Page 166 - Cityview_Jan_Feb_2014

2014 Downtown Knoxville boatshow

Feel the Speed on a

Personal Watercraft

by chris Linden
tantly, scan your surroundings and in the water, thus flooding the engine.
avoid debris.
PWCs do require routine mainte-

Smaller and more versatile than “You’ve got a jet pump in the back, nance. Impeller pumps and oil can be
boats, personal watercrafts (PWC) pack and as you suck those sticks in through replaced in the spring, but winteriza-

a lot of power, sometimes exceeding
the intake and blow them out the back, tion is essential, says Jansing. Besides
80 mph. Perhaps better known by their they’ll tend to get stuck inside the adding fuel stabilizer to the gas tank

brand names—Sea-Doo, WaveRunner— pump,” says Charlie Jansing, owner of and draining water from the engine, it’s
these machines have evolved rapidly in Alcoa good Times in Louisville. “It’ll wise to protect the motor.

the past decade.
cause a big vibration and your engine “What we do is we fog the engine,”
one of the newest innovations comes will cavitate.”
says Jansing. “We take aerated oil and

from Sea-Doo, which has developed
Cavitation isn’t good. When that spray it into the intake. The air goes in,
a watercraft braking system. At the happens, a bubble of steam and air and the engine runs and we coat the

stroke of a lever, an electronic system occurs between a PWC and the water. whole inside of the engine with this
pushes water in reverse, forcing the A craft that should be going 50 mph is aerated oil.”

craft to a dead stop.
suddenly slowed to about 15.
PWC motor oil doesn’t drain like
“Sea-Doo is actually the only “So it’s tough for new people to the a car, so it’s a process better left to a

manufacturer to ever receive the Coast sport to realize: ‘Hey, I’ve got an acorn or dealership, says Jansing. Besides, it
guard safety award for their safety on a small stick in my pump,’” says Jansing. maintains a valuable relationship.

watercraft,” says Justin Price, co-owner “I just need to put it on my trailer and “I tell my customers, ‘Hey, when
of Mountain Motorsports in Sevierville.
reach in there and it’ll be fine.”
something bad happens, say you’re

Price is also impressed with the When a blockage happens, Jansing down on the lake, and your whole
brand-new, entry-level Sea-Doo Spark. recommends limping to shore and wave runner is full of water, the best

It carries a four-stroke engine and pow- raising the PWC on a lift or trailer. A thing you can do is just call me,’” says
erful technology—at half the cost for a beginner’s biggest mistake, he says, is to Jansing. “I can probably talk you

typical PWC. “It’s going to be something tilt the PWC on its side or upside down
through most any problem you’ve got.”
really good for the entry-level consumer

or for younger people,” he says.
Whether a beginner or pro, it’s im-

portant to remember the basics. Besides
carrying a fire extinguisher, signaling

device, and a radio, PWC riders should
also wear compression shorts—a span-

dex-type wetsuit that protects against
injuries in the event of a fall.

“When you ride a personal water-
craft, there’s a risk of water injection

into your orifices, because of the pro-
pulsion coming out of the back,” says

Price. “So you wear compression shorts
to make sure that if you fall off the back

of the watercraft, it lessens the chance
of you ingesting water.”

Beginners, especially, should avoid
obstacles and shallow areas, says Price,

and avoid fancy tricks. More impor-

20 DowntownKnoxvilleboatshow.com march 6-9, 2014