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Concept
Personal watercraft
Summary
A personal watercraft (PWC), also called water scooter or jet ski, is a recreational watercraft that are designed to hold only a small number of occupants, who sit/ride or stand on top of the craft, not within the craft as in a boat.
PWCs have two style categories, first and the most popular being a compact runabout typically holding no more than two or three people, who mainly "sit down" on top of the watercraft like riding a motorcycle or quadbike; the second style being a "stand-up" type, typically built for only one occupant who operates the watercraft standing up like riding a motorized scooter, and are used more for doing tricks, racing, and use in competitions. Both styles have an inboard engine driving a pump-jet that has a screw-shaped impeller to create thrust for propulsion and steering. Most are designed for two or three people, though four-passenger models exist. Many of today's models are built for more extended use and have the fuel capacity to make long cruises, in some cases even beyond .
Personal watercraft are often referred by the trademarked brand names of personal watercraft by Kawasaki (Jet Ski), Yamaha (WaveRunner), Bombardier (Sea-Doo), Elaqua (E-PWC) and Honda (AquaTrax).
The United States Coast Guard defines a personal watercraft, amongst other criteria, as a jet-drive boat less than long. There are many larger "jetboats" not classed as PWCs, some more than long.
Water scooters—as they were originally termed—were first developed in the United Kingdom and Europe in the mid-1950s, with models such as the British 200cc propeller-driven Vincent Amanda, and the German Wave Roller. Two thousand Vincent Amandas were exported to Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.
The Sea Skimmer was introduced in 1961 as a highly maneuverable version of a propelled surfboard. It was 1.5m 15.24cm long, powered by an inboard/outboard motor and reached speeds up to 40Km/h. The rider lay on the boat, controlling the speed with hand throttles and using the feet as rudders.
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