UNIT 5 ,70 STATION ROAD WHITSTABLE CT5 1LF |
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PWC History
SEA DOO HISTORY A new feeling was sweeping the country in 1968. Thirty years ago, Bombardier Inc., a Canadian company best-known for its Ski-Doo® snowmobiles, was trying out a similar idea for the water. In fact, Bombardier pioneered the personal-size boats that today are known as personal watercraft. Today's popular Sea-Doo® watercraft are really second generation. For three years, from 1968 through 1970, Sea-Doo® watercraft were blazing a trail for a sport that today includes hundreds of thousands of enthusiasts.
They were similar in many ways to today's models, featuring the basic sit-down design, fiberglass construction, waterjet drive, handlebar steering, even electric start and a reverse thrust adjustment. But they were still a far cry from today's sophisticated boats. A comparatively flat hull was used on the first generation. The designers and riders soon found it was fine for smooth water, but gave a rough ride as it slapped the waves. The flat bottom also contributed to wide turns. Some other watercraft brands are still facing these problems, first discovered and solved by Sea Doo ® years ago. In terms of size, the two early Sea-Doo® craft were surprisingly similar in dimension to the current SP model, except in width. The first craft were almost a foot and a half wider than today's models.
The earliest Sea Doo ® model had an air-cooled engine with a belt that drove the pump. Designated the Model 320, this craft was equipped with a 320cc single cylinder engine that peaked at about 25 to 30 mph, depending upon water conditions. The following year, a water-cooled engine was used. This model, the 372, came equipped with a 368cc twin cylinder that topped out at close to 35 mph. Performance and reliability improved, but making corrosion-resistant engines and parts for constant exposure to salt water was difficult at that time. Today, the technical problems have been solved with fully marinized Rotax ® engines, corrosion-resistant parts and scientifically designed hulls. Another very practical concern at Bombardier was the acceptance of the unique Sea Doo ® design by the general public. Would it sell? If you think the current Sea-Doo ® is a radical concept compared to larger-size boats today, think about what the reaction to the small craft was 25 years ago! Being such a unique design, potential buyers didn't quite know what to do with the personal boat. The resulting sales figures were minuscule compared to the huge demand for snowmobiles that Bombardier was experiencing across North America. These were the halcyon days of snowmobiling. Each year produced sensational sales increases. Some 21 snowmobile manufacturers were turning out more than 250,000 units each year and, in 1970, the industry produced an amazing 500,000 snowmobiles. Seeing the need for continued refinement of the Sea Doo ® concept, facing an unknown market for the product, and realizing that the burgeoning snowmobile sport needed attention, Bombardier Inc. made the difficult decision to shelve the Sea-Doo in 1970. This was not an easy decision. The watercraft was a personal favorite of two families whose intimate involvement with Sea Doo ® continues to this day. Bombardier Inc. was a growing company at the time, but Ski Doo ® snowmobiles were a major portion of the company's business. Laurent Beaudoin, the current chairman of Bombardier Recreational Products Inc., was its 30-year-old president back in 1969. As a hands-on leader, Beaudoin took a personal interest in both Ski Doo ® and Sea Doo ®. His close ties to these two vehicles stemmed from his father-in-law, Joseph-Armand Bombardier. Since childhood, J-A Bombardier dreamed of inventing a motorized vehicle that could travel over snow and release people from the isolation of winter. Joseph-Armand realized his dreams by creating an entire series of large snow vehicles, as well as the Ski-Doo ® Snowmobile. Before he died in 1964, he witnessed the first signs of the phenomenal snowmobile boom that he helped to create.
Laurent Beaudoin followed J-A Bombardier as a firm believer in hands-on management. Beaudoin was an avid snowmobiler and an enthusiastic supporter of the early Sea Doo ®. Working with him on the Sea-Doo ® project was designer Anselme (Sam) Lapointe. These two men, along 10 others, made the first long-distance SeaDoo ® tour, riding the watercraft from Montréal to New York City in 1969. This four-day, 469-mile cruise highlighted the many unique attributes of the craft: stability, versatility, freedom and fun. And these are some of the key reasons for the sport's popularity today. It's no coincidence that 15 years later, the next generation of SeaDoo ® was conceived by the next generation of the Beaudoin and Lapointe families. Laurent Beaudoin passed to his son, Pierre, a passionate interest in personal recreational vehicles, both snowmobiles and watercraft. In 1986, when a re-evaluation of the market for a sit-down watercraft was done, Pierre was picked to head the team. Through a design competition, Denys Lapointe, Sam Lapointe's 26-year-old son, was selected as chief designer for SeaDoo .
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