In 1974 Kawasaki introduced the Jet Ski, a revolutionary jet propelled, single person watercraft capable of speeds up to 40 miles per hour (Donnar). Personal watercraft have become very popular in the last couple of decades. How watercraft work, how they are built, and especially the history is very interesting to learn about. Buoyancy is very important to the function of watercraft. Archimedes’ principle, which states that the weight of a floating body must be equal to the weight of the volume of the water that it displaces in order for the vessel to float properly (Woodward). In large vessels this is mostly unheard of because they do not have the ability to hydroplane. With smaller vessels, which can be prone to capsizing maneuverability…show more content… Jet propelled watercraft are moved by an engine that spins a turbine, which forces water out of a nozzle pushing the vessel in the opposite direction of the jet. Jet propulsion is the fastest method of propulsion, the only downside is when the throttle is not pressed there will be no steering control (MN DNR). Watercraft that are propelled by propellers are the same regardless of the style, inboard, outboard, and sterndrive, the engine spins a propeller which pushes the vessel across the surface of the water (MN DNR). The building processes of a boat are also interesting to learn…show more content… This is the fastest method of construction. As for fiberglass, sheets of fiberglass fabric are layed in mold and epoxy is used to hold the sheets together. Once everything is in the mold then the mold is closed and a vacuum pump is turned on to remove any air bubbles. When the hull is cured then the mold is opened and the hull pulled from it. A substance called paste is applied to the outside of the hull and left to dry. Lastly, for both metal and fiberglass boats, paint is applied, interior finished, and the engine