Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502180017
SECTION: BOAT SHOW PAGE: BS-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For many, there is a one-word answer: "SPEED."
The 1995 modes have redefined the term by adding cylinders, tacking on more carburetors, beefing up displacement and cranking out as many as 30 more horses than available in last year's top-of-the-line offerings. You now can straddle jet engines spouting over 100 hp.
"People definitely are after power," said Calvin Carr, of Gio's Marine in Roanoke. "There has to be a stop [to the horsepower] race somewhere, sometime, but we haven't seen it yet."
Gio's will be displaying a Yamaha 1100 cc, three cylinder-three carburetor unit in the boat show that touts 110 hp. That is 30 hp more than the top Yamaha available last year, Carr said.
If you want still more speed and performance, Top Gun Kawasaki - new to the show - has a customizing business at Wirtz ready to provide the parts and know-how, said Eddie Szewczys Jr., co-owner of the father-son venture.
"We have skis when they come in that are doing about 35 mph stock," said Szewczys. "When they leave here they are doing close to 60.
"Even the one that is doing 70, we can make it do better. If people get tired of their skis and don't want to put the money into buying a new one, we like to take their stock machine and modify it to make it go faster."
In addition to its customizing business, Top Gun is a Kawasaki and Polaris dealer and operates a mail-order parts trade that serves personal watercraft fans around the word. The business opened in 1990.
Szewczys sees a time when there will be more personal watercraft on the lakes than all other type boats combined.
You won't get an argument about that from Pete Jordan, sales manager at Webster Marine Center, on Smith Mountain Lake. Last year, Webster sold 205 Sea-Doo personal watercraft, more than all other craft combined, Jordan said.
"We have ordered 230 Sea-Doos for this year.
The question, will manufacturers and dealers be able to keep up with the demand?
Carr isn't betting on it.
"If people want them, they better get them early, because we are going to be sold out quick," he said.
"There is a lot of interest and it still is a growing market," said Virgil Naff of Lynchburg Kawasaki. "It hasn't tapered off any. I am sure we will reach a time when it will peak, but it has not peaked yet."
The big seller is the three seaters, Naff said.
"The bulk of the customers at Smith Mountain Lake are going to the three seaters because the water is rough," he said. "The longer boat and deeper-V hull just rides so well in all kinds of water conditions. It doesn't really care whether you have one person, two or three on it. It performs the same. We have demos in all models, but we find ourselves riding the three seater and letting the two seaters sit."
by CNB