The fishing jet ski: a Yamaha CrossWave build, part by part
· 4 min read
Our mascot opens the video with a line that is entirely true: the boss got a new toy. The boss is FishNerd's founder, the toy is a Yamaha CrossWave, and it did not stay stock for long. This is the build, part by part, with the sources for every factory spec at the bottom of the page.
What the CrossWave is out of the box
The CrossWave is a WaveRunner that Yamaha designed for fishing. Instead of a straddle seat and footwells, it has a full walkaround bow and stern on a flat, marine-matted deck, so you can stand up and move around the hull. It is 12 ft 11 in long with a 5 ft 7 in beam and carries up to four people; the third and fourth seats come out to open up the stern deck.
- 82 gallons of storage, including a rod storage compartment and a bow anchor locker sized for a 5-lb anchor and a 3-gallon bucket
- Integrated T-Track that accepts rod holders and trolling motor brackets
- A floating helm with a 7-inch Simrad NSX chartplotter/fishfinder and Yamaha's Connext display
- Prewired for a Group 24 deep-cycle marine battery, with a built-in battery switch
- A 1.9L High Output Yamaha Marine Engine and an included 55-quart cooler
So the factory already thought about anglers: a fish finder, somewhere to put the rods, and room for a second battery. The boss took that last part as an invitation.
A jet ski that holds its spot
A jet ski drifts. Stop to cast and the wind and current start moving you off the spot. So the biggest change is on the bow: a custom plate cut from 1/2-inch black HDPE, carrying a Minn Kota RTA-17 quick-release bracket and a Minn Kota Riptide Kayak Terrova.
That motor is a 12-volt, 55-lb-thrust saltwater model with a 36-inch shaft and a micro remote. The feature that matters is GPS Spot-Lock: the motor holds the ski on a chosen spot by itself. On the CrossWave it works perfectly — a jet ski that holds its spot.
The power system
A trolling motor needs a battery, and the factory prewire is for a Group 24 deep-cycle. The boss went bigger: a LiTime 12V 100Ah LiFePO4 trolling motor battery — Group 31 size, 1280Wh, with Bluetooth and a 100A BMS. Around it he built a small power panel on a 1/4-inch ABS sheet:
- 60A and 50A circuit breakers
- A battery disconnect switch with a voltmeter
- A 4-gang rocker switch panel with USB, plus a USB-C PD outlet
- Anderson-style 50A quick-connect plugs, on 8 AWG tinned marine duplex wire
- A NOCO Genius GENPRO 10X2 two-bank onboard charger
And in the front storage bin sits a Starlink Mini. It works with the lid shut, so the ski stays connected with nothing sticking up off the deck.
Lights and safety, for the early starts
Fishing means early starts, and early starts mean running before the sun is up. The ski carries Nilight 6-inch LED light pods, a red/green bow navigation light and a 20-inch fold-down 360° white stern/anchor light. On board there is also a USCG-approved electronic flare kit (Sirius Signal SB-3L) and a 40-inch fish ruler. The ruler is for the good news.
Then, the Everglades
The real test: two anglers standing on the deck of one jet ski, fishing the Everglades. The walkaround deck earns its name here. And there was a largemouth bass — our mascot's cousin — who, in the narrator's words, didn't read the room.
Every catch goes into FishNerd
Every fish from the day went into FishNerd, our free catch log for iOS and Android. You snap a photo and the app names the species. It reads the location and time from the photo itself, and records the conditions at that moment: sky, air temperature, barometric pressure and whether it was rising or falling, wind, humidity, cloud cover, rain, UV, moon phase, sunrise and sunset.
It also shows the local rules for that catch — bag limit, size limit, season and licence. And catches are friends-only by default, so the spots stay between you and your friends. The video closes on the boss's own map. He gets around.
Ask the boss
Want to know how a part was mounted, wired or chosen? Leave your question in the comments on the video. The boss answers.