Jetski

An interesting take on the PWC – but will the idea float?

By Mick Webb

06:46 September 17, 2009 PDT

With personal watercraft design evolving at what some may say is “a rate of knots”, a rather interesting concept has come to our attention. The brainchild of Spanish designer Miguel Angel, this cross between a Jet Ski and a body board is designed with speed and maneuverability in mind – but does the idea have what it takes when the going gets tough and the water gets rough? Read More

The Samba defines a new class of 65 mph 200 pound PWC

By Mike Hanlon

00:47 April 27, 2009 PDT

The PWC is evolving rapidly with the new Sea-Doo GTX Limited iS 255 and RXT iS 255 which introduce the industry's first suspension and braking and a new production-ready design which looks capable of defining a whole new class of PWC. The Samba looks like a stingray and is ridden in a motorcycle-like, crouch. Evolved over five years and four prototypes, it is so small and light, an 80 bhp motor can offer the power-to-weight and the same 65 mph top speed of the fastest 250 bhp sit-downs, with extreme agility, control and acrobatic capabilities far beyond those of a stand-up. Above all, the Samba is easy-to-ride, and extreme tricking is relatively easily attainable for even beginners, such is the degree of “body english” control offered to the rider by the design which puts the centre of gravity of the whole package between the rider's wrists and shoulders. Read More

Foiljet MR1 hydrofoil: the motocross bike for water

By Paul Evans

00:55 February 10, 2009 PST

The Foiljet MR1 is a new personal watercraft concept that takes the best features of a motocross bike and jetski, throws in two hydrofoils plus a silent, energy efficient electric motor to create what would have to be a surefire recipe for outrageous fun. The design looks something like a motocross bike, but instead of wheels there are beams with small hydrofoil wings mounted at the ends that can be raised or lowered. The concept would use a 15 kW (20 hp) electric motor housed at the end of the rear beam with its instant electric torque lifting the craft out of the water to become "foil borne". Read More

Unmanned jet-skis to take on harbour patrol missions

By Loz Blain

01:09 September 17, 2007 PDT

September 17, 2007 UK-based defense contractor QinetiQ is preparing to demonstrate the Sentry – an unmanned watercraft the size of a jet-ski that’s set up to perform remote-controlled patrol, reconnaissance and damage assessment missions. Its six hour mission endurance and control range of up to 16 nautical miles will make this stealthy vehicle a very practical security tool. Read More

Electric inflatable watercraft - the Jetski for beginners

By Shaun McKeegan

05:37 August 21, 2007 PDT

August 21, 2007 Inflatable watercraft are now available for dozens of different recreational purposes, from basic loungers through to purpose-built inflatables that come in every imaginable size and shape. A new product from Icontech, the Electric Inflatable Watercraft, is a battery powered, sit-down jetski-like product, that has a maximum speed of 10kmh and is an affordable alternative for the beginner or novice water enthusiast. Read More

Supercharger performance kit pulls 300+ horsepower from Kawasaki jet ski

By Loz Blain

05:44 July 31, 2007 PDT

July 31, 2007 Any jet-ski boasting a stroked-out, 1500cc motor straight from the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R should be treated with extreme caution – but since the 250-horsepower Jet Ski Ultra 250X was released, owners of the STX-15F have been feeling a little left behind. Not to worry – nothing succeeds like excess in the petrol head world - and the aftermarket has stepped in with a bolt-on supercharger capable of turning the STX-15F into a 330-horsepower aquatic widow-maker that can launch you and a horrified passenger to 60mph nearly as fast as a road-going superbike, leaving your 250X-riding buddies gasping in your wake. Read More

The Kawasaki Ultra 250X – 250 horsepower that is!

By Mike Hanlon

March 21, 2007 The concept of a powered watercraft for personal use is roughly 100 years old this year and the earliest we can trace came about early when the remarkable polymath Frederick William Lanchester came up with the idea of putting a powerful motor in a small boat. The personal watercraft (PWC) concept took shape in the 1960s, combining the elements of self-power, small size and quick steering and though there were several viable efforts, notably by Bombardier, it was Kawasaki ‘s standup JET SKI watercraft of the early seventies which kickstarted the market. Unlike snowmobiles, motorcycles , quads and all other forms of personal powered recreational vehicle, the Jet Ski offered a thrilling experience with significant less likelihood of serious physical damage (water is a lot softer than mother earth) and a workout so physical that it promotes extreme health. Since then the PWC market has evolved into four major manufacturers with two main forms of ski – stand-up and sit-down – with the larger sit-down versions easily serving as three-person craft. I have watched it happen, as I attended the launch of the original Kawasaki Jet Ski way back in the seventies. It had a 400 cc motor so it seemed like an ideal time to reflect on how far the PWC has come in such a short time when I recently attended the launch of the Kawasaki’s latest Jet Ski, the Ultra 250X. As they have done several times in motorcycle history (the Kawasaki 500 H1, the Kawasaki 750 H2, the Kawasaki Z1, the Kawasaki Z1300, and most recently the Kawasaki ZX14), Kawasaki has gazumped all those who came before it with a single product. Kawasaki Heavy Industries prides itself on producing the biggest, the fastest, the most powerful and every few years you can count on them delivering it. The Kawasaki’s Ultra 250X model designation refers to its horsepower output. That’s 250 horsepower – capable of pushing the Ultra 250X along at around 68 mph. That’s not the biggest strength of the machine though – awesome power is available pretty much from the get-go, and simply hanging on to a machine with 250 horsepower flinging you at the horizon is a feeling like no other. The Ultra 250X hauls butt like no other off-the-shelf PWC and we can’t wait to see what the aftermarket dreams up for it and what competitors respond with. In the meantime, it’s the king of the heap. We guarantee that if you can wrestle the Ultra 250X into submission, then grizzly bears won’t pose a problem and runaway locomotives will be simply backhanded away. Read More

DockitJet offers both a jet boat and a jetski

By Mike Hanlon

March 17, 2007 The concept of using a jetski to power a larger watercraft was pioneered back in the early nineties and has yielded a stunning array of versatile PWC-dockable watercraft such as the Shuttlecraft, Windjet, Jetmate and Jetmaster, but the idea has been taken in a different direction with this inventive PWC-dockable Rigid Inflatable Boat. Instead of going with fibreglass structures driven by one and quite ingeniously two synchronised jet skis, the Dockitjet utilises an unsinkable RIB for a fast, lightweight, very stable and incredibly practical watercraft capable of carrying six people plus all their gear quite comfortably. Available in two sizes (5.0 meters and 5.6 meters), you can dock and undock the PWC of your choice in minutes and have the best of both worlds. Videos here and licensing enquiries here. Read More

50 mph Quadski converts from Jetski to ATV in five seconds

By Mike Hanlon

Alan Gibb's Aquada and Humdinga high speed amphibious vehicles have been making the headlines for the last few years, partly because they work, partly because they have compelling feature sets and partly because the Aquada has set a few records, most notably in the hands of Sir Richard Branson. Now there's a new affordable Gibbs amphibian on the way that instantly becomes one of the most desirable recreational vehicles on the planet - it's both a quadbike and a jet ski and converts from one guise to the other at the touch of a button in under five seconds, using the 140 bhp motor to reach 50 mph (72km/h) on both land and water. The design offers a new class of recreational vehicle, along with a range of capabilities that make it ideal for life saving clubs, search and rescue, military, emergency services and aid workers who will be able to reach areas and people no two or four wheel drive vehicle could reach. Gibbs Technologies intends to license the design and technology for the Quadski and is seeking expressions of interest. Read More