The Yamaha WaveBlaster Is Back for 2027 — Here's How It Stacks Up Against the '90s Original

For a certain kind of rider, no jet ski name carries more weight than WaveBlaster. Yamaha built it in the early '90s, discontinued it before the decade was out, and then spent thirty years watching a cult grow around the survivors. Now it's back: Yamaha revived the WaveBlaster for 2027 as a single-rider machine in its new Sport series, right next to the stand-up SuperJet.

The original was famously described as "the closest thing to riding a motorcycle on water." Yamaha's pitch for the new one? "As close as you can get to riding a dirt bike on the water." Three decades apart, same DNA. So the real question for anyone who ever rode the first one is simple: does the new WaveBlaster still have the soul that made people fall in love? Here's the honest, spec-for-spec comparison.

The '90s original: the ski that started the cult

The WaveBlaster 700 debuted in 1993 and rode like nothing else Yamaha sold. It was built around a 701cc two-stroke twin making about 63 horsepower — and topped out at a claimed 44–45 mph. Speed was never the point.

The magic was in how it handled. Yamaha's design brief was simplicity over comfort: handlebars, a trigger throttle, a motorcycle-style seat, and nothing else — no tach, no speedo, no storage, not even reverse. Soft chines and a semi-flat hull let it lean into turns, throw tail stands, and carve in ways the big touring skis couldn't touch. It was stripped-down, tippy, and demanding — it punished lazy riders and rewarded good ones. That raw personality (and that classic blue-and-purple "blurple" paint) is exactly why clean examples still get hunted down and restored today.

The 2027 WaveBlaster: the name, reimagined

Yamaha unveiled the new WaveBlaster in August 2026 as a 2027 model. Like the original, it's a single-rider machine you can ride sitting or standing — but the engineering is a generation ahead. Power comes from the 1,049cc Yamaha TR-1 HO, a three-cylinder four-stroke rated at roughly 110 horsepower, with a target top speed in the mid-50 mph range.

The signature feature is the lean-in hull. Yamaha built it from a lightweight VARTM composite (the same process as the SuperJet), paired it with a 144mm high-pressure pump, and — just like the original — left the sponsons off entirely. The result is a hull that rolls into a corner so your body weight drives the turn instead of fighting it. For newer riders there's L-Mode, which softens engine output until you're ready to open it up, plus a 4.3" Connext screen with security and drive control. It comes in Midnight Blue and Black, and MSRP is $11,999.

Old vs. new, side by side

So did they keep the soul?

On paper they're a generation apart — a peaky 63 hp two-stroke versus a smooth 110 hp four-stroke, bare handlebars versus an electronic rider mode and a color screen. The new one is heavier (425 vs 320 lbs), faster, and far more reliable. But look at what Yamaha refused to change: single rider, no sponsons, a lean-and-carve hull, and a design built entirely around fun instead of top speed. Even the 144mm pump size carried over. That's the WaveBlaster formula, and Yamaha kept it intact while bolting on thirty years of engineering.

Whether it fully lives up to the legend is something the water will decide once these reach dealers. But the fact that Yamaha brought the name back at all — and built a genuinely different machine to wear it — is a big deal for the sport.

Still keeping an original alive?

Plenty of the faithful aren't trading up — they're keeping their '93–'96 WaveBlasters running, and those 701cc two-strokes need parts the new four-stroke never will. If that's you, we can help you keep the original on the water. Browse 90s Yamaha jet ski parts →