2019 Sea-Doo Fish Pro unveiled

The Sea-Doo Fish Pro, revealed overnight, has become the industry’s first factory-built PWC designed specifically for fishing.

>> 2019 Sea-Doo Fish Pro 155 review

Sea-Doo travelled to the other side of the world to develop the Fish Pro with the help of New Zealand PWC fishing expert Andrew Hill, who has specialised in converting personal watercraft for fishing expeditions for the past 10 years.

The North American brand’s designers and engineers worked with Hill to help shape the features and design of the Sea-Doo Fish Pro due in Australian showrooms later this year – and unveiled in Denver, Colorado overnight.

The Sea-Doo Fish Pro is based on Sea-Doo’s popular ST3, the same type of hull used on the Sea-Doo RXT-X, GTX Limited, and Wake Pro.

But it now has an extended deck – 30cm longer, to accommodate a cooler box and spare fuel – and the hull has longer strakes for better stability when standing still on the water.

On the back is a 51-litre LinQ cooler box with two drain holes, a grip mat on the lid and four fishing rod holders. There is also a mesh pocket on the front and a secure clip to stop the lid opening when you hit a bump.

However, the ever-popular Sea-Doo claims the cooler box can still open with one hand, handy when lobbing a wriggling fish into it.

The front of the deck is angled up to give owners somewhere to brace a foot when wrestling a fish out of the water.

The foot wells are deep, to make it easier to clamber around when you’re standing still in the water.

The seat is flatter than on other Sea-Doo PWCs, making it easier to swivel from the front to the back.

Another key change – ex-factory and ready to go – includes a Garmin fish finder (a 6.0-inch EchoMap), with the transducer already mounted low in the hull so there are no extra drill holes.

The dash is a new 7.6-inch widescreen digital display, although without the touchscreen functionality rolled out last month in the the new-for-2019 Yamaha FX series.

Sea-Doo has also fitted a 70-litre fuel tank to the Fish Pro, up from 60 litres in its other long-range PWCs.

Powering the Sea-Doo Fish Pro is the brand’s naturally aspirated 1.5-litre three-cylinder Rotax engine with a claimed 155 horsepower (116kW). Being non-supercharged – and combined with the larger fuel tank and a 15-litre genuine Sea-Doo accessory plastic jerry can for the rear deck – the Sea-Doo Fish Pro promises longer riding range than any other PWC in the company’s line-up.

For now the 70-litre fuel tank is exclusive to the Fish Pro but odds-on it will be eventually fitted to, or available as an accessory on, other models given that fuel economy and riding range is one of the longstanding criticisms of Sea-Doo PWCs.

As with other Sea-Doo models, the console near the handlebars has a waterproof compartment available with an optional USB port to keep a mobile phone charged. There is a large storage bin under the nose with nets for easier access.

The Sea-Doo Fish Pro also has a “trolling mode”, effectively a cruise control similar to “no-wake mode”, that makes it easier for the Sea-Doo to travel at low speed while the operator concentrates on fishing.

Pricing is yet to be confirmed and will be announced closer to the Sea-Doo Fish Pro’s arrival Down Under later this year.

As a guide, in the US the price is listed at $14,799, which historically works out to closer to $25,000 in Australia once shipping and exchange rates are taken into account.

Sea-Doo says the Fish Pro is the “first and only true personal watercraft built specifically from the factory for fishing”, and it’s banking on expanding the market.

Until now, PWC fishing enthusiasts had to use their imagination to convert their own rigs with a cooler box, rod holders, and extra fuel, with mixed results.

“Recreational fishing is one of the top practiced activities in the world. And while it grows in popularity, more and more people are discovering the benefits of fishing from a PWC,” said Bernard Guy, BRP senior vice-president, global product strategy, in a statement. BRP, which also makes Ski-Doo ski mobiles, Evinrude outboards and BRP-badged three- and four-wheeled recreational vehicles, also owns the Sea-Doo brand.

The Sea-Doo Fish Pro combines “the capability they need with the versatility to be used as a recreational watercraft,” Guy said.

What about the rest of the Sea-Doo line-up? It is identified with new colours and decals, but there are also some cool accessories added to the list, and an all-new dash display.

Although not a touchscreen, the larger (7.6-inch) digital widescreen dash display comes standard on the Sea-Doo RXT 230, RXT-X300, GTX155, GTX230, GTX Limited and Wake Pro models.

The entry-level Sea-Doo Spark and Sea-Doo Spark Trixx are now available with an optional 50-watt Bluetooth compatible audio speaker system.

Other options include larger, more padded “comfort seats”, wind deflectors for the hand grips and side mirrors for the Sea-Doo Spark and Sea-Doo Spark Trixx.

All prices will be announced closer to their local arrival later this year.