Competition – High Performance PWCs for 1998

Polaris SL 1050 – The ’98 models do, in fact, run 62-63 mph, making this the fastest stock machine on glass water. The ’97 SL was also very fast, but it was notorious for loosing large measures of peak speed (and handling) as the water became anything less than glass. The ’98 machine (supposedly) uses the same bottom, so it shares this same “unfriendly” rough water performance. Given this, these Polaris 2 seater 1050s will be a poor choice for closed course or endurance racing owners. While there are aftermarket bolt ons available for the 1050s, none appeared to make a huge improvement in speed or rough water worthiness of the ’97 1050.

The biggest aftermarket performance prospect for the 1050s is the release of triple pipes (from FPP). While the power increase of these pipes is considerable, the longevity and handling issues will likely require some attention. The only apparent “Achilles heel” of high performance 1050s appears to be the driveline/driveshaft system. For more info on these, see our Polaris 1050 document here.

Polaris SLX Pro 785 – To be sure, this (very expensive) limited production special purpose boat is the fastest (and best rough water handling) in the 785 class…and it can blow off most open boats as well. For closed course racers, this boat is a great choice. However recreational riders, in search of a “fast” stock machine might not find the pro 785 entirely to their liking. The combination of the (somewhat small) 9 gallon tank along with the triple 44 carbs (bigger than average), on an engine that spins 7700+ rpm (higher than any other pwc) makes for a fuel range that is much shorter than most of your riding pals. However this range annoyance is small compared to the actual ” ride” annoyance that the pro 785 delivers in rough water. Granted that the pro 785 hooks up good and does not porpoise in rough water. However it accomplishes this by giving a ride that many riders consider to be “punishing”. That is, the rider “feels” the roughness of the water being covered because the hull holds it’s nose down so well. This type of ride is fine for wiry and athletic riders for the length of a (relatively short) closed course race. However it can get to be “very” abusive for casual recreational riders.

The majority of the aftermarket mods for these boats are geared toward the specific needs of closed course riders. It would be difficult to make this high revving machine run significantly faster without inducing some reliability issues, or the need for expensive race fuel.

Yamaha GP 1200 – Few high performance pwc’s have been “maligned” more, for not performing up to claims, than the ’97 GP 1200. While some owners take numerous issues to task, we will stick to speed performance issues.

Most of the ‘97GP 1200 owner performance complains were justified…but in most cases the fix (aluminum trim tabs) was relatively inexpensive. All the “slow” GPs we worked with were easily resolved in this way. To be sure, Yamaha could have saved themselves lots of grief and lots of unhappy owners if they would have identified and resolved this problem earlier in the season…but they didn’t. In the scheme of numerous high performance boats that have had a “you have to replace this part” scenario…the GP 1200 problem was not very complex, and had a relatively inexpensive fix.

The early ’97 hulls were made thinner than what might have been ideal for this kind of machine. Yamaha offered bracing update sets (that bonded to the inside of the hull) to avoid any cracking. However, the outer hull surface of some of these “braced” hulls could still flex about slightly in a way that ebbed away some peak water speed ability (the thicker ‘98s do not flex in this way). Serious grudge racers, with their heart set on a GP 1200, should probably set their sights on a ’98 version.

That said, the ’98 GP has all the “’97 issues” attended to. Along with that, the ’98 GP has a 5’ angled exit nozzle, and more rigid hull, which contribute to a slight increase in speed. Sleeper ’97 models (with aluminum tabs) will run 64-65 mph on pump gas. The Sleeper ’98 models will run 2 mph faster for the hull thickness and nozzle improvements. Regardless of what the GP 1200 nay Sayers think, either year GP is still one of the top performing grudge racing setups around. Along with that, they will out accelerate virtually anything, and negotiate high-speed turns far better that the GSXL.

When the GP 1200s were released, no one could dispute the excellent turning ability of this hull. They were the first production open class machines that really handled and accelerated well enough for serious closed course racing (they still are). Surprisingly however, the GP hulls didn’t lend themselves very well to endurance racing. At very high speeds (in rough water) the GP hull does a nose-to-tail bouncing that no rider can control (for 60-90 minutes anyway).

With the availability of the FPP triple pipes, GP1200s can easily be made into the supreme horsepower and water speed king of any piece of smooth water. No other modified platform can come close this combination of sheer speed and reliability.

Sea Doo XP 950 – Despite the relatively long hull, the spring seat XP 950 has excellent peak water speed abilities. In our ’97 XP 785 tests, we observed that the longer and heavier spring seat hull could run peak speeds very close to the shorter and lighter ’96 XP. This happens because the spring seat boat lifts so much of it’s hull out of the water during smooth water peak speed runs. This same quality allows casually modified XP 950s to run peak speeds into the high 60’s. We suspect that the speed difference in equally modified XP and GSXL hulled boats will be nominal. Unlike many other hulls that do well on glass water, the XP 950 is at the head of the class in high speed rough water competition. This machine is the only 2 seater that can compete with the fields of modified 3-seaters that otherwise dominated 1998 rough water endurance races.

