Sea-Doo Switch 2023 First Australian Drive

Although the looks and fit-out will not be quite the same as the version of the Switch that will eventually sell here, the experience of these early evaluation boats won’t be.

And in a twist of irony, we’ve waited until the Sea-Doo Switch lobbed into Sydney before testing it. Why? Because jet skis have been banned on Sydney Harbour since 2001, but since the Switch is classed as a boat and not a personal watercraft, it’s legal to operate.

The Sea-Doo Switch is something of a phenomenon in the US since its launch in 2021. An instant bestseller in North America, it snared the US-based Boating Magazine’s Boat of the Year award based largely on its ease of use and affordability.

It’s been a long time coming to Australia, with BRP making the call that we would wait until the 2024-model-year boats were ready before launching here.

The big difference between the US and Australia is that while pontoon boats are little understood and utilised here, in North America they’re the third-largest boating category behind the market leader, outboard-engined power boats, and second-placed jet skis.

Will it work in Australia? That’s a tough question.

Dealers including Queensland-based JSW Powersports and Sydney-based Beaches Sea-Doo and Can-Am have the Sea-Doo Switch priced at $113,990. While a mix of sizes, colours, engines and layouts are available in the US, Australia will receive only a single model, a 6.2-metre (21-foot in the old measure) version powered by a 230hp supercharged Rotax jet drive and finished in a single highlight colour – blue.

The Switch’s list price is roughly the same as similarly sized Australian-made and imported alloy pontoon boats, although these are likely to feature outboard engines with significantly less performance on tap and in the case of many imported boats, they’re too wide to just hook up and tow.

In the US, the boat comes as a base Switch, a tow-sports-friendly Switch Sport, and a Switch Cruise that is more about pulling up somewhere and enjoying a day on the water.

The big appeal of the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise – the model chosen for the Australian market – is an aft swim deck. It includes a boarding ladder that sits on a part of the swim deck that is lower to the waterline to make it easier to reboard, although only one low-set handhold is provided.

Included in the price is a dual-axle galvanised trailer with mechanical brakes, important given the Switch has a legally towable 2.4-metre beam.

The Switch is well equipped, featuring a two-speaker BRP audio system (a bit more sound from ski-boat-style bimini speakers would be handy), a swim platform, a 7.0-inch Garmin multifunction touchscreen chartplotter, and a dual-axle galvanised braked trailer. There is also a removable cockpit table on a pedestal, nine single seats, three seat corner backrests for adding curves to the seating, a helm chair with lifting bolster, two corner tables and a half-size bimini.

Packages available in the US include a family bundle with storage bags, soft and hard coolers and fuel caddies; a watersport bundle that adds a ski pole, rearview mirror and wakeboard holders; and a comfort bundle that includes full clears to enclose the Switch, a higher capacity battery system and an upgraded audio system.

An essentials pack adds safety gear, docking lights, fenders and covers. 

The Sea-Doo Switch hull is made from Polytec, a combination of hard-wearing polypropylene plastic and fibreglass. Polytec was first introduced to the Sea-Doo jet ski range in 2013 and has since proven itself as a tough, durable material.

The Switch uses alloy beams to create the backbone for the platform. The layout consists of two narrow outrigger hulls and a wide central hull with the outer hulls extending deeper into the water than the central one.

Sea-Doo claims the quasi-trimaran design will still only draw about 0.5 metres of water even when fully loaded with up to eight passengers and everything they need for a day out on the water.

The Sea-Doo Switch is designed as an enclosed water boat, so you’re not going to take it out into the ocean. That said, the hull is shaped to cut through waves and wake, with Sydney Harbour the location for a perfect test of its abilities.

The outboard floor of the Switch is fixed, while the middle features a number of removable square plastic panels (and rectangular inspection hatches over the engine and water jet) that clip into place.

That is because the Switch was designed as a highly modular platform, with owners able to easily and quickly modify the interior layout to suit the occasion.

Fixed powder-coated railings that create a decent amount of pet- and child-friendly internal freeboard are pushed as far outboard as the deck allows.

The Sea-Doo Switch is available in the US with a number of engine options ranging from a 130hp Rotax jet drive up to the engine fitted to our test boat, a 230hp supercharged 1.6-litre three-cylinder Rotax jet drive that will be the only one available in Australia.

The lightweight hull design and wide use of plastic mean that even though this is a boat with a substantial footprint it weighs significantly less than 2000kg on the trailer. The entire package can easily tow behind a mid-size family car.

