Forty years ago, a single machine changed the personal watercraft market entirely. Yamaha's WaveRunner 500, launched in 1986, became the world's first sit-down personal watercraft with an open stern, making the sport easier, safer, and more accessible to everyday riders who had never tried one before.
That founding achievement still runs through every model bearing the WaveRunner name. Over four decades, Yamaha has introduced world-first technologies, continuously refined its handling, and produced marine engines that riders around the globe rely on. The 2026 lineup carries that tradition forward through fresh colour schemes, meaningful feature upgrades, and a significant moment for New Zealand: the local debut of the JetBlaster series.
New to Kiwi waters for 2026, the JetBlaster range delivers compact, playful performance across three distinct models. The base JetBlaster is a two-seat entry-level ski powered by Yamaha's TR-1 marine engine, built with a strong SMC painted hull and priced for riders who want genuine capability without stretching their budget. The JetBlaster DLX steps up to a three-seat configuration and adds RiDE dual-throttle controls, bow storage, a reboarding step, mirrors, and two-tone stern mats. At the top of the range, the JetBlaster Pro is a three-seater built squarely around freestyle riding, combining a TR-1 High Output engine, a 4.3-inch Connext display, and premium finishing for anyone chasing spins, tail stands, and full-throttle adrenaline.
Yamaha's flagship FX models are aimed at riders who want big horsepower alongside comfort and technology. The FX HO runs a 1.9-litre naturally aspirated engine, the largest displacement unit available in the industry, and backs it up with a 7-inch touch display, smartphone integration, built-in GPS, factory audio, and 168 litres of storage. Alongside it, the FX JetFish is Yamaha's dedicated fishing ski, built around the same 1.9-litre engine and arriving equipped with a RecDeck, a premium fishing kit, a Garmin fish finder and GPS, and distinctive JetFish graphics. That engine's output means riders can travel freely from inshore estuaries out to offshore grounds without compromise.
For those drawn to competition, the GP 19HO upholds Yamaha's long record in racing. Its naturally aspirated 1.9-litre engine pairs with a factory audio system, a 4.3-inch Connext colour display, mobile connectivity, and Yamaha's advanced race controls, a package engineered to perform at the front of the fleet.
The VX series rounds out the 2026 range with bold new graphics and a spread of models suited to different riding styles and budgets. The VX Cruiser HO draws on 1.9-litre power with a focus on premium comfort, while the VX Cruiser and VX Deluxe both run Yamaha's 1049cc TR-1 engine and include factory-installed audio as standard. Across the entire VX lineup, every model comes with RiDE dual-throttle controls, a 4.3-inch Connext display, and 114 litres of storage included as standard.
From the WaveRunner 500 through to this latest collection, each generation shares the same core qualities: technology that pushes forward, design that turns heads, and the reliability that keeps riders returning to the water. The 2026 WaveRunner range is expected to arrive in New Zealand in late 2025, with pricing yet to be confirmed.
