark.

Research reveals these riders are often in their mid-40s with young families, or younger riders with a bit of two-wheel experience, an affinity for handlebars, and a hankering for having fun.

Our Australian media release for these new 2017 WaverRunner EX models was at Lake Macquarie, Australia’s largest coastal saltwater lake, about 100km north of Sydney. Conditions started out balmy and glassy before a southerly came through and produced a perfect chop for testing the EX hull.

Before the wind hit, I'd been scooting around on the other big 2017 WaveRunner release, the GP1800-S with supercharged 1812cc engine in the superb multipurpose VX hull, hitting speeds of 110km/h (speedo) and was still buzzing from the ride.

I’m really happy to report that the EX with the 1049cc three-cylinder TR-1 engine doesn’t disappoint in the performance department. Acceleration is surprisingly brisk one-up, manoeuvrability is snappy, top-end speed is in the benchmark 83km/h or 52mph range.

While you could say performance is measured and in control, Yamaha's new three-seater EX duo won’t disappoint newbies, family and everyday riders looking for an affordable, playful, robust watercraft with the brand's backing and promise of reliability.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
- Two versions with or without RIDE
The new EX Series comes in two versions. The EX is the basic model dressed in pure-white-and-green livery with few frills but the proven TR-1 engine. The is the true entry-level watercraft in the 2017 Yamaha WaveRunner line-up. It hasn’t the RiDE trigger-controlled deceleration system and is a straight-up off-the-beach ‘ski’ ideal for hire fleets and budget buyers.

The standard three-seater Yamaha EX has a RRP of $9899. A trailer costs about $1000.  You’ll need regos and jackets and some ride gear, but this is as affordable as it gets for a WaveRunner. You should be out the door and off the ramp for about $12k for the basic EX ride-away.

Looking like a cool retro spaceship in the silver-metallic-with-torch-red-metallic-colour scheme, or the racy Azure Blue metallic option, the flagship EX Deluxe with RiDE retails for $12,799 as a stand-alone unit.

In a comparative slide with the Spark, Yamaha says this is about $1321 more than the up-specced Spark with similar equipment levels.

In reality, you will be up for about $14k drive-and-ride away for the EX Deluxe with RiDE, whereas the 90hp Sea-Doo Spark with iBR on trailer with regos (priced in NSW where you pay a premium) and jackets is about $12k.

So there is a price premium for the EX Series, but Yamaha is keen to push the fact it’s got a 1049cc versus 899cc engine, producing 100hp versus 90hp, 52lt versus 30lt of fuel, a 220kg versus 205kg ride capacity, 8cm longer hull albeit 5cm narrower, and three warranty (which Sea-Doo is now matching).

The Japanese-made/US assembled Yamaha TR-1 engine uses an open-loop cooling system versus the Sea-Doo’s closed-loop cooling system. Yamaha says there’s less maintenance with the former. Look, you can tit-for-tat here all day. One thing with EX Series is the weight disadvantage.

Another big point of difference between camps is that the Yamaha EX has a full marine-grade fibreglass hull and deck. It’s scratch resistant and has a beautiful finish and tight fit, but it weighs about 70kg heavier than the Spark three-seater made from Polytec plastic. That’s the weight of one person.

Depending on what you want to do, weight isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s not usually advantageous in terms of speed and agility.

As I see it, the comfortable Yamaha EX is likely to attract a slightly different demographic to the lively Spark. Not that either craft is short of thrills, mind you, but it could be a case of Gen X on the controlled cruisy EX and Gen Y on the lighter more aerial Spark.

DESIGN AND LAYOUT
- Comfortable three seater with broad application
I’ll have to ‘fess up here in being a great fan of today’s braking or deceleration systems for watercraft and I just wouldn’t buy one without it. The price premium is worth it. From the word get-go, the EX Deluxe with RiDE was my chosen ride.

Parked on the beach, our silver ‘spaceship’ in the EX range looked very accommodating and kind of cool in a retro styled sense. Ian MacLeod from Yamaha talked us through the key points on this three seater.

They start with the lift-up three-person seat granting access to a lift-out storage bucket and directly into the TR-1 three-cylinder engine, which has a reduced footprint due to a reworked exhaust and other refinements. There is also a glove box deep enough for a water bottle, as well as a shallow forward compartment under the bonnet ideal for wet gear and swimwear. Together, the EX Series has class-leading storage.

I found the three-person seat quite narrow, but the deep footwells with Premium Hydro-Turf Deck Mats, a kind of foam material like SeaDek, add plenty of purchase in the turns. If you or your riders ditch, no problems, the EX Deluxe has a rear boarding step and grab handle.

The EX Deluxe WaveRunner also comes with a tow eye and would be great for that activity. We’d expect the Shoreline Tubby fishing pods to become available for this hull model in due course, creating an affordable fishing ‘ski’, too.

There are twin revision mirrors and the handlebars with the twin trigger RiDE system — with throttle right and deceleration and reverse left — while the dash has Yamaha’s purpose-design Multifunction Information Centre with an LCD display showing speed, revs, fuel and a low-fuel level warning and more.

It’s a simple but well set-up 'ski' aboard which you can just jump on and pretty much go.

