There's something hauntingly familiar about Sea-Doo's Speedster 200. You can't exactly put your finger on it, but the first time you see it at the dock in Miami it's a clear case of deja vu. Hmm ... a good-looking red hull with an unusual flared sunpad, almost like a pair of wings. A stylish oversized aluminum side-rail, nice set of curves along the hull sides, cool air scoop.

But which boat does it really remind you of?

Then it hits you. It's a reincarnation of the original Speedster. Not an exact clone, of course, but clearly the same genetic imprint. You recall driving the first Speedster back in '94, the world's first twin-engine 16-footer that became the overnight sensation in what was then an ocean of cookie-cutter jet boats.

Now, that was a ride ' the first jet boat to top 55 mph ' and a good-looking boat for the time. Here you are, a decade later, looking at what could be a lankier distant cousin wearing fresh makeup. But instead of feeling nostalgic, you're confused. Has the evolutionary cycle already run full circle? Weren't jet boats ' make that jet-powered runabouts ' supposed to be morphing into real big boats, with deep-V hulls and family-friendly features?

Those questions burn in your mind as you test the prototype in Miami, and then find yourself six months later behind the steering wheel of a production 200 in a bay near Stuart, Florida. The answer to your questions is delivered by a 2-foot wave. Instead of a tooth-chattering jolt like the jet boats of yesteryear, the 200 passes right through the wave. No hull slapping, no spinal compression. Just a bit of a bump, and you're on your way.

The 200's really the missing link between the old and modern jet boat worlds, leaping up the evolutionary ladder past the rest of the fleet: It has returned to its rip-roaring, dime-turning roots, but delivers a good ride getting there. No longer do you have to sacrifice comfort for tilt-a-whirl fun, and no longer do you go home looking like a drowned rat. The best news: You can sever your chiropractor's death grip on your wallet and spend the money on a wakeboard tower.

The 200's V hull, with 20 degrees of deadrise at the transom, cuts through 1- to 2-foot chop like most decent sterndrives out there. It's pleasant being a passenger, and even better being a driver. The boat jumps from 0 to 30 mph in 4.3 seconds, and hits a top end of 53.3 mph. (Sea-Doo claims a top end of 55 mph but not on the windy and choppy day you're running.) There's a nifty plastic shield that pops up over the windscreens on the helm side, and over on the companion side, and that delivers a surprising amount of protection. When you drop it down at full speed, it feels as if someone suddenly turned the fan off high.

Like that wind block, the 200's loaded with nice little touches that separate it from most jet boats.
Take the electric intake grate button under the throttles, for example. One push, and it clears the water intake below the boat, so you don't have to jump in. Or fast-forward to the unique storage area under the sunpad. Two padded panels flip up to reveal caverns of boxes below, where you can stow gear or even an ice chest. Nice, right? It gets even better.

With the push of a button, the whole panel raises, giving access to the engine. In other words: there are two levels of accessibility. Unlike other jet boats, you don't have to lift up the whole engine hatch to use the storage space. This design lets you get to the engine if you need to (though a manual release should be built into the hatch since the one on the production boat gets stuck).

Lack of storage has been one of the main complaints leveled against jet boats, and Sea-Doo took direct aim at that on the 200, designing in about 46 cubic feet. Besides the boxes over the engine, the boat has good storage in the bow (a 20-inch-by-31-inch opening for an anchor), under the front seats, with the in-floor ski locker (17 inches deep, with the opening being 12 inches by 43.5 inches, and interior long enough for two sets of slalom skis). Even the glovebox on the companion side is 17 inches deep.

The dash is also stylish in its utilitarian way. Gleaned from a racecar, a V-shape of three large gauges ' two tachometers and a speedo ' sit above another V of four smaller gauges. The blue bezels on the gauges match nicely with the gray dash. Readability is decent, but the top of the steering wheel obscures the speedo, and that's the one gauge you want to see when you slam the throttles home.

Speaking of which, the throttles really need to be dragged into the 21st century and set up like most twin-engine boats with separate gear shifters. As it stands, it's a single gear shifter with two handles for acceleration, a setup that Sea-Doo has used since it introduced its first Speedster. Single gear/acceleration controls for each motor would enhance the boat's maneuverability, which can get confusing in tight docking situations if you're used to conventional throttles. Yamaha has made the switch with its twin-engine SX230. Sea-Doo should step up to the plate with the 200.

Otherwise, the 200 is a joy to drive, taking off like a force 10 gale, and maneuvering through the windy bay with confidence. No skipping over waves, no bow-thumping, and no getting waves smack in the face. As mentioned, the hull is dryer than most other jet boats and has a respectable weight of 2,770 pounds, about 500 pounds less than comparable sterndrives. The 200 doesn't feel particularly light, however, and the added benefit for acceleration and top end is that it packs 310 horses under the hood.

As noted, the twin 155-hp 4-stroke 4-TEC engines provide plenty of giddy-up, but they're also quiet, misers on fuel, and look pretty darned good with specially designed covers. The oil is easily changed through a dry sump system, and the engines use closed-loop cooling to prevent corrosion as well as debris entering internal parts.

But this Speedster is ultimately about looks, and it has plenty of features to turn heads ' a high-riding hull (in red or cobalt blue), the 16-inch-by-73-inch swim platform, the trick (but highly functional) 6-inch diameter anodized aluminum grabrails along the gunwales, and the optional wakeboard tower ($2,700) that easy-bolts into the gunwales. There are other ergonomic niceties, too: the many grabrails in the passenger seats for high-speed turns, six stainless cleats, 12-volt plug, cockpit courtesy lights, AM/FM stereo with four speakers, and ski pylon. Oh, and to complete the fashion statement ' a matching trailer.