Charleston Boat Show

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

very good

 

[robert843]

I have the Cobra Venom Viper and I can tell you it made a big difference. The Venom offers a small planning surface also that I think aids in the ride a bit. As for the trim tabs, I think the only benefit you will see by installing tabs is going to be keeping the boat level. Other than that your not going to be able to free up the hull for a smoother ride. Have to remember its a jet and it stays stuck to the water. Breaking suction will kill momentum.

This is incorrect I can tell you for a fact that trim tabs will definitely smooth the ride in chop and waves. There is a HUGE difference between a jet boat with tabs and one with out. So much so that I can't believe Yamaha hasn't at least offered it as an option. Now as for straightening the boat out I don't think it helps and they don't work the same on leveling the boat out as they do on a traditional boat with some kind of out drive if you deploy one tab to try and level the boat it feels to create to much drag that needs to be over compensated with steering to feel efficient at doing that.

 

[Tailwaters]

Interesting. I certainly don't have any experience with tabs on the jet but nearly all my past rides had tabs. He mentioned trim so in my mind he was thinking that they may have the same effect as trimming the drive on an out board. But I could be wrong. My boat Finns nice and level. Not sure if the Cobra has something to do with that? What trim system are you using, spring, electric or hydro??

 

[Foobar]

These work better for the money than any tabs I have seen for average sized pleasure craft. You do not have to adjust them. They automatically adjust with waves, turns, etc.

http://nauticusinc.com/smart-tabs-sx/

And they do help straighten the boat's wander.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Foobar your boat will not wander with my steering on it, as for trim the viper system on a 19 foot single engine boat like tailwaters has does not have a trim it has a planning surface built into it to stabilize the hull in rough water and get the hull up on plane sooner There are so many posts on this site regarding the viper system, the magnum A K system and the ultimate system.
Just do a search https://jetboaters.net/search/23139367/?q=viper+steering&o=relevance
https://jetboaters.net/search/23139370/?q=magnum+A+k+steering&o=relevance
https://jetboaters.net/search/23139378/?q=ultimate+steering&o=relevance

 

[Tailwaters]

Those are what I was originally looking at when I was toying around with the idea

 

[Tailwaters]

Robert is that the tabs you have?

 

[swatski]

Robert is that the tabs you have?

Vipers are the most universal - take care of everything in one install, no adjustment. From the guys who run with those (who know what the hell they are talking about) - they rock.

Now, if you want regular/traditional trim tabs, here are the best trim tabs for the Yams, IMO:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/trim-tabs-options-wake-surfing-and-cruising.12031/page-4

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[Foobar]

Well, everyone will find out soon enough. I am going to order the Cobras tomorrow. I am then going to do these tests on video so we can settle the debate. (At least on the 210 FSH anyway.)

- Stock boat
- JBP lateral thrusters and thrust vectors
- Cobras with fangs (latest edition)
- JBP lateral thrusters with Cobra if they fit
- Cobra with smart tabs
- JBP with smart tabs

I imagine I will have the boat in and out of the water about 10 times. Good thing the boat landing is just 3 miles up the road. Either @JetBoatPilot or @Cobra Jet Steering LLC is going to hate me. Or both.

If the JBP works better for me, @Cobra Jet Steering LLC gives me 30 days to send them back, which is awesome. If the Cobras work better, I am screwed because @JetBoatPilot doesn't do refund on used items. (As per the website anyway.)

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

They don't have a 30 day satisfaction guarantee? I have a few customers who sent their T V s back for a refund after trying them or that is what they said. actually one of them sent me an email yesterday complaining about the add on the jet boat pilot site asking people to trade in their cobra steering for the thrust vectors he even copied the add his comment was not very flattering about the thrust vectors.

I don’t understand how that products sells. It’s junk.

Have a great day!


CobraJet is the best!


I recall him saying he was issued a refund he was the one who did the boat wrap picture a while back and he was also interested in making stickers for the fins
https://jetboaters.net/threads/your-opinions-requested-on-decals-for-the-fins.9366/

 

[Tailwaters]

Swatski, nice install. Any issues with the drive motors mounted at that angle? Hadn't really thought about it much still I seen your install , but but much room down there to mount.

 

[swatski]

Swatski, nice install. Any issues with the drive motors mounted at that angle? Hadn't really thought about it much still I seen your install , but but much room down there to mount.

Zero issues, and worth mentioning - the last year trip to Bimini was no picnic - a bit rough. I have had a bunch of factory fixtures broken or removed, the tabs look and work like new.
Ask @Amar Nanduri - he was running side-by-side with me on the way back, he felt that the tabs really worked well.

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[robert843]

These work better for the money than any tabs I have seen for average sized pleasure craft. You do not have to adjust them. They automatically adjust with waves, turns, etc.

http://nauticusinc.com/smart-tabs-sx/

And they do help straighten the boat's wander.

