Hayling Island PWC Club
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Personal Watercraft
A
Personal watercraft is a
machine which uses water jet propulsion to
plane on the waters surface. Personal Watercraft are also known as
Jetski's, although this term is owned by the Kawasaki organisation,
therefore the industry is using the term personal watercraft to
describe both sitdown and stand up models.
The figure below shows the sit down PW in more detail.
Personal
Watercraft have come a long way,
sit down models can now
develop in excess of 250 bhp using complex 4 stroke engines and can be
designed to carry up to 3-4 people depending on the model. Engineering
advances have been made in reducing noise whilst increasing fuel
efficiency.
Stand
up models usually have a 2 stroke
engine although some
manufacturers are offering a 4 stroke engine.
Stand Up models are very manouvreable and are able to do some spectacular jumps, rolls and tricks in the right hands.
Stand Up models are very manouvreable and are able to do some spectacular jumps, rolls and tricks in the right hands.
Sit
down personal watercraft are very
similar to a small power boat.
All PWC have a lanyard which the user will attach to themselves
(usually around the operators wrist, but can be to a lifejacket) which
will cut the engine should the operator fall off. All PWC Operators
should wear a personal flotation device.
The drive system of a PWC is
very important. This picture shows how the
jetdrive works. Water is simply "sucked" into the intake through the
impeller and forced out through the steering nozzle. PWC are unable to
steer without power. Seaweed, plastic bags, fishing lines and other
flotsam and jetsam are a real hazard for PWC users. At best such debris
will decrease performance, whereas a plastic bag can "kill" a PWC
jetpump and potentially cause a dangerous breakdown.
All
registered PWC have a datatag number on
the port and starboard of
craft placed towards the bow.
This is very similar to a car registeration plate, datatag numbers are used to uniquely identify each PWC and their registered keepers. This data can be used by the appropriate authorities in case of theft for example.
It is a club requirement that all club PWC are datatag registered.
This is very similar to a car registeration plate, datatag numbers are used to uniquely identify each PWC and their registered keepers. This data can be used by the appropriate authorities in case of theft for example.
It is a club requirement that all club PWC are datatag registered.
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