Supercharged Jet Skis tend to be unreliable - why

[Brian Stirling]

Just exactly how does one fall off at that speed?

There are many ways...

I caught a wave the wrong way and got tossed.

I hit a submerged log/rock and got tossed.

In the three seasons I used it a lot I got tossed at 65mph or faster probably about 4 times. Twice I skipped across with little harm, but the other two times knocked the living sh@t out of me.


Brian

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Were you not wearing a life jacket? I don't really understand the 10ft below the surface and not knowing which way is up.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I had a 1999 Kawasaki 1200 triple two stroke ski that could do 70mph+ with the right conditions and I've fallen, several times, at about that speed. Let me tell you hitting the water at 70 ain't no picknick.

It kind of goes like this ... You hit the water at 70 and maybe skip a bit then you catch a wave or something and the next thing you know you're 10 feet below the surface wondering which way is up. When you get to the surface you gasp as the wind has been totally knocked out of you and for a minute or two you hope you will be able to breeth again. Then, after you are able to almost breeth you notice you're 200 feet away from your ski.

Good times...

Brian

Yeah anything above 60 MPH is scary fast. I haven't fallen at that speed but I've hit the water when being towed behind a boat at ~35 MPH and it wasn't fun.

 

[slag]

I had a 1999 Kawasaki 1200 triple two stroke ski that could do 70mph+ with the right conditions and I've fallen, several times, at about that speed. Let me tell you hitting the water at 70 ain't no picknick.

It kind of goes like this ... You hit the water at 70 and maybe skip a bit then you catch a wave or something and the next thing you know you're 10 feet below the surface wondering which way is up. When you get to the surface you gasp as the wind has been totally knocked out of you and for a minute or two you hope you will be able to breeth again. Then, after you are able to almost breeth you notice you're 200 feet away from your ski.

Good times...


Brian

The ultra 150 is a super fun ski for sure.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Were you not wearing a life jacket? I don't really understand the 10ft below the surface and not knowing which way is up.

Oh yeah I was wearing my life jacket -- you didn't want to get caught without one and since most of my skiing was done on the Hudson River there was plenty of sheriffs around and they LOVED ticketing skis...

It's not hard at all to wind up 10 feet under when you're going 70mph.

And the reason you don't know which way is up is because you've just had the sh*t knocked out of you.


Brian

 

[Brian Stirling]

The ultra 150 is a super fun ski for sure.

Yep, Ultra 150 -- that thing was FAST.


I picked it up when I was in my early 40's so not a kid anymore but I did enjoy wake jumping behind the barges that travelled the Hudson. You did have to be careful though because there were some wakes that if you hit it at high speed you could EASILY go 30 feet in the air and, again, not being a kid anymore that wasn't in the cards. Frankly, I don't think the Ultra 150 would appreciate hitting the water from a 30 foot drop.


Brian