Get Prepped for Ontario PWC Riding

Get ready for a great season on the water

Many of us don’t live in climates warm enough to ride our personal watercraft year round. So in places like Ontario, Canada, spring is when we start getting ready for the summer season. My preparations fall into three broad categories:  the machinery, the riding gear and the destinations. Let’s take a look at each one…

My machinery prep starts the previous fall with the thorough inspection, cleaning, winterizing and indoor storage of my covered Sea-Doo RXT iS 260. Done properly, this fall work makes spring prep a breeze. My PWC is already clean and ready to go in to my Authorized Sea-Doo Dealer for its pre-season check up and service, including whatever repair or maintenance issues I may have identified during last fall’s inspection. I always schedule this appointment at least a month before the May holiday weekend to avoid the pre-season rush and ensure that my dealer has time to do the job thoroughly and properly.

My new Sea-Doo for this season!

Each summer, I travel all over Ontario to explore different waterways. So my machinery prep also includes my Triton PWC trailer and SUV tow vehicle. On the trailer, I re-pack or replace the wheel bearings, check all tires (including the spare) for cracks, leaks, uneven wear and correct pressure. At the same time, I perform a complete visual inspection of the axle, springs, bunks, wiring harness and plug, winch, tongue jack, plus coupler and safety chains. I also check that my trailer licence plate is still well secured. I don’t test the lights on my trailer until after I inspect and clean my SUV’s electrical receptacle to ensure a good connection. Tip: don’t forget, if you’ve acquired a PWC that’s new to you since the previous season, to make sure it fits on your existing trailer and is still within its safe load bearing capacity.

Remember to check tie downs and hooks before trailering.

Last but not least, I inspect my SUV, starting with the hitch package to ensure it’s still reliable and secure. I also check the selected ball mount and ball for wear and size (I own other trailers that take different ball mounts and sizes.) When my summer tires go back on the SUV, they are inspected for wear and tear as well as the spare. I also review my vehicle’s service record to see if it’s time to change any fluids (especially transmission, with all the towing and launching into water that I do) or do any other service that would help make my summer’s towing trouble free.

Next is my riding gear. This includes the various PWC accessories like bumpers, mooring ropes, tie downs, cover and touring bags, plus everything else I wear or use on my Sea-Doo watercraft, from sun lotion to my PFD. Once again, my habit is to inspect everything before it’s put away the previous fall. That way, I have time to get repairs or replacements done in the off-season and often am able to find things at discount prices. 

With good prep, my SUV and trailer are reliable all summer.

While all this preparation is essential for a safe, carefree summer on the water, nothing fires my anticipation as much as discovering new destinations to visit. Ontario has many great single-day PWC ride or multi-day tour locations, and here are a few of my favourites (Multiple town names indicate different access points to the same waterway). All have good launches as well as parking and I’ve included the waterway name in italics and brackets.

PWC fun on Ontario’s North Channel.

Eastern Ontario: Trenton or Kingston (Bay of Quinte/Adolphus Reach/North Channel); Gananoque or Brockville (St. Lawrence River/1000 Islands); Hawkesbury (Ottawa River east to Montreal or west to Ottawa); Pembroke or Mattawa (Ottawa River north).

Central Ontario: Hastings or Peterborough (Rice Lake/Otonabee River); Gravenhurst (Lakes Muskoka, Rosseau and Joseph); Huntsville (Lakes Vernon, Fairy and Peninsula); Dwight, Dorset or Baysville (Lake of Bays); Barrie or Orillia (Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching); Midland, Penetang or Parry Sound (Severn Sound/Georgian Bay south); Burleigh Falls or Long Beach (Kawartha Lakes); Port Stanton or Port Severn (Sparrow Lake/Severn River/Gloucester Pool).

Northern Ontario: Parry Sound (30,000 Islands/Georgian Bay north to Pointe au Baril); Spanish, Blind River or Killarney (North Channel of Lake Huron); Sault Ste Marie or Hilton Beach (shipping channel around St. joseph’s Island); North Bay (Lake Nipissing); New Liskeard (Lake Timiskaming/Ottawa River south).

Grab your friends for some Ontario PWC touring.

This is just a partial list to get you started and only includes parts of Ontario’s four Great Lakes that also offer many “big water” riding opportunities. With approximately 250,000 bodies of water classified as lakes, plus countless connecting rivers, Ontario has many linked, serviced and navigable PWC routes to explore this summer.

But your summer of PWC riding has to start with getting everything ship-shape, because the last thing you want is unreliable machinery or poorly functioning riding gear or misadventures due to lack of planning or knowledge about your destination. And now that all your pre-season prep is complete, the only other factor to consider is weather. So before each ride, visit these sites to prepare yourself for the vagaries of Mother Nature: Ontario forecast; marine forecast; National Date Buoy Centre; Sailflow; local Ontario weather radar; U.S. weather radar.

Related Reading
Try PWC Touring – Video
Ontario Personal Watercraft Touring is Unbeatable
PWC Travel: Exploring Ontario’s Muskoka Region