Key Figures · Parts maker and inventor

Glenn Dickinson

Signed R&D Racing Products' 1998 page as its CEO, was its President in directories of 2015 and 2016 and when it closed in 2018, and in 2008 was in charge of its manufacturing and marketing.

1. The early years, in print, 1981 to 1993 (this page's records)
2. The makers and their machines, 1985 to 2005 (this page's records)
3. Noise, safety and federal rules, 1996 to 2002
4. The rule book years, 2002 to 2018 (this page's records)
5. Three rule books, 2021 to 2026

1990200020102020

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Design and invention

1992, 1993 and 1994 · Likely

US patent 5,234,361, Foiled grating for jet watercraft, filed on 10 November 1992 and granted on 10 August 1993, names Glenn Dickinson and William D. Chapin as its inventors, in that order, and a second patent, 5,281,177, filed on 5 August 1993 with a related application of 10 November 1992 and granted on 25 January 1994, names the same two. Their claims cover an intake grating whose foil, carried on two lengthwise bars, divides the water intake channel into upper and lower parts. The patents name no company; reading them as R&D's work rests on the same two names signing its 1998 page and on R&D's intake grates, and is the archive's inference.

Sources: US patent 5234361; US patent 5281177; R&D Racing Products page 1998; Personal Watercraft on R&D 2008

Business

1998, 2015 and 2016 · Confirmed

R&D Racing Products' own web page, captured in May 1998, is signed by Glenn Dickinson as CEO and Bill Chapin as President. The Harris Southern California Business Directory lists Glenn Dickinson as President of R & D Racing Products USA Inc. in its 2015 and 2016 editions.

Sources: R&D Racing Products page 1998; Harris directory 2015; Harris directory 2016

2008 · Confirmed

Personal Watercraft's 2008 article on R&D says that from Chapin's arrival Dickinson was in charge of the company's manufacturing and marketing, and still was in 2008, while Chapin worked on research and development; The Watercraft Journal in 2018 likewise has him handling the manufacturing and machining.

Sources: Personal Watercraft on R&D 2008; Watercraft Journal on R&D 2018

2008 · Likely

In the 2008 article he is quoted on the R&D Aqua Vein intake grate, one of the company's aftermarket products.

Sources: Personal Watercraft on R&D 2008

2018 · Likely

The Watercraft Journal reported on 5 September 2018 that R&D would close on 27 September 2018, calling Glenn Dickinson the company's President, and printed the closing statement, which is signed with his name.

Sources: Watercraft Journal on R&D 2018

Contested

The documents read differ on R&D's beginnings. Its own 1998 page says the company was established in 1972; a 2008 article dates its personal watercraft work to 1982 and has Chapin joining by the end of 1987; and a 2018 article says R&D came from a partnership between Dickinson and Chapin.

R&D Racing Products page 1998 says

R&D was established in 1972; the page names no founder.

Personal Watercraft on R&D 2008 says

R&D began its personal watercraft work in 1982, and Chapin joined the company by the end of 1987.

Watercraft Journal on R&D 2018 says

R&D came from a partnership between Dickinson and Chapin.

Sources: R&D Racing Products page 1998; Personal Watercraft on R&D 2008; Watercraft Journal on R&D 2018

Elsewhere in the archive

• History chapter: The aftermarket: pumps, plates, mats and the registers
• History chapter: The aftermarket: hulls, rule books and closures
• Era: The early years, in print
• Era: The makers and their machines
• Era: The rule book years

What the archive has not read (2)

• The 2008 article's account of how R&D began is left out under the archive's naming rule (checked 2026-10-05).
• No document read says when he took charge of R&D, or who signed for it before 1998 (searched the archive's mirror and research cache for Dickinson and R&D, 2026-10-05).

Documents cited on this page

• R&D Racing Products page 1998 (web.archive.org): About R&D, rd-performance.com (Wayback capture of 30 May 1998), R&D Racing Products, USA Inc.; manufacturer primary, medium. The company's welcome letter, signed Bill Chapin, President, and Glenn Dickinson/CEO. Medium for who signed for the company and with what title in 1998; its history (established in 1972) and its claims for its racing record are the company's own and no page relies on them.
• US patent 5234361 (patents.google.com): US patent 5,234,361, Foiled grating for jet watercraft (USPTO record), United States Patent and Trademark Office, 1993-08-10; government, high. Filed 10 November 1992, granted 10 August 1993, inventors printed as Dickinson; Glenn and Chapin; William D., no assignee. Seven claims for an intake grating whose foil, carried on two lengthwise bars, divides the intake channel. The held text is the USPTO Patent Public Search record read on the accessed date (street addresses removed from the held copy); the link is the public Google Patents page for the same patent. It names no company, so tying it to R&D is an inference.
• US patent 5281177 (patents.google.com): US patent 5,281,177, Foiled grating for jet watercraft (USPTO record), United States Patent and Trademark Office, 1994-01-25; government, high. Filed 5 August 1993 with a related application of 10 November 1992 (the filing date of 5,234,361), granted 25 January 1994, inventors printed as Dickinson; Glenn and Chapin; William, no assignee, five claims. Held as the USPTO Patent Public Search record; the link is the Google Patents page.
• Personal Watercraft on R&D 2008 (personalwatercraft.com): Catching up with R&D Performance Products, by Vasilis Moraitis (PersonalWatercraft.com, 21 April 2008), PersonalWatercraft.com, 2008-04-21; enthusiast media, medium. A trade visit to R&D. Dates its personal watercraft work from 1982, has Bill Chapin joining by the end of 1987 for research and development and Glenn Dickinson running manufacturing and marketing. The page also shows an update date of 29 April 2016. Its author also runs jetskiworld.gr, so the two are not independent of each other.
• Harris directory 2015 (archive.org): Harris Southern California Business Directory and Buyer's Guide 2015 (Mergent; archive.org full-text search highlights), Mergent Business Press, item held by the Internet Archive, 2015; editorial, medium. A lending-library item, so only search highlights could be read. Entries for Skat-Trak Inc (Ken Stuart, President) and R & D Racing Products USA Inc (Glenn Dickinson, President; the Vice President's name garbled by the OCR), and Pacific Creations Inc, also called Hydro-Turf, in Anaheim (Arno Olbricht, President). The held copy shares a file with the 2016 edition's highlights and has its phone numbers removed.
• Harris directory 2016 (archive.org): 2016 Harris Southern California Business Directory and Buyers Guide (Mergent; archive.org full-text search highlights), Mergent Business Press, item held by the Internet Archive, 2016; editorial, medium. The 2016 edition (ISBN 978-1-63053-834-7), read the same way. Entries for Skat-Trak Inc (Ken Stuart, President) and R & D Racing Products USA Inc (Glenn Dickinson, President; Bill Chapin, Vice President). Same publisher as the 2015 edition, so the two are not independent.
• Watercraft Journal on R&D 2018 (watercraftjournal.com): R&D Performance Products Closes Its Doors After 30 Years, by Kevin Shaw (The Watercraft Journal, 5 September 2018), The Watercraft Journal, 2018-09-05; enthusiast media, medium. Report of R&D's closing on 27 September 2018, calling Glenn Dickinson its President and Bill Chapin a former Performance Jet Ski technician and Dickinson's partner, and printing the closing statement signed by Dickinson. The news was first reported by jetskiworld.gr.

Cite this page

“Glenn Dickinson”, BaddJet archive, https://baddjetarchive.com/key-figures/glenn-dickinson/

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