Clayton Jacobson II was credited with inventing a personal motorized watercraft that would later become known as the Jet Ski.
- Died: Thursday, August 18, 2022. (Who else died on August 18?)
- Details of death: Died in Australia at the age of 88.
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The Jet Ski
Clayton Jacobson II was a competitive motocross racer who suffered minor injuries in a fall during a race in the Mojave Desert. According to his autobiography titled “Jet Ski Inventor,” after the accident he was standing near an irrigation ditch and imagined a motorcycle on water that would lessen the impact of falling. He licensed a prototype of his invention in 1966 to Bombardier Recreational Products which marketed it as the Sea-Doo. After the lease expired in 1971, he licensed a newer version to Kawasaki which named it the Jet Ski. Kawasaki made unauthorized changes to Jacobson’s design without his approval and appeared to take credit for inventing the Jet Ski. Jacobson won 21 million dollars in a 1991 lawsuit against Kawasaki.
Tributes to Clayton Jacobson II
Full Obituary: Havasu News
