Kawasaki Jet Ski

The inventor of the personal watercraft, now available in the Ultra, STX and ST series.

Jet Ski is Kawasaki’s range of personal watercraft, part of Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan. In 1973, the brand launched the JS400, which the company claims was the world’s first mass-produced personal watercraft, based on ideas by inventor Clayton Jacobson II. Until the late 1980s, Kawasaki only manufactured stand-up models; subsequently, sit-down runabouts were also added to the range. The name Jet Ski is a Kawasaki trade name and not a generic term. In the Benelux, sales are handled by Kawasaki Motors Europe, Benelux Branch, based at Jacobus Spijkerdreef in Hoofddorp.

The current range comprises three model families. At the top of the range is the Ultra 310 series, comprising the 310LX, 310LX-S and 310X, featuring a supercharged 1,498 cc four-cylinder engine producing 300 hp in a 3.58-metre hull designed for three people. Below that are the Ultra 160 models, including the Ultra 160LX-S Angler with fishing rod holders, and the STX 160 series with the 160LX, 160X and 160R, alongside the more basic ST 160. These models measure around 3.42 metres and deliver 152 hp from the same four-cylinder engine. With these, Kawasaki is targeting cruising, sporty boating and angling.

Facts & figures

• A jet ski brand owned by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan
• In 1973, it launched the JS400, the first mass-produced personal watercraft
• Jet Ski is a registered trademark of Kawasaki and is not a generic term
• Represented in the Benelux by Kawasaki Motors Europe in Hoofddorp
• Produces models measuring approximately 3.4 to 3.6 metres in length, powered by a 1498 cc four-cylinder engine
• Offers the Ultra, STX and ST ranges