Excitement is exactly what you will feel as you hit 80kmh then spear into a tight 360°. And the perfect machine to take you on this style of theme-park quality joy ride is Yamaha's Exciter 220. Powered by twin, three-cylinder 110hp powerplants the Exciter is the latest addition to the Yamaha personal watercraft range. Sure its sleek low-profile lines hide the Exciter's size. But with a top speed of over 90kmh, a length of 5.05m and weighing in at 768kg, the Exciter is really a full-on jet boat. Need more convincing? What about comfortable seating for five adults and more than enough power to pull up two adult skiers... The Exciter features rear-mounted PWC-based jet drives under a soundproof cover (which also houses the oil reservoirs and storage for life jackets). Storage areas are adequate with an underfloor ski-locker and a lockable glovebox. An aft 'lounge', with the thick contoured upholstery and bolsters to hold you in position adjoins this section. The helmsman takes up one of the aft berths but there's additional contoured seating for two in the bow section, bowrider-style. Grab handles are positioned around the boat so that passengers always have something to hang on to. Once you're competent at driving the Exciter, they need to, for performance-wise the Exciter is stunning. It fair jumps out of the water and hardly notices the additional drag of two wakes or skiers. The hull's performance matches the go - steering is millimetre precise and the boat will turn hard and flat. At the same time, stability on the move and at rest are also impressive. On the practical side, the Exciter has a fuel capacity of 130lt. Instead of propellers these pumps add extra safety and also allow the boat to explore shallower waters. There are also unique inspection ports in the swim platform that allow you to clean out debris from the jet pumps without having to get into the water. Perfect for the active family as well as those looking for some thrills in the sun, the Yamaha Exciter more than looks the part. It'll no doubt account for a few screams of delight out on the water this summer.
