Now readily available from Sea-Doo® marine retailers around New Zealand, the Sea-Doo RXP-X 260 personal watercraft has earned its Canadian manufacturer Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) two significant awards in recent months.
In June the RXP-X 260 was named the ‘2012 ski of the year’ by one of the watercraft industry’s largest online forums, PWCToday.com.
John Salvatore of PWCToday.com said: “PWCToday.com’s six-person selection committee awarded an amazing 9.14 average out of 10 to the 2012 Sea-Doo RXP-X and nearly a perfect 10 in the fun factor category. From the looks to the handling, every rider had nothing but praise for this watercraft.”
This is BRP’s second PWCToday.com ski of the year award with the 2011 Sea-Doo GTI SE 130 model taking the top spot last year.
This year, the 2012 Sea-Doo RXP-X was judged side-by-side with the best new watercraft from the industry by a variety of riders of varying skill and experience levels in multiple categories. With its improved rider ergonomics and new hull design, the ability of the new Sea-Doo RXP-X to allow riders to fully realise their performance potential led to high marks in overall fun.
The new high performance Sea-Doo also won a 2012 Red Dot award earlier this year for product design in the transportation category. The Red Dot design awards is a prestigious international design competition in which more than 1,800 manufacturers and designers from 58 countries submitted a total of 4,515 product designs.
New Zealand manager Richard Shaw says, when developing the new Sea-Doo RXP-X 260, BRP designers completely rethought rider ergonomics which lead to the new ‘Ergolock’ system.
“BRP’s ErgoLock system has received high praise for its angled foot-well wedges, a fully adjustable handlebar and a gradually narrowing seat designed to better connect the rider to the watercraft,” says Shaw. “It reduces upper body fatigue by allowing the rider to ride with more confidence and less effort.
“The ErgoLock system also complements the tight turning aspect of the new, lean-in style T3 hull that test riders noted as providing near effortless turning capabilities.”
The all-new T-shape (T3) hull – which embodies a literal T-shape when viewed from the transom – has extreme hard and soft chines allowing for more precise cornering, enhanced lean in and better tracking. The T-shape provides two running surfaces: a wide surface for low speed stability and a narrower surface in the middle that aids in rough water tracking and ability to lean into turns. Removable trim tabs extend past the transom to lengthen the running surface, acting to limit bow rise and keep the RXP-X more parallel to the water’s surface. Three-position adjustable rear sponsons improve lateral stability and can be set for the rider’s skill level and riding environment.
Sea-Doo’s codename for the RXP-X project was ‘shark’, and that influence can be seen in the craft’s distinct profile. Regarded as performance-oriented riders as a ‘musclecraft’, the RXP-X is primarily black in colour with day-glow yellow accents providing stark contrast.
The 260 in its model name refers to the 260 hp from its supercharged, intercooled 1,494cc Rotax 4-TEC® engine. The RXP-X’s power is nicely counterbalanced by BRP’s intelligent brake and reverse system (iBR), the world’s only on-water braking system which lets a rider stop up to 100 feet sooner than any other watercraft. The RXP-X also comes loaded with BRP’s trademark systems such as iControl learning key to limit the watercraft’s performance based on rider skills, intelligent throttle control (iTC) which allows riders to start the watercraft in neutral dockside and D-Sea-Bel, a series of resonators and vibration-absorbing components which make Sea-Doo watercraft on the water.
“BRP focuses on elevating the consumer experience for every product we build,” said Yves Leduc, vice-president and general manager for BRP’s North America division. “For many riders, the Sea-Doo RXP-X redefines the high-performance watercraft. Winning the second straight PWCToday.com ski of the year award chosen by real riders is the result of BRP’s dedication to developing designs and technologies that focus on improving the riders’ experience.”
Earlier in the year, BRP continued its award-winning streak when the company received its fifth National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) Innovation Award in four years presented at the Miami International Boat Show for the 2012 Sea-Doo RXP-X 260 watercraft.
