A jet ski dolly is a piece of equipment used to move a personal watercraft, commonly known as a jet ski, around the garage, property or beach. Having the appearance of a small trailer, the jet ski dolly is commonly able to be attached to an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or an automobile by using a trailer hitch ball. Commonly void of lights, license plates and high-speed tires, the jet ski dolly is not intended to use as a trailer for towing on the highway or any public roadway. The most common use for the dolly is to transport the watercraft from a waterside garage or storage facility to nearby water and back.
Many owners of personal watercraft find themselves in need of a way to move the machine around when not in the water. Not wanting to cause damage to the hull of the vessel by sliding it around a garage floor, a jet ski dolly is a viable option. Consisting of a steel frame with padded slide rails to support the vessel, the jet ski dolly is intended to make the movement of the watercraft less challenging for the owner. The dolly can either be pulled by hand or attached to a lawn tractor, ATV or automobile by means of a ball hitch.
Many manufacturers of quality jet ski dolly equipment also manufacture covers for the watercraft. Lacking proper tie-down hardware and other components of a jet ski trailer, the jet ski dolly should not be used for high-speed or long-distance transportation under any circumstances. The design of the dolly does not promote the use as a trailer even if proper lighting is affixed to the dolly. Having a narrow track and commonly no suspension, the dolly is intended to be used only as a slow-speed transportation and storage device. The style of the dolly is available in single and dual watercraft designs in most cases, allowing an owner to move and store a pair of watercraft in close proximity of each other.
Offered in single- and tandem-axle versions, a jet ski dolly intended for a single watercraft is easily moved on a single axle dolly. The wide-track tires allow the dolly to be rolled over soft sand and rough terrain without sinking in most cases. For the dolly carrying two watercraft, a tandem-axle jet ski dolly is usually more stable and easily moved. This is due to the two wide tires on each side of the dolly distributing the weight of the vessels over a larger area.
