On the water: 2021 Sea-Doo RXP-X full review
During the 2021 boating season, Boating Industry was lucky enough to have two loaner units from BRP Sea-Doo. We took to the water with a new 2021 RXP-X and GTI SE 170 to a create a new, informative and immersive level of content for personal watercraft riders, both new and veteran. Thank you for joining us on this new journey!
Log date: September 1, 2021
It’s certainly hard to believe that our time with our loaner units is coming to an end (thanks a lot Midwest weather). While we’ve thoroughly enjoyed both of our loaner units from our friends at Sea-Doo, the adrenaline junkies on the BI team would probably all say they’ve favored the 2021 RXP-X, as we’ve all logged a fair amount of seat time on the 300hp beast.
The 2021 model year for Sea-Doo brought forward a completely redesigned platform in its performance segment in the form of the 2021 RXP-X.
A multi-year project from the team at BRP, the 2021 RXP-X was a collaborative effort from the Sea-Doo engineers and racers and it truly shows when putting this machine to the test.
Enhancements to the 2021 Sea-Doo RXP-X 300 feature a weight reduction of 67 pounds from its predecessor and a new T3-R hull with a completely revamped deep-V design for greater stability at high speeds, something everyone from experienced weekend riders to professional racers can appreciate.
It all translates into high performance and a more confident ride, whether doing a high-speed run on a glassy lake, taking on choppy conditions or carving around buoys on a race course.
Additional highlights of Sea-Doo’s newest performance machine include a new race-inspired seating called Ergolock R, featuring a new adjustable rear saddle, low-profile handlebars, dual-angled foot wedges and deeper knee pockets that all create a special riding experience.
The new platform also brought a fierce new body design to the table. The new jet-fighter-like design paired with a midnight purple finish was nothing but a show stopper and head turner at every boat ramp we hit. It sparked conversation every time we readied to drop our machines into the water and we were happy to talk about it at any moment.
While all of its components make for one heck of a ride all together, cornering is where the new RXP-X shines (very brightly). The new hull design helps keep the body suctioned to the water, and keeping the pump loaded and ready to rip at every turn.
The Ergolock R seating and angled footwells kept us locked in and ready to roll with every hairpin turn we could throw with the machine. The introduction of the new “shark gills” on the hull help break surface tension for more gradual turns at slower speeds.
Whether running short self-made buoy courses, ripping some area rivers or just enjoying a day on the many local lakes, during our rides, we felt fully integrated as one with the machine at all times.
Despite being a race-ready machine through and through, the 2021 RXP-X is ready for just about anything you can throw at it even outside of the buoy course. With its LinQ-ready rear platform and redesigned hood, this machine offers an impressive 40.6 gallons of storage space between the front bin and glovebox. Even when gearing up for an entire day out on the water, we were never pressed for space for everything we needed.
While we wouldn’t recommend the supercharged RXP-X to the novice rider, we had the opportunity to let a few riders newer to the sport take a quick spin on this workhorse. Despite the power behind the 300, our novice riders — though certainly more comfortable on the GTI — always felt fully in control thanks to the new seating design paired with the RXP-X. And all rides (ours included) always ended in the same response — wow!
We’re definitely looking forward to 2022 models and a new iteration of BI On the water, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a little sad to see our 2021 RXP-X go back to the dealership.
