255XD vs. 255XE vs. 252XE

[FSH 210 Sport]

The no wake button is also the cruise assist button. No wake has three settings that increase rpm’s in three small steps whereas the cruise assist has 16 steps, 8 up and 8 down from a given rpm beginning I think at 3500 rpm.

No Wake mode, I believe the intent now is to use it when the throttle(s) are in the TDE (thrust directional enhancer) which is the first detent when moving the throttles from neutral to forward. The TDE position directs some thrust rearward and some down and to the sides, when combined with increased rpm’s via the no wake button dramatically improves directional control when going forward to improve slow speed maneuvering especially at no wake level three. In my experience level three produces too much wake for Marina use but has brisk directional control for slow cruising, level two still works good in the Marina with virtually no wake.

Next time you’re on the water set the no wake at level three with the throttles in the TDE position and let the boat top out speed wise in this configuration. The snap the steering wheel over hard to port to full lock for a second or two then snap it over to full starboard take note of how quickly the bow moved from going straight to turning to port, and how quickly the turn is arrested when turning the wheel to starboard. Now put the throttle handles into full ahead without increasing rpm and repeat the above test, you should experience much less directional control authority. Repeat the above experiment just cruising along in TDE and a straight line and note how little steering input is necessary to keep the boat going straight vs. in full idle ahead.

The articulating keel was designed to stop the jet boat spin out at speed during hard turns. The keel is an extension of the boats bottom centerline or keel and most of it is behind the transom and not down in the water flow below the keel, it does have very limited directional control when there is no rearward thrust from the jet pumps. The reason there is no articulated keel on the DriveX and Helm Master equipped boats is because those boats move the jet pumps independently when using the spin, dock hold and lateral movements as opposed to all other models wherein the jet pump nozzles move in unison and the articulating keel is tied to one of the jet pumps.

I’m not exactly sure how the DriveX / Helm Master / forward-reverse works, but I’d have to assume there is an adjustment on the reverse gate control cable on the quick disconnect from the control cable where it attaches to the reverse gate. If the boat is creeping rearward at idle use the adjustment to open the reverse gate, one revolution at a time on the quick disconnect on both gates to increase forward thrust to get the boat as near as possible to neutral. Jet pumps on our boats are always making thrust so there’s pr going to be a very slight creep one way or another.

Cruise assist is an awesome feature to easily adjust engine rpm / speed while cruising, especially when it’s choppy, without making large changes to engine rpm due to the boat bouncing off waves. It’s also a great way to feather engine rpm while cruising and in concert with the connext screen, speed / gph to get the best mpg, or to adjust speed when towing people. I use cruise assist all the time when driving the boat to make speed changes.

 

[TommyMcK]

The no wake button is also the cruise assist button. No wake has three settings that increase rpm’s in three small steps whereas the cruise assist has 16 steps, 8 up and 8 down from a given rpm beginning I think at 3500 rpm.

No Wake mode, I believe the intent now is to use it when the throttle(s) are in the TDE (thrust directional enhancer) which is the first detent when moving the throttles from neutral to forward. The TDE position directs some thrust rearward and some down and to the sides, when combined with increased rpm’s via the no wake button dramatically improves directional control when going forward to improve slow speed maneuvering especially at no wake level three. In my experience level three produces too much wake for Marina use but has brisk directional control for slow cruising, level two still works good in the Marina with virtually no wake.

Next time you’re on the water set the no wake at level three with the throttles in the TDE position and let the boat top out speed wise in this configuration. The snap the steering wheel over hard to port to full lock for a second or two then snap it over to full starboard take note of how quickly the bow moved from going straight to turning to port, and how quickly the turn is arrested when turning the wheel to starboard. Now put the throttle handles into full ahead without increasing rpm and repeat the above test, you should experience much less directional control authority. Repeat the above experiment just cruising along in TDE and a straight line and note how little steering input is necessary to keep the boat going straight vs. in full idle ahead.

The articulating keel was designed to stop the jet boat spin out at speed during hard turns. The keel is an extension of the boats bottom centerline or keel and most of it is behind the transom and not down in the water flow below the keel, it does have very limited directional control when there is no rearward thrust from the jet pumps. The reason there is no articulated keel on the DriveX and Helm Master equipped boats is because those boats move the jet pumps independently when using the spin, dock hold and lateral movements as opposed to all other models wherein the jet pump nozzles move in unison and the articulating keel is tied to one of the jet pumps.

I’m not exactly sure how the DriveX / Helm Master / forward-reverse works, but I’d have to assume there is an adjustment on the reverse gate control cable on the quick disconnect from the control cable where it attaches to the reverse gate. If the boat is creeping rearward at idle use the adjustment to open the reverse gate, one revolution at a time on the quick disconnect on both gates to increase forward thrust to get the boat as near as possible to neutral. Jet pumps on our boats are always making thrust so there’s pr going to be a very slight creep one way or another.

Cruise assist is an awesome feature to easily adjust engine rpm / speed while cruising, especially when it’s choppy, without making large changes to engine rpm due to the boat bouncing off waves. It’s also a great way to feather engine rpm while cruising and in concert with the connext screen, speed / gph to get the best mpg, or to adjust speed when towing people. I use cruise assist all the time when driving the boat to make speed changes.

Low speed steering works differently on the 255XD. With the throttles in forward at low rpm, the boat adjusts nozzle position and engine rpm as a function of steering input. In any case, I have certainly tried cruise assist on the 255 and 222. My main issue with it is that there is more water churn, which while technically not a "wake", is a disturbing source when navigating canals with boats tied up, and I find that I like the control provided by the continuous throttle. Although it requires anticipatory steering inputs to initiate and stop a turn, once you get the hang of it, I find it every bit as controllable as cruise assist.

Regarding adjusting the shift position at idle, that is also more complicated on the 255XD. It has a position sensor on it, and if you just adjust the shift rod, the computer will adjust it back to where it thinks the correct position should be. You need to adjust the shift rod so that the bucket is at some particular and precise angle, plug in YDIS, then turn the batteries on, and then do some stuff using YDIS to get the boat to accept a new set point. So says the service manual anyway. Haven't done it yet because it's not terribly convenient with the boat on the lift.