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Outdoors

Gallery: The best off-road and watersports toys from the Sand & Water Expo

By Loz Blain
November 25, 2018
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The Can Am Maverick X3 X RS is made for one purpose: to go flat out across the desert at break-neck speeds. The X RS is the only model Can Am offers currently with symetrical wheel sizes on all four corners, making it cheaper and easier to replace tires
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Yamaha's 2019 YXZ 1000R and YXZ 1000R SS, made for the side-by-side driver who wants a more visceral driving experience. For 2019, Yamaha's lowered the transmissions gear ratio by 24 percent, while the new, bigger wheel and tire size results in the final drive gear ratio being lowered by 16 percent, making slower speeds and more technical trails easier
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The Yamaha YXZ 1000R has a 998cc liquid-cooled DOHC inline three-cylinder engine boasting a 10,500 rpm redline
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The cockpit of Yamaha's YXZ 1000R SS, complete with paddle shifters for its 5-speed sequential gear box
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A quick peek at the actual turbo of a Can Am Maverick X3 X DS Turbo. It spins around 3,000 rpm at sea level and as high as 6,000 rpm at higher altitudes to produce around 4 psi of boost
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The Can Am Commander. Both sport and utility featuring an 800cc Rotax motor making a healthy 71 hp
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The Can Am Commander. Both sport and utility with a dual level cargo area featuring a tilt-assist cargo bed, shown here in action
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The "Sand" section of the Sand & Water expo featured plenty of beefed-up off-road exotica
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American Fastbacks specializes in making hard tops for Jeep JK and TJ/LJ models and brought a range of tricked-out Jeeps to the Sand and Water expo. This is its Badlands model, equipped with a stove top, a fridge, and an electric hard top camper with the ability to sleep four
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Cliffride specializes in aftermarket Jeep parts, however it takes on side projects now and again, such as this Mercedes Sprinter called the Icelander. It lived up to it's name when the owner took it on an ice expedition to Iceland
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Aftermarket 34 inch Rocktain tires on this Can Am Maverick X3 X RC look pretty meaty and give the already tall X RC two more inches of ground clearance
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Fox fully adjustable shocks come stock on the Can Am Maverick X3 X RC
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The "joystick" on the Can Am Maverick X3 X RC isn't actually a joystick, it's  an "ooooohhhh boy!" handle for the passenger, should one dare to ride with you
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The 2019 Can Am Maverick X3 X RC side-by-side now comes equipped with a clutch style locker on the front end that detects slip and will turn on/off the front locker as needed
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The entire 2019 SXS line up of Can Am could be found at the Sand and Water expo. The Maverick X3 X DS, RS, and RC were amongst the fan favorites
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The 4-seater version of the Can Am Maverick X3 X DS is only about 300 lb (136 kg) heavier than it's 2-seater counterpart. With 172 hp at your disposal, that 300 lb shouldn't make much of a difference
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The Can Am Maverick X3 X RS is made for one purpose: to go flat out across the desert at break-neck speeds. The X RS is the only model Can Am offers currently with symetrical wheel sizes on all four corners, making it cheaper and easier to replace tires
4theriders.com/New Atlas
CF Moto ZFORCE 800 EX's cockpit. Basic, no frills. Gets the job done
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The CF Moto team attended the Sand and Water expo with their lineup of SXS and quads – the flagship model is the ZFORCE 800 EX. CF Moto is a chinese company offering well thought out SXS at entry-level pricing; An 800cc V-Twin engine with 62 hp and 53 lb-ft of torque with 11.8 inches of ground clearance can make for some great adventures at an $11,799 MSRP
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Kawasaki brought its lineup of Kawasaki Teryx4 LE side by sides. The 783cc liquid cooled v-twin engines, making 47 lb-ft of torque, with a fuel capacity of 7.9 gallons will get in and out of most terrain, even on a long haul
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SxSAddicts brought a range of upgrades, including its Method 401 beadlock race rims
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All the parts upgrades under the rainbow
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Fuel's tasty rim upgrades
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Hobie's Mirage 180 pedal drive system
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Riverbound sports, out of Phoenix, brought a range of stand-up paddleboards, and put on tryout sessions and lessons
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Hobie's ultra-portable inflatable stand-up paddleboards take up next to no room in the trunk
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Hobie Outback: strap down your gear and get going on this sit down/stand up fishing kayak
