Originally posted by Jeff Walkowiak, edited by me because of his non-typing skills



Towing of Disabled Jet Skis.

In the event your ski is disabled, avoid opening the seat while in deep water, if the seat is removed and the ski tips over you will sink it in a hurry.

When towing a disabled ski ALWAYS tow it from the bow eye, never attempt to tow it from the handlebars or helm, if you do, it will turn sideways and then tip over. Also try to avoid riding on the disabled ski while it is being towed, if possible ride on the ski that is towing you or in the boat that is towing you.

While towing keep the speed slow, towing fast can force water in the pump and push it in the cooling lines to the engine, filling the engine crankcase with water and damaging it. The proper way to tow is to crimp off the water supply tube going from the pump to the engine, however this requires you first to know what hose to crimp, and to have tools to do the crimp, plus opening the seat for access. This is a bad idea if you are in deep water. The best thing to do is tow at about 5 mph with the ski void of all passengers.

I personally carry a 2 piece nylon paddle, and I keep it under the front storage area. Opening this and removing the paddle for emergencies is also tricky as it too can cause you to sink the ski if it tips over while the front compartment is open, or if you are in an area of heavy waves.

I did need my paddle once to help with reaching a shallow area where I could dismount the ski and remove the seat to see what caused the ski to stop running, I own three seat skis and those are more stable when sitting static in the water, I would suggest the safest thing to do when disabled is to just sit still on the ski and flag down someone passing by in a boat for assistance.