What Is a Personal Watercraft?

Jet-propelled watercraft come in many sizes, but the most common for recreational boaters is the PWC. A PWC is a small vessel that uses an inboard jet drive as its primary source of propulsion and is designed to be operated by a person or persons sitting, standing, or kneeling on the vessel rather than inside the vessel. The U.S. Coast Guard includes PWC in the group of inboard vessels less than 16 feet in length.