Ride Technology

Off-throttle steering loss (OTSL) has been identified as a contributing factor in personal watercraft (PWC) accidents by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the United States Coast Guard (USCG), the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL).

The USCG is currently pushing the PWC industry to implement a voluntary performance standard addressing off-throttle steering loss. The resulting industry-proposed draft standard, J2608, is a watered-down version of a UL draft standard, The Standard for Collision Avoidance Capabilities of Personal Watercraft, written July 31, 2001 under a USCG grant. The industry-sponsored standard would not apply until model year 2006, excludes stand-up PWC, off-power operation and testing by novice riders.

Ride Technology provides consulting services relating to Personal Watercraft (PWC) Collision Avoidance Systems. These systems, including rudders, brakes and throttle reapplication are designed to improve operator control during off-throttle and off-power conditions (throttle reapplication systems do not provide off-power steering). Collectively, off-throttle steering and off-power steering are referred to as Collision Avoidance.

Services provided include design, development and testing of collision avoidance systems for specific PWC models, accident analysis and expert witness testimony. The company's founder and President, Ron Simner, designed and patented the WaveTrax™ dual-rudder PWC steering system in 1992. WaveTrax has been tested by Inside Edition, the NASBLA PWC Committee, many PWC manufacturers and under two separate USCG grants, the last one being performed by UL.

This site is designed to provide information related to off-throttle steering loss in Personal Watercraft. Please contact us if you have any difficulty finding information.