A quieter, less-polluting personal watercraft is expected to hit show-room floors in February or March. The new machine is the first of several being manufactured in response to criticism of the small, fast boats. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham has more:
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A quieter, less-polluting personal watercraft is expected to hit show-room floors in February or March. The new machine is the first of several being manufactured in response to criticism of the small, fast boats. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports.
Critics’ say personal watercraft such as Jet Skis, Skidoos and Wave runners are too noisy, pollute too much and they’re involved in the bulk of boating accidents. The industry has been struggling to deal with the criticisms. The latest response changes the kind of motor that powers the craft. Until now, the personal watercrafts were all powered by two-cycle engines. They’re small and powerful, but inefficient. They fail to burn about 25-percent of their fuel, which is instead emitted into the water and air. Late this winter, Yamaha will begin selling -what’s being billed as– the world’s first four-cycle personal watercraft. The manufacturer says it will run about 80 percent cleaner than convention two-cycle engines and about 70-percent quieter. Other manufacturers soon will be offering similar models to meet federal requirements to reduce emissions and noise. For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, I’m Lester Graham.