New 2018 Sea-Doo LinQ accessory system

BRP has added a fully-marinised version of its clever LinQ

With a spare fuel tank, icebox and dry storage bag among the available accessories, you can now enhance your riding experience, elevate your onboard comfort factor, and extend your adventure range.

Taking inspiration from its snowmobiles and ATVs, the LinQ system and accessories snap in and out in just a few seconds. After ripping around for two days on the seven new 2018 Sea-Doo models, we can vouch for these secure attachment points.

The LinQ ‘pad-eyes’ are retractable in the deck, so you can remove Sea-Doo's accessories and create a bigger flat rear platform in no time for kicking back and chilling.

With the new wide ST3 hull (our full review) and the split rear modular seat removed, the empty aft deck measures 6000sq cm. And with that Sea-Doo has the biggest watercraft stage in the market today.

But as we discovered during our 2018 test drives over two days in the U.S., the combined effect of this system goes beyond having just a few cold drinks, some added storage and more space at hand.

The LinQ accessories create a more functional watercraft. Everyone from fishos to family will welcome these new three seaters with the ST3 hull.

James Heintz and Pascal Vincent, who head-up Sea-Doo's Product Development department, demonstrated the LinQ system for us in this video...

ICEBOX, FUEL CADDY, STORAGE AND SKI POLE
The convenience of the LinQ system became really apparent during our free-ride day on the stunning Colorado River bordered by the states of Nevada, Arizona and California. There was dry desert heat of 35C-plus, but plenty of river to explore.

We sallied forth with drinks on ice and, by the end of the day, the ice was still rattling in a slurry. The stout rotomoulded 16lt icebox also doubles as an impromptu seat aboard, a quasi table and a handle Esky at the beach.

Other Sea-Doos we rode were fitted with the optional fuel caddy, which packs an extra 15lt of juice to extend your cruising range — a boon for the RXT-X 300hp model especially (you can’t fit both the icebox and fuel caddy, however).

The fuel tank has a special twist-lock valve system to prevent leaks when topping up the 60lt integral tank of the 2018 Sea-Doos. Once the spout is in the tank you just twist the collar and the fuel flows without spillage.

Atop this fuel tank you can then mount the optional 21lt stackable accessory bag to boost storage. Not that we felt the Sea-Doos necessarily needed that — there is more ‘useable’ storage on the 2018 models thanks to a new one-piece bonnet and steering column. We'll look at storage in another 2018 Sea-Doo article to follow.

The other accessory to consider is the new snap-in ski pylon (standard on the Wake Pro 230) that takes just 30 seconds or less to twist into position in its dedicated circular mounting base.

The new ski pylon can be installed at either factory or dealer level and is designed to simplify the attachment while also greatly reducing cost compared to its competitors. A slide at the presentation showed less than half the retail cost of other watercraft pylons in the U.S..

NEW MODULAR SEAT
Meantime, a new modular seat system on the 2018 models lets you remove the aft LinQ accessories and re-create your aft deck. As mentioned above, you can push the clips or ‘pad-eyes’ down to create a clean platform for relaxing. Sea-Doo calls it a living room. It could be good for tow-ins, too.

But by relocating the aft half of the newly designed (and lighter) three-person seat, you can make a face-to-face seating arrangement perfect for doing an intimate lunch aboard at rest. The seat doesn’t clip in on the transom but simply rests in position on the deck.

It's all very clever — the storage, fuel and drinks means you can go further, harder, longer and stronger, with greater purpose, self-sufficiency or autonomy, and comfort for you and the crew.

And with that, the personal watercraft has more application and relevance. With such a big hull and deck, the 2018 Sea-Doos are almost like mini boats and have become destinations in their own right.

More on the new 2018 Sea-Doo ST3 hull in this article.
More on Sea-Doo's new Bluetooth audio system in this story.

 More on the 2018 Sea-Doo range news in this release.

Full performance reviews and further details of the new 2018 Sea-Doo will follow this article.