Join the Jet-Zet

Though jetskis are more politely known as “personal watercraft,” many CB readers will have coined fruitier euphemisms, among which “landfill” is one of the few that can be repeated here.

When a Finnish woodworker got hold of a 1980s Kawasaki jetski, he quite rightly scrapped the body, but upcycled the 50hp drive-train and turned a pest into a pert, wooden runabout with the panache of a mini retro classic. The delightful 12-footer (3.7m) was formed on a plywood hull with mahogany veneers on the topsides and deck of inlaid pine and contrasting mahogany planking. Such was the e ort and attention to detail that on completion in 1995, builder Hannu Viren vowed: “I will not make another one. I don’t repeat it.” Weighing just 250kg, the one-o Jet-Zet is reputedly capable of 35 knots and Hannu was rewarded for his e orts when the mini jet boat sold, complete with trailer, for €31,200 at a Monaco auction.