Clayton Jacobson II
Clayton Jacobson II | |
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Born | Portland, Oregon, U.S. | October 12, 1933
Died | August 18, 2022 | (aged 88)
Clayton Jacobson II (October 12, 1933 – August 18, 2022) was an American inventor who was credited with inventing the
Biography
Early life
Jacobson was born in Multnomah County Hospital,
Having had a strong fascination with airplane seats and flying while growing up, Jacobson joined the
Before the Jet Ski
Jacobson went to work in wholesale food for a short while, and while doing so met his wife, Dianna, with whom he'd have four children: Karen, Margo, Clayton 3 and Tava. Jacobson left the food business to begin working with Diane's father as a banker at his
Invention of the Jet Ski
During the early 1960s Jacobson had become a very serious motorcycle racer and frequently found himself in the Mojave Desert heat while riding. One somewhat dangerous way to beat the heat and gain some psychological advantage was to ride with no padded leather jumper or sleeves.
One day on the way home after a minor crash on the racetrack, Jacobson found himself taking a break in an irrigation ditch to have a beer with a friend while picking the gravel out of his wounds and lamenting that there had to be a way to enjoy the exhilaration and excitement of a motorcycle without the inherent danger of falling onto hard ground at high speeds.
That night Jacobson sketched his "motorcycle for the water"; which, at the time, looked like a sort of powered
Personal watercraft development
- Stand-up:
By the mid 1960s Jacobson had quit his work in finance to pursue developing his jet ski concept full-time. The first prototype was up and running by 1965.
This fixed-handlepole, stand-up design was constructed out of aluminum and powered by a West Bend two-stroke engine driving a Berkeley jet pump.
A second prototype, built in 1966, caught the attention of what was, at the time, primarily a
In all, Jacobson would eventually build 12 different stand-up prototypes. His development of the stand-up models continued through the late 1960s and early 1970s resulting in additional patents for a pivoting handlepole and a self-righting function.
- Sit-down:
A 320cc Rotax engine was used for development.
The Rotax engine required a larger planing surface and sufficient induction for its air cooling, so Jacobson developed an entirely new sit-down model to adapt.
Jacobson applied for a patent on the sit-down model in February 1968 and received the patent a year later in February 1969.
Licensing
- Bombardier:
Bombardier entered a licensing agreement with Jacobson for his sit-down personal watercraft patents in order to produce their first model of Sea-Doo, which was produced from 1968 to 1970.[2]
Jacobson's agreement with Bombardier prevented him from entering into any other licensing agreement until 1971, at which point he entered into an exclusive agreement to license his patents and development on the stand-up models to Kawasaki.[2]
By this point Jacobson was on his 7th prototype stand-up model.
Kawasaki introduced the first production stand-up Jet Ski in 1973.
In 1976 Kawasaki sent a letter of intent to end their agreement with Jacobson, which resulted in legal dispute and the loss of Kawasaki's licenses' exclusivity.[3]
In 1986 Jacobson entered a decade-long contract with Yamaha Motor Company, signing as a consultant to their water vehicle division.[4]
This agreement included royalties on Yamaha's Super Jet.[3]
Later life and death
Jacobson was noted for his contributions to the work of friend
In 2013, Jacobson published an autobiography.[5]
Jacobson spent many years living in Parker, Arizona. [citation needed] He died in Byron Bay, New South Wales, on August 18, 2022, at the age of 88.[6]
References
- ^ Johnson, Joel (2000). "Jet-Ski Evolution". Boats.com.
- ^ ISBN 0-913875-79-1
- ^ a b Unknown author (1992-08-17). "Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.: U.S. Unit, Inventor Reach Settlement in Legal Dispute". Wall Street Journal. p. B6
- ^ Unknown author (1991-09-17). "Judge Orders New Trial in Kawasaki Jet Ski Case". Wall Street Journal. p. C11.
- ^ "Meet Jet Ski Inventor Clayton Jacobson Oct 12th At The Hot Products World Finals". ProRider. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ "Jet Ski inventor Clayton Jacobson dies at 88". Havasu News. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.