Jet Ski Weight Limit – What Does It Mean?

Yes, there is a jet ski weight limit, and yes, you should avoid going over it.

The weight limit on a jet ski is all the passenger’s weight, along with everything you carry in the storage compartment.

I want to talk about why this limit exists, give you a list of all weight limits, and why you should avoid going over it.

Jet Ski Weight Limits Chart

Manufacturer	Model	Weight Capacity
Sea-Doo	2 UP 60HP Spark	352 lb
Sea-Doo	2 UP 90HP Spark	352 lb
Sea-Doo	3 UP 90HP Spark	450 lb
Yamaha	EX	485 lb
Sea-Doo	2 UP 90HP iBR Spark w/ Conv.	352 lb
Sea-Doo	3 UP 90HP iBR Spark w/ Conv.	450 lb
Sea-Doo	GTS	600 lb
Yamaha	EX Sport	485 lb
Yamaha	SuperJet	1 Person
Yamaha	EX Deluxe	485 lb
Sea-Doo	GTI	600 lb
Sea-Doo	GTI SE	600 lb
Yamaha	VX	530 lb
Kawasaki	STX-15F	496 lb
Kawasaki	SX-R	1 Person
Yamaha	VX Deluxe	530 lb
Sea-Doo	GTI SE 130	600 lb
Yamaha	VX Cruiser	530 lb
Sea-Doo	GTI SE 155	600 lb
Yamaha	VX Limited	530 lb
Kawasaki	Ultra LX	496 lb
Yamaha	VX Cruiser HO	530 lb
Sea-Doo	Wake 155	600 lb
Yamaha	VXR	530 lb
Sea-Doo	GTR 230	600 lb
Sea-Doo	GTI Limited 155	600 lb
Sea-Doo	GTX 155	600 lb
Sea-Doo	GTR-X 230	400 lb
Yamaha	FX HO	530 lb
Sea-Doo	RXT 230	600 lb
Yamaha	FX Cruiser HO	530 lb
Sea-Doo	GTX 230	600 lb
Yamaha	GP1800	530 lb
Sea-Doo	Wake Pro 230	600 lb
Yamaha	FX SVHO	530 lb
Kawasaki	Ultra 310X	496 lb
Sea-Doo	RXP-X 300	400 lb
Sea-Doo	RXT-X 300	600 lb
Kawasaki	Ultra 310X SE	496 lb
Sea-Doo	GTX Limited 230	600 lb
Yamaha	FX Cruiser SVHO	530 lb
Kawasaki	Ultra 310R	496 lb
Sea-Doo	GTX Limited 300	600 lb
Yamaha	FX Limited SVHO	530 lb
Kawasaki	Ultra 310LX	496 lb

Please don’t confuse the weight of the watercraft with its weight limit or weight capacity. The weight of the watercraft is how much it weighs, but the weight capacity is how much it can hold.

What Is The Weight Limit For Jet Skis?

The weight limit for jet skis varies from 350 pounds to 600 pounds. That’s approximately 160 kg to 272 kg.

The weight limit includes all gear and rider weights combined. If everyone on the jet ski weighs more than the limit, the watercraft is not safe and risk sinking, damage, or personal injury.

What’s The Big Deal?

I’m often surprised by other jet ski riders being so care-free with the weight limit. It’s there for a reason and is not a suggestion.

When you get too much weight on a jet ski, it becomes unstable. When you have an unstable watercraft, it’s harder to control, especially at lower speeds where you need the most control. This all leads to it being dangerous around the docks.

Being over the weight limit means the jet ski is more likely to flip over or the sink. A jet ski that is flipping over or sinking raises the chances of the engine hydrolocking or getting damaged.

If you do get the jet ski out on the water while it’s being over the weight limit, taking a turn too sharp will cause you to roll over. You can also lose control of the steering of the jet ski, causing you to get hurt or damage your PWC. Falling off a jet ski doesn’t mean it will turn around and come back to you, either.

