PWC Battery Jumping Advice from Shawn Alladio

With modern personal watercraft, you should NEVER jump from a car battery if the car is running!

Your altenator is not the cleanest power and can easily cause a voltage spike and damage the ski's electronics.

It would be safe with the engine NOT running, and would eventually fill the ski's battery.

How long it will take depends on how flat the ski battery is. Most are about a 30 amphour battery, so pushing 15 amps, a flat battery would be full in 2 hours. Maybe 20 minutes for a slightly weak one.

Jumper cables support high amperage and would obviously crank the ski immediately. (Get the smaller size ones that have small cable connectors than an average car from jumping PWC to PWC)

Bottom line, if your battery is over a year old (lead acid) and you want to avoid a potential problem for a long trip, install a fresh one and enjoy a trouble free trip.

One last thing, PAY ATTENTION to polarity if you jump a ski. Hooking up the cables backwards will FRY your electronics and be a costly mistake, especially with the newer production units.

Please note this is only a guide if unsure consult your local PW dealer. Always remember to vent (fuel vapour) the PW engine, prior to conecting to battery, compartment to prevent explosions.

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K38 UK PWC (Jet Ski) Swiftwater rescue courses.....................

..............the first steps with IRIA Swift Water Technician Course.

K38 UK Instructor Ben Granata has just completed an IRIA Swiftwater/Flood Rescue Technician at the National Watersports Center, Nottingham. Training with Fire rescue personnel from London, Cornwall, Devon & Somerset, Surrey fire brigades and Lisa Stuart from 'Safe-Tay. Safe-Tay is a voluntary water safety and drowning prevention registered charity dedicated to promoting Water Safety.



Check out www.safe-tay.co.uk/ and their work to make people aware of the dangers associated with moving water.

The Course covered:
Flood awareness.
Water rescue scene management including low light operations.
The Contact Rescue.
The hazards of mud, ice and extrication techniques from other unstable surfaces including application of the Mud Sand Lance and Inflatable Rigid Pathway.
Fording shallow moving water safely.
Crossing deep moving water.
Entrapment release drills.
Technician standard high angle rescues .
Boat handling using paddle and tether.
Submerged vehicle rescues.
Introduction to animal extrication techniques .
C Spine immobilisation.
Helicopter rescue awareness.

K38 UK will be providing Personal Watercraft Swiftwater rescue courses for firebrigades and rescue professionals who wish to use these unique rescue tools in river and flood environments. for more info contact k38@pwctraining.com


Thanks very much to Rig Systems for providing the course and the instructors, Jez Hunter, Gary Denton and Richard King.

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