The Australian distributor of the Belassi Burrasca – one of the world’s most expensive Jet Skis – is celebrating its first year on sale locally with a limited offer at next weekend’s Sanctuary Cove Boat Show on the Gold Coast.
The Belassi Burrasca – which costs from €43,000 in Europe, the equivalent of $70,000 in Australian currency before taxes and shipping charges – is available for a limited time at $20,000 less than its local RRP of $86,990.
The first five examples sold during next weekend’s Sanctuary Cove Boat Show are available for $66,990 not including trailer and registration.
The cost of a trailer and registration typically adds about $2500 to $3000, however most of the Belassi Burrasca personal watercraft sold so far in Australia have been used as tenders for multimillion-dollar mega-yachts.
Over the past 12 months, the local distributor has established Belassi Burrasca sales and service points on the Gold Coast and in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
Four examples of the hand-built, carbon-fibre Belassi Burrasca have already been sold in Australia to well-heeled customers in Melbourne and Perth.
And one demonstrator model has recently come up for sale with an asking price of $56,990 with only 20 hours on the clock.
But the five examples of the Belassi Burrasca available for $66,990 – $20,000 less than the RRP – at next weekend’s Sanctuary Cove Boat Show are brand-new out of the box.
The price may still be an eye-watering sum for many – given it is more than double the cost of the most expensive Jet Skis from Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki – but the local distributor says the boat show special is close to or below cost.
“We wanted to do something special and make a statement to let the Jet Ski market know we are here,” said Nicholas Batzialas, the managing director of Prodigy Marine, the exclusive distributor of the Belassi Burrasca in Australia and New Zealand.
“As for the allocation of the first five examples sold at the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show, it will be a case of first in, best dressed.
“We understand the Belassi Burrasca is unique and will appeal to different buyers, but we strongly believe there is a space in the super-luxury segment for a craft like this.”
The Australian distributor says the Belassi Burrasca is covered by a three-year warranty, though this is not listed on the company’s website.
This warranty coverage compares to two-year coverage for Sea-Doo watercraft, two-plus-one-year coverage for Yamaha WaveRunners (with three-year coverage only applying to vessels serviced within the Yamaha dealer network), and industry-leading five-year coverage for Kawasaki Jet Skis.
The Belassi Burrasca may have an Italian name but the firm is based in Austria – about 300km west of Munich, Germany – and has developed its own engine, top deck, and hull.
The firm enlisted expert help from former Jet Ski racers and specialist engineers.
The company is yet to release performance claims, however the Belassi Burrasca is believed to have one of the highest power-to-weight ratios in the Jet Ski market globally.
The 320-horsepower, turbocharged 1602cc three-cylinder engine is fitted to a lightweight carbon-fibre structure with a dry weight of 350kg, about 50kg less than simlarly-sized watercraft from rival brands.
Photos show the Belassi Burrasca is equipped with two digital display screens – one in the centre of the handlebars and the other in the instrument console – and either side of the jet pump there is a quad exhaust system with chrome tips.
The international Belassi Burrasca website has a ringtone download that mimics the exhaust and engine sounds.
There is no top speed claim however the video that accompanies the ringtone shows speeds of up to 120km/h, which if accurate would deliver a similar top speed to the high-performance Sea-Doo RXP-X300.
Images of the Belassi Burrasca show forward and reverse triggers, and buttons to set cruise control, though there appears to be little in the way of bow storage or console storage.
The core structure, bodywork and key components – including the handlebars – are made from high-strength lightweight carbon-fibre using technology borrowed from Formula One.
Each Belassi Burrasca is built by hand in Austria and customers can choose from – and mix and match – more than a dozen colours for the top deck, hull and faring highlights.
This delivers more personalisation than what is currently available on any personal watercraft from Sea-Doo, Yamaha and Kawasaki – which don’t offer a choice of colours on most model grades.
“We are very excited about the opportunity for the Belassi Burrasca,”Mr Batzialas told Watercraft Zone.
“We understand this is a niche within the Jet Ski market but we also recognise there are customers who want something truly unique.
“We were slow to roll out in Australia initially because we launched during COVID and we have been busy establishing a dealer network.
“But now we have sales and service points in the key areas (Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth), we are ready for the next phase.”
Globally, the Belassai Burrasca project began in 2015 and the first prototypes hit the water in 2021 ahead of the initial batch of customer deliveries in 2022.
The company describes the Belassi Burrasca as a “super-luxury personal watercraft” and a “marine hypercraft” that combines “Italian design with the slim lines of a motorcycle.”
The company says the name Burrasca is the Italian word for “storm”.
Four years of development went into the Belassi Burrasca, which is hand-made with 2000 bespoke parts.
“The mechanics who assemble the Burrasca know every single screw (and) every part – from the engine to the chassis,” a statement from the company says.
“By combining state-of-the-art development, Italian design, and true craftsmanship, Belassi has created a vehicle category that has never existed before.”
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