HULL AND ENGINEERING
- All-new light but strong hull with the TR-1 engine
Less is more with Yamaha’s new four-valve, three-cylinder 1049cc TR-1 engine producing about 115hp in the VX and 100hp with the reduced exhaust system and a few other mods in the new EX Series. It’s a light, compact and fuel efficient engine perfect for this role and in a watercraft replacing Yamaha's entry-level ageing V1 (available only in America).

Engine access is a highlight as is the 52lt fuel supply. At the American release, Yamaha reportedly said the EX offers 14 per cent superior fuel consumption than Sea-Doo’s Spark with 47-percent longer range (in Yamaha’s private testing).

The hull is built from sheet moulded compound or SMC, a reinforced composite fibreglass that’s easy to produce en masse. The painted finish is very nice, as is the upholstery on the seat and the general feel of the craft.

At 3.13m long, the EX is a proper three seater with good stability for the 220kg rider capacity. At 260kg, it’s a pretty solid WaveRunner and this was a good thing on the test day where comfort counted.

ON THE WATER
- Rough-water performance in an entry-level ski
You simply straddle the saddle and push out to knee-deep water, attach the safety lanyard, hit the green 'go' ignition button and you are off.

The EX Deluxe with RiDE is so manoeuvrable. Touch the right-hand throttle and left hand ‘bucket’ or brake to spin the craft around. It’s highly intuitive to drive at low speed for new riders coming into a wharf, ramp or trailer.

The TR-1 engine is lean, responsive and exciting, with a bit more roar than the slightly smoother but more restrained Yamaha M1 four-cylinder engine that it replaces. In this way, the TR-1 might help capture more of the youth market.

As touched on, acceleration was surprisingly brisk, not eye watering like the GP1800 I'd just exited (as you would expect), but it was absolutely sufficient for a fun time powering through the turns, throwing spray and cruising in the increasingly windy conditions.

The riding position is quite upright, but that means you stay nice and dry. It's a little harder to bank tightly or power around the buoys, but that is not this 'ski's' intention.

The EX Series hasn't a trim function but runs at a set neutral level that sees the bow working nicely through the chop, to help tame your ride, and the spray stays low.

The hull cuts through the waves without being too wet. In the bumpiest stretches, it was necessary to get out of the seat and apply more power to bound from crest to crest rather than land in all the holes. At just that right speed, that was fun.

With the family aboard, this will be a nice and predictable performer.

Top speed was 83km/h on the dial (not GPS), 60km/h seemed an ideal cruise speed with plenty of thinking time, while 40km/h was maintained while seated in the saddle in the rough stuff where the EX remained comfortable enough to get to a protected shore and run hard again.

I’d happily endorse the 2017 WaveRunner EX Series for open-water family cruising on places like the Broadwater, Pittwater, Port Hacking and the Melbourne bays, where the wind and boat wake can be an issue. In calm water, it’s going to work as a neat towing and perhaps fishing platform. It hasn't the loose aerial traits of The Spark, but is more like a small cruiser.

VERDICT
- A great entry-level family cruiser
Yamaha says the EX is all about joining the fun generation and, from our experience to date, it doesn’t disappoint.

The new entry-level WaveRunner is perfect for Generation X, Y and Z looking for a budget blast. The three seater is based on a strong hull that teams stability with wave-slicing ability, while the RiDE system on the Deluxe adds manoeuvrability at low speed and refinement to your ride. It's a must.

One-up, I found the acceleration was great off the mark and the ride was smooth and comfortable. Kudos, this genuine three-seater platform with a long hull bridged the chop nicely and got me to calmer water without feeling battered and bruised.

In short, the two new WaveRunner EX models are great entry-level family cruisers for young families and, with that Yamaha DNA, they offer a high quality introduction to the sport. Get the EX Deluxe with RiDE and you add another level of refinement and manoeuvrability. Even at the entry level, it's worth spending a bit more.

LIKES
>> A stylish and well-made WaveRunner
>> Plenty of storage in a genuine three-seater hull
>> The perky TR-1 engine is tried and proven
>> Decent fuel capacity and range for your weekend rides
>> Nice hull through the water that tames the chop
>> RiDE deceleration system on the Deluxe model is a must-have

NOT SO MUCH
>> There is a price and weight premium for the refined fibreglass hull
>> Not as light and nimble as The Spark if you want ‘air time’
>> Top end remains in that predictable 52mph range

Specifications: Yamaha 2017 WaveRunner EX and EX Deluxe
Price as Tested: RRP from $9899 for the EX to $12,799 for the EX Deluxe with RiDE. Add $1k for a trailer, plus regos (cost varies state to state) and jackets.
LOA: 3:13m
Beam: 1.13m
Dry Weight: 260kg
Storage: 30lt
Rider Capacity: Three seater up to 220kg
Fuel Capacity: 52lt
Engine: TR-1
Displacement: 1049cc
Type: Japanese-made, US-assembled, four-valve, three-cylinder four-stroke engine producing about 100hp in the EX Series
Warranty: Three years

Supplied by:
Yamaha Australia
For more information, go to: www.yamaha-motor.com.au/VXR.