PWCOFFSHORE.COM's 2021 Choice For An Offshore PWC/JetSki

 

Mark Gerner at LB2CAT Race on Custom Turbo Kawasaki 310   

As always, BEFORE you consider riding or racing in the ocean, go to the Coast Guard and seek out formal training before you ride.  We advise you NOT to ride in the ocean until you have formal training and all of the appropriate safety and communications equipment.  Never ride alone, ever.  Contact the Coast Guard for Training: https://www.uscgboating.org/

We receive the question "what craft should I buy" about 200 times a year - here you go!  There is a lot of good product on the market, the following is our preference and opinion:  

First, we will not be discussing the multitude of technical nomenclature, pump sizes, dash technologies etc. with any craft; Google search and you will find more information in this area than you can retain. 

The subject matter here is our opinion regarding a “best” choice for performance while riding offshore in big water. Keep in mind, many don’t truly understand what we mean when we say riding in “big water.” We mean riding at high speeds in three to five-foot seas offshore. This kind of riding and racing can be violent on the rider and craft (literally, violent). 

It is our opinion that you have two choices and our preference is the following: The Kawasaki Ultra 310 or the Yamaha FX SVHO platforms. For rough water you will want to be on the Kawasaki, it is a large deep V stable hull that is heavy and offers good hookup (pump engagement). The Yamaha SVHO platform is lighter and offers the opportunity to relatively easily modify the craft to achieve substantially faster top speeds than the Kawasaki ULTRA. Can you put that power and speed to the water in big water? Remember, offshore rough water riding is about average speed so the ability to keep the pump engaged is critical.    

If it is a white cap day you will want to be on the Kawasaki ULTRA 310 - relatively speaking it is a large, heavy, planted hull, more so than any other.  If it is a more mild day offshore, you will want to be on the Yamaha FX SVHO. Personal preference prevails here.    

If you purchase the Yamaha FX SVHO, it is our opinion that you purchase Sponsons, we found they make the craft even more stable in straight line rough water.  We purchased and like the WORX Sponsons (They are not a sponsor).

At the end of the day, you will be pleased with both of these craft. Enjoy, and happy riding and racing, safely!  www.pwcoffshore.com  www.jetskioffshore.com  

As always, BEFORE you consider riding or racing in the ocean, go to the Coast Guard https://www.uscgboating.org/ and get formal training before you ride offshore - NEVER ride alone.  

Mark Gerner offshore 

Get formal training before you ride offshore:  https://www.uscgboating.org/

February 26, 2019

The 15th annual 2019 Mark Hahn Memorial 300-mile race is in the books! 

PWCOFFSHORE Racing Pit Crew 

Yamaha wins and seizes its second consecutive victory at the famed 300-mile endurance race in Lake Havasu City, AZ USA - piloted by world champion Chris MacCluggage and Troy Snyder on the Yamaha SVHO.  However, the victory didn’t come to Yamaha without a little luck; Offshore racing veteran Mark Gerner who has won the overall Mark Hahn in 2009 and the Iron Man at this event, teamed with Juan Francisco SanMartin (Juanfa) of Uruguay - led the race for 20 of the 30 laps of the race on their Kawasaki ULTRA 310R.  With only a few minutes to the finish line and with a dominating two lap lead, Gerner experienced a mechanical on the last turn of the last lap with the white flag flying, doing so with the finish line in sight.  This allowed Team Macc-Snyder to capitalize, catch up, pass and win on the Yamaha SVHO.  Gerner has had this kind of luck many times throughout his racing career, today was another day of similar past outcomes.  The age-old of racing:  "Engines have to stay together and you have to finish it to win it!"  Yamaha beats Kawasaki on this day.

Team Macc-Snyder

Cold, really, really cold.  Racers would wake up on Saturday, February 23 with ice on their skis and gear.  It was so cold that some craft would experience issues with intercoolers due to the extreme cold.  Racers and Pit Crews alike were seen bundling up with layers of clothing to protect themselves from the elements and prepare for the grueling 300-mile race that lay ahead.  Racers were focused on keeping their hands and feet warm in the frigid conditions.  But that’s what makes this race great!  The 300-mile endurance race is a test of man/woman and machine at full throttle for 300 miles with racers supported by well-honed Pit Crews who pursue sub two minute fueling turnaround times.  Teamwork, Pit Crew efficiency, mechanical & physical endurance are what it’s all about.     

Juanfa

Water conditions would be fairly flat at the start as the shotgun blast sent the roar of horsepower throughout Crazy Horse campground.  The water conditions would end up staying that way until the final four laps of the race when small wind waves started to present themselves.  These conditions were a far cry from the brutal conditions of year’s past that presented six-foot white-capped wind waves, thrown racers from boats, and broken bones (Expl: KC Heidler…) 

Mark Gerner 

The race started with team Klippenstein (the 2018 incumbent champion) going our early with a mechanical on his Yamaha PWC.  Team Pastorello led this race on their Kawasaki until around lap 10 when he would go out with a mechanical  giving Team PWCOFFSHORE Gerner-Juanfa the opportunity to take the lead on the Kawasaki platform; which they did in spectacular fashion leading the race and extending their lead with impressive lap times propelled by the superb pitting by the best pit crew in the business.  The PWCOFFSHORE Pit Crew was executing consistent sub one minute pit times.  The day would be a day of mechanical carnage as machines dropped like flies due to the cold and overall stress of 300 miles straight at high speeds on PWCs.  

Kole Cramer 

In the standup class, Kole Cramer would outclass the field on his Kawasaki standup JetSki to take the championship.  He did so even after stopping to pick up a downed racer and assisting him in getting him back to his craft, exhibiting true sportsmanship.   

