Watercraft World back issues from July 2004:
In the driver's seat: a new team leads this magazine into the future.(FLOAT PLAN)
Jul 01, 2004; ... As the saying goes, the only constant is change. While some shudder at change, it is often a good thing. At Watercraft World magazine, we've had many changes during the last few months and will have more changes that we know will be for the better. ...
Chartplotting in Ireland.(MAIL CALL)(Letter to the Editor)
Jul 01, 2004 ... First I would like to thank you for the years of enjoyment reading your magazine, even in the old days of Splash. May there be many more. Just to let you know that it even gets to Ireland, too. The question I have, or should I say the advice I need, is I am looking to mount a ...
Happy hours.(MAIL CALL)(Letter to the Editor)
Jul 01, 2004 ... I have been trying to sell my 2000 Yamaha SUV1200. When I tell people that it has 240 hours, they say that is too high. This boat is in excellent shape, has never had a problem and was always ridden by me and my wife. I have a hard time believing that 240 is a lot of hours. Please let me ...
Invitation for recreation.(MAIL CALL)(Letter to the Editor)
Jul 01, 2004 ... I just received the May edition of Watercraft World and, as usual, enjoyed it thoroughly, while biting at the teeth to get back in the water. Speaking of which, there will be four of us taking a 1200-mile tour on the Intracoastal Waterway on June 20, from Key West, Florida, to ...
Power to the chicks?(MAIL CALL)(Letter to the Editor)
Jul 01, 2004 ... I would love to get your opinion on a few things and hopefully you can shed some light for me. Previous to this year, my wife and I have only owned Sea-Doos. In 2003, I bought a GTX-DI and my wife bought a GTI, that ugly purple thing. To make a long story short, she hated hers and I didn't ...
Fuel issues.(TECH DOCTOR)(personal watercraft)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Q: My husband and I are from Michigan and have a 2001 Sea-Doo GTX DI. This is our second Sea-Doo. This is the third summer for this machine and, at the beginning of this summer, it had 250 hours. The machine is very well maintained. We went to Lake Powell, Arizona, for our ...
Stop the corrosion.(TECH DOCTOR)(personal watercraft maintenance)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Q: I currently own four Yamaha PWCs--two 2001 GP1200s, one 2002 XLT1200 and one 2003 XLT1200. Recently, I had an acceleration problem with one of the 2001 GP1200s. My Yamaha dealer told me that all three carbs had to be rebuilt due to corrosion problems at a cost of $500, which is not ...
Put a plug in it.(TECH DOCTOR)(motor boat maintenance)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Q: My boat is a 2002 Polaris Genesis i. It's a great boat, but when I went to purchase some spare plugs, the cheapest I could find were (you're sitting down, right?) $19.99 apiece! Luckily, an old farmer once taught me how to clean plugs with a pocketknife, a wire brush and some cord ...
Bad, bad battery.(TECH DOCTOR)(personal watercraft maintenance)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Q: I have a 2002 Kawasaki 1100ZXi that has been giving me starting problems since I bought it new from the dealer last year. When I first put it in the water, it ran great. However, once I returned to the dock for more fuel, I was unable to restart the craft. Every push of the starter ...
More power, please.(TECH DOCTOR)(personal watercraft maintenance)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Q: I recently purchased a 1994 Jet Ski 750SX, which I'm guessing has lots of hours on it. I checked the psi on the cylinders. One is 90 psi and the other is 100 psi. Do I need to rebuild the engine? What is the correct psi? If it needs rebuilding, what do I need to do? I've never worked on ...
Daily grind.(EVENTS)(wakeboarding)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Forget those Tony Hawk video games. The hottest skate action of 2004 might just be happening behind a PWC. Expert riders have taken the sport of wakeskating to new heights, bringing the look and feel of skateboarding from the street to the water ....
USWRA debuts Triple Crown series.(RACING)(United States Watercross Racing Association)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... The early season shake up of the International Jet Sports Boating Association (IJSBA) may have contributed to the lack of a so-called "pro tour" for 2004, but the United States Watercross Racing Association (USWRA) hopes to attract at least a few of those top-level riders and their fans to ...
Insurance tips from Boat U.S.(NEWS + NOTES)(Boat Owners Association of the United States)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Unless you want to be high and dry in the event of an unexpected loss, insurance is a necessary fact of life--even for your personal watercraft. The Boat Owners Association of the United States, or Boat U.S., recently offered the following tips on what to look for when renewing or getting ...
Gulf Islands may reopen ... next season.(NEWS + NOTES)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Gulf Islands National Seashore recently added its name to the list of national parks that have already begun, or at least appear ready, to again allow PWC access to its waters. The park has completed the required environmental assessment (a whopping 263 pages in total) and has offered ...
