Dates have been announced for the popular 2010 “King Of Wake” pro wakeboarding series, an eight-event points battle that incorporates the five-stop Pro Wakeboard Tour, along with the Wake Games, WWA National Championships, and WWA World Championships.

This year’s King of Wake opens and closes in the familiar waters of the Orlando Watersports Complex. Sandwiched in between are visits to Georgia, Texas, Kentucky, Nevada, Colorado and Tennessee.

Canada’s Aaron Rathy is the current King of Wake champion and will look to defend his title in 2010 against the sport’s top riders, including Pro Wakeboard Tour season champ and 2009 Rookie of the Year Harley Clifford, current National champion Adam Errington, and defending Wake Games winner Rusty Malinoski.

Here’s the complete schedule with dates:

April 29-May 2, Orlando, Fla., Wake Games, Orlando Watersports Complex

May 22, Acworth, Ga., Pro Wakeboard Tour: Stop #1, Dallas Landing Park

June 12, Fort Worth, Tex., Pro Wakeboard Tour: Stop #2, Texas MasterCraft

June 19, Elizabethtown, Ky., Pro Wakeboard Tour: Stop #3, Freeman Lake Park

July 14-18, Sparks/Reno, Nev., WWA National Championships, Sparks Marina

July 24, Colorado Springs, Colo., Pro Wakeboard Tour: Stop #4, Memorial Park

Aug. 14, Knoxville, Tenn., Pro Wakeboard Tour: Stop #5, Volunteer Landing

Aug. 19-22, Orlando, Fla., WWA World Championships, Orlando Watersports Complex

Last year, Sea-Doo’s GTX Limited iS packed a ridiculous amount of innovation into a single new product release. There was the whole suspension concept, the radical idea of brakes, electronic throttle control enhancements, even the ability to start in neutral, then “shift” into forward or reverse. It seemed like Sea-Doo threw every idea they had at the GTX…

…but as 2010 proved, the company still held a little in reserve.

In 2010, the GTX Limited iS actually adds a few more items to its spec list. It starts with a little more horsepower. It continues with even greater enhancement to the electronic throttle controls.

This continues to be the most innovative boat on the market. Read my full review here on PersonalWatercraft.com, as well as see the inner workings of both the suspension and braking system in the accompanying video.

BRP recently announced that the company’s Benton, Illinois sport boat plant had produced its 75,000th unit, a 21′ 210 Challenger SE that rolled off the assembly line on February 11, 2010. According to Sea-Doo reps, that means that BRP is now the second-largest volume boat-builder in the world. Quite an accomplishment, considering jet boats were once dismissed as little more than toys.

(Just how far have they come? Check out my review of the 210 Challenger SE here.)

The Benton plant has been in operation since 1996, and currently employs 362 are residents.

“Despite our investments made in Benton and across all BRP sites, a company is only as good as its employees,” said Alain Villemure, vice president, general manager, Vehicle Development and Manufacturing Operations (VDMO). “Our people are empowered through a teamwork management approach that allows for continuous improvement generated at the plant floor level.

“Our employees show an unrelenting commitment to safety, quality, and customer satisfaction. They are truly the best at what they do and are a credit to themselves and to BRP.”

Just got off the phone with Ross Champion, one of the absolute best freeride pilots in the business, and he confirms that he’s involved with a new electric watercraft project, along with Kommander Industries’ Steve Webster.

Unlike previous electric candidates I’ve mentioned, these guys are wisely taking it slow and not rushing into any big claims as of yet. But just the idea that people of Champion and Webster’s caliber and reputation would be working on a legitimate zero-emissions, electric watercraft has me excited.

For those that might not be familiar with the pair, Champion is legendary for his surf skills and riding ability. He is the 2008 and 2009 IFWA World Champion, and gained mainstream notoriety on the Discovery Channel’s “Stunt Junkies.” Webster built a performance following at Jet Ski Unlimited in Phoenix, before leaving to form Kommander Industries. Webster’s custom engine-building talents are well known within the race community. He has built engines for everyone from Champion to Dustin Motzouris, Jeff Jacobs, Victor Sheldon, Joe Kenney, and Josh Lustic. He was also heavily involved with the Polaris Octane standup, and much of the UMI product line.

The new company is CW Eco Sport, and their proof-of-concept boat is dubbed the ES-1. I’m going to be sitting down for a conversation with these guys later this week and will get more details.

In the meantime, here’s a little teaser preview…

Another amazing PWC video just caught my attention, this time the Bali Freeride video from FullGaz. Check out the amazing riding of guys like Zach Waddle, Pierre Maxient, and more…

Years ago I was talking to Liquid Force’s Jimmy Redmon about a current champion wakeboarder, and he commented that the guy better enjoy it now, because a kid by the name of Parks Bonifay was going to soon blow them all away.

That prediction came true. Parks Bonifay, already a novelty at six months after becoming the Guinness record holder for world’s youngest water skier, has become one of the biggest stars the sport of wakeboarding has ever known. From comps to videos to an episode of MTV Cribs, Bonifay has achieved legendary status.

And now, so too has a documentary about his life, the (what else?) Parks Bonifay Documentary.

The award winner for Best Biography at the acclaimed X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival, the Bonifay documentary pushes wakeboarding squarely among action-sports elite.

“We believed that the appeal of the story of Parks Bonifay went well beyond the audiences within our community and the award of ‘Best Biography’ is solid confirmation,” said Bill McCaffray, Executive Producer with Alliance Visual Experiences. “An X-Dance award for the Parks Documentary is the type of recognition that grows participation and the industry. Arguably, the Parks Documentary, through the incredible life story of one of our most charismatic athletes, will help introduce our sport to more people and create closer ties within the action sports arena.”

