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Jetskis is the original personal watercraft manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan, the well-known manufacturers of motorcycles, AVTs, and utility vehicles. The word craft means a vehicle used for navigation in or on water or in air or through outer space. So watercraft is a craft for navigation through water. The word jet implies that the engine creates a powerful jet of water that makes the jet ski move in the opposite direction. 

The term jetski now refers to personal watercraft made by any company. Besdies Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., some other companies that manufacure jet skis are  Yamaha, Bombardier and Polaris.

Jetskis are used not for fishing, navigation or such mundane purposes. It is principally employed for pleasure, entertainment or recreational purposes. Jet skiing is a kind of water sports suitable for those seeking adventure, exhilaration or excitement on the smooth or rough waters of river, lake, or ocean.     

Jetskis come in three models. One person, two person and three person models. The one-person model, as the name indicates, is to be used by a single person. He stands up straight on ski-like pads and holds on to the handle poles or stand-ups as they are called and cruisess through water. The two-person and three-person models are used by two persons together or three persons together. They may do so  either sitting or standing.

The engines of jetskis may be two-stroke or four-stroke types, the former being more smoky and dirty  than the latter. The capacity varies from 200 cc to 780 cc.

Jetskis are not useful for whole family use.  A family of more than 3 persons cannot at once use even the roomist model of jet skis. What they can do is to take turns in riding it; while one member is cruising the others can watch, applaud and enjoy.

The cost of a new jet ski is usually $5,000 or more.

There are certain preliminaries before one can ride a jet ski. One needs long hours of  practice mastering the art of crusing the craft. An individual, moreover, can ride a jet ski only after registering the craft and after obgtaining driving license from the due authority. Again he can ride it only in waters that have been approved by the concerned authorities for jet ski riding.

The good thing about jet skis is that it is virtually non-sinkable. This is on account of its fiberglass strenghtened top deck and the foam floatation proteion built into it. Even then, prudences dictates that one carries a water jacket while riding the jetski.

The bad thing about a jet ski is that it is a dangerous vehicle and can be responsible for accidents and thereby cause harm not only to the rider himself but also to other users of waters. The danger is on account of the fact that it has no propellers to slow it  down when the motor is off. The result is that the craft does not steer when rider lets off the throttle, or does not readily stop when brakes are applied.