First ride — prep, starts & after-care

First ride — prep, starts & after-care

Watch the walkthrough

Watch on YouTube ↗ · JETSURF Official — "JETSURF Tutorial: How to Ride a Petrol Powered Board". Timestamps below follow the video's own counter (0:08–6:29). JETSURF USA's longer take: How to start riding.

The full ride, start to finish — setting the board up, the two-tap no-idle start, three ways up from shallow water and two from deep, standing up, and the after-ride care that keeps the board alive.

Prepare the board — 0:08

1. 0:15 — Build the stand: twist the bottom into a diamond, flip it, pull the opposite bars. Make sure it's stable. See Setting up the board stand.
2. 0:23 — Fit the side fins and centre fin. See Mounting the fins.
3. 0:51 — Open the engine cover and check every connector and plug is seated. Lubricate the engine. Fill the fuel tank (50:1 pre-mix).
4. 1:08 — Activate the board and start the engine for 5–10 seconds to warm it — not longer (it's water-cooled, not air-cooled). Refit the cover and lock it.

Carry it in — 1:42

• 1:45 — Carry the board by the handles and the body — never by the straps, they tear.
• 1:53 — Wade to at least knee-deep water before starting — shallower and you'll damage the fins or suck sand into the impeller.

Stance & the no-idle start — 2:03

• 2:07 — Goofy: right leg forward, shutoff key on your right wrist, take off from the right side. Regular: the mirror image.
• 2:27 — Hold the handle with the throttle controller, with room to work the throttle. Insert the shutoff key with your left hand, then grab the left handle.
• 2:33 — The board starts automatically in 2–3 seconds. You must push the throttle — there's no idle, so it shuts off in a few seconds if you don't.

Starting from shallow water — 2:46

5. 2:49 — On your stomach: lie on the board, arms bent, body down — best control.
6. 2:59 — On your knees: one knee on, don't push hard; once you're on the throttle, bring the other knee up.
7. 3:10 — Feet in: back foot in the rear strap; once you push the throttle, front foot into the front strap.

Starting from deep water — 3:20

8. 3:26 — From the side: hold it as normal and, as you push the throttle, jump your body up onto the board.
9. 3:36 — From the tail: lie on the board from behind and start as normal.
10. 3:42 — On any start, accelerate hard to reach sliding speed as quickly as possible.

Standing up — 3:49

11. 3:51 — From your knees, back foot into the rear strap first, then the front foot into the front strap, still holding both handles.
12. 4:03 — Keep a constant speed to stand up. The throttle cable is strong — you can pull on it for support as you rise.

Every time you come off the water — 4:10

13. 4:12 — Turn the engine on and clear the water from the exhaust.
14. 4:26 — Open the engine cover and let it breathe — important.
15. 4:32 — Briefly open the fuel tank to release pressure, then close it.

After you finish riding — 4:43

16. 4:43 — Engine on, clear the exhaust. Open the cover, check everything's still mounted, leave it open.
17. 5:04 — Flush and lubricate the board, then let it dry.
18. 5:11 — Fresh water: just lubricate the whole engine and the jet-pump bearings through the hose in the engine space.
19. 5:22 — Salt water — flush the engine: hose the whole board → at least 1 L of water into the snorkel → wash the controller → flush the jet pump and inside the exhaust → in the engine space, cover the air intake so you don't flood it.
20. 6:00 — Activate the board so the bilge pump clears the remaining water.
21. 6:13 — Most important: connect the cleaning attachment to the hose, insert it into the jet pump, turn the hose on, start the engine and run the water for at least two minutes. See Flush & clean your JetSurf like a pro.