This 1990 Kawasaki Jet Mate has a surprise hidden in the engine compartment, a Kawasaki 800 SX-R, a nice upgrade over the original 650 engine. It can be found listed (not listing, as in tilting to one side in the water) here on Facebook Marketplace in La Follette, TN, just north of beautiful Knoxville, and they’re asking $4,300. Here is the original listing, and thanks to PRA4SNW for the tip!
I can’t get enough of unusual vehicles, and this Jet Mate falls squarely in that category. We’ve only seen one so far here on Barn Finds, way back in 2022, which isn’t really that long ago but seems like a lifetime ago now. This appears to be a really nice one and the seller says it wasn’t always this nice. They bought it as a non-running project and worked their magic and now it seems like a steal of a deal. I shouldn’t have said that out loud. Kawasaki offered them from 1989 through 1992 and they’re rare to see today. At around 550 pounds, it’s fairly light compared to a fiberglass boat.
Please, please, please read the seller’s outstanding description in the listing, it’s one of the best that I’ve seen in years. Very well done, sir! Plus, I love Knoxville so even better. One caveat to this rig, they say the trailer tires aren’t the best so it would be best not to trailer it home. Who’s up for a road trip to Knoxville?! Gas and all the McChickens you can eat are on me… You can see the Jet Ski-derived propulsion system in the photo above showing the stern end of this Jet Mate.
The layout is very unique. The driver, or pilot, sits on that front seat, and the back of it can either be another seat or a backrest for the pilot. Under that rear-center seat is the engine, by the way. Two more people can sit on the rear seat and that’s about it, so up to maybe four people, and the more you have, the slower it’ll go, of course. Three is the most I’d ever have in there, including me.
They usually had a 650 engine, but this one has a Kawasaki 800 SX-R from another watercraft you may have heard of: the Jet Ski. This is a nice upgrade, it’s a 781-cc two-stroke twin-cylinder and depending on the year, it had somewhere between 58 and 80 horsepower! The seller paid $1,800 just for the engine, exhaust, and e-box, and there’s an owner’s manual and other things included. For $4,300 including the trailer, this is the world’s biggest no-brainer. I wish I could grab it and use it on one of our 10,000 (or almost 12,000+) lakes. Have any of you heard of a Kawasaki Jet Mate?
Too cool 😎 🌊
My Dad taught me that boat is a hole in the water than you throw money into. Also, B.O.A.T. stands for “Break Out Another Thousand.” That one comes from a relative who owns one.
The second happiest day in a boat owner’s life is the day that they buy it. The happiest day is when they sell it. Several owners have told me that.
For the price this one looks like a bunch of fun for not a lot of money. I could almost like it, but I already have too many toys.
I concur with that! Plus too many Credit Card Captains
The listing doesn’t say how fast it was with the old engine and what the new one brings. It would be interesting. I guess this is for people that want to Jet Ski without getting wet?
A lifetime ago I put a Polaris 600 Triple into a Kawasaki 400 Jet Ski. At that time Jet Skis were doing around 34mph and a fast one was around 45. At a sanctioned meet, that old bumblebee 400 did over 55 MPH, which was a record that stood for many years! It was a lot of work to get it that fast and hard to ride at speed. Years later, this Jet Ski helped lead Polaris into putting a triple into their watercraft.
Of course now stock stand up jet skis are this fast, and sit down versions are doing 140 mph, but in 1985, this was really moving on a stand up.
Its still in my barn, starts and runs better than I do….
Or perhaps for people that wanna go water-skiing without wrangling a proper boat to and from the lake, into and out of the water, etc.
Cool Toy.
First pic looks like a coffin on a trailer!
I thought somebody was transporting a hot tub.
That looks like crazy fun!
Put a Hayabusa engine in it and go tear up the surf!!
Why not an LS? Equally tired comment.
Owner doesn’t say he lives in a warehouse
In what I read.
You’re right, jwaltb! I totally misread that, ugh. My apologies.
A neighbor at our cabin had one. Like all jets they like gasoline. But a blast to run with the joy stick. Very stable platform. If closer I’d grab it.
Well no exhaust hooked up no waterbox to cool the exhaust no flame arrestor on the carbs, this looks like a Non running project!! Becareful this could be expensive to get going! I don’t see the ignition box for the spark plugs