Because the engine is located under the deck, much attention was given to sound deadening to make the experience much quieter while underway. Of note, the Sea-Doo Switch comes with a blower motor to clear the hull of any petrol fumes that may accumulate, similar to any other inboard-engined boat. 

Sea-Doo has not fitted the Switch with a conventional helm. Instead, there is a helm chair behind a tall, narrow console featuring a set of handlebars rather than a wheel.

The Switch is framed in a skeleton-like railing system that is covered in a mix of clear plastic panels with fabric inserts where it rubs on the rails. Access to the interior is via a single door built into the bow section.

Refuelling the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise is via a filler that protrudes from the hull on the starboard side of the console. To access it on the trailer, you have to unzip a small portion of the fabric alongside the console. Refuelling on the water will be a bit tricky.

While the carrying capacity of the Switch is rated at eight people, the maximum load it can carry is 675kg, so factor in the gear you will also carry.

Of note, the Sea-Doo Switch has the same engine intake flushing system as the brand’s jet skis. This is handy if you take the Switch into weedy areas or suck up sand while in shallow water and need to dislodge it.

Sea-Doo’s design for the Switch is slightly different to other pontoon boats. The big difference is the bow, which in the Switch pushes the rail almost right up to the leading edge to leave only a small landing for a boarding deck.

On the water, the Switch stands out. From the front, you’d think it was a floating Kenworth truck coming at you.

The big attraction of the Cruise layout is the aft swim platform that adds an extra 0.6 metres to the boat’s length.

Our test boat features a pair of seats with folding backrests that sit flush against the transom. There are two options to get to the swim deck: fold the seatbacks down and clamber over them, or remove one of the seats and clip it into another spot on the deck.

That latter option is because apart from the skipper’s seat and console, the entire interior of the Sea-Doo Switch is similar to a Lego set. Pull a floor-level lever and the lightweight square-based vinyl-covered seat lifts up. Drop it down on another square facing whatever direction you want and it clips straight back in. The entire process can take seconds.

The seats on our test boat are arranged so they all face inside to create a large social space. However, heading to or from your destination, the seats can rearrange to face forwards. Likewise, on New Year’s Eve, the seats can arrange like an amphitheatre to enjoy the fireworks.

The seats use Sea-Doo’s Linq attachment system originally developed for jet skis. It means the entire range of easy-attach Linq accessories – everything from spare fuel canisters to ice boxes and soft storage bags – is available to Switch owners.

Not that you’d need it. By default, every seat has storage built in under it, and some of the modules serve as tables with storage voids beneath them. Overhead, the optional bimini features a pocket in the leading edge that is perfect for storing life jackets for everyone onboard.

There are other clever accessories, such as a clip-in table with drink holders that bridges the gap between two seats.

The finish on the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise is of a very high standard, although the amount of plastic on display doesn’t really sit well with the high price tag. 

The Sea-Doo Switch Cruise features four cleats – two forward and two aft – to help with tying up at the boat ramp. They’re quite low to reach from inside the Switch. 

The helm of the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise is a hybrid between a conventional boat and a jet ski.

The rotating helm chair is a clever compact design, featuring a U-shaped front section that flips up to provide a taller seating position.

In front of the chair is a nicely styled side console with a low windscreen that pretty much just protects the dash from rain and spray, and an outer handrail.

The helm is shaped so that it feels more like riding a motor scooter than a jet ski. In front of you is a moulded footrest, but at speed you’ll be sitting with your legs splayed to give extra support. A netting pocket is recessed into the front of it, and handy for storing mooring lines.

The dash is laid out with toggle switches for courtesy lights on the port side, a bank of switches for a horn, navigation lights, bilge blower and bilge pump in the middle, and to starboard something we can’t admit to having seen before on a boat – a couple of switch blanks.

A drop-down glovebox facing the skipper features good small-item storage as well as a pair of USB recharging points, while another one on the other side of the console faces forward and has a 12V plug.

On the starboard side of the dash and mounted on its own binnacle is a full-colour 7.0-inch Garmin GPSMap system, and in the centre is a simple 4.5-inch monochrome display showing basic information such as fuel, revs and speed.

The handlebars come off a jet ski and feature the same toggles. Of note, you can tune the performance of the Sea-Doo Switch on the fly via Eco (slow takeoff and limited top speed), Normal and Sport (highly sensitive throttle) modes.

