Sea-Doo and Coastguard Boating Education join forces
Wednesday 25 March 2009, 10:47PM
By Bombardier Recreational Products
2004 views
The safety of all people on and around personal watercraft is at the heart of the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Personal Watercraft Course administered by the not-for-profit Coastguard Boating Education Service (CBES) and, this year, course participants can try out their new-found skills on a brand-new Sea-Doo® from Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP).
The Sea-Doo GTi SE will play a key role in allowing Coastguard instructors to provide practical training on specific skills and techniques to course participants, says Neil Murray, training and development manager for CBES.
“Course participants will experience riding the brand-new Sea-Doo demonstrator during the practical course, which is the perfect preparation for purchasing their own personal watercraft (PWC or jet ski). However, those who already own one are encouraged to do the course using their own PWC, so we can train them effectively on the model they normally ride,” says Murray.
“CBES has long recognised that education is more effective than regulation in developing more responsible attitudes and behaviour among boat and PWC users. Put simply, the more people know, the better and safer their boating and personal watercraft experiences,” adds Murray.
The RYA Personal Watercraft Course includes a wide range of practical elements designed to ensure PWC users can operate these machines safely and competently. From the basics of pre-launch checks and how to launch a PWC from a trailer, the course also covers collision avoidance and how to deal with emergencies.
“Participants also undertake a high speed handling exercises designed to test and perfect their skills at controlling these exciting highly-powered craft,” says Murray.
“We are thankful to BRP for supplying this Sea-Doo for the exclusive use of the Coastguard Boating Education accredited RYA Training Centres, and we look forward to continuing to work with BRP to improve PWC rider education and skill levels around the country.”
Sea-Doo was the obvious choice for CBES, because it’s the best-selling PWC brand in New Zealand and across the world, says Richard Shaw, BRP’s New Zealand manager.
“We’re delighted to work with the Coastguard Boating Education Service to help promote the safe and responsible use of personal watercraft in New Zealand waters,” says Shaw. “Personal watercraft offer a huge range of fun activities for a wide range of riders, from children to adults, from recreational use to intensely competitive races.”
The Sea-Doo GTi SE is one of several popular Sea-Doo models on sale in New Zealand which offer key innovations and safety features, making it ideally suited for the kind of work the PWC will do with the Coastguard educators.
“All 2008 model Sea-Doo personal watercraft, including the GTi SE, have valuable safety features such as off-power assisted steering (OPAS),” says Shaw. “This Sea-Doo safety feature minimises the potentially unsafe situation where a rider sees a developing collision situation and slows down dramatically, i.e. comes off the power. This can reduce steering effectiveness and leave the rider in a situation where they may have difficultly manoeuvring the craft. The off-power assisted steering technology helps ensure that Sea-Doo craft always remain in control.
“Another important safety feature is the Sea-Doo learning key which limits engine power while a new rider is learning to manage the PWC responsibly and safely.”
All 2008 Sea-Doo watercraft currently have a factory-backed two-year warranty and, while stocks last, a $1,000 cash-back offer applies on any new 2008 Sea-Doo purchased.