By Jeff Hemmel

Anyone who has ever hung off the back of an old-school standup PWC knows the power of the thrust exiting a PWC’s jet pump. What once knocked our shorts off (or caused us to sing in a slightly higher octave) is the same blast of water that now propels modern runabouts past the 65 mph mark. Or, in the case of the JetLev, FlyBoard, or Jetovator, what could be used to propel you not just across the water, but up into the air as well.

By Terry Tomalin
  Flying across the water at 100 mph, the white stucco buildings on South Beach looked like a picket fence.
“Just don't make any sudden movements with the wheel,” warned my throttleman, Johnny Tomlinson. “Just keep it steady.”
  Our 40-foot, twin-engine catamaran was capable of speeds faster than 130 mph. But Tomlinson, a Miami native considered by many to be one of the best “stick men” in offshore powerboat racing history, was barely leaning on the controls.