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2002 SeaDoo X20

Testers Notebook: 2002 Sea Doo X20      Location: Lake Ontario, Toronto      Test load: Two adults, safety gear, no ballast, three-quarters fuel.      Test day conditions: Winds southwest 10-18 mph, short chop in bays to one-and-a-half foot waves on open water.      Synopsis: Sea-Doo's new X-20 has all the required gear for a hot wakeboard boat ­ including a tower and a Fat Sac water-ballast system ­ but it¹s also got the convenience and safety of waterjet propulsion and a layout ready for family-style fun on the water.

By: Mike Milne

     When it comes to boating, the appeal of "youth culture" inevitably reaches well beyond young people. On the waterfront, mature individuals who wouldn't be caught dead wearing droopy pants or listening to nasty rap music, readily adopt pursuits that are hugely popular with the young boating crowd.

     Bombardier, builder of Sea-Doo sportboats and personal watercraft, has always had a firm handle on what appeals to the "young at heart." Sea-Doo's always been a style-setter, leading the design pack in PWCs and boats.

     So, because wakeboarding is the hottest thing on the waterfront these days, the mid-season introduction of the 2002 Sea-Doo X-20 was no surprise. While  the boat bears a strong resemblance to the company's existing Challenger 20, it's been engineered and designed to meet some of wakeboarding's unique challenges.

     As for the usual requirements of keeping driver, spotter and passengers comfortable, the X-20 handles that with ease, with swiveling helm and companion seat (great for the spotter) and form-sitting aft bench seat. The bow seats provide added space for lounging. The swim platform aft is a convenient place to strap on a board and there's plenty of storage for gear.

     The real keys to getting big wake and big air are the specially designed aluminum wakeboard tower and the "Fat Sac" that fits under the aft seat and can provide up to 600-lb, of water ballast.

      The X-20's tower works very well, with a towing point a full seven feet above the boat's waterline and reinforcement plates built right into the hull. At the end of the day, quick-release mechanisms let it fold back. The tower is ready for whatever custom light and sound equipment an owner chooses to install, but will still fit in the garage.

      In test sessions on Lake Ontario early last summer, the X-20 handled tight turns and instantaneous direction changes with ease, showing its jetboat heritage. It also cornered with enough authority to be able to handle a boarder in tow. Top speed with Mercury's 240-hp fuel-injected M2 jet drive in charge of propulsion, was 50.8 mph, at 6,000 rpm, in radar testing. (The speedo read 50 mph -- reassuring accuracy in a tow boat.)

      Around-the-lake cruising speeds, 27.3 mph at 4,000 rpm and 31.5 mph at 4,500 rpm, provide a combination of excitement and comfort, but the boat's performance at 20 to 25 mph is more important for wakeboarding. Without the Fat Sac filled, but with three adults aboard, the X-20 ran at 18.2 mph at 3,500 mph, with the boat falling off plane at 3,200 rpm. With the Sac filled, the boat should semi-plane nicely in the wakeboarding zone, putting out wake that should readily satisfy top-end recreational boarders. Acceleration was healthy enough, from zero to 20 mph in 3.5 seconds, reaching 30 mph in 4.5 seconds.

      As for the boat's appearance, with a black hull, white deck, silver-grey upholstery, huge X-20 graphics and that sleek tower – it's hot. That's what boaters have expect from Sea-Doo and it's also sure to be a big factor in the X-20's appeal, to wakeboarders of all ages.

Specs:

Length: 19 ft. 9 in. (6.02 m) Beam: 8 ft. 0 in. (2.45 m) Weight: 2,200 lb. (998 kg) Fuel: 33 gal. (151 L)

Test boat engine: Mercury 240-hp EFI M2 Jet Drive, 2.5-litre (150-cid), 240-hp, V-6, two-stroke, with electronic fuel injection, driving a Mercury jet drive. Acceleration: 0-20 mph: 3.5 sec.; 0-30 mph: 4.5 sec.; 0-40 mph: 7.2 sec. Top speed (radar):  50.8 mph/ 6,000 rpm. Cruising speeds (radar):  27.3 mph/4,000 rpm;  31.5 mph/4,500 rpm;  37.4 mph/5,000 rpm, 47.3/5,500 rpm. Sound levels: At cruise (4,000 rpm):  84 dbA (helm); 84 dbA (aft cockit); at top speed:  91 dbA (helm), 94 dbA (cabin).   Speed testing by Stalker radar

For the dealer nearest you contact:

Bayliner Marine Corp.,
P.O. Box 9029,
Everett, Washington,
U.S.A. 98206
1-800-443-9119
http://www.seadoo.com/