The inventor of the personal watercraft was an unassuming Southern California man who enjoyed the thrill of desert dirt biking, but not the crashes. Clayton Jacobson II was inspired in the 1960s to come up with an aquatic version of the motorcycle following a particularly devastating spill on his dirt bike. However, it wouldn’t be until the early 70s that Jacobson II paired up with Kawasaki to produce the first crop of widely available personal watercraft. In 1989, the powersport manufacturer released one of the oddest personal watercraft models to date, the Kawasaki Jet Mate. You can still pick one up, although prices will vary, with one 1991 Jet Mate recently offered for $13,900. In terms of price, though, the Jet Mate is pocket-change when compared to the cost of the most expensive yachts ever sold.
The Jet Mate was produced from 1989 to 1992 and was a strange amalgamation of a Jet Ski mixed with a tiny boat. It included a Kawasaki jet pump for propulsion, with a hull 5 feet wide and just under 9 feet long. There was enough room for three people on the Jet Mate, with the driver in front and two passengers in the back. As peculiar as this Kawasaki passenger boat was, it did offer some benefits that are likely the reason the Jet Mate still has fans to this day.
