Towing your Personal Watercraft
General Tips
- Always ensure your PWC is securely strapped to your trailer, and there are no loose ends on the straps. It's not
nice when your ski falls off, and it's not fun being slapped by a loose strap end.
- Ensure you have the correct number plate clearly displayed and well attached to the rear of your trailer. You
wouldn't want to get pulled by the Police would you?
- Check your trailer is firmly attached (the hitch should be firmly locked on), and any 'breakaway' loop is secured to
the towing vehicle. If your trailer 'breaks away' then it can cause serious damage to you or someone else.
- Carry out regular checks on your wheel bearings and tow ball, to make sure they are well lubricated. They may
overheat and fail if you don't.
- Check your lighting plug is firmly connected and all lights are functioning - you wouldn't want the guy behind not to
realise you're stopping and drive into the back of your ski!
- Make sure the trailer lighting wire isn't dangling where it could rub on the road - or your lights might suddenly
stop working!
- The jockey wheel should be fully up and secured before moving off. Otherwise you might need to replace it sooner than
you'd imagined!
- The seat should be firmly attached and all compartments properly closed to prevent losing their contents.
- Don't leave the key on the ski it may drain the battery or someone could accidentally start it & damage it
The Law
Lots of people have different ideas about what the laws about towing currently are.
The general concensus appears to be that if you received your license before the 1st January 1997 then you can probably
tow any trailer, provided the combined weight of the vehicle and trailer does not exceed 8.25 tonnes.
If you received your license on or after this date, then you cannot tow a trailer which exceeds 750kg in weight.
Most three seater PWC (e.g. Yamaha FX160, SeaDoo RXT, etc) weigh around 350kg or less. This means that provided your trailer
is less than 400kg is weight (and in our experience they usually are) then you should be able to tow a single trailer with
a PWC on it.
Obviously you will need to check your license details and the actual weight of your trailer and PWC to be absolutely sure.
It is worth being aware of these details because several of our younger customers have been stopped by the Police and informed
that they cannot move the vehicle until they get a driver who is entitled to tow the trailer. If you are able to inform the Police
of the actual weight of your trailer then you may be able to avoid these problems!
Other advice
For more information check out these pages:
Looking for a Club or Launch location?
Searching for jetskis in wales?
Looking for jetskis for sale in Wales? We've got loads in stock, so why not drop by and visit us?
Porthcawl Wetsuits
