Who Has the Fastest Jet Ski
Australia’s Range of Jet Skis from Sea-Doo, Yamaha & Kawasaki
Who Has the Fastest Jet Ski?
If you are thinking about getting the fastest jet ski, and are a bit confused about all the models, and how much power they have, we are here to help. We created this page, to give an easy reference between all the brands available in Australia, what engine they have, how much horsepower you will be getting on current models. This is for the current range of ski’s available new from dealerships as at October 2024. There is currently also a lot of models available which are brand new but are 1 or 2 years prior models, which are not on our charts, as they are subject to availability.
This is not meant to be a which model is better than the other comparison, we just want to give you an easy reference of what is available, and the basic engine specs. Full details will be available on manufacturer and dealer websites.
You will find horsepower (HP) for each model, which we have sourced and added beside engine details. The Sea-Doo and Kawasaki information is taken from their own websites. Yamaha do not publish HP so we have sourced this from several websites and US spec sheets, to bring it all together. Yamaha HP is not confirmed, and should be taken as an estimate.
Is Horsepower All That Matters?
Interestingly the Yamaha skis do not have the highest HP, but are just as fast as the other skis, so power to weight ratio also needs to be considered. This is where Yamaha considers they have an advantage, but we will let you make the decision.
We also compiled a table with maximum rated speed for most jet skis, just for your info. Take several factors into consideration, as this is never going to be the same with every ski and rider. Some things that can effect maximum speed are weather, wind, riders weight, stored equipment, fuel carried, water on-board, wear on parts such as coils & plugs, impeller & wear ring, intercooler etc. US Coast Guard has also set maximum speeds for skis, so the electronics will limit the ski anyway. Hence most faster skis spec sheets all have the same maximum speed.
The below tables are easiest viewed on computer to see all columns in the one view, but phones and tablets still work fine.
Sea-Doo Jet Ski Range
Link to Sea-Doo Jet Ski line up Australian Website.
Yamaha Jet Ski Range
- (Yamaha does not publish Horse Power specs, so details have been sourced from various websites, videos etc. These details are based on US models and should be used for an estimate only) Link to the website for Yamaha Jet Skis Australia
Kawasaki Jet Ski Range
Link to the Kawasaki Website to view the line up for Australia
Which Jet Ski has the most speed?
As we stated earlier, the below Horsepower to Speed table is just a guide, taken from product info spec sheets. This guide is intended to help you appreciate that getting the jet ski with the most horsepower, may not necessarily be everything you need to consider, or get you the fastest jet ski. Equally important is the power to weight ratio. Weight is a very important factor, but everyone looks at horsepower, thinking it will go faster.
Additionally remember to take the necessary safety measures, including a proper fitting, good quality lifejacket. You can find a great life jacket on our shop page now. or find the links at the top and bottom of this page.
Ski Horsepower / Maximum Speed (Km/Hr)
Horsepower / Speed Timeline
Since jet skis have been made, the search for more horsepower and the fastest jet ski has continued. The below chart shows the progress of Sea-Doo’s flagship skis, in terms of horsepower and speed. In some cases, the horsepower increase results in little to no increase of rated top speed. In 25 years the Sea-Doo ski has jumped from 56HP to 325 HP, and from a top speed of 64KM/hr to 108 km/hr. Jet ski horsepower and speed increasing, let to more injuries. As a result, post 1999 regulations were put in place in the US, requiring manufacturers to install speed limiters into all PWC, restricting top speeds to under 65mph, which equates to approximately 105km/hr.
In Australia there is a limit in areas which are not open water, and in most cases that is a maximum of 40 knots, or about 75 km/hr. Because of the US Coast Guard rules, you will see while horsepower continues to increase, top speeds remain constant with recent jet ski models. If you want to research any model of jetski at all you will probably find it on the jetdrift website.
Sea-Doo Flagship Jet Ski Model Performance Chart
Conclusion
We hope we have helped you a little through the maze of which jet ski might be right for you, and is it important to have the fastest jet ski. There is also fuel use to consider, reverse gear options (Kawasaki only introduced this in 2022, Sea-Doo in 2010), storage, if you want to tow a tube, and of course, which one has a stereo. Now when you come to think about the matching life jacket, you will find one in our store or online.
Author
Jody Waters
