Hydrophase Ridesteady - SR210

[YamahaCC]

I have an '06 SR210 that I installed the Hydrophase Ridesteady system in a week ago - finally got to test it out this past weekend a little bit - works AMAZING! The water is still 62 degrees right now (was a lot warmer this time last year), so no one in the water, but it held the boat at every speed I told it to down to the tenth! I set it for 15.0 - it stayed at 15.0 the whole time, never went to 14.9 never went to 15.1. Very impressive! Set it to a few other speeds as well and had the same results. So far so good. Hopefully the water temp will get warmer the next week week to test out wakeboarding. The wife is very happy! Happy wife happy life!

 

[giroux68]

how was the install?

 

[YamahaCC]

It was very simple and easy. The directions make it seem a little complex, but that is because they give you every possible detail you might want to know. In reality it is basically a plug and play system with a couple boxes to mount with screws.

 

[Blenderhead]

I agree @YamahaCC . I installed mine last week and the installation was extremely easy. I second your endorsement. Money well spent indeed.

 

[AJR1977]

I agree @YamahaCC . I installed mine last week and the installation was extremely easy. I second your endorsement. Money well spent indeed.

How is this better than the cruise control +/- buttons on the 212x.... For $1295 is it that much better?????

 

[swatski]

How is this better than the cruise control +/- buttons on the 212x.... For $1295 is it that much better?????

The factory "cruise assist" keeps the RPM constant, in 200 RPM intervals. The Ridesteady does RPM or GPS speed which is really a must for water sports.
Factory cruise works between 3-7,000RPm or so, RS is FULL range. Smooth as silk.
Also syncs the twin engines, which is fantastic. Even if the throttle levers come apart.

You can not compare the two. You can compare the RS with Perfect Pass - but RS is all electronic, basically fly-by-wire, no servo motors. RS is a winner, worth every penny.

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[YamahaCC]

Finally just had the 1st full day on the water to test the system out completely, absolutely amazing! Set it and forget it. If you have one of these generation of boats without a speed control device, you have NO idea what you are missing. I have owned boats since I was 10 years old, currently have 5 different one. I have no issues piloting any of these in any sea states. That said the jet drive systems can be 'tricky' to maintain constant speeds on, no matter how much experience you have, mainly at the lower to mid range.

We ran a number of 'water toys' yesterday (2 wakeboarders, ski trainer, Ho Sports RAD, Wakesledz). I, and my wife, used the Hydrophase system for every pull, it it kept the speed perfect every time. Given the jet drive system I expected a decent drop in speed when the wakeboarders would make their cuts, but there was nothing, not even 0.1 speed change! The system reacts quickly and flawlessly. It was so relaxing to set the speed at 10.0 for the ski trainer and not have to play with the throttles constantly to maintain that speed. Adjusting the speed up/down with the knob is so easy as well.

My wife (who has little boating experience) can now easily handle the boat with me wakeboarding. She was ALL smiles yesterday with it!

If you do watersports you are crazy not to get this system!

 

[YamahaCC]

***Update*** - The weather has cooled and the boat is now winterized/wrapped for the season - the Ridesteady system worked flawlessly all summer long! It was such a great addition to the boat, made wakeboarding a breeze. I have a surfboard I have not used in about a decade and pulled that out toward the end of the summer to play to see if I could 'wake surf' it, the answer is yes! I tested/set the speed with the Ridesteady steady active then tossed the rope out and adjusted the length all while maintaining an exact speed. It allowed for me to jump in and my wife to take the throttle and for me to get up on the 1st try and have fun. She was able to watch/take video/etc all without having to constantly adjust the throttle for the best wake. I cannot say enough good things about this system, well worth the money!

 

[Scottintexas]

@swatski am I making stuff up, but I thought when you first got this we were told it wouldn't work on the older boats??

my PP LCD display is becoming aggravating with it going blank,

 

[swatski]

@swatski am I making stuff up, but I thought when you first got this we were told it wouldn't work on the older boats??

my PP LCD display is becoming aggravating with it going blank,

Unfortunately it will not work on the "newer" 230 or anything with the MR-1HOs. I know it's crazy, the non-HOs like 210s have APSs but the 230 HOs dont, those have a throttle cable going to the throttle body mounted on the intakes.
(accelerator position sensor)

 

[swatski]

@Scottintexas I would still ask, RideSteady may be able to put together a system with mechanical linkages (w/ servo motors) - similar to Perfect Pass (probably not able to synch the twins though).
Both PP and RS would give you a nice GPS based speedo (in addition to actual cruise control), but the engine synch and the knob control (of RPM or MPH) - are sweet.

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[YamahaCC]

The boat is in the driveway and almost ready for the water again.....once this weather finally warms up! The RideSteady system fired right up as it should while running it on the hose so the display/system seems to have fared the winter cold with no issues. I should have it on the mooring within the next couple of weeks!

 

[YamahaCC]

Just a follow up (I don't frequent the forum that much)....the RideSteady system worked flawlessly last year (summer of '18). I just took the boat our of storage the other day and will fire it up in the next couple of weeks. Cant wait to get back out on the water!

 

[YamahaCC]

I did have a minor wiring issue with the system this year (it is very possible it was my fault if I bumped/caught it during spring cleaning)....and needed a replacement connector. I e-mailed on a Sunday and was surprised at the quick response I received. We went back and forth a couple time with e-mails to figure the details and I had the part mid-week for install and did not miss a minute on the water. Yes, the system rocks but their customer support seems to be even better - and that to me is huge!

We had a lot of younger kids this past weekend using a Wakesledze and a RAD so keeping speed low was a must for them. To me the rotary dial is one of the best features. It allows for very quick speed adjustment on the fly without the use for button presses. With the Wakesledz once you hit a certain speed it will bounce a lot, which the riders hate. The heavier they are the faster you can go before the bounce gets introduced. I love being able to dial it up slowly then quickly back down to fine tune it right below that magic line.

 

[swatski]

To me the rotary dial is one of the best features. It allows for very quick speed adjustment on the fly without the use for button presses.

Totally agree. I had PP, there is simply NO comparison.
Pushing buttons with arrows sucks as compared to the dial/knob, there is just no comparison.

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[Huv1]

Is this system compatible with the 2019 AR190? Sounds like it’s a great addition for us who do a lot of water sports. My wife won’t drive when I ski because she struggles to keep the speed steady. I assume this fixes that?

 

[swatski]

Is this system compatible with the 2019 AR190? Sounds like it’s a great addition for us who do a lot of water sports. My wife won’t drive when I ski because she struggles to keep the speed steady. I assume this fixes that?

Yessir.

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[YamahaCC]

I decided to try my hand (or feet) at wakesurfing - picked up a board and had fun! Set Ridesteady for 10.5 and let my wife take control. I (we) have been able to do so much with this boat thanks to Ridesteady. I can actually get out and do watersports without having to deal with the +/- speed adjustments that would have made everything more stressful.

I have been a few times now and enjoy this more than wakeboarding. Still too much tension on the rope than I would like so it is time to finally bite the bullet and purchase some ballast bags (and fill the floor lockers).

 

[giroux68]

Or get a foil. But thats a thread hijacking!
Ridesdeady is the bomb. Oh no, i said hijack and bomb in the same post...I'm on some list now. Back to the boating!

 

[YamahaCC]

Finally getting the boat ready for the season. Sent my Ridesteady system in for updates over the winter and received it back very quickly. Just reinstalled the needed components and test ran the boat on the hose and everything looks to be well. Can't wait to get out on the water again and put the system to even better use now!