PWC

There are four US personal watercraft manufacturers: Honda, BRP, Kawasaki, and Yamaha. Honda makes the Aquatrax line of mid- to high-range PWC. BRP makes the immensely popular Sea-Doo PWC for a broad range of personal watercraft users. Kawasaki is the manufacturer behind the widely known Jet Ski brand PWC, which includes affordable entry-level watercraft like the SX 800-R model. Yamaha's Waverunner line includes the VX110 Deluxe, rated the 2005 Watercraft of the Year.

The majority of new PWC sold in the US today are multi-passenger watercraft. PWC can hold up to three or four people, and multi-passenger craft are used primarily by families on recreational outings. Personal watercraft may be purchased new or used. The average price for a new vessel in 2004 was a little over $9,000. Consequently, the market in more affordable used craft is very active.

PWC are usually transported by means of trailers designed especially for personal watercraft transport, or those that have been configured for that purpose. A government-coordinated survey from the year 2000 estimated that at that time, approximately 20 million Americans used PWC during the year. PWC have faced some issues over the years, and their design has evolved in response.

Today, about half of new PWC are manufactured with four-stroke engines. Four-stroke engines are used to combat two of the major complaints associated with older two-stroke engine models of personal watercraft: emissions and noise. An industry manufacturer's association asserts that four-stroke engines, along with engine improvements such as catalysts and direct injection, have significantly reduced key emissions by PWC over the past few years.