Racing
Equipment and scrutineering
What the rider wears, what the craft must carry, and what an inspector looks at before the start and after the finish, in the three rulebooks this site reads. The three agree that a helmet and a buoyancy vest are worn at all times on the water and agree on little else in detail: one bans inflatable vests, two require a lanyard stop switch, one names a brand.
Personal equipment, item by item
| Item | IJSBA 2025 | UIM 2026 | IHRA 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helmet | IJSBA 2025 Required F | UIM 2026 Required F | IHRA 2026 Required |
| Life jacket or PFD | IJSBA 2025 Required | UIM 2026 Required | IHRA 2026 Required |
| Back protection | IJSBA 2025 Required for some F | UIM 2026 Required | IHRA 2026 Required for some |
| Eyes | IJSBA 2025 Recommended | UIM 2026 Required | IHRA 2026 Required F |
| Gloves | IJSBA 2025 Not addressed | UIM 2026 Required | IHRA 2026 Recommended |
| Footwear | IJSBA 2025 Recommended | UIM 2026 Required | IHRA 2026 Required |
| Leg protection | IJSBA 2025 Not addressed | UIM 2026 Required for some | IHRA 2026 Recommended |
| Wetsuit | IJSBA 2025 Not addressed | UIM 2026 Required F | IHRA 2026 Required for some |
| Whistle | IJSBA 2025 Not addressed | UIM 2026 Not addressed | IHRA 2026 Required for some |
- Required: a rule for every rider, apart from any cell marked F.
- Required for some: only in certain classes or kinds of event; the table below names them.
- Recommended: the book advises it and does not insist.
- Not addressed: the document read here says nothing about it.
- F: Freestyle riders are let off this one.
Read a row across to see the three books side by side; the solid squares are the rules a rider cannot skip. Helmet and life jacket or PFD are the only items all three require, freestyle aside.
How we know: IJSBA General Race Regulations GEN.7, UIM 2026 rule 506 and IHRA V.20260603 section I, each square set from the same rule the matching cell of the table below quotes.
| Item | IJSBA 2025 | UIM 2026 | IHRA 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Helmet | full coverage with chin and mouth protection, meeting DOT and Snell motorised-vehicle standards. Bolt-on chin guards prohibited; face shields allowed if the shield pivots with no locking mechanism. Prohibited: bicycle headgear, BMX headgear, plastic headgear. not required for freestyle competitors during freestyle competition. Snell revision year: not stated in the source. (GEN.7.3) | Mandatory, to current National Authority standards, current Snell, current FIA, ECE 2206. The PDF prints "ECE 2206" with no decimal point. Almost certainly intended as ECE 22.06, but reported literally. Prohibited: mountain bike helmets. Freestyle competitors are exempt from the helmet requirement. at least 2/3 of the helmet must be bright orange, bright red or bright yellow, fluorescent highly recommended. Replaced every 5 years from the manufacture date, or after an accident, or if it fails technical scrutineering. Jet Raid, Offshore and Endurance pilots must wear a helmet WITHOUT a visor (318.15). (506.01) | full-face, in practice and competition, sound condition, no structural alteration, properly fastened and not removable in use. Standards: USA Snell M2015, Snell M2020, Snell M2025, DOT FMVSS 218; Europe ECE 22.05, ECE 22.06 'P', ECE 22.06 'NP', ECE 22.06 'J'; Japan JIS T 8133 : 2007 Full. Prohibited: plastic helmets, BMX-style helmets. Visibility: a colour or reflectivity giving high visibility, with fluorescent highly recommended. The organiser stocks fluorescent tape to bring a helmet up to the requirement. the Race Director decides whether a helmet meets the standard. (I.7) |
| Life jacket or PFD | Type I or Type III meeting local buoyancy requirements (typically USCG Type I or III), worn at all times on the water. Inflatable PFDs prohibited. (GEN.7.2) | EN ISO 12402-5:2020, or current National Authority standards, designed for racing, worn at all times when on the water. Closure: minimum two buckle-type straps across closures, OR a full zipper in front plus one strap across closures. a handle on the back side is required. No prohibition on inflatable PFDs exists. EN ISO 12402-5 points in practice to inherently buoyant devices, but the rulebook states no ban. IJSBA by contrast bans inflatables outright (GEN.7.2). (506.02) | USCG-approved type I or III, worn at all times on the water. Jettribe competition race vests that are SGS buoyancy certified are approved for use. This is the only brand named anywhere in the safety section. (I.8) |
| Back protection | Required for all Ski competitors except Freestyle: rigid or soft, capable of absorbing and distributing impact, must not absorb water; no more than 2 in below a horizontal line between the tops of both shoulders; no less than 3 in below a horizontal line between both hips. (GEN.7.4) | Mandatory during tests, training and races, minimum CE EN 1621-2:2014 level 1 or 2; Stage 2 CE standard recommended for better impact protection. (506.03) | Required for Ski and Endurance classes, no more than 45 mm thick. Rigid or soft material designed to absorb and distribute impact, shaped to the rider's body, which cannot absorb water and may be secured with straps, belts or suspenders. (I.14) |
| Eyes | Eye protection is recommended, not required. (GEN.7.3 context) | Goggles stated as "should follow", and riders losing goggles during a session may carry on racing; standard EN 1938:2010. (506.03) | shatterproof goggles or a face shield, for every competitor except in Freestyle; goggles may be removed during a race if necessary to improve visibility. (I.10) |
| Gloves | Not addressed in the General Race Regulations. | Required; no standard named; riders losing gloves during a session may carry on racing. | strongly recommended, not required. (I.12) |
| Footwear | Protective footwear is recommended, not required. | closed footwear, all participants; no standard named. (506.03, 506.05) | Required; acceptable: water shoes, wrestling shoes, surf shoes, tennis shoes. (I.13) |
