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WGP #1 mourn the legend who invented the world's first Jet Ski.
CREDIT : HAVASU NEWS
Clayton Jacobson II died at the age of 88 on Thursday, in New South Wales, Australia. To some area residents, Jacobson may be an unfamiliar figure. But for the aquatic motorsports industry, Jacobson has left a worldwide legacy as the inventor of the personal watercraft.
Today, Jacobson’s invention has a prominent place in tourist destinations, beachfront communities and aquatic getaways across the globe.
The story of Jacobson’s invention didn’t begin on the water at all.
It started with a faceful of gravel in the Mojave Desert.
Motorcycle on Water
Jacobson was born in 1933, in Portland, Oregon. His family moved to Southern California in his youth, where he studied physics and engineering at Manual Arts High School and Los Angeles Community College. He later joined the U.S. Marine Corps reserve, before moving to the Parker Strip.
When Jacobson was about 30 years old, he had an idea. And as with many other strokes of ingenuity, Jacobson’s invention was 90% abrasion and 10% inspiration.
According to Jacobson’s autobiography, “Jet Ski Inventor,” Jacobson fell from his motorcycle while competing in a motocross race in the Mohave Desert, suffering road rash on his arm, neck and shoulder. He said he stopped at an irrigation ditch on his way home from the race, where he drank a beer with a friend and picked the gravel from his skin.
It was then that Jacobson began to imagine a way to enjoy the excitement of riding a motorcycle, without the risk of tumbling onto the ground at high speeds.
That night, Jacobson sketched the first design for what he imagined to be a “motorcycle on water.”
 Jacobson began to develop his watercraft design throughout the mid-1960s and created his first working prototype by 1965. His second prototype was licensed by Canadian snowmobile manufacturer, Bombardier Recreational Products, in 1966.
Jacobson later patented a “sit-down” version of the personal watercraft, which was ultimately marketed by Bombardier as the original Sea-Doo.
Getting the credit
In 1971, Jacobson was freed from his lease contract with Bombardier and entered into an exclusive agreement with Kawasaki. But shortly afterwards, Jacobson’s relationship with the Japanese company soured.
Jacobson gave the company license to manufacture and sell his later designs, which Kawasaki branded as the Jet Ski. According to a 1991 Los Angeles Times article, however, Kawasaki made changes to Jacobson’s designs without his approval - and ultimately, the company appeared to have taken credit for the invention altogether. Jacobson argued that Kawasaki had also falsely obtained Japanese patents for his invention and its improvements.
Jacobson entered a legal battle with the company that was resolved in U.S. District Court in 1991. Jacobson was awarded $21 million for slander of title and libel, although he was denied an additional $30 million in damages he sought for claims of fraud and breach of contract.
WGP#1 would like to express our condolences and mourn the passing of Clayton Jacobson II, who became the propellant of a multi-billion dollar business with his invention. It also became the origin that led to the greatest Jet Ski competition, the WGP #1 World Jet Ski Championship owned by Thai people.
WGP#1 WORLD SERIES
25 August 2022
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