Jet skis of the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show

This year’s event also saw the debut of a new electric entrant to the local market, the Taiga Orca.

As with the rest of the boating industry, customer demand for personal watercraft in Australia continues to exceed factory supply.

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Most dealers in Australia have struggled with severe stock shortages, relying on workshop throughput over the past two years to keep their showroom doors open.

Market leader Sea-Doo – which currently represents 77 per cent of all personal watercraft sold in Australia, ahead of Yamaha WaveRunner and Kawasaki Jet Ski – has had arrivals of 2022 models in short bursts.

However, Yamaha WaveRunner and Kawasaki Jet Ski deliveries in Australia so far this year have been crippled – largely missing the boom summer period.

Despite the challenges faced by the industry, Sea-Doo had a full display with almost every model covered on the main show floor.

Kawasaki gave Australia its first exhibition display of the highly-anticipated 2022 Ultra 310 Jet Ski range – the biggest overhaul of the Kawasaki supercharged line-up in 14 years. 

Yamaha WaveRunners were in relatively short supply at the show, with two on display at one boat dealer stand, and a third on display at a neighbouring boat dealer stand.

While Sea-Doo and Kawasaki had corporate representation at the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show, it was the first time in memory that Yamaha WaveRunners and Yamaha Marine outboards were not on a Yamaha corporate stand. 

Yamaha instead elected to send every available WaveRunner to dealers so they could get 2022 models into customers' hands after a delay of more than six months.

With that in mind, the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show was the first opportunity for many enthusiasts to see the 2022 line-ups.

In previous years, the Sydney boat show has unearthed discounts or special offers. However, there were no deals this time around given the ongoing and critical stock shortages.

The advice from experts in the trade: order now in time for next summer.

“There are stock shortages across all industries: cars, caravans, boats and jet skis,” Sea-Doo specialist Simon Kendrick, from Beaches Sea-Doo, said.

“The smartest thing for people to do is ... get an order in so at least they’re in the queue.

“By the time summer rolls around it could be too late. We’re in the fortunate position that we do have some stock available of certain models including Spark, Fish Pro, GTR230, and the RXP-X300.

“However, the general advice is to get in the queue or risk missing out in time for summer.”

Yamaha WaveRunner specialist Joe Boyagi from Sydney Watercraft Centre, another major Sydney dealer said the market was not like it used to be.

"We are still waiting on stock to arrive and we still have orders to fill,” Boyagi said.

“We have stock coming, but we are still filling backorders. So our advice to anyone who wants a (personal watercraft) in time for summer, is to place an order and get in the queue.”

Kawasaki specialist Mark Perlowski from the Newcastle Jet Ski Centre said: “We are very excited about the 2022 Ultra 310 series and we are fielding a lot of inquiries.

"But we know stock will be in limited numbers, so we encourage customers to put down a deposit because these will sell fast. In fact, most of our first allocation is already sold.

“People are still surprised there are delays, but every industry is affected and jet skis are no different.”

Meanwhile, Canadian electric start-up Taiga made its Australian debut after noticing a spike in local online orders via its global website.

Its shock arrival sparked a lot of media attention.

The sole Taiga Orca Carbon edition on display was for show only; the electric motor and battery pack had been removed to make it easier to air-freight to Australia.

Here is a recap of the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show highlights for each brand.

Every model in Australia’s biggest personal watercraft range was represented on the Sea-Doo stand at the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show. 

Highlights included the first exhibition display in Australia of the entire 2022 Sea-Doo Fish Pro line-up, including the budget-price Scout, middle-of-the-range Sport, and flagship Trophy edition.

The high-performance supercharged Sea-Doo RXP-X and RXT-X 300 models were on display in triple black (the latest trend for jet skis) and bold yellow.

Sea-Doo also used the opportunity to remind show-goers about the abilities of its tail-riding Spark Trixx edition, which is one of the industry’s most affordable personal watercraft and is in ready supply.

The other Sea-Doo model that appears to be in abundance – based on dealers canvassed – was the Sea-Doo GTR 230 entry-level supercharged watercraft.

This is one of Australia’s most popular models across all personal watercraft brands given the circa-$22,00 price point.

This was the first public exhibition in Australia of the 2022 Yamaha WaveRunner FX SVHO and 2022 Yamaha WaveRunner GP 1800 SVHO supercharged flagship models, and the reborn Yamaha SuperJet stand-up ski.

All three Yamaha watercraft – on neighbouring stands operated by independent boat dealers – were sold within hours of the Sydney boat show doors opening.

Some Yamaha dealers were able to sell into their future allocations, but the frustration of customers desperate to take delivery of a new jet ski appears to be growing.

All three models in the 2022 Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 310 supercharged series were on display at the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show ahead of the first shipments of customer-ready craft in the coming weeks.

Indeed, the Kawasaki vessels on display were still wet from recent dealer demonstration events along the east coast of Australia.

The biggest change in 14 years to the supercharged Kawasaki Jet Ski line-up also marks a strategic resurgence for the brand.

Having been one of the pioneers of the jet ski category, Kawasaki's market share has slipped to between 5 and 7 per cent in Australia in recent years.

In an interview with Watercraft Zone at the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show, Kawasaki Motors Australia national sales and marketing manager Robert Walker said the company planned to introduce more jet ski models and expand its dealer network in the coming years.

“We want to expand our market share and that means we will need to introduce new models and appoint to more dealers,” Walker said.

“The company is fully behind expanding and growing our jet ski model range.”

“We believe we will soon have zero production constraints and that means we can bring in enough stock to meet demand.”

The Kawasaki Australia executive did not disclose any details about future models, however, he did note the non-supercharged 2022 Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra LX was the last of its generation until a revamped mid-priced model range fills that void in 2024.

“The Kawasaki Ultra LX comes out of the range next year, but there will eventually be another model that will fit into that category,” Walker told Watercraft Zone.

The Taiga Orca electric jet ski was the surprise star of the 2022 Sydney boat show.

Production of the Taiga Orca has already started in Canada for the US market, and Australia is reportedly one of the next stops on the list. 

The model on display was a top-of-the-range Taiga Orca Carbon edition, with a carbon-fibre top deck and composite hull.

Two other models in the Taiga Orca range – the Sport and Performance editions – are made from a plastic top deck and composite hull.

All three Taiga Orca models share the same body shape and hull design, battery pack, electric motor, and jet pump, but there are two power outputs available (90hp/67kW or 160hp/120kW). 

Based on dimensions published by the Canadian electric ski mobile and jet ski maker, the Taiga Orca is about the same size as a Sea-Doo Spark Trixx or a Yamaha EX – the cheapest models of the established brands.

Prices are yet to be announced for Australia, however, Taiga representatives at the 2022 Sydney International Boat Show provided estimates of $45,000 for the top model.

While hardcore enthusiasts scoffed at the idea of an electric jet ski – as well as the limited range and the high price – customers who expressed interest at the show were considering the Taiga Orca as a tender, or a fun ride to keep on their large boat.

Being electric, the Taiga Orca would make for a good tender if it can be plugged into a power source when not in use – and eliminating the need to fill up a spare craft with a fuel can.