| Leg protection | Not addressed in the General Race Regulations. | Required, runabout only; no standard named. (506.03) | strongly recommended in Sport and Runabout classes, not required. (I.15) |
| Wetsuit | Not addressed in the General Race Regulations. | Required: a long wetsuit during all competitions, free practice, qualification, training and race; exempt: Freestyle. Prohibited as riding wear: jeans, sweaters, shorts. Thickness not specified. (506.06) | Endurance: required, full-body waterproof clothing at all times on the water. Closed course: strongly recommended. (I.9) |
| Whistle | Not addressed in the General Race Regulations. | Not mentioned. | Endurance: required, securely attached to the life jacket and functional. Closed course: strongly recommended. (I.11) |
| Splints, casts and braces | Not addressed in the General Race Regulations. | no pilot may participate with any splint, cast or brace without written authorisation from an approved medical doctor and O.O.D. approval. (506.08) | Not extracted. |
| The official's last word | The Race Director may prohibit any helmet, PFD or equipment deemed unsafe (GEN.7.5). | the O.O.D., Race Director or technical commissioner may prohibit any helmet, life jacket or other equipment considered unsafe, and may forbid a rider to depart. (506.07, 506.09) | I.1 puts the choice of equipment on the rider and states that organisers do not endorse or guarantee brands. A retailer quoting this rulebook is quoting a floor, not an endorsement. |
IJSBA 2025, General Race Regulations, GEN.7, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-07. UIM 2026, 506.01 to 506.14, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-08. IHRA 2026, section I, read from the rulebook on 2026-09-11.
What the UIM personal-equipment chapter does not say
- no neck brace requirement or mention anywhere in the document
- no rule of any kind on helmet-mounted or on-board cameras
- no glove, footwear or leg-protection standard named
- no wetsuit thickness
- no buoyancy figure in newtons
The craft: what must be fitted and working
The lanyard, which two of the three bodies require
IJSBA: all watercraft except freestyle must have a working lanyard-type engine stop switch; modification using tape, wire or removable materials is prohibited (GEN.8.9). one rider per vehicle, no tandem racing.
UIM: There is NO rule anywhere mandating that a lanyard be worn or attached and no self-circling device requirement. The lanyard appears only in a false- start restart procedure, and the kill switch appears only as a modification allowance ("the kill switch may be moved from its original position", 501.xx item 16). This is a significant divergence from IJSBA, which requires a working lanyard-type engine stop switch (GEN.8.9).
IHRA: A functioning lanyard start/stop switch must stop the engine automatically if the rider becomes separated from the craft. It must be fastened to the rider's vest or wrist and must not be wrapped around the handlebars or any other part of the watercraft. A backup lanyard may be carried but used only if the primary is disconnected. Required in every class except Freestyle (J.6).
Other fittings
IJSBA: nose bumper permanently affixed, IJSBA-approved; smooth edges required on plastic or metal hull supports (GEN.8.12). Tow loop, tow hooks and handlebar padding are class-document constants and sit on the legality pages.
Scrutineering: before the start and after the finish
| Body | Before the race | After the race | Seals, swaps and refusals |
|---|---|---|---|
| IJSBA | all watercraft must pass a pre-race technical inspection (GEN.8.10). | Teardown and post-race procedure are not in the General Race Regulations; a targeted read confirmed their absence. | Not in the General Race Regulations. |
| UIM | a safety technical inspection is held before the race by the technical commissioner, per the UIM safety checklist; no aquabike shall enter the water before passing this inspection (500, 506.10). The checklist is referenced in 500 but not reproduced in the rulebook. | Three statements: the best 5 classified aquabikes plus one additional randomly chosen craft (500); the first five classified riders must present their craft at the closed pit (306.01); the number inspected is at the discretion of the O.O.D. and Technical Inspector (506). Those three statements are not reconciled anywhere in the text. In the closed pit, prohibited: refuelling, mechanical intervention, work on the hull. Disqualification for failing to present the craft to the closed pit; any change or work before inspection; entering the closed pit without authorisation. | The UIM Commissioner reserves the right to order the exchange of any relevant ECU/CDI unit with another if supplied by the UIM. (marked reported). Enforcement of the rules, and technical scrutineering in particular, does not guarantee the safety of racing or of the scrutineered boat. Scrutineering is not intended as a construction or condition survey. Teams and riders are solely responsible for their equipment. (207) |
| IHRA | safety only. The pre-race inspection explicitly does NOT determine whether a craft is legal for its class. Outcome: a decal, required for every craft competing at the event. (J.3.1) | class eligibility. Typically the first three finishers in each class undergo a mandatory teardown, with the final number set by the Race Director or Technical Director and announced at the riders' meeting. Teardown performed by the rider or their mechanic, with their own tools. (J.3.3) | Seals and inspection decals must be allowed to be affixed and must not be tampered with. Removing, altering or reusing one without consent may be disqualification. refusing inspection is disqualification from the event. |
There is no single consolidated scrutineering chapter; the procedure is distributed. On the IHRA book, passing the ramp inspection says nothing about class legality: the check that decides it happens after the race, on the podium finishers.
