History
of PWC (personal watercrafts)
Less
than four years ago my family moved. We stayed in my hometown; we just wanted a
bigger house. This new house came with river access and two 2004 jet-skiis
(although not technically jet-skiis, I use the term synonymous with PWC). This
opened my perspective up to another new form of leisure activity.
The
concept of a PWC has existed as far back as 1955. Original designs were cooled
by air, as opposed to now when they are cooled by liquids. The first models
were big and bulky with an inability to travel very fast. In 1977, Jet-skiis
got a huge publicity boost when they appeared in the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. In the mid-80’s
with the popularity of these vehicles on the rise and the industry hitting a
boom, more magazines came into circulation.
The
industry in now in another huge time for change with new regulations with
respect to pollution and safety wanting to be addressed. The levels of pollution
for these older jet-skiis are astonishing and according to Mike Nixon just 7
hours of use is the same as driving a modern car for more than 100,000 miles. (Phenomenon)
These concerns
have led the industry to be in an almost constant state of change as they constantly
appease those in power so that they continue selling the number one vehicle on
the water, in terms of sales. As these watercrafts become more eco-friendly,
and we become more conscious of the environment, we might see the emergence of
a solar power jet-ski, but who knows when that will be.
Works Cited
Moore, John A. History
of Personal Watercraft. 3 July 2009. Web. 21 March 2013
<http://ezinearticles.com/?History-of-Personal-Watercraft&id=2561961>.
Nixon, Mike. The
Personal Watercraft Phenomenon. 4 April 2003. Web. 21 March 2013
<http://www.motorcycleproject.com/motorcycle/text/phenom3.html>.
Personal Watercraft Industry Association. Personal Watercraft. Web. 21 March
2013 <http://www.boatus.com/onlinecourse/documents/pwc.html>.
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