Why Are Jet Skis So Big???

These things are HUGE!

Or…

This thing is the SIZE OF A BOAT!

I would constantly get this when someone was seeing a jet ski in person for the first time. I got this comment so often that I’m surprised I’ve never written about it before.

Let’s go over why jet skis are so big and explain why it’s not as big as you might think.

To be fair, watercraft have gotten larger through the years.

They used to be much smaller back in the 90s with 2-Strokes engines.

These smaller watercraft were for sure more playful and a blast to ride.

Towards the late 90s into the early 00s, things started to change for PWCs. They started to get big, there was even a time where they were so huge they could hold 4 Passengers.

People Want HUGE Models

The biggest reason why waverunners are so big is that people want them that way.

Everyone wanted something that was stable and able to carry 3 people along with all their gear.

This wasn’t a problem at first, the people who wanted a larger ski got them, but many of the manufacturers still made the smaller ones for the customers that crave those.

This was before the great recession, when everyone wanted the giant Hummer and other large SUVs, and thus people wanted the SUVs of the water.

The Recession

Then the great recession hit, and it created this awkward time for watercraft. No one wanted to buy them because they have gotten so big and also more expensive.

From 2008 to 2013, the watercraft world was struggling.

They had these big expensive machines no one was buying. They did not have small, simple and cheap machines that part of the market long for. It was a tough time.

Then Came The Sea-Doo Spark

In 2014, Sea-Doo took the world by surprised and introduced the Sea-Doo Spark. Sea-Doo went back to what made them successful, small and lightweight watercraft that were affordable.

For years, every manufacturer was in a race to make them larger and more expensive because that was what the market wanted. Then the recession hit and the market changed.

Sea-Doo saw this and came in full force with the Spark.

The Spark Changed It All!

To give you an idea, The Spark started at $4,999 and the year before that the cheapest model was closer to $8k, so it was a big deal. Before the Spark, Sea-Doo was not known for being the cheapest around, the opposite was true.

The Spark brought back a nimble and lightweight machine that was super great on gas. Not only was it cheap to buy, but cheap to run, and the market ate them up.

The name of the Spark came from “re-sparking” the industry, and it did just that.

Not everyone wanted or needed a big PWC. And because of the price point, Sea-Doo got more people in the sport, and many of them eventually upgraded to the larger machines.

The Real Reason They “Look” Big

Just because the Spark came around did not mean no one bought the bigger models. If anything, it showed people that the larger skis had their place.

But the question still comes up for new riders, “These things are HUGE!”

And the answer is simple as to why they look so big. They’re not in the water.

They Look BIG Out Of The Water

Usually, a watercraft natural habitat is in the water, so you only see the top half exposed. Not only that but they look big in showrooms but compared to other boats and landmarks they look tiny.

When they’re in a showroom they’re usually on stands that get them high off the ground. You can see parts of it you don’t normally see, and it just looks odd to see a boat out of the water.

I had a running joke when someone commented on the size; I would say, “they shrink when you get them wet.”

Big Vs. Little

You might be reading this because you’re new to PWCs and not sure which one to get.

You may have noticed that they come in various sizes and may be taken aback by the big ones.