KNOWLEDGE OF: 

• Propulsion and steering system

A personal watercraft moves through the water using a jet drive to create a powerful stream of water. In the jet drive, an impeller propels a large amount of water from underneath the craft through a steering nozzle at the rear of the craft.

The impeller is a rotor-like device that sits inside a cylindrical passageway in the body of the craft. The craft's engine rotates the impeller via a drive shaft. The impeller's curved blades spin rapidly, forcing water up through the passageway and out through the nozzle.

When you steer the craft, a cable linkage connected to the handles swivels the nozzle at the rear of the craft. This changes the direction of the "equal and opposite reaction." If the nozzle directs the water to the right side of the craft, the rear of the craft pushes to the left. That causes the front of the craft to turn to the right.