fbpx
OEM

Sea-Doo Introduces Budget-Priced Spark

The Spark from Sea-Doo features an entirely new design built from a unique materia. Brand hopes to "reignite" industry sales with $4,999 starting price.

Dealers arrived at Sea-Doo’s annual dealer meeting expecting something big. For months, rumors of a new craft circulated — a new craft with a lower price point and possibly even a completely new hull and engine. Instead, dealers received a craft that arguably exceeded their expectations. The cleverly named Spark features an entirely new design built from a unique material, and in this day of near constant price creep, it starts at an almost unheard of price of $4,999.

According to Sea-Doo reps, Spark has been a long time coming. The project dates back to 2006, when Sea-Doo tasked engineers and designers with creating a new craft that was fun, like the early SP line, and had an ultra-affordable price tag. In order to accomplish this goal, Sea-Doo seriously examined its current construction techniques. Sea-Doo forewent fiberglass in favor of plastic, more specifically polypropylene reinforced with long-strand glass fibers. Why choose plastic over glass? Cost is the obvious reason, but so too is weight. The material — coined PolyTec — is substantially lighter than glass. Paired with a similarly lightweight, lower horsepower engine, Sea-Doo is able to exploit the horsepower-to-weight ratio and essentially offers more bang for the buck.

Plastic doesn’t offer the gloss of fiberglass, but it does make it easier to offer a wider variety of color choice. The Spark comes in a palette of five shades, including bright hues of pineapple (yellow), bubble gum (magenta) and orange crush (orange), as well as a more subdued vanilla (white) and licorice (black). Each is evenly mixed with black deck components and a black hull.

Rather than use an adhesive, Sea-Doo bolts the hull and deck together with a multitude of Nyloc-style fasteners. The technique offers intriguing possibilities for dealer service. Service reps won’t have to wriggle their hands into a tight engine compartment; instead, they can unfasten nearly the entire top deck in about 10 minutes and remove it completely from the hull, offering unprecedented access to the engine and fuel system. For the consumer, the Spark includes exterior access ports only for necessary items like the dipstick and battery. The fuel fill, along with a fire extinguisher, is located below the seat.

To give this plastic hull the necessary rigidity, designers created a wishbone-like exoskeleton extending from steering column to deck. The space between this “wishbone” is left empty. It’s a cost and weight savings, but also an opportunity to make the styling more dramatic. An accessory storage compartment with seven gallons of capacity can be added to the void if desired.

As to the aforementioned engine, the three-cylinder Rotax 900 ACE was developed jointly for the snowmobile and watercraft markets and comes in both 60- and 90- horsepower variations. That may seem overly small by today’s standards, but consider the craft’s overall weight is only 405 pounds in its base, two-seater version. That gives the Spark a 300-plus pound advantage over Sea-Doo’s own GTi and Yamaha’s VX Sport. Initial testing showed the 60-horsepower versions to peak at about 42 mph, and the 90-hp at about 50 mph. Both variations are also extremely fuel efficient, with Sea-Doo claiming as low as a 1.94 gallon-per-hour consumption over the course of an average duty cycle.

As to how the engine bolts into the plastic hull, Sea-Doo addressed the situation by using unique motor mounts. The engine bolts through the hull to parallel aluminum plates recessed into the exterior. One of those plates also serves as the heat exchanger for Sea-Doo’s closed-loop cooling system.

The engine is but one of many choices available to Spark owners. In an attempt to make the boat completely customizable, buyers can also choose between two- and three-passenger versions (the latter includes a longer seat and bolt-on hull extension that increases capacity from 350 to 450 pounds), as well as the option to include Sea-Doo’s Intelligent Brake and Reverse. The company has also made available more than 20 stick-on graphic kits to further customize the craft’s look. 

You May Also Like

The 2024 BMW R 12 nineT and R 12

The classic roadster and cruiser.

BMW 2024 R 12 nineT and R 12

BMW Motorrad has introduced the new 2024 R 12 nineT and R 12 classic roadster and cruiser.

With the introduction of the original R nineT in 2013, BMW Motorrad presented more than just a classic-style roadster. From the beginning, it combined classic motorcycle design and modern technology with craftsmanship and comprehensive customization options. It led to a whole family of roadsters for the BMW Motorrad Heritage line.  

Polaris Announces 2025 Snowmobile and Timbersled Lineup

Riders can build their dream snowmobiles through the SnowCheck program, which runs through March 27.

2025 Polaris snowmobile lineup
Harley-Davidson Debuts 2024 Icons and Enthusiast Motorcycle Collections

Limited-edition Hydra-Glide Revival Model and Tobacco Fade models premiere at Daytona Bike Week.

Tobacco Fade Enthusiast Collection
SUPER73-S2: First-of-Its-Kind Capsule Collection With Howler Brothers

Exclusive collaboration brings surf and outdoor culture to the booming e-bike industry with custom apparel and accessories.

SUPER73 x Howler Brothers, SUPER73-S2
Indian Motorcycle and Roland Sands Design Collaborate on Hooligan-Inspired, Limited-Edition FTR

The new FTRxRSD Super Hooligan is expertly designed with race graphics and premium performance componentry.

FTRxRSD Super Hooligan

Other Posts

Indian Motorcycle 2024 Roadmaster Elite

The 2024 Roadmaster Elite delivers a custom-inspired, tri-tone Indian Motorcycle Red paint scheme with upscale fit-and-finish and world-class touring capabilities.

2024 Indian Elite Roadmaster
Polaris Pro XD Kinetic: the All-Electric UTV Built to Work

The full-size electric UTV designed for jobsite and heavy-duty applications.

Polaris Pro XD Kinetic
BRP Adds 2 More Electric Models to Ski-Doo, Lynx 2025 Snowmobile Lineup

The electric models are available to more commercial users and consumers.

Ski-Doo 2025 snowmobile
2025 Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 160LX-S Angler

This model is optimized for fishing.

Kawasaki Set Ski Ultra 160LX-S360 Angler