Sea-Doo Spark TRIXX

With its light weight and playful hull, Sea-Doo’s Spark is a natural trickster. The new Trixx model boosts that freestyle orientation with a few modifications to showcase the boat’s full potential. The highlight is Sea-Doo’s variable electric trim, retooled for the Trixx to more than double the directional nozzle’s range of motion. Pivoted to its maximum 17-degree upward setting, that trim allows even novice riders to put the craft into a wheelie with minimal throttle input. From there, tricks will expand into old-school tailspins, sky-high hops, broncolike nose stabs or whatever the rider’s imagination invents. A manually adjustable handlebar sits 3 inches higher than on the standard Spark to increase the rider’s leverage over the craft. Open its bicycle-style quick release and the aluminum bar stem can be lengthened an additional 3 inches. Add a pair of angled, 60-degree chocks at the base of the footwells to keep the driver in contact with the machine when it’s pointed to the sky, and you’ve got the building blocks for the most playful ride you’ll find in the personal-watercraft market.

The Sea-Doo Spark Trixx, however, is no one-trick pony. Beyond those extras, it’s still the classic Spark, with the same combination of innovative features that dramatically lowered the price of entry into PWC ownership and attracted a legion of new enthusiasts who greedily purchased the new machines. That lightweight hull is the result of Sea-Doo’s proprietary Polytec, a durable composite of polypropylene and glass fiber that makes a good alternative to fiberglass. The material’s matte finish invites bold colors, like the Trixx’s Candy Blue (teal) and Chili Pepper (red). The hull and deck’s light weight also allows for the use of a lower-horsepower, lighter-weight engine, while maintaining spirited performance capability — in the Trixx’s case, the 90 hp Rotax 900 ACE HO. It pushes the Sea-Doo to a respectable 48 mph top speed. Acceleration can be modified from mild to wild via a button located below the minimalist info display on the dash.

One notable extra greatly enhances the boat’s versatility. Sea-Doo’s Intelligent Brake & Reverse (iBR) electronically links a modified reverse bucket to a handlebar-mounted control lever. Deflecting water exiting the pump allows the craft to start in neutral and seamlessly switch between forward and reverse. Activating iBR at speed acts as a brake, swiftly slowing the craft.

High Points
* In addition to extended upward range, variable trim lets experienced riders submarine the bow.
* Closed cooling keeps salt water and debris out of the engine. Engine mounts act as heat exchangers: neat!
* Light weight pays in terms of the Trixx’s power-to-weight ratio, and it allows the craft to be easily towed behind almost any vehicle.

How We Tested
Engine: 90 hp Rotax 900 ACE HO
Impeller: 4-blade stainless steel
Gear Ratio: 1:1
Fuel Load: 7.9 gal.
Crew Weight: 155 lb.

Price
$7,299 (with test power)