Sea Doo's 2003 PWC Lineup

The words 'revolutionary', 'innovative' and 'world first' are bandied about too often when products are released, as manufacturers try desperately to convince the boat buyer to spend their dollars with them.

It's easy to become a little jaded with the marketing hype as the products trumpeted as being 'ground breaking' turn out to be mutton dressed up as lamb.

However, you don't have to dig too deeply into the Sea.Doo 2003 model range of personal watercraft to appreciate the fresh approach to an age-old engineering problem: That is, how create an engine that delivers heaps of power instantaneously, cleanly, quietly and efficiently.

BUILT FOR SPEED
Trailer Boat reckons the white coats at Rotax and Orbital (the companies responsible for delivering the engine technology found in the Sea.Doo range) must have been spending a fair bit of time watching drag car racing while thinking about engine design. The stench of high-octane fuel and burnt rubber must have gone to their heads, because underneath the cowl of the new Sea.Doo GTX-4 TEC personal watercraft is a fire breathing, 185hp supercharged engine - the most powerful PWC engine on the market, according to Bombardier, Sea.Doo's parent company.

After introducing the GTX 4-TEC four-stroke PWC in 2002, the model quickly became the biggest selling four-stroke on the market, Bombardier claims.

But for pure power and 96kmh-plus performance, the GTX has been blown - the supercharger forces the fuel/air mix into the combustion chambers for instantaneous power right across the rev range, with no 'turbo lag'.

The blown four-stroke joins the GTI LE RFI as the other new or significantly changed product for next year. As per 2002, the various models fit into the 'sport', 'performance' and 'recreation' categories. Sport refers to serious competition craft (XP DI), performance means those ideal for one or two riders who want speed and agility (RX DI, GTX 4-TEC) and recreation refers to PWCs designed to carry a few more people at more modest speeds (LRV DI, GTI LE RFI, GTI LE and GTI).

CLEAN & QUIET
Bombardier has focussed on improving the current range of Sea.Doo PWCs by making them more comfortable, user-friendly, safer and more economical to run.

PWC enthusiasts would be more than aware of government attitude towards PWCs. While some of the authorities are more liberal than others, the fact remains that PWC riders face tougher licencing laws and pay more to enjoy their sport than other boat owners - not to mention the limits placed upon them concerning when and where they can ride their machines.

The Carr Government in NSW, for example, recently banned the use of PWCs on Sydney Harbour, a move that outraged users and industry alike because of the lack of consultation before the decision was brought down.

Likewise in the United States and Canada, PWC users are being increasingly marginalised with governments claiming that jet skis and personal watercraft are noisy, dangerous and anti-social.

Firstly, research shows that PWC buyers are generally older people (and therefore more responsible people - just ask any insurer); and secondly, modern PWCs are quieter, less dirty and much safer than ever before.

The trend towards curtailing the use of PWCs has seen the industry move towards designing cleaner and quieter engines, and Sea.Doo is certainly no exception.

In fact, its 'D-Sea-Bel' sound reduction system found on the 2003 range reduces engine noise at wide open throttle to within a decibel of a typical household vacuum cleaner.

Sea.Doo's successful Off Power Assisted Steering (OPAS) system is available on most of the new models which assists manoevrability in both off-power and off-throttle situations. Side vanes are automatically dropped down to act as additional rudders when power is screwed off and actually makes the craft decelerate faster in tight turns.

To further increase safety, Sea.Doo has included its 'Learning Key' system on many of the models. Its basically a lanyard-style, pre-programmable rev limiter which reduces speeds to about 60kmh until the rider becomes more experienced in handling the craft.

And last but not least, Orbital's direct injection technology has reduced exhaust emissions by 75% (over the EPA baseline) and improved fuel economy by 37% (ICOMIA duty cycle) than in 2001 - while at the same time delivering more power and easier, chokeless starts.

Makes a bit of a mockery of the Sydney Harbour ban, doesn't it?

Let's take a closer look at what the giant Canadian company is offering PWC junkies next year.

GTI LE RFI
 This three-seater is brand new for the 2003 boating season and was developed for those who want to enjoy a higher level of comfort when out on the water. Powered by a gutsy yet economical 110hp Rotax engine, the GTI LE RFI features direct drive with forward, neutral and reverse, OPAS steering, D-Sea-Bel noise reduction system and an easy-to-read information display unit with multi-function gauges. Bombardier says the RFI is affordably priced, claiming it's about the cheapest 'clean technology' PWC available.

GTI LE
 The GTI LE is an upgraded version of Sea.Doo's popular GTI model. With a three-person capacity and carburetted 85hp Rotax engine capable of towing a ski or biscuit, the LE also comes with the OPAS system as standard. The hull has been modified to improve performance and has increased storage capacity, a reboarding platform and ski tow eye as standard. A good value for money family PWC.

GTI
 Bombardier says the GTI is the most affordable PWC around with a good list of family-friendly standard features like reboarding platform, OPAS system and skier towing eye. It doesn't have the features of the other two models in the series, however the price tag reflects that. It also has plenty of dry storage built into the modified RX hull. Able to accommodate up to three passengers, it's one of the most affordable of the 2003 range.

LRV DI
 Bombardier hails its LRV DI as "more than just a watercraft". The first thing you'll notice about the vessel is that it's big - really big. In fact, Bombardier claims it's the biggest PWC available on the market. Measuring just shy of 4m in length, the beast can carry four people, has a 94.2lt fuel tank and a 130hp Rotax direct injection two-stroke engine to go like the clappers even with heavy loads on board, Bombardier says. Its design includes a four-foot sunpad for relaxing on, the info centre gauges, Sea.Doo Learning Key (which limits RPM for beginners) and reboarding step. A model for larger families or those lucky enough to have plenty of friends!

XP DI
 If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Sea.Doo's most popular high-performance machine remains pretty much unchanged from last year save a few styling enhancements and a bold new colour. The XP DI features a whiplash-inducing 130hp Rotax powerplant installed in the hyperbolic, semi-vee fibreglass hull which is designed to lower the driver's centre of gravity for greater stability in tight turns. Unlike the other models for 2003, the XP doesn't have a huge storage capacity, reboarding platform or massive payload capacity. According to Bombardier, it's light, fast and designed to carve up the water.

GTI 4-TEC
 Take a good look at this PWC, because once it hits the water you won't get a chance to stare at it for long. The GTX 4-TEC Supercharged is one serious performance craft, boasting, as its name suggests, a 185hp supercharged three-cylinder four-stroke Rotax engine with multi-port fuel injection. No surprises about the performance - Bombardier claim it reaches in excess of 96kmh with neck-snapping acceleration delivered by the supercharger. Bombardier is understandably excited about its new PWC, claiming it will flip the industry and sport "on its ear". Sporting two eye-popping paint jobs and all the bells and whistles, including OPAS and capacious storage locker, the unit doesn't come cheap but is bound to be a real headturner.

RX DI
 Bombardier are pitching this machine as the best value all-round two-seater on the market, saying it's the only tandem bike around with forward, neutral and reverse. Sporty performance is delivered by a 130hp twin-cylinder Rotax 1000-series engine with Orbital direct injection. Like the XP DI, it features Sea.Doo's variable trim system and a 14-function information centre. Perhaps more comfortable with two people aboard than the XP DI appears to be, and with more internal storage, Bombardier says this machine is quick, aggressive and affordable.