Aaron Cress of Orange County, California won the PWCOFFSHORE.COM Pit Crew MVP award for this leadership and work in the Pit Crew.

Congratulations to Team Macc and Team Yamaha for the momentum in victories in the recent years, and to all of the 2019 Hahn Racers!

Lesson of the Hahn is, you have to finish it to win it.    

Juanfa 

*Scroll down for the overall results 

Mark Gerner and Juanfa with Pit Crew member Steve Rasmussen 

Juanfa

Juanfa 

Mark Hahn's actual race boat from back in the day 

Mike Follmer 

Kawasaki 

Pastorello 

Mark Gerner 

Aaron Cress and Mike Arnold 

Mark Gerner 

Mark Gerner with Pit Crew Dave Tew and Mike 

Mark Gerner and Eric Graff (Course Marshall Safety Official)

Juanfa 

PWCOFFSHORE Pit Crew

Ross Wallach of RPM Racing Ent 

The Muscle

Eric Graff, Course Marshall 

Mike Follmer and Mark Gerner 

Mark Gerner 

Mark Gerner 

Steve Rasmussen 

Mark Gerner  

Overall standing for the 2019 Mark Hahn 300 Mile Race:

1. Chris MacClugage, Troy Snyder 110 4SS YAM 30 Jupiter, Bradenton FL 1
2. Mark Gerner, Juan Francisco SanMartin 58 4SS KAW 310R, 29 Alisa Viejo CA 2
3. Dennis Mack, Eric Francis 243 MS YAM 29 Loganville GA 3
4. Andreas Kubatzki, Craig Kelling 47 4SNA YAM 29 Slovakia and Nevada 4
5. Chris Saxon, Eric Lagopoulos 361 MS YAM 29 Orange Beach AL, Sarasota FL 5
6. Mark Conroy, Lauren Conroy 525 4SS KAW 29 Phoenix AZ 6
7. Renee Hill, Tyler Hill 22 MS YAM 28 Moreno Valley CA 7
8. Sophie Frances, Amanda LeCheminar 62 4SNA YAM 27 West Palm Beach, Boca Raton 8
9. Santiago Kuan, Omar Leon 30 4SS YAM 27 Whittier CA 9
10. Enrique Martinez Gamiz, Javier Severi 27 PA4 SD 27 Italy & Spain 10
11. Kole Cramer 202 4SMU KAW 27 Lake Havasu AZ 11
12. Brian Smith, Steve Goldberg 188 MS KAW 27 Lake Havasu AZ 12
13. Preston Matzdorff, Raphael Mauren 44 4SMU KAW 27 Lake Havasu AZ 13
14. Louis Nguyen, Jack Chang 69 VMO YAM 27 Temple City CA 14
15. Joseph Thompson, Cataya Vasallo 81 MS SD 27 Phoenix AZ 1 lap 15
16. Mark Gomez, Mike Habel 137 PA4 YAM 26 Fullerton, Discovery Bay CA 16
17. Mike Neumann, Levi Sampayo 420 4SS 26 Bullhead City AZ, Las Vegas NV 17
18. Eric Garcia, Jamie Eade 111 MS KAW 26 Corona CA, Brisbane Australia 18
19. Mike Klippenstein, Theo Beaumer, 212X 4SMU YAM 26 19
20. Becky Powell, David Ekhman, Brandon Edwards 621 4SMU KAW 21 Colorado Springs 20
21. Steven LePrauhan, Tyler Kowalkski, Mike Demauro 18 S2SU YAM 21 Lake Havasu AZ 21
22. Peter Yauri, Adam Abadie 18X 4SMU KAW 20 Burbank CA 22
23. Rod Jackson, Jack Brisco, JB Gasperone 5X S2SU YAM 17 Lake Havasu AZ 23
24. Aryana Thayer, Tera Laho, Emma Nellie Ortendahl 831 4SMU KAW 17 Lake Havasu AZ 24
25. Justin Taylor, Joe Johnson 191 4SS YAM 13 Essex Maryland 25
26. Brandon Briscoe, Chad Cole 13 VMO SD 11 Herriman UT 26
27. Fadi Sacre, Troy Morgan 930 4SS YAM 11 San Diego, Costa Mesa 27
28. JB Pastorello, Hugo Pastorello 8 PA4 KAW 9 France 28
29. Mitchell Wayt, Brett Douglas 16A PA4 YAM 9 Gold Coast Queensland 29
30. Vinnie Ferrara, Chris Adams 10 4SNA YAM 9 Sun City, New River AZ 30
31. Michele Cadei, Nicolas Chamand 5 MS KAW 7 Italy 31
32. Nic Verdone, Joe LaPlaca, Kyle Cameron 502 S2SU KAW 7 Lake Havasu AZ 32
33. Reese Maricich, Tyler Shinko 1 S2SU POL 7 Bakersfield, Thousand Oaks 33
34. Gerry Wong, Charles Anderson 55 VMO YAM 6 Ft McMurray Canada & Lake Havasu 34
35. Juan Cruz Lezcano, Benjamin Mantel 777 PA4 YAM 4 Miami FL 35
36. Derrick Diep, Tony Hoa 789 VMO YAM 3 Canoga Park CA 36
37. Paul Pham, Cassius Sanders 99 VMO YAM 3 L.A. California 37
38. Anthony Radetic, 153 MS SD 3 Abbeville Alabama 38
39. Jimmy Roberts, Tyler Tripp 17 4SS YAM 3 Wisconsin and Minnesota 39
40. Mike Klippenstein 212 PA4 YAM 2 Ft McMurray Canada 40
41. Daniel Anderson, Urik Bernsten,Stian Schjetlein oo7 4SMU KAW 2 41
42. Dante Borruso, Seth Sirrs, Tom Sirrs 57 S2SU KAW 0 San Clemente CA 42