1990. All crazy about the jet ski

Welcome to the special section “BAM 35 Years.” We are presenting “cult” articles from the Motor Boats archive, starting in 1990. A journey through time among stories unobtainable today, even in the great sea of the internet! A dive into the world of epic moments in motor boating. Here is one of the stories we were most passionate about.

An exciting ride

From Boats to Motor 1990, No. 5, July, pp. 72-79.

They are the real revelation of this year, hydromotos, or jet skis, are increasingly becoming part of the Italians’ habit. Buy it, rent it or borrow it from a friend, but don’t risk being stranded this summer.

Ride them sitting, kneeling or standing, but ride them. That’s the ultimate fun of these water vacations: to the sea, to the lake, to the river: all riding a hydromoto. Thehydromoto or jet ski is a motorized watercraft that you pilot by gripping a handlebar quite similar to that of a motorcycle. Riding a jet ski is exciting and learning how to do it is easy and not at all dangerous. The advantage or the beauty is that when you fall off, you fall into the water and everything turns into fun. The fashion for hydromotos is fairly recent in Italy, and so far you can find three brands, all Japanese-made, Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki. It can be said, generalizing, that Suzuki offers a purely sport, speed model, while Yamaha and Kawasaki have put on the market a range of recreational, motocross, pure water fun models. The jewel in Kawasaki ‘s crown is the Jet Ski, a highly ductile hydromoto with movable handlebars that allow the riding position to be varied from sitting to kneeling to standing. The Jet Ski ‘s controls are all within easy reach and very simple to use. Start and stop are located on the handlebar on the left and the throttle on the right. The propulsion system, as in all jet skis, is waterjet and the turbine that drives it is located, for better protection, in the hull.

The hull is made of SMC (fiberglass-reinforced plastic) material; it is small enough in size and weight to make it maneuverable and easily transportable. Among the six models marketed by Kawasaki, one can find the single-seater and the two-seater; the quieter version, with the possibility of adding two floats for greater stability; and the more pushed, competition version. Characteristic is the automatic reset: in the event of capsizing, the Jet Ski automatically resumes its normal balanced position; indeed, thanks to the floats sealed to the hull, it is virtually unsinkable. Yamaha‘s Marine Jets, whether long-saddle or short-saddle, have technical and functional features quite similar to Jet Skis. With the short-saddle model, one can ride while standing behind the raised handlebars. The long-saddle model, also two-seater, provides greater stability and allows longer and more comfortable sailing. It is equipped with a large locker capable of carrying what you need, in addition to the equipment.

Suzuki‘s Wetbike, with its displacement of 798 cc. is, of all models, the model with the highest speed performance and is in fact the formula 1 of hydromotos in the Italian championship organized by the Powerboat Federation for the past few years. Is it really that easy to drive a hydromoto? “The only difficulty,” a champion tells us. Is to learn how to dose the throttle to tack. It is the throttle that gives the hydromoto directionality, so much so that if you take off the throttle, the vessel has no more thrust and even turning the handlebars would keep going straight. The more gas you give, the tighter you can make the turns. That’s the one thing you have to learn to do well. Other advice I can give to beginners is not to keep your chin too close to the handlebars, because if you encounter a wave you run the risk of hurting yourself; if you notice that the bow is pecking too much, shift your body weight forward, and if you fall into the water (the first few times it will happen to you often) remember to let go of your grip on the handlebars right away, so you don’t drag the vehicle on you. Otherwise there are no difficulties or dangers.” Finally, experiencing the thrill of a ride on a hydromoto is neither difficult nor expensive; in fact, you can rent one to test your skills. The most popular forms of rental are 30 and 60 minutes. Their cost ranges from 60,000 to 120,000 liras per hour. Rental points are scattered along all the Italian coasts.

by Riccardo Magrini

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