The registry
WetJet Registry: Models, Builds & Photos
WetJet was an American personal watercraft brand started in 1985 by the Webb family as WetJet International in Paynesville, Minnesota, with production at Ed Webb's snowmobile parts operation, Koronis Parts Inc. MasterCraft Boat Company bought the brand and its assets in January 1993 for about $700,000, redesigned the craft on a modern V hull, and sold WetJet models through the 1997 model year before shutting the line down. Two eras result: the odd, snowmobile influenced Minnesota machines of 1985-1993, and the MasterCraft era Duo sit down craft of 1994-1997, sold in base, ZX, and Kraze forms.
Pick your model
Minnesota origins, 1985-1993
WetJet International was established in 1985 in Paynesville, Minnesota by the Webb family. Manufacturing happened at Koronis Parts Inc., the snowmobile parts business Ed Webb had founded in 1967, and it showed in the product. The first model, the 428, ran a Cuyuna 428cc two stroke shared with the Brut snowmobile line and pushed water through a jet pump of WetJet's own design. The hull was a wide trimaran with a manta ray shaped bow, and the rider steered with a butterfly wheel instead of handlebars. Starting was electric. The best known machine of the era is the WetJet 432, named for its 432cc displacement, which followed the 428 in 1988 and carried Sport and Spirit trims into the early 1990s. Old design craft, including the XT 650, were still cataloged for 1993 while the new owner retooled. Nothing else on the water looked or steered like these, and that is both the appeal and the parts headache today.
The MasterCraft era, 1993-1997
MasterCraft Boat Company acquired WetJet International and its assets in January 1993 for roughly $700,000, then redesigned the craft from scratch around a conventional V shaped hull. The reborn line launched for 1994 with the Duo 200, which still ran a 50 hp Brut 440 two stroke, and production reached about 5,000 units that year. Then the trouble started. The Coast Guard mandated recall repairs, MasterCraft ended up recalling every unit it had built, and production was halted in the fall of 1995. The line limped on against Kawasaki, Yamaha, Bombardier, and Polaris, and MasterCraft abandoned the WetJet brand after the 1997 model year. The brand is defunct; there was no buyer and no revival.
Duo
The Duo was the core WetJet model under MasterCraft. The 1994 Duo 200 gave way to the Duo 300 for 1995, which traded the Brut 440 for a Yamaha 701cc marine two stroke rated around 75 hp, good for roughly 50 mph. For 1996 the base Duo 300 was the only WetJet offered.
ZX and Kraze
The ZX and the Kraze were not separate hulls. Both were trims of the Duo 300, titled Duo 300 ZX and Duo 300 Kraze, and both debuted for 1995. The Kraze was the performance version, its Yamaha 701 worked over to about 85 hp with a 46mm Mikuni carburetor and a tuned pipe, and it listed at $6,395 new. Both trims sat out 1996 and returned for 1997, the brand's final year.
Owning one now
- Yamaha 701 power in the 1995-1997 craft means engine internals, electrics, and many pump parts cross reference to Yamaha WaveRunner stock, which keeps them runnable.
- Pre 1994 Minnesota built machines with Cuyuna power are much harder to source; salvage skis and used parts vendors are the realistic supply.
- Koronis Parts handled early production, so old WetJet documentation sometimes carries the Koronis or Brut names.
Asked all the time
What years were WetJet personal watercraft made?
WetJet production ran from 1985 through the 1997 model year. WetJet International built the original snowmobile influenced craft in Paynesville, Minnesota from 1985 until MasterCraft bought the brand in January 1993, and MasterCraft sold redesigned models from 1994 through 1997, though a Coast Guard recall halted production in the fall of 1995.
Who made WetJet, and are they still in business?
WetJet started as WetJet International, a Webb family business run alongside Koronis Parts Inc. in Minnesota. MasterCraft Boat Company bought WetJet in January 1993 for about $700,000 and dropped the brand after 1997 following a costly recall and weak sales. MasterCraft still builds boats, but the WetJet brand is defunct.
What is the difference between a WetJet Duo, ZX, and Kraze?
The ZX and Kraze were trims of the Duo 300, not separate hulls, so titles read Duo 300 ZX or Duo 300 Kraze. All three used the Yamaha 701cc two stroke; the Kraze got a hotter version rated around 85 hp against the standard 75. Both trims appeared for 1995, sat out 1996, and returned for 1997.
Can I still get parts for a WetJet?
For 1995-1997 WetJet craft, yes, within reason. The Yamaha 701 marine engine means engine and many driveline parts interchange with common Yamaha WaveRunner stock. For pre 1994 machines like the 428 and 432 with Cuyuna engines, you are hunting salvage skis and used parts vendors.
Why does an old WetJet steer with a wheel instead of handlebars?
Early WetJet International craft used a butterfly steering wheel, a carryover from the company's snowmobile roots at Koronis Parts. Those machines also used a wide trimaran hull with a manta ray shaped bow. MasterCraft dropped all of that with the 1994 redesign.
The wall
The most-documented WetJet vehicles in the registry, every photo by the owner.