Be one of the few ... the proud ... a Dream Demo Test Rider.(NEWS + NOTES)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Think you can handle going to a fine beach and soaking up some rays while testing new 2005 PWC for Watercraft World? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] We're sure there are folks out there itching to participate in our 2005 Dream Demo test and ...
Free safety on the net.(NEWS + NOTES)(PWCSafetySchool.com)(Brief Article)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Kawasaki Motors Corporation, the Northwest Personal Watercraft Safety Project and the United States Power Squadron recently teamed up to produce a free, online boating safety course at PWCSafetySchool.com. The only online course tailored to PWC enthusiasts, the course is approved by the ...
Full throttle: personal watercraft endurance racer Mike Follmer stays on the gas 24/7.(personality)
Jul 01, 2004; ... To say Mike Follmer lives life at full throttle would be an understatement. Follmer, who lives in Newport Beach, California, has already had successful careers in auto and personal watercraft (PWC) racing, and founded his own promotions company. He also recently signed with sponsor Yamaha ...
Get turbocharged! Turbochargers help deliver more engine power.
Jul 01, 2004; ... WE ALWAYS WANT on-the-spot power and go-fast capability, so getting the most power and best performance out of personal watercraft (PWC) is the name of the game. While historically, normally aspirated two-stroke engines delivered that desired punch, some new-age four-stroke engines need ...
Buying a used PWC: preowned PWCs have never been more attractive. Learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff.(HOW-TO)
Jul 01, 2004 ... ANYONE WHO HAS RECENTLY gone shopping at the local PWC dealership and viewed the ever-escalating price tags on new watercraft has likely gone through three phases: sticker shock, grudging acceptance and the sudden urge to buy used. After all, the upside is that a well-maintained ...
Where there's a will, there's a way: how a tight-knit family turned crisis into cause ... and a 1355-mile adventure on the Great Lakes.
Jul 01, 2004; ... For the fourth time in as many days, John Boland began to question the gravity of the challenge he and his family had undertaken. Moments earlier he was within shouting distance of his riding partner, Matt Markham, Boland's soon-to-be son-in-law. Now cold and exhausted, the pair were lost ...
Jack be nimble, Jack be quick: tempted to overlook the high-performance runabout class? Chances are you don't know Jack ...(personal water crafts)(Product/Service Evaluation)(Cover Story)
Jul 01, 2004 ... If you ask us, many performance enthusiasts make a big mistake. They get too caught up in horsepower and brute strength, and neglect the handling and finesse that often make PWCs a better overall choice. Oh sure, there are exceptions to the rule, buyers who demand both attributes from ...
Looking to satisfy both your yin and yang in 2004? Split decision II: discover two more seasons of double-duty vacation destinations that are guaranteed to please.
Jul 01, 2004; ... Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series about double-duty family vacations. In the last issue, we showed you how to take in spring training, go snowboarding and play a round of floating golf in the spring and summer. With each escape, we also showed you where to ride your ...
Team effort: Polaris assembles a mighty jet boat, with a little help from friends.(sport boats)(Polaris Industries Inc.)(Product/Service Evaluation)
Jul 01, 2004; ... When Polaris jumped into the jet boat market in 2003, the company produced its initial boat in record time. Part of the reason, of course, is that the Minnesota-based manufacturer had help. Rather than tackle the entire project in house, Polaris turned to two of the biggest names in the ...
Tow it right: getting the correct tow vehicle will make towing life easier.(TOW THE LINE)
Jul 01, 2004; ... We've all seen it--the midsize or smaller automobile that speeds past us on the interstate loaded down with luggage, screaming kids and a trailer towing a boat or PWC. Most people know the car shouldn't be towing in the first place, and shake their heads in dismay. Some mumble ...
Hang loose: wetsuits are great ... but not when it's 98 degrees in the shade.(THE RAGE)
Jul 01, 2004 ... Yeah, there's nothing like summer. The clothes are few, the sun shines well into the evening and, most importantly, the temperatures are warm, both in and out of the water. One of the best things about warm weather is being able to finally ditch that soggy, damp wetsuit that's been ...
Snapshots.
Jul 01, 2004; ... Standing up ...
Priced to sell: are more affordable PWC prices on the horizon?(CHINING IN)
Jul 01, 2004; ... I'VE BEEN EXCHANGING E-MAILS WITH PWC rider Steve Prefontaine for three weeks now. Poor guy. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] His excitement was overflowing for the new riding season, but he had to wait for the New England water temperatures to catch up with the heat of his ...