Changing craft or engine between sessions
UIM (504): authorised by only the UIM Technical Commissioner or a UIM Commissioner. Changing the crankshaft, crankcase, cylinder block counts as an engine change. a rider changing craft or engine between sessions starts the next session or moto from the last position on the grid. the rider must maintain the racing number on the replacement craft. Cut-offs: no change once the aquabike is presented on the starting grid (first start counts in a restart); in Rally Jet or Offshore, no change of aquabike, hull or engine once the first departure is given. Endurance: the replacement must be the same category AND the same make, and the rider keeps the number and transponder (318.12). all aquabikes used in the motos must be presented for pre-race and post-race inspection. no sealing, stamping, paint-marking or engine-number recording procedure is described anywhere.
IJSBA and IHRA: not yet read for this page; the absence is recorded rather than filled.
Radio, telemetry, data and cameras
UIM (505): radio is expressly ALLOWED. Radiomen should be registered at the time of registration and should stand close to race control. Telemetry: not mentioned anywhere in the document - no prohibition found. Data logging: not mentioned anywhere - no prohibition found. GPS: Appears once, as a PERMITTED timing method for record attempts (RTK-based GNSS, uncertainty under 10 cm, timing rate not less than 10 Hz, subject to prior UIM authorisation). Not banned. Cameras: no rule of any kind.
IJSBA: The 2024 GENERAL RULES PDF is race-conduct procedure only (GEN.1 - GEN.15). Verified absent from it: rider licence requirements, ALL age thresholds, ALL fuel specification rules (octane, oxygenates, alcohol, sampling), ALL sound testing procedure, teardown/scrutineering procedure, protest and claiming rules, minimum weight and ballast rules, racing number and plate colour requirements, hull and engine sealing procedures, and every blanket technology prohibition (traction control, telemetry, data logging, GPS, nitrous).
Neither body bans traction control, telemetry, data logging or GPS. Both silences were verified rather than assumed.
Devices and technologies explicitly banned somewhere in the rulebook. This list is what was FOUND, not what was inferred.
- mountain bike helmets: 506.01
- helmets over 5 years from manufacture, accident-involved, or failing scrutineering: 506.01
- visors (Jet Raid, Offshore and Endurance only): 318.15
- jeans, sweaters and shorts as riding wear: 506.06
- splints, casts and braces without medical authorisation: 506.08
- non-approved racing bibs: 206
- red articles near starters, judges or Course Marshalls: 204.02
Searched for specifically and confirmed absent, rather than inferred: traction control, telemetry, data logging, GPS as a prohibition, nitrous oxide, oxygenated fuel beyond the pump-fuel restriction, inflatable PFDs, helmet cameras, and any engine cut-off lanyard EQUIPMENT requirement.
Documents cited on this page
Source: IJSBA General Race Regulations (section 6 of the rule book set), published by International Jet Sports Boating Association
- Published by
- IJSBA General Race Regulations (section 6 of the rule book set), published by International Jet Sports Boating Association ijsba.com
- Read on
- 2026-10-02
- Worth knowing
- The GEN.1 to GEN.15 document: pre-start, starts, restarts, buoys and the finish, slalom, competition rules, addenda, flags, pits, registration. Held here as text. The document prints no year of its own; the edition is the rule book set it was downloaded with.
Source: 2026 UIM Aquabike Rulebook, published by Union Internationale Motonautique
- Published by
- 2026 UIM Aquabike Rulebook, published by Union Internationale Motonautique uim.sport
- Read on
- 2026-10-01
- Worth knowing
- One 189-page document covering every class, so cross-class comparisons are same-season. Read straight from the PDF; the text is not held here and page numbers were not recorded, so a reference from this document cannot yet be followed to a page. Held here as extracted text from 2026-10-01, the same text the rule rows were read from on 2026-09-26.
Source: IHRA Pro Watercraft Racing Competition Rulebook, version V.20260603, published by International Hot Rod Association (Cuttell Motorsports, LLC)
- Published by
- IHRA Pro Watercraft Racing Competition Rulebook, version V.20260603, published by International Hot Rod Association (Cuttell Motorsports, LLC) ihra.com
- Read on
- 2026-09-07
- Worth knowing
- Sections A to EE, 95 pages. The URL is the rules page rather than the PDF, because the PDF is served from a signed link that expires. The version string is the figure to cite; the rulebook changed four times between February and June 2026.
3 rulebooks · 11 equipment items compared · 7 UIM equipment prohibitions