Warming up with a 'superman' and then a 'hoochie glide,' Chris goes for
a backflip called a 'tantrum' and face-plants with a sound like someone smacking the water's
surface with a canoe paddle. The black-sided wakeboard boat does an extreme 180 to get the towrope
in position, and Chris nods his head to go for it. The boat accelerates rapidly, and Chris pops up
quickly as the driver settles into the preferred speed of 20 mph. Undeterred, he tries the tantrum
again, comes up a bit short and eats some more water. This time Ben, who is driving, stops
alongside and says, 'Dude ... that was some awesome air ... you almost made it.' Chris' face and
upper chest are bright red and his breathing seems a little ragged, but he signals Ben to go around
for one more try. This time he hits the well-formed wake with a little more speed and launches high
in the air, sticking the landing cleanly and giving a Tiger Woods celebratory fist pump.
A couple of tricks later, Chris lets go of the rope and in a minute is hoisting himself up
on the swim platform with the engine still running. An example of teenage irresponsibility? Nope,
because this boat doesn't have a propeller ' it's Sea-Doo's new X-20, the first jet boat designed
especially for the fastest growing segment in watersports: wakeboarding. Helping to test this
radical new design is Ben, Chris, and his other friend Chris, the oldest being 16 years old.
Although most wakeboarding occurs in lakes, this trio of 'boarders are practicing their moves in a
saltwater lagoon on the Indian River, just south of Melbourne on Florida's east coast.
Wakeboarding on this section of the Intracoastal Waterway presents its own set of problems.
The biggest drawback is the predominance of shallow water. Since skiing in a busy channel is not
recommended for obvious reasons, finding a large enough area with deep water is a problem ' and
getting to it often requires running though shoal-infested areas. Using traditional inboard ski
boats with unprotected props and skegs in a place like this might prove to be an expensive
proposition, particularly when the drivers aren't old enough to get into an R-rated movie, although
all three skiers aboard the X-20 are skilled boat handlers and display advanced judgment and
maturity. In places like this, the new Sea-Doo with its one-foot draft is simply the best tool for
the job. But more than that, it simply packs more fun into its nearly 20-foot length.
The X-20 features a ballast bladder that can hold 600 pounds of water, and it transforms the
flat wake of its unmodified sister ship, the Challenger 2000, into a wall of water that can launch
wakeboarders into orbit. Earlier, in the shallows of a spoil island created by dredging, Ben opens
a long compartment between the helm and co-pilot's seats and attaches a hose to the ballast device
Sea-Doo calls a 'Fat Sack.' He lowers a self-priming pump over the side and then plugs a 12-volt
adapter into an outlet found in the glove box, next to the stereo. In less than 10 minutes, the
bladder is full and the X-20 is ready for wakeboarding action. Another key to the success of a
wakeboard boat is a sturdy tower, and Sea-Doo takes care of business with one that has a
seven-foot-high tow point that is made from anodized aluminum and is mated to the hull with a fused
plate rather than just being bolted on. The tower can be quickly lowered for garage stowage or
passage beneath low bridges and features a pair of storage racks to display the colorful boards.
Despite being lighter than most ski boats, the X-20 is stable when towing a rider. Even the
heaviest cuts from the skier fail to make the boat list appreciably, so maintaining a straight
course isn't a problem. The helm station is simple, sporty and ergonomically correct. Both consoles
have storage compartments and pop-up wind deflectors, and there's a built-in, drainable cooler on
the port side. The contoured sport wheel wouldn't be out of place on a racecar, and the throttle
and shifter are well positioned to allow the driver to be able to work the controls with the right
arm resting comfortably on the wide gunwale pad. The control's artificial resistance prevents
'throttle' creep, a common occurrence on jet boats, and makes it easy to keep the X-20 at your
preferred speed. A pair of wraparound bucket seats for the driver and navigator gives excellent
lateral support, which is a good thing considering the Sea-Doo's maneuverability.
Any questions about whether or not the presence of a tower will affect handling are quickly
answered. When Chris goes down the first time, Ben hammers the throttle and gives the wheel a mere
quarter twist, which causes the X-20 to carve a turn that teaches the new rider a lesson: hang on.
Later, when putting the Sea-Doo through its paces, it is discovered that no matter how fast you go
or how hard you turn the wheel, the X-20 can hook up and turn with the best of them in a flat,
controlled fashion. Although wind drag makes the X-20 a little slower than the Challenger 2000, the
black wakeboard boat still hits a top speed of nearly 47 mph with two people aboard, the Fat Sack
emptied, and half of the 40-gallon tank filled. With a V6 Mercury EFI M2 Jet Drive engine pumping
out 240 hp, acceleration is brisk. The X-20 planes in just a couple of seconds and rockets to 30
mph in 4.6 seconds. It's relatively quiet at that speed, registering only 84 decibels. At idle, the
2.5-liter engine measures 70 decibels, due largely to the dampening effect created by the large
sunpad in the stern. Flipping up the engine cover reveals a storage compartment that is the right
size to hold a couple of ski vests. Engine access is a little tight, but adequate for routine
maintenance.
After everyone has had a few turns, stomachs are rumbling and the X-20 heads south down the
Intracoastal. The breeze has kicked up a chop, but with a 20-degree deadrise, the ride is smooth,
unlike traditional flat-bottomed ski boats. Testing out the various seats reveals that the trio of
stern seats is a great place to ride. Segmented and contoured, all three seats grip the rider well
and offer good lateral support. The outboard seats have gunwale grab rails, but Sea-Doo didn't
forget the center seat, normally called the 'death seat,' because there are grab straps on either
side in case the driver is as radical as the skiers are. In front of the consoles, the bowriders
have grabrails, cupholders, and curved, padded backrests that give riders a choice of comfortable
seating whether facing forward or inward. The rearward-facing seat at the extreme bow is
comfortable enough, but doesn't have anything for the rider to grab onto ' a must for passengers
riding on jet boats.
At mile marker 66, the X-20 drops off plane and idles toward a long dock that's just about
at maximum occu-pancy. Spying a space that's barely big enough, the driver takes it in. A bit of a
breeze pushes the boat back at the last moment, but turning the wheel hard over activates the
Control Steering System, which gives a slight boost in rpm right when you need it, allowing the
X-20 to ease into the dock softly. Dining on the beach under colorful umbrellas at a local favorite
called Captain Hiram's, the guys all order chicken sandwiches that are both jerked and blackened,
because as wakeboarders, they take everything to the max ' just like Sea-Doo's X-20.