The DVD retails for about $28 and can be found at board shops or favorite online stores, including RonixStore.com. Here’s a glimpse…

One announcement that I seemed to miss hearing about at the Miami Boat Show concerns Sea Ray expanding its “strategic alliance” with the Costco Auto Program in select metropolitan areas throughout the U.S.

The program offers Costco members in major boating markets special pricing deals on select Sport Boat and Cruiser models, as well as up to $3,000 in rebates from the company. These models include several targeted at the family and towsports markets, including $500 incentives on the the 175 Sport and 185 Sport; $750 incentives on the 195 Sport and 205 Sport; $1,000 incentives on the 200 Sundeck, 210 Sundeck, 200 Select, 210 Select Fission, and 210 Select; and $2,000 incentives on the 220 Sundeck, 230 Sundeck, 220 Select, 230 Select, and 230 Select Fission.

To take advantage of the deals, interested Costco members can find more information on costcoauto.com, or call 1-800-816-5177 to be put in touch with the nearest participating dealer.

Sea Ray officials point out that the alliance differs from the deals other boat brands have with retailers in that it keeps the dealer actively involved in the entire ownership process.

“In this arrangement, the dealer is an integral part of the process, not a service-only afterthought,” explained Mike Burke, Sea Ray Vice President of Sales and Marketing, “so buyers get the full sales and service treatment of Sea Ray’s industry-leading dealer network.”

WARNING: This post deals with girls in rather small bikinis. If you have a problem with that sort of thing, turn back now. Hey, I tried…

As a lot of you are probably already aware, Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue made it onto newsstands this month. Somehow over the decades SI has managed to make putting semi-naked pictures of women into a sports magazine seem almost normal. Still, each year I’m sure countless “cancel my subscription” letters still come flooding in.

Seeing the new SI on newsstands reminded me that the PWC industry has its own infamous swimsuit calendar and DVD that is hotly anticipated each new year…and got me wondering why I hadn’t heard much about it as of yet.

And believe me, just like with SI you do hear about it, both from those that love it…and those that hate it.

Turns out, the reason why I hadn’t heard much about it is because the 2010 SBT Swimsuit Calendar, along with the “Making of …” DVD, was actually a little late this year. In fact, after doing a little research I discovered that it didn’t go on sale until late January. I know, it’s a tragedy of epic proportions.

The good news for SBT’s rabid fans, who no doubt passed most of January in a depressed stupor, is that the SBT Swimsuit Calender is now available at shopsbt.com. And like past calendars, the 2010 version features a former Playboy “Playmate of the Month,” Raquel Gibson.

Here’s a sneak peak at the DVD that was recently released. Enjoy it if you’re into pictures of scantily clad women. If not, hey, don’t shoot the messenger.

If anyone’s eyes can still focus, I’ll note that there’s a certain air of familiarity about Raquel. Turns out, her sister, CJ Gibson, was the 2007 SBT girl.

“For 2010 SBT returns to a favorite family, the Gibsons,” SBT president Cj Lammers told me. “Raquel Gibson, 2006 Playmate, graces our Calendar and DVD with a slightly grungier look. On the Poster side, SBT advertises its wide array of PWC parts on all of her ‘parts.’  Visit ShopSBT to get a good look at our 2010 offering!”

I can’t say I know Raquel personally, but CJ actually hung out with us for a day at Watercraft World’s 2007 Dream Demo, and I have to say I was impressed. For the obvious reasons, yes, but also because we got CJ on a standup for the first time ever, and she took to it like a pro. Sure, a photogenic girl in a bikini is nice, but one that can actually ride a standup PWC is many guy’s dream come true. Or so I’ve been told.

Okay, what the heck, here’s a glimpse back at CJ as well. What I won’t do to boost page views…

The HOT PRODUCTS 2010 APBA Mark Hahn Memorial Havasu 300 was run yesterday  in Lake Havasu, Arizona, and the calm conditions resulted in a very fast — and brutal — pace for the teams involved. Multiple boats broke down over the course of the legendary 300-mile endurance race, but in the end some familiar names emerged victorious. Finishing time was around four hours, a blistering pace compared to last year’s 6-hour race.

The big winners of the weekend were big names — Craig Warner and Victor Sheldon captured first place aboard their Kawasaki Ultra 260X. Mike Follmer and Tony Beck captured second for Yamaha aboard an FZR, while Pat Roque and Lee Pham rounded things out in third aboard a Sea-Doo RXT-X.  (For those keeping track of the bragging rights, that’s a Kawasaki-Yamaha-Sea Doo top three.)

Nicolas Rius was reportedly on the fastest pace early on, before his ski failed due to rumored water in the gas tank after only three laps complete. Chris MacClugage’s Macc Racing effort also broke down.

I’ll post full results as soon as they’re available…

A few weeks back I blogged about two classic PWC videos, Jet Ski Fever and Jet Dreams. I even had some cool conversations with the people behind them. During my formative years in the sport, those two videos were in high rotation in my VCR. They were, for lack of a better word, cool.

That coolness factor is something I think has been missing in the video market in the years since. Sure, there have been some notable exceptions, but for the most part there hasn’t been an abundance of great video support in recent years. Meanwhile, sports like wakeboarding and snowboarding seemingly crank them out.

Today I saw the trailer for a PWC film that actually has me excited. It’s Bryant Lambert’s Rise of the Tide, and it makes the sport of personal watercraft riding look, you guessed it, cool. Really cool. From the high-definition clarity to the cutting-edge cinematography, this DVD just looks like it’s going to be something special.

Will it live up to the hype? No one can say as of yet. But tell me this trailer doesn’t get you a little stoked for the DVD release…

Official Trailer For “Rise of the Tide” DVD from Hypnotic Films on Vimeo.

Want to pre-order the film? Go to www.liquidmilitia.com.