What The Weight Limit Means

The weight limit on a jet ski includes all passengers, gear, gas and everything that is on the watercraft.

On every jet ski will either be a sticker telling you the weight limit or the owner’s manual listing the maximum capacity for them.

Going over the weight limit of your jet ski can get people hurt or damage your jet ski. The more weight your jet ski has, the harder it becomes to control, especially at low speeds. The jet ski will also struggle more with the more weight it has to carry or pull, this is why smaller jet skis struggle to pull towables.

Seat Capacity Vs. Weight Limit

Even if your jet ski is a 3-seater, it doesn’t mean you can ignore the weight limit. The weight limit includes the weight of all the riders, and if all 3 people’s weight is more than the limit, you can’t ride the jet ski safely.

The same is true the other way around, even if 4 people are under the weight limit of a jet ski, you can’t have 4 people on a 3-person capacity jet ski.

Water patrol takes seating capacity very seriously, especially when it comes to pull sports for jet skis.

It’s also a bit tricky at times because many jet skis look like 2-seaters but fits 3 people. The honest truth is that most 3-seater jet skis fit two normal-sized adults, and a 2-seater fits one normal-sized adult.

I’m a 240-pound man, and I feel very confident riding a 3 or 2 seater spark by myself. I’ve even ridden two of me on my 3 seater spark, it’s possible, and no one fell off. But I would not dare put any more weight beyond that. I’ve also ridden 2up on a 3 seater GTI and had no issues with that; it felt a lot more stable than the 3-seaters Spark, that is for sure.

Can You Ride 4 People On A Jet Ski?

The most common size seating capacity for jet skis is 3 people, the next is 2 people.

There used to be 4 seater jet skis, but they don’t exist anymore, and you cannot ride 4 people on a 3-seater jet ski. The same logic still holds true for pulling tubes, you can only have 3 people total on a 3-seater jet ski, that includes jet ski and tubes all together.

To add to it, most 3-person jet skis don’t fit 3 “normal-sized adults”, maybe two adults and a child, but it’s tight.

Going over the seating capacity will often get you a ticket from water patrol. As covered earlier, just because everyone on the jet ski is under the weight limit does not mean you can ride extra people on your 3-seater jet ski.

Can You Jet Ski If You Weigh More Than 300 Pounds?

Riding a jet ski is more physical activity than many realize, even the sit-down jet skis will give you some workout.

The problem doesn’t come from riding a jet ski but getting on and off the jet ski if you’re overweight. If you fall off, it can be hard to get back on, even if it has a reboarding ladder. Not only are you waterlogged, which makes it harder to get out of the water, but you also need to balance while getting back on the PWC.

I’m no small person, at 240 pounds it can be tricky for me to get back on my Sea-Doo Spark. It’s a little easier on GTI’s and VX models and really nice on FX or GTX, but still can be tricky.

A reboarding ladder* is a must on every jet ski, and practice is important. I suggest if you’re concerned is to start off in a safe area with you in the water and try to board the jet ski from the back. If you can’t do it, then float back over to the dock or beach and don’t risk it.

If Weight Is An Issue

If you’re concerned about weight, you’ll want to stick to the bigger jet ski models.

These bigger models are for example the FX series from Yamaha, GTX or RXT from Sea-Doo, or Ultras from Kawasaki.

If you’re new to jet skis but still want something that’s easier on the pockets, I recommend you check out my post on the best beginner jet ski. And no, it’s not a Spark or EX that I recommend.

Trailer Weight Limit

Not only does your jet ski have a weight limit, but so does your trailer.

I can’t tell you how many times I had customers refuse to upgrade their trailers when buying bigger jet skis. It often took me putting the bigger machines on the old trailer and showing them the nose flying up before they got it.

The biggest factor for trailer weight and size is the axle, as it will bend over time if you overload the trailer. All the gear and items on your jet skis and the jet skis themselves will affect the towing capacity of the trailer, so make sure you don’t go over that.