Personal watercraft like Sea-Doos, WaveRunners, and Jet Skis are like the motorcycles of the boating world. You can get these little craft with a stupid amount of horsepower and speed down the water at speeds that seemingly warp time and space. Since 2024, the Sea-Doo RXP-X 325 was the fastest PWC on water with 325 horsepower and an electronically limited top speed of 70 mph. As if all of the power in the world wasn’t enough, America’s craziest personal watercraft just got even more ridiculous with a power upgrade. Why yes, this is a Sea-Doo that could outrun most cars at 60 mph!
Back in 2024, the folks at Sea-Doo offered me a unique opportunity. I like trying out basically anything with an engine, and they had quite the machine to get me onto. I flew down to Florida, mounted a Sea-Doo RXP-X 325 HP and a Sea-Doo GTR-X 300 HP personal watercraft, then punched it through alligator-infested waters. Honestly, these watercraft were incomprehensibly quick. I fully expect a supercar to hit 60 mph in 3.4 seconds, but a tiny floating object brute-forcing through water? It was hard to grasp.
The Sea-Doo RXP-X 325 and its silly supercharger have held the crown as the world’s fastest personal watercraft for a couple of years now, leaving the competition in the mist. America’s second-fastest PWC remains the Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 310. But I suppose having only a mere 15 HP advantage against Team Green wasn’t enough for the mad engineers at Sea-Doo, because the new one has gotten a healthy power bump and nearly a half-second off its 60 mph acceleration time.
The PWC Speed Wars
Some of the greatest tales in vehicular lore are those of the gentlemen’s agreement. Usually, these stories start with a bunch of companies engaging in speed wars until they make vehicles so fast that a national government gets concerned and tells them to cut it out. There have been alleged gentlemen’s agreements capping the speeds of motorcycles, the top speeds of European cars, Japanese performance car horsepower numbers, and even the output of the tiny engines that power Kei cars. These voluntary agreements effectively pump the brakes on horsepower and speed wars.
But a lot of those supposed agreements are in the past. You can buy European cars that go faster than 155 mph, and the fastest street-legal motorcycle in the world, the Lightning LS-218, can go 218 mph. The Kawasaki Ninja H2, formerly the world’s fastest motorcycle, has done over 200 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats. The speed wars are back on, and we live in a time when family sedans can be had with 1,000 horsepower and pickup trucks can make over 700 horsepower.
Even the makers of PWCs have a need for speed, and the companies have been trading barbs for the crown of the world’s fastest. However, as BRP’s Tim McKercher told me back in 2024, while the feds might not care about super pickup trucks and tire-shredding electric cars, they are concerned with the idea of anyone with $20,000 in their pocket taking a watercraft to speeds that were once only seen in racing. To keep the government off their back, PWC producers have voluntarily agreed to limit their top speeds to about 68.5 mph.
The King Of Speed Gets Even Quicker
What this means is that since these companies can’t go for all-out speed, they’re instead battling it out to create the PWC that hits 68.5 mph the fastest. Here’s what I said in 2024:
The fastest Kawasaki Jet Ski on the market right now has a 1.5-liter engine with 310 wet horses to its name while Yamaha makes 250 ponies with a chunky 1.9-liter engine. In 2023, BRP decided to skip past the competition. The Sea-Doo RXP-X and RXT-X come with a supercharged Rotax 1630 ACE. This is a 1.6-liter triple making a monstrous 325 HP. BRP now leads the industry in power and does it with a compact engine.
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BRP says the RXP-X hits 60 mph in just 3.4 seconds and by golly, it’s not just industry-leading, but simply intense. BRP informs me that a popular mod is the removal of the speed limiter. If you do that, you’ll void the engine’s warranty, but unlock top speeds well past 80 mph. I’m told the engine is actually designed to go above 80 mph, too. That’s daft and I need to experience that one day.
Having the power of a thermonuclear bomb harnessed in a three-cylinder engine wasn’t enough for the Sea-Doo crew. They fitted that engine into a glass fiber-reinforced polypropylene hull with dashes of carbon fiber here and there on the body. The RXP-X weighs 778 pounds at its lightest or 798 when loaded with Sea-Doo’s booming sound system. This results in a power-to-weight ratio comparable to a supercar.