The closed course abilities of the XP 950 remain to be seen. The closed course weakness is the large amount of water contact area that must be accelerated off of the start and the corners. The increased rider comfort and good cornering hook up of the XP 950 will help to overcome some of this weakness, but there are some pretty quick machines in today’s open class. In addition, if the IJSBA adopts the 0-1200cc ruling, all the open boats may have their hands full dealing with the 785 class boats that they had previously be protected from.

From a performance standpoint, it is very easy (for us at Group K) to net big increases in acceleration and speed from the 950 machines. Unfortunately, it seems that any significant increase in peak rpm can contribute to reliability issues that may be manageable for racers…but are unacceptable for the average recreational user. For more info on these, please refer to our 950 documents on our internet web site.

Sea Doo GSXL 950 – The ’98 GSXL accelerates and hooks up about the same as the ’97 “gray” GSXLs. Both boats share the same (excellent) smooth-water peak speed abilities…and the same high-speed rough water “unfriendliness”. The GSXL is easier (than the XP) for two people to re-mount in rough water…but beyond that we can’t think of any other reason that a high performance rider would want a GSXL over the XP 950…(price maybe?) The “less than ideal” rough water handling of the GSXL will not lend itself very well to endurance (or closed course racing)…particularly with the XP 950 in the picture.

Despite all this, the power potential of the GSXL will easily keep it consistently close to the top of the heap when it comes to smooth water “grudge racing”…particularly in the field of pump gas compatible machines.

Kawasaki Zxi 1100 – The Zxi 1100 is a comfortable recreation machine well suited to smooth water cruising. However this boat doesn’t have any special abilities that qualify it as a top choice in any particular style of competition . The engine and driveline have good reliability and good horsepower potential. Unfortunately the 1100 is still smarting from the “black eye” it suffered when the ’96 models exhibited a “high speed instability” on glass water. The recall update, implemented by Kawasaki to resolve the problem, also caused a significant reduction in peak speed ability. As a result of all these complications, very few high performance shops did serious development with the ZXi. The ’97/98 1100s had the new updated hulls, however the pumps were changed in a way that didn’t permit for the hook up of increased power.

These issues aside, the Zxi 1100 never gained good popularity as a closed course or endurance machine because of a nearly uncontrollable porpoising at high speeds in rough water. This porpoising could be abated with various plates, grates, etc. However the 1100 (more than any other machine we’ve seen) suffered huge losses of smooth-water speed when these parts were applied (5-7 mph losses were common).

As a grudge racer, the Zxi 1100 never became part of the high performance upper crust partly because of the afore mentioned hull issues, and partly because of the excessive weight (compared to other top machines)

Kawasaki ZXi 900 – The little brother of the Zxi 1100 was never considered a “high performance” competition machine. It suffered from the same problems with excessive weight, and serious speed reductions from aftermarket plates and grates (intended to abate the porpoising). This said, there are lots of “good condition” used (read good bargain) 900s out there. More recently, Aqua Sports (in Torrance Ca.) has been converting the (cheap to buy) 900s into 1100s. This modification transforms the docile, slightly overweight, 900 into a low-cost pump gas pocket rocket (62-63 mph). The smaller prop used on the 900s allows for better acceleration than the 1100 motor delivers with the larger 1100 pump. Furthermore, the smaller 900 carbs (if used) yield better fuel consumption than the accelerator pump 1100 carbs. All these mods do not make the 900 good in rough water, but they do elevate the otherwise wimpy 900 into the upper crust of the smooth water grudge racers…at a good price.

Yamaha 1100 Wave Raider – No Wave Raider 1100 owner will argue with you about the “scary” rough water antics that these hulls consistently deliver. This machine has absolutely no prospects of being a competitive (or safe) machine for rough-water endurance or closed course racing. Despite this unfavorable characteristic, the 1100 Raider hull is the king of delivering mph-per-horsepower (on smooth water). At high speed, on glass water, the Raider hull sits almost completely off the water without loosing any hook up ability. For riders that want to build the ultimate glass water grudge racer…the Raider is very hard to beat. Add to this that there are still many “low-hour” used Raiders available at bargain prices. Given the good longevity of the 1100 motors, buying a good-condition used one is usually a safe bet. We expect that these machines will be top notch “drag racers” for some time to come.

The only Achilles heel of the 1100 models is the engine-mounted cdi box. The cdi boxes do not like the high frequency vibration of the triple motor. Yamaha offers a head-to-ignition case brace that reduces the vibration, and helps greatly to avoid the cdi failures. However we finally started mounting the cdi boxes on the (nearby) gas tank to eliminate the problem.

Sea Doo 95XP800/96XP~97/98SPX – While there are several different year and model designations for what is basically the same boat, most industry folks refer to this 785cc boat simply as “the old XP”. No pwc better fits the title of “hot-rod” than the XP. Simply put, no machine matches the XP’s combination of power, handling, and affordability. In stock form, the XP is an easy match for most of the open class machines. However unlike most of the open boats, the XP gains big speed increases for relatively small amounts of modification money. A Sleeper kit and a Rossier pipe will transform the XP into a 64 mph pump gas pocket-rocket that can be king of most local ride spots…at a price that’s easy to live with. Our test riders have often characterized the acceleration and handling of the XP as “the closest thing to riding a modified stand-up”.

