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.