It's now been more than 10 years since federal law made the old two-stroke jet skis obsolete. It is more than 4 years since the old-style two stroke skis became illegal at Powell. It's too late to even dream of getting a warning.
For me, the $250 or so that a ticket would cost wouldn't be the biggest reason for me to not press my luck hopping on an illegal jet ski. Since few of us here get paid for vacationing at Powell, we do this all for a feeling of fun and good times. If I were to hop on an illegal jet ski, one thing that would take away from my fun would be looking over my shoulder at every boat that passed wondering if it were the ranger. Second, and more important, it would diminish any feelings of fun I might have knowing the damage I was doing to my fellow boaters. We all know there are environmental groups that would love nothing more than to be done with all of us and drain Lake Powell. They do their best to showcase us all as selfish throw-backs who don't care about others, the earth, or the lake itself. Anytime one of our numbers does something selfish and stupid like jump on a jet ski that any literate person knows is now banned, drills holes in sandstone to anchor a houseboat, throws big wakes too close to another boat, or tools around in a boat with loud through-hull exhaust, we are helping the extremist environmentalists by handing them their Exhibit "A" in the battle they fight against us all. I couldn't have a good time knowing I was doing that to my fellow boaters.