There’s no key to crank the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise. Instead, there is a claw that clips onto a ball-like protrusion on the console that acts like a proximity key, and an engine start button. The claw is attached to a safety lanyard, and the engine will cut out as soon as the claw is pulled off its mount.

First of all, stability at rest. It’s nothing short of excellent, with the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise remaining planted and confident even with two people moving around the deck.

The only thing that dampens the experience is Sea-Doo’s anchoring system for the Switch. The anchor is located in a lift-up section of the front lip of the Switch that’s tethered to the boat so that you won’t lose it overboard. You lift the anchor up and throw it out to set it. It feels more like an afterthought than a user-friendly feature.

Entry to the Switch is via a lift-up-and-swing gate on the bow. Tied up to a jetty, you step onto the narrow front of the Switch and duck in through the gate. Of note, the Switch does not have any rubbing strakes, so invest in a set of fenders if you don’t want unsightly marks on the starkly white section of the hull.

The seating on the Switch is comfortable, easy to relocate and has plenty of storage below. In all, the tri-hull design boasts 910 litres of stash space spread between the seats, cubbies and voids under the floor.

The bimini overhead is half the length of the boat and solidly mounted to the Switch. You can option a larger one that overshadows the entire interior.

It’s quite comfortable to sit at the helm, with even the low seating position offering a good view forward. If there are passengers up front, raising the seat bolster should be enough to see over them. The engine’s jet drive can also trim up or down to adjust the running attitude of the hull.

It’s an odd sensation to drive this size of boat using handlebars. The first thing you notice is a distinct lack of response to inputs, meaning at any speed you’ll be putting on lots of lock to get small changes in direction.

The Switch drives just like a jet ski, with a throttle lever on one handlebar and a reverse lever on the other. The reverse function, which drops a cup over the jet drive’s outlet to reverse the flow of water, works very well and can spin the boat in its own length at rest. At speed, engaging reverse with the throttle on pulls the Switch up within a few boat lengths – it has a surprisingly athletic ability to get from go to woah.

On the move, the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise is very sensitive to where weight is distributed around the deck. It’s like you need to counter-steer away from where the weight is onboard, meaning you’ll be driving along in a straight line with the handlebars far from straight ahead. It’s at its most significant if all the weight is forward.

And the 230hp of performance on tap? Three hulls in the water is a lot of drag, so the Switch is slow to get up on the plane until it is well up in the revs.

Once there, though, it’s fun to punt around. There’s barely any perceptible tip-in, and the Switch carves out a lazy arc without any fuss or cavitation. It’s not the most dynamic form of watercraft on the water, so high-speed manoeuvres need a bit of space and planning.

Sydney Harbour was a perfect proving ground for our test of the Sea-Doo Switch Cruise, offering up everything from the calm waters of Rose Bay to the washing machine chaos of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Even in the less savoury conditions, the Sea-Doo Swift Cruise handled the messy seas with aplomb, although it had to bleed a lot of speed to stop some of the steeper waves from washing over the front.

Performance

While the splayed-out arms and legs seating position is fine for the skipper, the lack of lateral support and grab rails makes for a hairy ride for any passengers, particularly with unexpected changes in direction. You do sit on the seats rather than in them.

Sea-Doo claims the 230hp version of the Sea-Doo Switch will hit a top speed of 70km/h, but with two people onboard and a close to full tank of fuel the best we recorded on test was 10km/h below that. Even so, piloting a floating brick at that speed on Sydney Harbour was a unique and enjoyable experience.

It’s strange to say, but jumping behind the helm of the Sea-Doo Switch is nowhere as intimidating as if you’d jumped behind a conventional helm. Replacing a steering wheel with a handlebar, and adding a handy reverse gear that makes the platform highly maneuverable seems to work.

The Sea-Doo Switch Cruise is a fun boat to be on, with plenty of room and the right atmosphere for a group of people to enjoy themselves on the water.

It’s not perfect, but as a platform to tow out of the driveway to any body of water, launch, spend the day swimming and then party well into the evening, few other boats will come close.

Priced from: $114,990 including two-speaker BRP audio system; swim platform with boarding ladder; 7.0-inch Garmin multifunction touchscreen chartplotter; removable cockpit table; nine removable seats; three seat corner backrests for adding curves to the seating; helm chair with lifting bolster; two corner tables; half-size bimini; dual-axle galvanised braked trailer