It was only a few of months ago that The Watercraft Journal was personally invited to attend the 2024 Kawasaki North American Dealer Show and put its hands on the 2025 Ultra 160LX-S Angler JetSki. Marketed with the tag line, “Catch The Good Times” (a play on Kawasaki’s long time “Let The Good Times Roll” maxim), the Angler is possibly one of the most surprising – yet, smartly timed – new entries to the rapidly-growing JetSki lineup.
Based upon the naturally-aspirated Ultra 160LX-S, the Angler sets its aim directly at the Sea-Doo FishPro Sport, with a few features even the Trophy may admire. The Angler packaging includes a 7-inch UHD2 7cv Garmin Echomap Navigation (Fish Finder Chartplotter) occupying the right-hand rearview mirror. Pages of navigation, seafloor mapping and tide/current charts are quickly and easily accessible through the full color screen.
On the port side deck is an angled rod holder for trolling with an addition four in the rear mounted to the specifically-designed Angler rack fixed to the Ultra Deck. The new rack is significantly more sturdy than the accessory rack currently available, and stows a voluminous ORCA 14.5-gallon cooler with quick-release side straps. The rack still doesn’t have what you’d call a “quick release” mounting system from the deck rails, but the exposed hardware is gone.
Ergonomically, Kawasaki radically redesigned the bench seat to be taller, flat and much, much firmer; ensuring that the all-day fisherman will remain comfortable at all times. It’s smartly embossed with the “Angler” logo and is made with premium materials that will clean off easily. Of course, the biggest standout on the Angler are the Auxiliary Side Flotation outriggers running along the back-half of the bondrail.
Built for rough water handling, the Ultra’s aggressive 22.5-degree Deep-V hull is nowhere near as stable as runabouts with flatter bottoms. Kawasaki’s engineers needed to stabilize the JetSki and designed these foam-filled floats that widen the Ultra’s static footprint in the water and allow fishermen to walk freely around the footwells without feeling tipsy or unstable. And as they sit above the sponsons, they won’t interfere with the ski’s ability to track through chop at speed.
Trolling speeds are accessed through the “One-Touch 5 MPH” mode controls and can be toggled down as low as 3mph or as high as 6.5mph. Storage is identical as all other Ultra JetSkis with an innovative 10.6-gallon “horseshoe” accessed by gullwing doors, including a waterproof phone box with a USB charging port; and a deep-set front bow storage comprising 32.8-gallons of room. Every Angler comes in bright Crystal White/Timberline Green color scheme.
The rest of Kawasaki’s Ultra JetSki lineup sees little in the way of changes or upgrades. We did notice an absence of the SX-R 160 JetSki being mentioned anywhere but after reaching out to Kawasaki we can confirm that the standup isn’t going anywhere and October will have more to reveal. Until that time, what we have is a single color change – the naturally-aspirated Ultra 160LX-S losing its vibrant orange coloring for a Bluish Gray/Ebony combo.
Marked with a MSRP $17,199, enthusiasts can pick up the racy-themed 160LX-S this summer, as well as its more decadent sibling, the Kawasaki Jet Ski Ultra 160LX returning in Metallic Gold Sparkle Deep Green/Ebony. Priced with a MSRP of $18,199 it’s possibly the most fully-loaded naturally-aspirated general-use runabout. Identical in every way save for a whopping 310-horsepower drivetrain, the Ultra 310LX shares the same livery but comes in at $21,199.
For the last two remaining supercharged entries, Kawasaki decided to carry over everything “as is” from 2024, meaning the stripped-down, frills-free Ultra 310X hot rod returns in Ebony/Neon Red [although man, we’d love to see it in the new red-and-gray livery that the 160LX-S got –Ed.] and priced at $19,199. The Ultra 310LX-S returns in Ebony/Lime Green with a price tag of $20,199.
This early release serves to do two things: drum up some excitement for the Fall rollout – particularly for the new 160LX-S Angler JetSki – and inform late-season buyers what can be found on dealership floors right now. As buyers are becoming more selective, it’s important to cut through the hype and distill down the facts. That’s why The Watercraft Journal is here and why we’ve continued as the world’s most read, most referenced personal watercraft publication.
