Christmas Gift Guide: Gifts for Jet Ski Owners & Boaties

Gifts for jet ski owners, boaties and the crew, sorted by who is unwrapping it

Gift guides for jet ski owners are usually written by people who have never launched one. This one is written by the crew that rides, and it runs on one rule: buy the thing they will use on the first day out, not the thing that looks good under the tree. Everything here is picked for salt, sun, fuel splash and being stood on, and the gift card covers whatever you cannot size.

For the rider

The vest, if you know their size and their state. Every Jetpilot life jacket is approved to Australian Standard AS 4758: Level 50S for the ski, the wake and the tube, the minimum on a PWC in every state, and high-vis Level 50 for riders who take the ski beyond smooth water where the state requires it. The Cause is the weekend vest in mens, ladies and kids cuts with the Hidden Supergrip handle, the Eden is the ladies PWC vest, the Venture is for the all-dayer and the Vault Hyperflex and 360 are the light ones. The whole range, every cut, is on life jackets, with the regulations guide linked from it. If you do not know their size, the floating sunnie retainers and the hoodie towel are the gifts they will actually use, and nobody has ever regifted a vest that fits.

For the boat and the ramp

The Complete Folding Anchor System, a 1.5 kg coated grapnel with 7.6 metres of marine grade line and a stainless snap hook in a padded case, for the boatie who keeps borrowing one. PWC fenders that fold for storage, two per ski. The floating wristband for the lanyard, so the kill cord never goes for a swim on its own. Dry Safe bags for the phone, and the Venture Soft Esky for the drinks. All of it is on jet ski accessories.

For the crew on the tube

A ski tube is the gift that gets the whole family off the beach and behind the boat. Two, three or four riders, hold on, and a rope rated for the tube. Ski tubes and towables has them, and the towing rules by state sit with them.

For the dog

A dog PFD with a grab handle on top for hauling the deckie back over the side, adjustable webbing so it stays put, sizes XS to XL. No dog vest carries AS 4758, ours included, and the honest version is that what you are buying is flotation, fit and a handle. Both of ours are on dog life jackets.

For the kids

The Cause Kids, and The Cause Kids in high-vis Level 50, for the grom who already rides pillion; the Cause Infant in size 1–2 with a safety pillow for the newest crew member; and the youth rashies in nylon and spandex with 50+ UV protection for the beach days between. Every kids vest is approved to AS 4758 with the level on the product page.

Sizing a gift

Everything wearable runs off the size guide, which works from a chest or waist measurement rather than a shirt size. Vests size with the layer they ride in, and a vest that rides up in the water is not doing its job, so if you are guessing, do not guess. The Jetpilot gift card arrives by email as a link you can print or forward, and it lets them pick the level, the cut and the colourway themselves.