Sea-Doo unveils its 2027 range with a 350 hp engine and a 1,991-unit series signed by Senna

Sea-Doo presented its 2027 range of personal watercraft and pontoons to the global market on Monday 17 August, during Club BRP in Orlando, in the United States. The announcement covers three fronts: a new flagship engine, a reworked Spark family and a limited edition dedicated to Ayrton Senna, the result of an agreement signed by BRP with the Senna Brand.

The most powerful engine the brand has built

The technical centrepiece of the launch is the Rotax 1630 ACE 350, presented by the manufacturer as the most powerful production engine ever fitted to a factory-built personal watercraft.

It is the evolution of the familiar 1,630 cc three-cylinder with supercharger and external intercooler, which until now delivered 325 hp. The 25 hp gain comes from a set of changes: the rev limiter has risen from 8,250 to 8,500 rpm and the supercharger wheel has grown from 72.5 mm to 75.5 mm, increasing airflow and boost pressure.

The manufacturer has also worked below the waterline. The intake grate and the jet pump housing have been redesigned to speed up the pump's filling and reduce cavitation off the line, and the ride plate has a new profile to lift the bow earlier. The combined effect shows in the figure the brand uses as its reference: 0 to 60 mph has dropped from 3.4 to 3.1 seconds.

The engine powers four models in the 2027 range: GTX Limited 350, RXT-X 350, RXP-X 350 and the special series RXP-X Senna 350. In the United States, list prices start at 23,599 dollars for the RXT-X, 23,699 for the RXP-X and 23,849 for the GTX Limited, excluding transport and preparation.

The Senna series and the number 1,991

The special edition will be produced in 1,991 units, a number chosen in reference to the year of Ayrton Senna's third and last Formula One world title. Each example carries a numbered plate indicating its position within the series.

The paintwork reproduces the colours of the driver's original helmet, a combination of yellow and green the manufacturer names internally as Racing Yellow and Amazon Green. The years 1988, 1990 and 1991, the three world titles, appear engraved at different points on the craft, alongside Senna's signature and phrases attributed to him, among them "Born to win" and "Seek your truth".

The equipment matches the special-series treatment. The model comes with an integrated 2 x 80 W audio system, the most powerful in the catalogue, and a rear seat extension that turns the single-seat craft into a two-seater. The mechanical configuration is that of the RXP-X 350, with sport riding ergonomics and the three-position hydraulic steering damper.

The manufacturer has not yet detailed how the series will be split by country, nor announced pricing for individual markets.

Senna and the water, a long-standing relationship

The choice of the driver to name the brand's most powerful watercraft has substance behind it. Throughout his career, Senna was both a practitioner and a commissioner of boats, not merely an owner.

The first, named Pole Position, came out of the Rio de Janeiro yard Cobra in 1986. It was a Canguru model, for which the driver asked for structural reinforcement in the hull and a 225 hp engine, well above what the boat required, chosen so that towed water sports would never run short of power. He kept it for eight years, using it mainly in Angra dos Reis and Ilhabela.

In 1991 came Joana II, an Intermarine Panther 33 from the 1970s, which arrived together with the purchase of his house in Angra and became his everyday boat. There is a coincidence here that motorsport history rarely records: the Panther 33 hull came from an English design signed by Colin Chapman, founder of Lotus, the same team Senna raced for in Formula One between 1985 and 1987. Chapman had bought the boatbuilder Moonraker in the early 1970s and carried much of his automotive engineering thinking into the marine business.

The third boat is best known for its date. Designed from 1992 with the driver's direct involvement, discussing details by telephone with his sister Viviane during the season, the A.S. Atalanta, 41.7 feet with two 435 hp Caterpillar 3208 engines, was built by the Fast yard and moored at the pier of his house in Angra dos Reis on the morning of 30 April 1994. The following day, Senna died at Imola. He never sailed the boat he helped design.

Spark X, the new entry-level engine

Away from the top of the range, the most significant change for 2027 is in the Spark family, the brand's entry-level segment.

It receives the Rotax 1000 ACE, an evolution of the 900 ACE platform, offered in three outputs: 60, 90 and 110 hp. The 110 hp configuration debuts in the all-new Spark X and in the Spark X Trixx version, aimed at freestyle riding. According to the manufacturer, the Spark X top speed is 15% higher than the current Spark.

The Spark X comes as standard with the speed regulator, the boarding step and iDF, the pump-clearing system that lets the rider eject ingested debris without leaving the water, a feature until now reserved for the upper ranges.

Switch turns five with refinements

The Switch pontoon line, launched in 2021, reaches its fifth year with a set of usability corrections rather than conceptual changes.

The Switch Sport versions gain rear corner doors, improving access to the platform. The 230 hp models now carry a 176-litre fuel tank, and the whole line receives an updated automatic bilge pump. The Switch Cruise with Tech package and the Limited 18' now offer a double bimini as a factory option.

The 10.25-inch touchscreen also spreads: besides reaching the GTX and GTR-X watercraft, it is now offered across all Switch versions with 230 and 300 hp engines.

What changes in the 2027 range