Why The Heck Is There Not One Of THESE In Pittsburgh? (Jerome: rentals, insurance)

[Citypoot]

Pittsburgh is a metro of over 2 million people and more and more with the retaking of our riverfronts, tourists and residents alike are turning to our rivers for entertainment...recent examples include...

- The successful kayaking operation outside PNC Park

- Increasing riverfront eating such as Jerome Bettis Grille, Redfin's, etc.

- Increased angling in the downtown area, even attracting two huge
bass fishing tournaments recently.

- All the North Shore development such as the casino on the water, the
pier, and on and on.

And YET...have you noticed...there's no convenient way, to rent a jetski
in Pittsburgh?!?!?

Think about it. You go to Deep Creek Maryland even, and there's tons of rentals. And yet here in Pittsburgh- where even a KAYAK business, where people have to physically labor in a toothpick watercraft to go 10 miles an hour, is thriving. Don't ya think, if someone had the common sense to open up a riverfront jetski operation charging say 30 bucks an hour for a rental, in a high-traffic area such as by the Casino, on the southside waterfront, by sandcastle, or maybe next to Paradise Island on Neville Island, that such a place would thrive?

I mean if the 20-something crowd to could conveniently rip around the water of the skyline, PNC Park, the Casino, Paradise Island, etc, I think the rentals would sell like gangbusters...and I'm sure I'm not smart enough to be the first person that realizes this. So here's my question?

Is there some prohibitive law in Allegheny County or Pittsburgh against jetski rentals? There must be, otherwise someone would go out, by a fleet of 30 used jetskis at about 1,000 a pop, a small cheap industrial rental along the waterfront near a fun area, pay for a comprehensive liability package, and proceed to make a killing. What am I missing here?

[Aran]

Can you imagine insuring a company like that? It's just not financially viable here, I would imagine.


But you know, if you've got the idea and think it's bankable... Do it yourself!

[Tallysmom]

Sorta thought the whole Jetski thing was over. But I agree -- the liability insurance for one of those things has to be WAY high.

[Katarina Witt]

If they rent them other places, the financial obstacles must not be impossible to overcome.

[creepsinc]

Can you really buy a used jet ski for $1k?

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by creepsinc

Can you really buy a used jet ski for $1k?

Considering the retail price of these things is generally over 10K, it would be a REALLY used crappy one.

[DaBurgh]

Originally Posted by Citypoot

- where even a KAYAK business, where people have to physically labor in a toothpick watercraft to go 10 miles an hour, is thriving.

Part of the explanation may be here. Given Pittsburgh's working class, blue collar history, having to labor their way down the river makes more sense to them than any concept involving "skiing", which is usually associated with snow, Seven Springs, and Colorado.

That's not to say the idea would not work. I would love to see some yinzers in Polamalu jerseys flying around the Allegheny river and practicing the "Pittsburgh Left".

[rogcha_22]

With all the barge traffic and bridge pillars, I don't think I'd want to jetski on the rivers. The liability has to be way higher here than a place like Deep Creek, which is solely devoted to recreation.

[greg42]

I always think they're crazy when I see people out there with a jet ski or even worse water skiing. Ick. Usually see them on the Allegheny, out the windows of our offices. I know the water is not too bad now, but still. Typical sit-down wave runner thing still gets you pretty wet at times.

[Burghgirl17]

My thoughts:
- Pricey start up. Those things aren't cheap.
- High cost to insure.
- Limited season of decent enough weather to be used. (short profitability season, high off-season storage costs)
- We have heavy river traffic here - it could be really dangerous to have inexperienced people out there on these things.
- Generally feeling among many of the population that the river water is "gross."