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The Hobie Outback packs in a whole lot of functionality. The seat, for example, pops out as a separate unit if you're stopping somewhere for lunch. There's pre-plumbed connections if you wish to add things like fish finders and other electronics
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Hobie's Mirage Outback: quick, stable and fully set up for solo fishing trips
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JP Australia paddleboard features a glass cup in the board for night fishing that lets you shine a flashlight down into the water below for extra visibility
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JP Australia paddleboard has a keel on the front, and is set up for fishing
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The 14-ft (4.2-m) carbon fiber SIC Rocket Ship RS pictured on the right is designed to be one of the fastest all-water race paddleboards on the market – and it'd want to be, at US$2,700. New bungee tie-downs for 2018 give it the ability to carry some gear while you're training or going long distances
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The MirageDrive 180 pedal system sitting atop the Mirage Inflatable 9 kayak. It's revolutionary design allows you to propel your kayak in forward or reverse with the pull of a cord
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Feel like a Navy Seal in this Hobie Mirage Inflatable 9. It comes standard with a high capacity air pump so you can save your breath. It has the MirageDrive 180 pedal system for propulsion designed after how penguins swim. 
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Hobie's Mirage Revolution 13, at US$2,600, is a mid-range, Mirage drive-powered adventure/fishing kayak with an optional sail kit
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Hobie's Mirage Sport, at US$2,400, is a compact non-inflatable fun/fishing kayak at just 9 ft (2.7 m) long. Its rudder twists up and away out of the water when not needed, and despite its small size next to other kayaks, it's still got room for a fair bit of luggage
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Hobie's new Mirage Outback is its new flagship fishing kayak, featuring in-built protection for fish finder transducers underneath, as well as live bait and tackle management and molded-in rod holders
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Hobie's Mirage Compass, new for 2019, features a tight turning radius and nimble handling, but can still get a decent speed up on the open water
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Hobie's custom built Mirage Pro Angler 14 equipped with a Lowrance Hook2 7 TripleShot US Inland Sonar/GPS Combo. It can create 3D images of the lake or riverbed below you using sonar. This Mirage Pro Angler 14 also has custom LED lighting for those who like to fish at night
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Hobie brought out an impressive array of Kayaks for the Sand and Water Expo
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Nordic's 24SX O/B & I/O: open bow gives passengers an extra place to party
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Nordic's 24SX O/B & I/O: 400-hp Merc outboard. Brianna for scale
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Nordic's 24SX O/B & I/O "family performance catamaran" is built for speed and comfort
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Nordic 28 SS: plenty of seating for gutsy passengers in this lightning-fast cat
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Nordic 28 SS: cockpit of the fastest cat in America
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Nordic's 28 SS: twin 400-hp outboards give this beast a ridiculous top speed around 130 mph (209 km/h). With many US lakes having no speed limit, you can get out and have a crack at hitting those speeds if you like
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Nordic's 28 SS: a super cool carbon/Kevlar 28-ft (8.5-m) that ranks as the fastest catamaran style boat in North America. It'll run you around US$235,000 in this configuration
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Nordic's 29-ft (8.8-m) deck boat, which rocks a 600-hp motor and goes for around US$173,000
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At the lower end of the price spectrum sits this 2019 Angler V18 SF, from G3 boats. At around US$40,000, it's a 22.5-ft (6.9-m) fishing boat with a 150-hp Yamaha outboard
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Glastron brought its GTD225, which offers an impressive amount of seating and 300 hp worth of inboard motor for a US$50,000 price tag
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The 2019 Axis A24 inboard Chevy small block. It's almost too pretty to be hidden away.
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The 2019 Axis A24: just under US$100k nets you this sporty monster, with its giant 6-liter Monsoon engine
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Malibu MXZ: cockpit and front party pen
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The Malibu MXZ has to rank as the ultimate party boat. We counted no less than 22 cup holders, and 12 speakers plus a subwoofer
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Malibu MXZ: wakeboarding platform
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Malibu's MXZ wakeboarding boat, at just under US$155,000, doubles as the ultimate party platform, with comfy guest seating both fore and aft of the driver's seat
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View gallery - 55 images