The excellent rough water handling ability and horsepower-to-weight ratio of the XP has made it the most dominant machine in closed course racing everywhere. Ironically, while these qualities make the XP ideal for closed course, they can become a curse to endurance racers. The light-weight and short length that work so well in closed course, make for a very “busy” ride at high speeds in rough water. Maintaining control can be done by riders that are very experienced, and very physically fit…but it is full time work.

Since these boats have been around for so long, there are plenty of inexpensive used ones out there. For used XP buyers, we recommend to find a low hours machine. If you’re a tinkerer that enjoys doing your own top to bottom rebuilding, a dirt cheap high hours boat can be a good buy. But if you are not a tinkerer, a high hours machine, no matter how well maintained, will often require maintenance and replacement of perishable parts.

Sea Doo GSX 785 – The GSX 785, in every sense, has abilities that run a split between the ‘96XP and the spring-seat 785. The additional water contact surface area of the larger GSX hull makes for waterspeeds comparable to the larger spring-seat 785. The high speed turning abilities of the GSX are not quite as quick as the ‘96XP, but the GSX hull has a “like it’s on rails” turning ability that allows any riders to make aggressive high speed turns with absolute confidence. Furthermore, this turning stability surpasses the ‘96XP, as water becomes rougher.

The high-speed rough water handling (and hook up) of the GSX is much better than the ‘96XP, but not quite as good as the spring-seat 785. Just the same, the GSX 785 has been the most competitive 785 endurance machine of the ’97 season, where it commonly held it’s own against the top pro open machines. The GSX may not be the ideal smooth water grudge race boat (Sleeper GSXs run 60-61 mph), but in 6-10 chop the GSX 785 can hunt down any other runabout on the water. Perhaps the most unique quality of the GSX is that it offers the most comfortable two-person riding of all the Sea Doo runabouts. We consider that to be a rare quality in a machine that handles this good. The other most attractive quality of the GSX is that it carries 15 gallons of fuel, to the 9 gallons of the ’96 XP and the 11 gallons of the spring seat 785. This is an important quality because the 785 rave motors are thirsty little suckers…ask anybody that owns one.

Many GSX 785 owners traded up to a GSX 950 figuring that they would have the same handling that they had grown to love, along with a big dose of added power. Unfortunately, that high quality handling got lost somewhere in the translation. The GSX 950s have nowhere near the rough water handling and hook up ability of the 785 boats (we have no idea why). It has become common for the GSX 785s to easily overtake 950 GSXLs as the water gets one foot or rougher. If you are a rough water rider…a bigger GSX may not necessarily be better.

Sea Doo ’97 XP – To avoid any confusion between this machine and the other Sea Doo models we refer to it as the spring-seat 785. Like the first Kawasaki 900, this machine won plenty of awards and pre-season hype, but disappointed many buyers with it’s lack of performance. This was a particular disappointment for the Sea Doo faithful, because the spring-seat 785 was the first XP that did not outrun it’s predecessor. The 7inch longer, and 90 pound heavier, spring-seat 785 is actually only 1 mph slower (on smooth water) than the 96 model. It has this good speed ability (for it’s size) because a good majority of the hull is lifted out of the water during straight-line high-speed operation. However when the 97 XP is laid into a hard turn, it has to overcome the considerable drag of it’s additional weight and water contact surface area. All this additional drag, while cornering, is what eliminates the spring-seat 785 as a closed-course racing contender.

All this said, absolutely no existing runabout offers greater comfort or control in high-speed rough water conditions than the 97 XP delivers. These machines are ideally suited for endurance racing and rough water recreational riding. Sleeper modified spring-seat 785s run 60-61 mph on smooth water. But in the rough they can easily hang with the big horsepower boats, and still give the rider a fraction of the physical abuse that everyone else is getting. We consider this machine to be a best buy for riders looking for an affordable endurance machine.

Yamaha GP 800 – The all new engine in this machine is a technological quantum leap from all the previous two cylinder Yamaha pwc engines. The apparent intent of this machine is to give the Sea Doo XP/SPX some competition in the 785cc racing division. With a stock peak speed of 59 mph, the little GP is on it’s way to meeting that objective. However riders considering the GP 800 as a race platform need to take a closer look. To be truly successful, “modified” versions of the GP800 will need to be on a par with the plentiful “modified” versions of the Sea Doo785. Given that the GP800 is 12 inches longer and 70 pounds heavier than the XP…that may be a tall order.

While factory supported GP 800s have done well in national level closed course racing, privateers have struggled with the fleets of fast Sea Doos. As more performance parts and modifications become available for the 800, it will become easier for privateer owners to narrow the gap they face. However building an IJSBA legal superstock 800 that can do battle with the best Sea Doos will be no small piece of work.

Since the GP800 weighs only 30 pounds less than the 1200, there is not much reason to believe that the little GP will handle much better in high-speed endurance racing than the 1200 does. While the closed course abilities remain to be seen, the 800 seems destined to struggle in the horsepower department (for ’98 anyway).