Name the Parts of Your PWC, a Glossary for All Riders

Every sport has its jargon, and few activities have a more arcane vocabulary than boating. Start with the easy terms, like bow and stern or port and starboard, and when you get that right, move on to rode and head. Gain some experience, and you’ll be tossing off nauticalisms like an old salt. But even seasoned boaters may have to begin again on the vocabulary lesson when they start to poke around in the world of personal watercraft. Some terms, like bow and stern, stay the same. Others, like sponson, mean something completely different. And there is terminology that’s simply are unique to PWC.

In an effort to get everyone speaking the same language, I thought it was time to compile a PWC glossary. This is the first installment. In the future, we’ll insert definition links from these terms as they are used in columns and product reviews, and will add more terms as we go along. Memorize these, and you’ll be talking like a real jet pilot in no time.

1. Bond Line: This is where the hull (the bottom of the PWC) and the deck (the top) are joined together. The deck is usually shaped to fit over the top edge of the hull like the lid of a shoebox, and the two parts are secured with adhesive. The seam is then covered with a protective plastic rub rail. The path of the bond line around the craft may also be a stylistic element of its design.

2. Deadrise: This is the angle of the hull as measured from the bottom to the chine, or outer edge, expressed in degrees. A hull with zero deadrise would be flat. Deadrise can be measured at any point along the length of the hull, but in published specifications, it’s usually measured at the transom, the back edge of the hull. PWCs typically have a deadrise of 18 to 22 degrees.

3. Footwells: These are where your feet go when you are sitting or standing on the PWC. On a well-designed craft, the footwells stay clear of water. To enhance traction, a textured pattern may be molded into the surface of the footwells, or they may be covered with soft traction-mat material.

4. Intake Grate: An aluminum cover that fits over the jet pump water intake in the bottom of the hull. It usually incorporates a number of bars to prevent debris from entering the pump. On high-performance craft, the intake grate may be shaped to help force more water into the pump, or distribute it more evenly as it enters the pump.

5. Jet Nozzle: A moveable venturi fixed at the outlet of the jet pump, where it exits the hull. A linkage connects the nozzle to the handlebars, and the boat is steered as the nozzle pivots left and right, directing the flow of water from the pump in response to steering input from the rider. The nozzle may also move up and down – see “Trim.”





6. Reverse Bucket: A composite diverter that drops over the jet nozzle to reverse the pump thrust and cause the craft to back up when the rider deploys the reverse control, usually a lever on the console.

7. Sponson: A device attached to the horizontal surface at each side of the aft hull that influences the craft’s stability and its handling. The bottom edge of the sponson usually has a lipped shape that captures some energy of the spray coming off the hull bottom to stabilize the craft. When the craft leans into a turn the sponson may act as a rail to guide the craft through a curve. The shape and size of sponsons can be used to tune the craft’s handling characteristics. On some performance craft, the sponsons can be raised or lowered to adjust the handling. Installing aftermarket sponsons can dramatically change the handling of the craft.

8. Trim: Some PWC have a trim control on the handlebars that allows the rider to adjust the attitude of the hull – either raising or lowering the bow – by changing the vertical angle of the jet nozzle. This has the same effect as trimming the propeller angle on an outboard motor or sterndrive, although it is less dramatic on a PWC. At speed, raising the bow may reduce friction with the water and increase speed. Dropping the bow puts more hull surface in the water and may help the craft turn more aggressively. Trim may also be used adjust the running angle to accommodate weight of passengers or sea conditions.

Editor’s Note: Charles Plueddeman, our Outboard and Trailer Expert, is a former editor at Boating Magazine and contributor to many national publications since 1986.