How Many People Can Ride A Jet Ski – Seating Capacity?

One of the first things someone would say when looking at a new Sea-Doo was “is this a 3-seater”?

Often, they were confused because it didn’t look like a “3-seater”.

The number of people they can hold is odd, especially if you’re only looking at it the actual seat. It’s not always what it seems!

You can get a PWC in the following ranges…

• 1-seater
• 2-seater
• 3-seater
• 4-seater

The 1-seater and 4-seater are far less common, with the 3-seater being the most common. But just because a watercraft is rated for 3 people DOESN’T mean it can fit 3 grown adults!!!

Not only that, you need to adhere to the weight limit even when pulling tubes! There is a lot to cover, so let’s talk more about the number of people allowed on a watercraft!

The Difference Between a 2-Seater And a 3-Seater

A common thing I would get from customers when they looked at a 3-seater is that many of them thought it was a 2-seater.

It was even worse on smaller jet skis like the Sea-Doo Spark, as you can see, the difference was not huge.

The honest truth is that a 3-seater is not 3 fully grown adults, but 2 adults and maybe a small child.

The seats are more spacious on larger models like the GTI, VX and larger models, but it’s still not for 3 grown burly men.

A jet ski can only support so much weight, so the seats are not huge and not made for many people.

It’s because of this that a 3-seater is more common, as it fits 2 normal-sized people nicely.

The Max Capacity

If your jet ski is rated for 3, you must not go over that.

The same goes for 2-seaters.

Many manufacturers put a sticker on the craft to let you know the maximum capacity, and going over this not only gets you in trouble with the water cops, but could put people’s lives at risk.

Jet skis are rated for a certain weight. They consider the average person’s weight along with gear to base these numbers on.

Going over the maximum weight makes it more likely to flip and harder to control in the water.

Tow Sports And What It Means For Seating

If your jet ski is rated for 3 people to ride, that means…

• One person driving.
• One acting as the spotter.
• One on the tube or wakeboard.

Some states allow 2 to be towed only if you have mirrors.

If you go over the max, you will get fined by the local water police. We have these rules for the “just in case” someone gets hurt, they have enough room on the craft to get back on and to a safe area.

Please be sure to follow your local laws, especially the rules they have for how many people can ride!

A 4-Seater Watercraft was A thing

For a short time, you could get a 4-seater ski from several manufacturers around the early 2000s. (The Sea-Doo LRV and the Yamaha SUV were the 4 seaters of their time.)

At the start, these larger machines were a huge hit as you could take the whole family. They offer a ton of storage and had just enough power.

The reason why 4-seaters never became popular is that they are almost akin to boats in size, and people generally prefer actual boats. Additionally, 3-seaters are slightly cheaper and considered “good enough“, making them more appealing. Consequently, 3-seaters prevailed in the market as the preferred choice for consumers.

It is possible for 4-seaters to come back due to the prices of boats going up, but I won’t hold my breath anytime soon. These things needed a special trailer, and since many people like buying two jet skis, two 3-seaters is better than 1 4-seater.

There are things called a Shuttlecraft that allow you to put a jet ski in the rear of the boat.

You don’t see these much because they’re cumbersome to use, slow, and overall just a pain.

I would rather go with the Sea-Doo Switch. I’ve learned in life that things that try to be multiple things often are the worst of the two things.