Personal Watercraft Personal watercraft are small, agile boats powered by an inboard engine and a jet pump mechanism. They are subject to the same laws and requirements as larger, more conventional boats. Personal watercraft are not high speed toys. While personal watercraft may have a number of differences from other boats,there is no difference between personal watercraft operators and other boaters. For this reason, it is valuable for you to know boating basics.
All personal watercraft have certain common characteristics.
The most important of these is the inboard engine with a jet drive propulsion system, and the fact that the operator is expected to be able to safely fall overboard and reboard this vessel. These features are related because the jet drive system eliminates any moving parts, such as a propeller or rudder, on the exterior surface of the hull. The propulsion system parts present no risk to the operator while falling or reboarding.