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The 2001 Line-up!

© Karen K. Patton

The 2001 Models are here! There are 33 different models this year from the four Personal Watercraft Manufacturers – Kawasaki, Polaris, SeaDoo and Yamaha. With so many models to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which PWC is right for you. Luckily, there are many great Internet sites that make this job a lot easier.

Kawasaki is offering 7 models this year – 3 family, 3 sport and 1 stand-up. Many of Kawasaki’s new 2001 models feature Smart Steering. Smart Steering is a cutting edge system that provides turning action to the PWC even if the throttle is not applied, under certain conditions. Kawasaki has also made improvements which lower exhaust emissions that they say will meet EPA standards for the year 2006 and beyond.

Polaris has 9 watercraft in their line-up this year - 2 full size, 3 mid-size, 2 runabout and 2 race. Their site features a Rider Profile which will assist you in finding the right watercraft for you. Simply plug in some information and it will recommend the top two watercraft that meet your criteria. You can also make comparisons against other Polaris watercraft and read reviews of each craft. Also, to help you make an informed decision on which watercraft to buy, Polaris is sponsoring the Way Out Tour which gives people an opportunity to demo the new 2001 models at a local waterway.

SeaDoo offers the most models this year with 10 watercraft for 2001 – 1 four-seater, 5 three-seaters and 4 two-seaters. SeaDoo watercraft registered consistently quieter than its competition in a study conducted by Watercraft Magazine where the decibel levels of all PWC manufacturers’ watercrafts were tested. SeaDoo accredits this to their D-Sea-Bel sound reduction system.

Yamaha offers 7 watercraft this year, including 1 four-seater and 1 standup. New for this year are the WaveRunner XLT1200 and the WaveRunner GP800R. The WaveRunner XLT1200 is a three-person, 155 horsepower PWC and the WaveRunner GP800R is two-person, 120 horsepower PWC featuring the deck styling and hull design of the GP1200R and the technology-leading engine of the GP800.

For a comprehensive look at all of the new models with a side-by-side comparison, check out the independent 2001 Buyer’s Guides from Personal Watercraft Illustrated On-line, PWC Underground and Watercraftnews.com. Each offers pictures of each PWC, pricing information and specifications. They also include Buyer’s Guides for previous model years for true comparison-shopping.

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