Sea-Doo

Sea-Doo is a brand of personal water craft and boats manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) since 1988.[1][2] Rather than using a propeller to move the craft, it uses an impeller-driven waterjet.[3]

History

Bombardier had initially offered a personal watercraft in 1968, but removed it from the market.[4] That original craft was the one of the first sit-down personal watercrafts. It was designed and mentored by Clayton Jacobson II, the developer of the first successful personal watercraft, the Kawasaki Jet Ski. The man who promoted the idea of bringing the Ski-doo experience to the water was Bombardier’s Laurent Beaudoin. Marketed as the "Jet-powered Aqua Scooter"[5], the original trademark yellow Sea-Doo was an awkward 5 feet wide and 7 1/2 feet long, somewhat resembling a flying saucer. The ski-doo supplied stainless steel handle bars and minimally padded, flat seat combined for an uncomfortable ride.[6] It was powered by a 320cc air cooled Rotax motor.[7]

The Sea-Doo, introduced in 1988, was an important product for Bombardier as it signaled a turnaround in the company's declining fortunes.[1] Annual sales for the Sea-Doo were over 100,000 units in the 1995 fiscal year, at which point the company had captured over half of the personal watercraft market.In 1997 the company earned $212 million on the Sea-Doo.[1][8][9]

Models

There are officially 5 categories of Sea-Doo models: Rec Lite, Recreation, Tow Sports, Luxury, and Performance.

The Sea-Doo boats were a four seater Sportster 150 with 155 hp or 215 hp, a four-seater Speedster 150 with 255 hp, a six-seater Speedster 200 with 310 hp, and a Speedster 230 with space for up to twelve persons. The Wake 200 model was made for wakeboarding and two Challenger models were less sporty and more luxurious: a smaller Challenger 180 and a larger Challenger 230. In 2012 BRP discontinued the sport boat production citing a decline in global sales in the marine industry. This meant the loss of 350 jobs, including most of those at a plant in Benton, Illinois.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Larry MacDonald (26 November 2012). The Bombardier Story: From Snowmobiles to Global Transportation Powerhouse. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 233–. ISBN 978-1-118-48501-9.
  2. ↑ Hearst Magazines (April 1990). Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. pp. 61–. ISSN 0032-4558.
  3. ↑ Hearst Magazines (August 1968). Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines. pp. 91–. ISSN 0032-4558.
  4. ↑ Boating. pp. 1017–. ISSN 0006-5374.
  5. ↑ "About BRP: Heritage". Bombardier Recreational Products.
  6. ↑ Hemmel, Jeff (January 8, 2016), PWC History: The Evolution of Personal Watercraft, Boating
  7. ↑ Leckrone, Brice. "SEA-DOO CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY". The Watercraft Journal.
  8. ↑ Yachting. December 1997. pp. 76–. ISSN 0043-9940.
  9. ↑ Kevin K. Boeh; Paul W. Beamish (2007). Mergers and Acquisitions: Text and Cases. SAGE. pp. 408–. ISBN 978-1-4129-4104-4.
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