The concept of jet skis came up in 1973 when the Kawasaki Motor Company used it to name a personal watercraft. In the early 1960s a company by the name of Bombardier made a similar model. A jet ski is basically motorized transport over water in a small craft. The use of this model is regulated by the governing body of the country and is generally for amusement rather than any kind of transportation. Mostly they have found it to be useful to lifeguards at beaches and rescue squads. The Kawasaki craft has the brand name Jet Ski and all models have safety standards they must conform to. It runs on the concept of ejecting water from the back of the craft and has planing speeds. Since water is ejected under water the surrounding stationary water absorbs the movement, propelling it forward. The earliest design of jet boats was in 1931 by Secondo Campini, an Italian inventor in Venice, although the original design is claimed to have come from Sir William Hamilton. The largest jet-propelled vessels are frigates in South Africa. The companies manufacturing jet skis and jet boats are the Kawasaki Motor Company, Hamilton Jet Designs, Bombardier of Canada, American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Polaris Industries Inc. and Yamaha Motor Corp. The title of "jet boat capital"goes to Queensland, New Zealand. Some of the best waters to indulge in this sport are Arizona, Queenstown, and all the major beaches of Thailand. This sport provides hours of fun and the thrill of speed, although it is not without its dangers. |
