I’m thrilled at the response to the Waveboat. We receive questions on a daily basis on many topics, which I’m trying to address to the person who asked as well as to the site so there is a wealth of information available to you as you browse. One of the questions we’ve been asked multiple times is: “What ski is required” or “I have a ____, will it work?”
These are great questions. Sealver, given they are based in France, has decided to manufacture the Waveboat to solely fit the Yamaha 4-stroke personal watercraft. Yamaha is widely distributed around the globe, and have the lion’s share of the market in Europe and elsewhere. Hence, their decision makes sense. The bunks, rails, and bumpers are engineered so that any of those powerful Yamaha skis will slide right into place on the business end of the Waveboat.
Here in the US, Yamaha doesn’t have the largest share of the personal watercraft market. We have permission from Sealver to modify the existing Waveboat to fit other skis for that very reason. In general, any ski that is roughly 4′ wide at it’s siderail could probably fit a Waveboat. We have modification plans already for a couple skis, so if you don’t have a Yamaha, don’t fret. The modifications are being done to the Waveboat itself, so nothing on your ski will change.
At the moment, we only have plans to support modifications to fit 4-stroke PWC’s. For one, they are generally the only craft with high enough horsepower and large enough pumps to be considered useful in boat-like loads. As well, they’re probably the only models we can get our hands on to trial-fit to a Waveboat, as older 2-stroke skis are too few and far between. As many of you know, 2-stroke skis have been outlawed in some waterways, so as the footprint of accessible waterways shrinks, 2-strokes will continue to lose popularity and use.
As for horsepower needs, I like to refer people to a generic bowrider boat. Take a look at some of the models out there, and you’ll see anywhere from 130HP up to 250+HP on the high-end. I think that’s a great reference as to what is needed from an HP perspective to support boat-like operations. Towing skiers, wakeboarders, tubes, or other craft is usually going to be smoother and more enjoyable with the higher end of the HP range being available to you. My personal recommendation is to have a ski with 160HP or greater for Waveboat operation, but 200HP or greater if you want to tow while docked with a Waveboat. Those are just recommendations…certainly not a hard and fast limit or rule. There’s plenty of fun to be had with the full range of available HP engines in today’s personal watercraft.
Keep the questions coming! We appreciate hearing from all of you.
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