But that’s not all. Since the RXP-X is designed for buoy racing, it corners like an apex predator chasing down tonight’s dinner. I got to experience this myself in Florida and, honestly, it remains my favorite experience on water. None of the numbers I gave you here can begin to prepare you for what hitting 60 mph in 3.4 seconds on water feels like. It boggles the mind, like, how can anything slice through water that fast? The RXP-X 325 was so fast that it can reach a verified 70 mph before the limiter does its job and imposes a hard cessation to acceleration.
The handling was another genuine shocker. In a car or on a motorcycle, you’re expected to slow down for curves. On the RXP-X, you stay on the throttle, turn the handlebar, lean in, and hold on. The hull feels like it’s gripping the water like racing tires do on a track. The machine is genuinely a marvel of engineering and so easy to ride that even me, someone who isn’t a boater, could pick it up in mere minutes.
So, how do you follow something like this up? Well, Sea-Doo might be a subsidiary of the same Canadian company that makes the Can-Am Spyder, but its approach to sequels seems pure red, white, and blue, as the new RXP-X clearly adheres to the idea of just slathering on more horsepower.
How much power? The RXP-X now fires 350 HP. Getting that extra 25 ponies required a larger supercharger wheel, upping the rev limit to 8,500 from 8,250, as well as strengthened connecting rods and bolts. The result is that the new RXP-X 350 can hit 60 mph in 3.0 seconds dead. Of course, Sea-Doos have a huge modding community, and speeds in excess of 80 mph are only a speed limiter delete away.
All of this is extraordinarily stupid, but in a fun way. I can’t imagine the same RXP-X 325 that I rode two years ago, but somehow nearly a half-second faster. This thing is legitimately faster than most cars and would even give some motorcycles a run for their money. Well, up to 68.5-ish mph, anyway.
There’s A Senna Version, Too
If raw power and stupefying speed aren’t enough for you, Sea-Doo is adding a sweetener. The marque has partnered with the Senna Brand, the company run by Ayrton Senna’s family. The fruit of this collaboration is a limited-edition Sea-Doo RXP-X Senna 350. That might sound like a weird collaboration, but it actually makes sense. When Senna wasn’t dominating in Formula 1, he liked to relax by flying RC planes, flying real planes, and playing with watercraft of all shapes and sizes. He especially loved going fast on PWCs.
This Sea-Doo comes emblazoned in the colors of the Brazilian flag and is covered in enough Senna logos that nobody will miss what you’re riding. Sea-Doo says you’ll also get these goodies:
– Integrated Signature & Championships: Ayrton Senna’s iconic signature is laser-integrated into the craft, alongside recognition of his three world championship victories.
– Senna Inspired Quotes: Two inspirational quotes “Seek your truth” and “Born to win” are inscribed around the unit, representing the mindset that has inspired generations to pursue excellence with courage, authenticity and determination
– Matching Passenger Seat: A coordinating passenger seat is included, allowing friends and family to ride together.
– Senna-Branded Protective Cover: A custom Senna-branded cover is included to protect and showcase the craft when not in use.
– Numbered Tribute Plate: A numbered plate bearing 1991 pays homage to Ayrton’s final World’s Championship.
– Helmet-Matched Colorway: Through a highly exclusive coloration process, the RXP-X Senna 350 was meticulously designed to mirror Senna’s original racing helmet, ensuring an authentic and visually stunning tribute.
Just 1,991 examples will be made, and Sea-Doo says you can pre-order one now if you want one. The Senna model will set you back $27,799 before transportation and prep fees. If you don’t really care about the Senna stuff, you can nab the regular RXP-X for $23,699. Sadly, Sea-Doo does not quote what those additional fees will cost you.
I Have To Ride One
Of course, I will caution that you should keep your shenanigans to a minimum when there are other people around. Nobody likes a boater who speeds through a no-wake zone, and nobody wants to hear your music. But the good thing about the water is that there’s a lot of it out there, and it shouldn’t be too hard to open it up in a place where you won’t bother anyone.
Between you and me, if I had that much money burning a hole in my pocket and I wanted to spend it on a toy, I think I’d rather get one of these than a side-by-side. There was never once a time when I got bored during my test of the 2024 RXP-X, and I’m fairly sure that turning up the taps would only make me giggle until I got a sore throat.
I love that I live in a world where I get to watch speed wars happen on so many fronts. It’s crazy how accessible horsepower has become across the board. Sure, nobody needs a 350 HP Sea-Doo, and sure, this is an expensive toy. But I’m glad that it exists just for the ridiculousness of it, and I hope the engineers had fun making it. Now, it might be time to head back down to gator country to try one of these out.
Top graphic image: Sea-Doo
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