Sand and water: there's plenty of both at Lake Havasu, Arizona, making it a bit of a mecca for high-octane vehicles built to tear across both the desert and the lake. Here are our photo highlights from the Southwest's biggest motorsports and outdoor recreation expo.

We've already covered the substantial RV portion of the expo; now it's time for the toys. This year's Sand & Water Expo turned on a bit of a smorgasbord for lovers of side-by-side off-roading, luxury speedboats, fishing kayaks and paddleboarding.

Can Am brought its entire range of side-by-sides, including the 2019 Maverick XC X RC (below), which ups the ante with some rockcrawling capability to further improve on the Maverick's go-anywhere capabilities.

The 2019 Can Am Maverick X3 X RC side-by-side now comes equipped with a clutch style locker on the front end that detects slip and will turn on/off the front locker as needed
4theriders.com/New Atlas

American Fastbacks specializes in making hard tops for Jeep JK and TJ/LJ models, and it brought a range of tricked-out Jeeps to the expo. This is their Badlands model, equipped with a stove top, a fridge, and an electric hard top camper with the ability to sleep four.

American Fastbacks specializes in making hard tops for Jeep JK and TJ/LJ models and brought a range of tricked-out Jeeps to the Sand and Water expo. This is its Badlands model, equipped with a stove top, a fridge, and an electric hard top camper with the ability to sleep four
4theriders.com/New Atlas

Hobie's range of sit down/stand up fishing and adventure kayaks are always popular, with their innovative bidirectional Mirage drive pedal paddles and generous amounts of storage and facilities.

Hobie's Mirage Outback: quick, stable and fully set up for solo fishing trips
4theriders.com/New Atlas

Nordic brought along its 28 SS, a 28-ft (8.5-m) carbon/Kevlar monster speedboat that it claims ranks as the fastest catamaran in North America. This US$235,000 beast packs twin 400-hp outboards for a top speed around 130 mph (210 km/h) across the water. Not for the faint of heart.

Nordic's 28 SS: a super cool carbon/Kevlar 28-ft (8.5-m) that ranks as the fastest catamaran style boat in North America. It'll run you around US$235,000 in this configuration
4theriders.com/New Atlas

The undisputed king of the party wake boats this year has to be the Malibu MXZ. Nothing tells the story quite like these two numbers: 22 cup holders, 12 speakers plus subwoofer.

The Malibu MXZ has to rank as the ultimate party boat. We counted no less than 22 cup holders, and 12 speakers plus a subwoofer
4theriders.com/New Atlas

There are plenty more pics in the gallery, so click through for a full tour of the off-road and on-water vehicles at this year's Sand & Water Expo.

View gallery - 55 images

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Outdoors4WDBoatsKayakingSand-Water-RV Expo
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Loz Blain
Loz leads the New Atlas team as Editorial Director, after nearly two decades as one of our most versatile writers. He's also proven himself as a photographer, videographer, presenter, producer and podcast engineer. A graduate in Psychology, former business analyst and touring musician, he's covered just about everything for New Atlas, concentrating lately on clean energy, AI, humanoid robotics, next-gen aircraft, and the odd bit of music, motorcycles and automotive.
1 comment
guzmanchinky
I have owned dozens of quads and side by sides, and here in California they are SO restricted as to where they can go it's laughable. If they ever came out with a street legal side by side I'd be the first one in line. If they are legal in Europe, why not here? For now I have my street legal dual sport motorcycle, at least I can ride that thing (almost) anywhere...
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