thE SEalvEr waveboat 525

We all love jet skis, and we all love speedboats. However, what happens when you want the best of both worlds, and more than two passengers, but you can’t afford a boat big enough for a tender bay? Well, you get a Sealver…

It’s no secret that the Gulf is obsessed with its jet skis. They can be seen tearing up and down the coast whenever the weather is decent. Fast, agile and huge amounts of fun, they do, however, have two major drawbacks – they only carry two, and have very little storage for gear.

This is where you need a jet ski boat like a Sealver. Sealver offer a range of solid and rigid inflatable hulls that can be docked with a jet ski as a propulsion unit, and detached as and when needed for on-water activities.

Our pick of the bunch was the wake boat-style 525. While there is a larger solid-hulled option available, the 656, we feel that with the 525 you’ll benefit from a better power-to-weight ratio from your jet ski, making for better towing capability. The 656 only offers slightly more space, with room for one more passenger and an extra 150kg of payload.

The 525 carries up to six passengers, with four on the boat and two on the PWC (or three, depending on the model of jet ski), making it ideal as a small family pleasure craft or for a small group of friends. There is a range of wake tower configurations available, depending on your requirements, and there’s even an option for a picnic table at the bow of the boat.

The docking and undocking process is extremely simple as well. You just ride the jet ski into the docking bay and secure it with a system of sturdy straps and buckles.

The 525 weighs in at just 350kg without the PWC docked. The power and speed of the boat obviously depends on the power of your PWC. However, the 525 is compatible with a range of high-powered Yamaha and Sea-Doo models such as the monstrous supercharged RXT-X 260RS, so don’t be concerned with performance when using the two crafts combined.

Perhaps the coolest thing about the Sealver 525 is that the hull floats of its own accord, so you can anchor up somewhere, and detach the jet ski for some hi-speed thrills while the rest of the passengers relax on the boat. When we say ‘best of both worlds’, we should really say ‘best of three worlds’, because not only can you enjoy power boating and jet skiing, but also tow sports as well!

It’s an extremely versatile and convenient setup for a fun day out on the water.

Sealver Waveboats are available in the GCC from Star Wave Boats.

Call 04 258 8895 for more information.

One of the biggest events on the Kindgom’s calendar, the Bahrain F1 GP returns to the Bahrain International Circuit this April, bringing the glamorous road show along with it…

ThE ‘BIllIonAIrE’s sPorT’, Formula One attracts the world’s rich and famous to its races along with motorsports fans of all creeds. Celebrities are often seen wandering through the paddocks, and the marinas of all waterfront tracks such as Monaco, Abu Dhabi and Singapore attract billions in dollars worth of yachts to their berths.

This year, the Bahrain F1 GP will be the second race of the calendar, taking place after the Australian GP. Though Bahrain’s Grand Prix is a desert track, the small island nation’s marinas fill to bursting during F1 weekend, as visitors from across the Gulf flock to the country for the race weekend, and the five-star hotels become fully booked.

2016 promises to be no exception, as in addition to the exciting team line-up that promises some heated battles this year, it has been announced that global superstar DJ Avicii will be headlining the weekend’s thrilling list of off-track entertainment.

The racing itself promises to be full of action, with the Ferraris matching the Silver Arrows for speed in the pre-season testing, and the Renault and Honda engines that supply Red Bull and McLaren both showing vast improvements in terms of pace and reliability.

Added to that are the new teams of Haas F1, funded by billionaire NASCAR mogul Gene Haas and supplied extensively with Ferrari customer parts, and returning Renault F1 who, if you’ll remember, won the Championship with Alonso twice in 2005 and 2006.

It all adds up to what looks set to be an exhilarating Bahrain Formula One Grand Prix. To find out more, log on to www.bahraingp.com.