Alignment of jets

[Bloomgren]

I just installed thrust vectors and rear lateral thrusters on my 2024 222XD. I noticed that each jet is slightly pointed to the middle….is that the proper alignment of the jets?

 

[drewkaree]

I just installed thrust vectors and rear lateral thrusters on my 2024 222XD. I noticed that each jet is slightly pointed to the middle….is that the proper alignment of the jets? View attachment 225779

That looks like a great result to me. Toeing them slightly inward will give you a slightly more concentrated area of thrust and wake, which is great for watersports.

 

[jcb1977]

That looks like a great result to me. Toeing them slightly inward will give you a slightly more concentrated area of thrust and wake, which is great for watersports.

don't you want them toe out slightly rather than inward? I have the cobra jets have them towed outwards (opposite of what's pictured).

 

[Daren and Heather]

Yes, @jcb1977 what I was previously led to believe. That toe-in, means the fronts are pointing inward, and the backs are pointing outward. Here's a picture from my boat to be super clear. If I am somehow wrong about this, then LOL, I've had it wrong for 4 years. Adding @Cobra Jet Steering LLC to this thread.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Well I make super steering and my tempered aluminum fins change their influence levels automatically based on the position of the hull in the water .
The slower you go the more of the fin surface is in the water to deal with the increased hull resistance .
My instructions clearly explain on MY systems how to set the tow in on the front of the fins so the super fins cut through the water on plane and the jet wash will be ever so slightly towed out away from each other.
So your boat travels straight at speed and carves in turns.
The other plastic fins do nothing on plane so do those the way their manufacturer tells you to. If you want the correct answer you should always ask the manufacturer.

 

[Bloomgren]

Anybody with knowledge on this with my setup?!

 

[Daren and Heather]

@Bloomgren I think that fins aside... it's more about the jet nozzles and how they should be aligned. I just checked the Yamaha Service Manual, which states they should be “straight back”. See pic. So if nothing else, I would just realign them so they are straight back and parallel to each other. And then you can call Jet Boat Pilot on the phone (they will actually answer) and see if they recommend for the Thrust Vectors to add any additional slight “toe-in” like I did on mine.

 

[Daren and Heather]

Another thing you might like while you're doing this @Bloomgren that I did, is while you're doing it and have everything including of course the keel, centered perfectly.... Go back in the boat and put a black zip tie on the middle top of the steering wheel. I really like it because when I'm driving or docking I can easily see and feel when I have the steering wheel / keel straight.

 

[David Martin]

Yakes......my manual 2013 sx240 has no mention of a tow in, a tow out or straight for that matter. Although mine are towed in like yours and yes, I have the same vectors you have. I have not MEASURED my jet Nozzles to see if Thay are towed in, or straight....... or are the vectors towed or bent.

I can see the vectors in their tucked up position on plane that a sharp turn left or right could allow the water to hit the outside of the vector pushing them inward........could bend them to have a slight tow in.

I can tell you on a car the front tow in is needed as the slight friction inward allows the car to track straight down the road .........without tow it will wonder left and right a little depending on road condition and any wear in the steering linkages will cause drift as well.

Hope this helps a little

 

[Wicked92]

It's a wake series, they have toed in nozzles from factory. It's surf pointe. It's intended. It helps clean up the wake for surfing and wakeboarding. It DOES help, I've tested with and without on my 255xd and the wave was cleaner.

The fins are out of the water on your boat using the thrust vectors so at speed it won't hurt anything. Only thing I would be concerned about is the wakebooster water directed at and hitting the fins when trying to surf.

Take a look while u are surfing and see if the water is slamming into the fin.

 

[Wicked92]

@Bloomgren I think that fins aside... it's more about the jet nozzles and how they should be aligned. I just checked the Yamaha Service Manual, which states they should be “straight back”. See pic. So if nothing else, I would just realign them so they are straight back and parallel to each other. And then you can call Jet Boat Pilot on the phone (they will actually answer) and see if they recommend for the Thrust Vectors to add any additional slight “toe-in” like I did on mine.

He has a wake series, the fins are NOT straight. They are roughly 3/8 difference on the cable lengths. Port will be shorter, starboard longer, to create the canted alignment.

 

[Daren and Heather]

Fyi - has a 222SD, not XD, so it's not the Wake Series, but what you're saying might still be true for his idk. That's super interesting, so yours came what I'd call "toed-out", with the front bow side of the nozzles further away, and the back stern side of the nozzles closer pointing towards each other. I would have thought that would make driving the boat straight and steering a little more squirrley. @Wicked92 did you notice the boat tracking better when they were parallel versus toed-out? If not, I might give that a try to see if it cleans up my wake spray.

 

[PTDoc]

Another thing you might like while you're doing this @Bloomgren that I did, is while you're doing it and have everything including of course the keel, centered perfectly.... Go back in the boat and put a black zip tie on the middle top of the steering wheel. I really like it because when I'm driving or docking I can easily see and feel when I have the steering wheel / keel straight.

Smart idea. Thanks for this tip.

 

[jcb1977]

Smart idea. Thanks for this tip.

A suicide knob/wheel spinner works well too. Once you have everything centered put the knob on top of the wheel so you know where center is. I like steering with the knob a little better too.

 

[Wicked92]

Fyi - has a 222SD, not XD, so it's not the Wake Series, but what you're saying might still be true for his idk. That's super interesting, so yours came what I'd call "toed-out", with the front bow side of the nozzles further away, and the back stern side of the nozzles closer pointing towards each other. I would have thought that would make driving the boat straight and steering a little more squirrley. @Wicked92 did you notice the boat tracking better when they were parallel versus toed-out? If not, I might give that a try to see if it cleans up my wake spray.

literally says " i have a 2024 222 XD lol.
"I just installed thrust vectors and rear lateral thrusters on my 2024 222XD"

All wake series boats have surfpointe. Which is canted jets. I didnt notice much difference on mine in regards to steering. Its not a huge amount. My boat without to have nozzles straight is 11.8" roughly to the center of eyelet of the cable mount measuring from pump baseplate.. Surfpointe is 11.4 port, 12.2 starboard respectively.

 

[Daren and Heather]

literally says " i have a 2024 222 XD lol.
"I just installed thrust vectors and rear lateral thrusters on my 2024 222XD"

All wake series boats have surfpointe. Which is canted jets. I didnt notice much difference on mine in regards to steering. Its not a huge amount. My boat without to have nozzles straight is 11.8" roughly to the center of eyelet of the cable mount measuring from pump baseplate.. Surfpointe is 11.4 port, 12.2 starboard respectively.

Oh whoops, I looked at his boat model in his profile where it says SD and not his post. lol.

 

[jetboatjay]

A suicide knob/wheel spinner works well too. Once you have everything centered put the knob on top of the wheel so you know where center is. I like steering with the knob a little better too.

For a different look... my son and I used gold fingernail polish and painted the Yamaha logo on the steering wheel. There are three legs to the logo, and one leg of ours is gold, the leg pointing straight up when the nozzle is straight.

 

[Bloomgren]

Thank you for the replies all! I guess due to it being a wake series boat the alignment of the Jets is correct. Also, I do not have to worry about where the center of the steering wheel is as I have Drive system and the paddles make it easy to know when I am pointed straight.

I also heard from Jet Boat Pilot and they have tested the thrust vectors on the wake series boats with no issues.