2014 Sea-Doo WAKE 155 Review

A PWC aimed directly at the towsports crowd

When Sea-Doo first bought its way into the pro wakeboard tour, riders scoffed behind the scenes. Today, many serious riders – particularly the wakeskate crowd – actually prefer a PWC over a monster tow boat.

Why? PWC are certainly inexpensive, cheap to run, and easy to tow, but they’re also small and maneuverable. They get up close to obstacles without sending them rocking, deftly maneuver around hit-filled parks, and get into shallower areas where bigger towboats fear to tread.

And in the case of the Sea-Doo WAKE 155, they do it with scaled-down versions of the same amenities found on those high-end tow boats.

The Sea-Doo Wake 155 offers wakeboarders and wakeskaters a more affordable tow vehicle that can go more places.

Like to make a wake…as well as ride in it? Meet the boat that is more than ready to do both.

What Makes The WAKE?

A ski pylon keeps the towrope out of the water.

What separates the WAKE from standard PWC are several key items that should be very familiar to tow-sports enthusiasts. Start with an extended tow pylon. On dedicated tow boats, the goal of an extended pylon or tower is to anchor the towrope higher off the water and thus increase hang time. To a much smaller extent that also holds somewhat true here, but the primary benefit of the extended pylon is that it gets the towrope up and out of the craft’s jet wash. Rather than get pulled and snagged, the towrope remains above the water where it delivers a more predictable, solid-feeling pull to the rider.

With its dual grab handles, the pylon also offers a more secure hand-hold for a rear-facing spotter. Its handles are located between chest and waist height, allowing the spotter to reach forward rather than down to the grab handle aft of the seat. Angled footrests, incorporated into the deck, further enhance the spotter’s comfort and security. When not in use, the pylon can retract to a lower position so as not to affect a third passenger.

Complementing the tow pylon is a removable, gunwale-mounted board rack that holds a wakeboard or wakeskate securely and angling out away from the footwells. Boards slide into a groove at the base and secure with bungee-style straps. When you just want to ride the WAKE – and not the wake – the rack is easily removable. I find it a great addition to the craft for a towsports enthusiast, especially given that the alternative is a board laid in the footwells where it will almost certainly rap you in the ankle.

COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2012 Sea-Doo Wake Pro 215

Keep your board save and secure with the gunwale-mounted board rack.

The last of the WAKE 155’s tow-specific features is the addition of a SKI mode to the existing Touring, Sport, and ECO throttle modes. Like the latter three, which allow the operator to select how aggressively the boat accelerates, SKI mode relies on electronic throttle to control the engine. In this case, however, it allows the driver to fine-tune that response even further, selecting one of five acceleration profiles to match the task at hand. Wakeboarding? You’ll likely want to choose a setting that will take your rider up slow and steady. Slalom skiing? You’ll need more punch right out of the hole to avoid dragging your rider through the water. Once you set the acceleration profile and towing speed, hauling your rider up is as simple as fully squeezing the throttle. The onboard computer will control the craft’s acceleration and then hold the desired speed.

Still A GTI 155…

As you may have guessed, the WAKE is still very much a GTI 155 at its core. And as such, it delivers all that boat has to offer. A naturally aspirated Rotax three-cylinder offers the necessary low-end pulling power for tow duties, without the hair-trigger feeling (or gas-guzzling appetite) you can get with a supercharged craft. The 1,494cc engine powers the craft to a top speed in the neighborhood of 58 mph. With its minimal 16-degree deadrise, the hull offers a stable ride during straight-line pulls, but leans toward the playful when just ridden for pleasure. Yes, you can carve a tight turn when wanted, but you can also switch up your weight and let the stern slide around a little. Though shallow in angle, the hull is also surprisingly up to the task in the waves, with a more prominent V towards the bow delivering a confident, non-pounding ride that should please both novice and expert.

COMPARISON: Read our review of the 2013 Sea-Doo GTI Limited 155

When not being used for tow duties, the Wake 155 is very much a GTI 155 at heart.

Like nearly all Sea-Doos today, the WAKE includes Sea-Doo’s Intelligent Brake & Reverse. iBR uses a modified reverse bucket to redirect water forward for stopping power when the left-mounted handlegrip lever is squeezed. Stopping time and distance is decreased rather dramatically. iBR also enables the WAKE to start up stationary at the dock or launch ramp, and then be shifted into forward or reverse with an intuitive tap of the reverse/brake or throttle levers. Control is greatly improved in tight confines, as well as around a downed rider in the water. Other common Sea-Doo extras include wide-angle mirrors to keep tabs on the action behind, a fold-down boarding step to ease deep-water boarding, and the familiar multiple lanyard system that allows the engine cut-off lanyard to double as a theft-prevention device or speed governor.

One more incentive to purchase the WAKE? Colors and graphics. In a nod to its typical target audience, the WAKE is dressed up in shades of neon and sports a bolder design. That way people can see you…and the trickster in tow…that much easier.