Clayton Jacobson II
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Clayton Jacobson II (October 12, 1933 – August 18, 2022) was an American inventor who was credited with inventing the
jet ski A personal watercraft (PWC), also called Jet Ski or water scooter, is a primarily recreational watercraft that is designed to hold only a small number of occupants, who sit or stand on top of the craft, not within the craft as in a boat. P ...
. Before the jet ski, he worked in wholesale food where he met his wife Dianna.


Biography


Early life

Jacobson was born in Multnomah County Hospital,
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, on October 12, 1933, to Clayton Jacobson and Sarah Fauntelle Shrock. The Jacobson family had mostly moved to the
American West Coast The West Coast of the United States, also known as the Pacific Coast and the Western Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Western United States meets the North Pacific Ocean. The term typically refers to the contiguous U.S. states of Calif ...
by the early 1930s after having originally immigrated to
Northfield, Minnesota Northfield is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, Dakota and Rice County, Minnesota, Rice counties in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. It is mostly in Rice County, with a small portion in Dakota County. The population was 20,790 at the 2020 U ...
, from
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
. By the mid-1940s Jacobson, his parents and his sister, Carmen, had made their way to what they referred to as ''the promised land'',
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...
. In addition to his studies in
physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...
and
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
while at
Manual Arts High School Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high sc ...
and
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campus of the U ...
, Jacobson spent much of his time
bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the practice of Resistance training, progressive resistance exercise to build, control, and develop one's skeletal muscle, muscles via muscle hypertrophy, hypertrophy. An individual who engages in this activity is referred to a ...
,
street racing Street racing is an illegal form of motor racing that occurs on a public road. Racing in the streets is considered an ancient hazard, as horse racing occurred on streets for centuries, and street racing in automobiles is likely as old as the a ...
and working at an automotive garage. Having had a strong fascination with airplane seats and flying while growing up, Jacobson joined the
Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. The Marine Corps Reserve is an expedi ...
(Air Corps) in an effort to work closely with the jets at Los Alamitos Army Airfield (formerly Los Alamitos Naval Airstation) and to learn drafting and
jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
technology.


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
savings and loan A savings and loan association (S&L), or thrift institution, is a financial institution that specializes in accepting savings deposits and making mortgage and other loans. While the terms "S&L" and "thrift" are mainly used in the United States, ...
. He moved the family to
Palos Verdes, California The Palos Verdes Peninsula () is a peninsular subregion of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located within southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is often called simply "Palos Verdes", and is made up of a group of cities in the Palos ...
, and became heavily involved in motocross racing.


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 The Mojave Desert (; ; ) is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. Named for the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous Mohave people, it is located pr ...
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 water ski.


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 A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...
driving a Berkeley
jet pump An injector is a system of ducting and nozzles used to direct the flow of a high-pressure fluid in such a way that a lower pressure fluid is Entrainment (hydrodynamics), entrained in the jet and carried through a duct to a region of higher pres ...
. A second prototype, built in 1966, caught the attention of what was, at the time, primarily a snow-mobile manufacturer,
Bombardier Recreational Products BRP Inc. (an abbreviation of Bombardier Recreational Products) is a Canadian manufacturer of snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, Side-by-side (vehicle), side by sides, motorcycles, and personal watercraft. It was founded in 2003, when the Recreati ...
; and prompted the licensing of Jacobson's patents for the sit-down version of his jet-propelled personal watercraft that would become the
Sea-Doo Sea-Doo is a Canadian brand of personal watercraft (PWC) and boats manufactured by Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP). All Sea-Doo models are driven by an impeller-driven waterjet. All Sea-Doo PWC models are produced at BRP's plants in Quer ...
. 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.Sampsell, Michael M.; et al. (2002). Boat Accident Reconstruction and Litigation. Lawyers & Judges Publishing. pp. 63–4. * Kawasaki: 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. 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.Unknown author (1992-08-17). "Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd.: U.S. Unit, Inventor Reach Settlement in Legal Dispute". Wall Street Journal. p. B6 * Yamaha: In 1986 Jacobson entered a decade-long contract with
Yamaha Motor Company is a Japanese mobility manufacturer that produces motorcycles, motorboats, outboard motors, and other motorized products. The company was established in the year 1955 upon separation from Nippon Gakki Co., Ltd. (currently Yamaha Corporation) a ...
, signing as a consultant to their water vehicle division. This agreement included royalties on Yamaha's Super Jet.


Later life and death

Jacobson was noted for his contributions to the work of friend Gerald Wiegert, such as Vector Motors. He also became an avid pilot, having circumnavigated the globe in his
Cessna 208 Caravan The Cessna 208 Caravan is a utility aircraft produced by Cessna. The project was commenced on November 20, 1981, and the prototype first flew on December 9, 1982. The production model was certified by the FAA in October 1984 and its Cargoma ...
Amphibian. In 2013, Jacobson published an autobiography. Jacobson spent many years living in
Parker, Arizona Parker (Mojave language, Mojave 'Amat Kuhwely, formerly 'Ahwe Nyava) is the county seat of La Paz County, Arizona, La Paz County, Arizona, United States, on the Colorado River in Parker Valley. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
. He died in
Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...
,
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, on August 18, 2022, at the age of .


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobson, Clayton 1933 births 2022 deaths American inventors Los Angeles City College alumni People from Palos Verdes, California Military personnel from Portland, Oregon