I will lead with I have no experience with smart tabs so even though I will give my brief opinion on them it is almost irrelevant since I have never used them. I looked at these and did a bunch of research and in the end decided they were not for me. Most of the positive reviews I saw came from people who were having plaining issues our boats don't have this problem. Most people who I found that had 20 ft+ boats were less then satisfied with them as the fixed trim gave them little flexibility. The trim is always deployed and for any offshore use there are many situations where a fixed trim is not ideal and sometimes unsafe. With a following sea you typically don't want any trim unless it really calm seas as this increases the chance of stuffing the bow. In large head seas or large wake situations where you want the bow up these make that more difficult as well. Last for me was our boats already struggle with reverse thrust and having a tab deployed the whole time while trying to back up I won't imagine will help much. I could be very wrong about these but those were the first hand reviews I saw on several forums from people who had used them. The regular tabs atleast give you the flexibility to pull them up when needed.

 

[robert843]

Robert is that the tabs you have?

I do not have tabs on my current boat but my experience came from another members AR240 during our trip to Abaco Bahamas last year. I commented on how smooth the boat was running in 2ft chop he then pulled his Lenco Electric tabs up and the difference was night and day we went from a smooth ride to bouncing and banging everywhere back to smooth when he deployed them again.

 

[zipper]

Well so much for the Charleston boat show thread...now discussing steering fins and trim tabs. Which is ok. I must say I have both the Cobra Jet Ultimate Fins and mega fangs as well as Lectrotab trim tabs on my AR230. They have been the two best ride quality mods and would not want to be without them. The fins and fangs provide ultimate steering control at all speeds, forward and reverse. The trim tabs I like even more. They remove the bounce and porposing that our hulls subject us to, without them, in the chop and wakes of others. My wife did not believe that was possible with this boat, but once installed and deployed, she could not believe the difference they made. I purchased mine with the manual controller so I can adjust to the conditions. Every now and then I will retract them to remind her/me how well they work.

 

[Amar Nanduri]

Zero issues, and worth mentioning - the last year trip to Bimini was no picnic - a bit rough. I have had a bunch of factory fixtures broken or removed, the tabs look and work like new.
Ask @Amar Nanduri - he was running side-by-side with me on the way back, he felt that the tabs really worked well.

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Swatski is right. I was back of him majority of the way back and his ride was very smooth. I did not have the tabs and my boat was bouncing around like a ping pong ball. Tabs was the first mod I would have put on my boat for the upcoming Bimini trip if I had not sold my Yamaha.

 

[swatski]

Every now and then I will retract them to remind her/me how well they work.

Hahahaha. That is exactly what I do, too. Too funny.

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[ClemsonTiger]

Wow ...

I assumed you were referring to low speed bow wander while trolling. The basic fixes for this are trim outdrive (can't do on jet boat), use a 4 blade prop (can't do on jet boat), use twin engines, or put the trim tabs down. Trim tabs not only provide lift, but can also act as a horizontal stabilizer from the swirling vortices of water caused by the hull moving through the water and collapsing at the transom causing the drift. I have seen something as simple as Nauticus Smart Tabs straighten out numerous boats suffering from this issue.

Of course, fluid dynamics may act differently in Florida, so I will just sit here being stupid.

lol, ok buddy. since your "new" to the FSH and obviously blinded by its "capabilities", do a simple test. Take your boat out, take it to 7-12mph, let go of the wheel. Better yet, post a video while doing it. You will be doing 360's quickly! Your magical trim tabs and fluid dynamics will not prevent it. period!

Then again, the water in SC may work differently for new FSH owners...i dunno.

 

[swatski]

lol, ok buddy. since your "new" to the FSH and obviously blinded by its "capabilities", do a simple test. Take your boat out, take it to 7-12mph, let go of the wheel. Better yet, post a video while doing it. You will be doing 360's quickly! Your magical trim tabs and fluid dynamics will not prevent it. period!

Then again, the water in SC may work differently for new FSH owners...i dunno.

That is true. Even these new "keeled" 240s still wonder if one lets the wheel go! Gets better with Cobras, not perfect at low speed, fine when on plane with the fins/megas down.

The only thing that's been reported to completely stop this low speed wonder are Cobra VIPERs. I don't have first hand experience but trust the opinion of those who posted.

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[Foobar]

Vipers are the most universal - take care of everything in one install, no adjustment. From the guys who run with those (who know what the hell they are talking about) - they rock.

Now, if you want regular/traditional trim tabs, here are the best trim tabs for the Yams, IMO:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/trim-tabs-options-wake-surfing-and-cruising.12031/page-4

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On second thought, I think I going to install these instead. Did you talk to Lectro about mounting on a reverse angle? Did you need a different actuator size?