Equipment Outfitters

Motorcycles have always attracted people with a yearning for speed and an appetite for adrenaline. For years, the closest thing anyone could get to that sensation on the water was in a small boat with a big motor. These were fast, but could hardly be called maneuverable. Then in 1965 a Californian banker with a passion for motorcycles conceived of an aquatic version which would become known worldwide as the Jet Ski.

Clayton JACOBSON enjoyed building racing motorcycles in his spare time. He loved going fast on motorcycles— but crashing on hard pavement was not what he considered to be their appeal. The concept of the Jet Ski was born from Jacobson’s theory that a motorcycle for the water would be just as fun to ride as the ones he enjoyed building, but without the pain of a hard landing if you fell off. Mr. Jacobson would be correct.

Jacobson built a few prototypes from his designs, and after being issued a patent in 1969, licensed his design to Ski-Doo manufacturer Bombardier. Bombardier ran into several problems and halted development a year later. Their license to use the design expired in 1971, and within months Jacobson signed a deal with Kawasaki to use his design. In 1973 Kawasaki introduced the Jet Ski, the first stand-up personal watercraft. Clayton Jacobson’s concept soon became one of the most successful boat designs in history.
What made the Jet Ski possible was that Jacobson utilized a jet water-pump system rather then the Sixties state-of-the-art inboard or outboard motor propulsion systems. These motors utilize an external propeller to provide thrust. The Jet Ski design uses an internal water-jet motor for thrust. The motor draws water into itself and shoots a stream out again to generate thrust, without exposing potentially hazardous blades that can injure a rider. Current engines deliver in excess of 85 horsepower and can push the Jet Ski to speeds exceeding 50 mph (80kph).

The correct term for the jet-driven craft currently available is “personal watercraft.” The term Jet Ski is a registered trademark of the Kawasaki Corporation. Kawasaki had exclusive domain over the jet-driven personal watercraft until 1987, when several would-be rivals entered the market with sit-down versions. Because the sit-down design is far less physically demanding than the stand-up Jet Ski, they have far broader consumer appeal, and now make up over 95 per cent of the personal watercraft market.

Both stand-up and sit-down designs offer a sense of freedom and performance that is unrivaled by other small motorized boats. They allow riders to use their bodies to enhance the watercraft’s performance. Much like the motorcycles they were intended to replicate, personal watercraft give riders a wind-andwater-in-the-face sensation that is addictive to say the least.

Racing and freestyle

Competitive events are held internationally, and include closed-course racing and freestyle riding. The freestyle events are meant to showcase each rider’s skills by requiring them to execute a series of difficult and creative maneuvers within a predetermined time period, generally two minutes. Each rider is scored by a panel of seven judges, issuing points from 1-10. The rider with the highestscore wins. Riders execute a range of tricks, including submerging their watercraft and shooting it up out of the water, as well as jumps and spins requiring strength and agility.

The closed-course races require groups of riders to race each other around a set of buoys, with the winner determined at the finish line. The closed courses include a series of right- and left-hand turns, requiring riders to be strong all-around drivers. These races take place as a series of elimination heats. The top finishers advance to the next race until a group reaches the final heat. The finishing positions in the final heat determine the overall winners.

Events are broken down into three classes. First is the Runabout Division, consisting of sit-down personal watercraft designed to seat one or more. Second is the Sport Division, which uses lighter, higher-performance versions of sit-down watercraft. Third is the Ski Division, which comprises stand-up designs for one rider.

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