Sea Doo XP

Well, after claiming the title in 1997, with its all-new, Direct Action Suspension (DAS) XP, the world's biggest seller of PWCs has made the canny decision to leave well enough alone. Instead, as well as marketing the XP unchanged for 1998 save for NICAG (Ed: our acronym not Sea.Doo's - new improved colours and graphics), it added a new, even higher powered XP Limited model to the line-up.

With almost a litre of Rotax RAVE exhaust-valve-equipped powerplant under the 'bonnet', the Limited hit the market last month with no less than 130hp at the rider's beck and call!

Sea.Doo means what it says when it calls the new craft 'Limited.' There will only be a limited number available to be delivered Down Under.

But never fear, after sampling the standard XP, we reckon there's more than enough performance and poise wrapped up in the lighter, regular issue version to satisfy even the most jaded PWC power junkie.

The opportunity to test the 1998 XP came courtesy of the Geelong (Vic) dealer, Pro-Cycle Sea.Doo. The boat, the personal plaything of one of the well-established firm's principals came freshly run in and ready for a thorough thras... err I mean test.

PWCs have had their fair share of bad press of late - much of it undeserved. In fact, so tarnished has their reputation become in the US of late that some sections of the marine industry have called for the entire PWC cartel to be 'excommunicated' from the boating mainstream - resigning from the industry body to make their point! Let's hope commonsense prevails in Oz.

For my money, the big plus is that PWCs make some of the most enjoyable and elemental boating experiences easily accessible. Take 'trailriding' for instance - whether it's exploring a local estuary, lake shoreline or something more adventurous like the Geelong Jet Sports Association's Torquay to Lorne open ocean run, this can be boating at its best.

Of course, the advent of sit-down style PWCs has meant that these sort of outings need not be attacked at break-neck pace. The added storage and fuel capacity of the 'mid-generation' craft we've seen since the mid-'90s has further opened up these sorts of usage options.

It wasn't until the most recent crop of equipment, however, that real performance and the convenience of sit-down operation with its easy reboarding and good 'at-rest' stability came together.

Sea.Doo's 1996-model HX offered performance exceeding the best stand-up skis, but even when the technique was mastered, deep-water reboarding was a chore one-up. Though classed a two-seater it was, in reality, anything but.

The new XP, however, is quite a different kettle of fish. While it will turn and burn with the best of them (perhaps even better!) it also offers reasonable accommodation and the stability to cope with a co-rider.

Having said that, in hull design the new XP owes more than a little to the HX. Like the HX, this is a 'lean-in' machine unlike the traditional 'lean-out' boats on which Sea.Doo has built its reputation.

Combining the HX-pioneered DAS and what Sea.Doo terms its "Semi-V hyperbolic multi-angle deadrise hull," the XP is easily the best handling PWC this writer has experienced.

After a generation of 'lean-outs' the new hull takes a little getting used to. However, before long you're looking to carve turns tight enough to dip in an elbow, in a similar manner that Doohan and Co drag their knees on the blacktop.

Just remember, thanks to the hourglass shape of the hull and vestigial sponsons, the XP can easily out-turn an unsuspecting operator - on more than one occasion I found myself unseated off the wrong side of the machine and paid the price!

At rest the wide, flat aft-section of the hull provides additional stability and buoyancy to make recovering from an oopsie easier. It's no GSX and you're hardly likely to stop along the way and dangle a line over the side, but with a little familiarisation it's easy enough to get you and your partner onboard and away.

Rather than a gimmick, the DAS delivers a super smooth ride on surprisingly choppy water.

When testing the XP we had a fettled '97-model SPX along, and in the same water conditions it was chalk and cheese. Though the XP would out-turn the sponson-equipped SPX, it was also significantly more directionally stable - the rider's ups and downs being absorbed rather than channelled into the hull via the bars and seat.

This allows the XP's rider to make use of the 110hp 800 Series Rotax's prodigious top end and, more importantly, significantly reduces fatigue.

For the record, the XP stormed to an indicated 57mph - plenty fast enough for yours truly.

The new XP pays some price for its added convenience and competency - in the weight department. At a claimed 238kg, it's a staggering 43kg heavier than the conventional SPX... And you can add a further 12kg if you plum for the 951cc Limited version.

All considered, however (if you'll excuse the pun) for my money, the XP's more than worth the weight... Mike Sinclair