Is it possible to retrofit newer gear to an older jet boat?

[akr005]

hey everybody I hope you're all doing well, the title of my post here says it all. I just recently purchased a 2009 AR 230 and am in the process of putting on Cobras to help me manage the steering. there are a lot of features however in the newer boats which get me a little jealous and rather than ditching my existing boat I was wondering if it's possible to retrofit some of the newer, more interesting bits of technology into the older boat. For example, is it possible to add the fly by wire throttle controls on the steering wheel?

Thanks,
/akr/

 

[the MfM]

Sure, with enough money any thing is possible. Be a whole lot easier and cheaper to buy the boat you want.

 

[Bruce]

@akr005, the 1.8 liter engines have electronic throttles. The throttle cable actuates a variable resistor whose output is fed to the engines. Speed controllers for the newer boats use this.

The MR-1 powered boats, including our 230s use physical cables to open the throttles. You would need to develop a system using servos to pull the cables to add throttle controls to the steering wheel.

After you get used to driving and maneuvering the boat using the engines to turn and position it I doubt that you would want to add anything.

 

[Babin Farms]

Other than the EFI I am glad that my boat is simple & mechanical. Makes things so much easier to repair & less to go wrong.

 

[Cambo]

With the e series boats I was concerned about electronics like the shift gates, not being able to feel if the cables are getting tight. But so far no issues it has been very reliable.

 

[biffdotorg]

More specific to the question, there were electronic speed control via GPS available for the older boats though right? I don't think this is new tech only for the E-series boats.

I had never looked into the stargazer perfectpass or ride steady products as they were out of my price range. But if that is what you are looking for, I think they are available for those just wanting a good tow experience.

I see StarGazer is claiming Yamaha boats 2010+, but the 230 series are left off those lists, even for the old model PerfectPass for 2006 and above.

 

[Babin Farms]

More specific to the question, there were electronic speed control via GPS available for the older boats though right? I don't think this is new tech only for the E-series boats.

I had never looked into the stargazer perfectpass or ride steady products as they were out of my price range. But if that is what you are looking for, I think they are available for those just wanting a good tow experience.

I see StarGazer is claiming Yamaha boats 2010+, but the 230 series are left off those lists, even for the old model PerfectPass for 2006 and above.

There are no longer new speed control systems out there for our older boats. If someone wants on they will have to find a used setup to purchase or build one themselves.

 

[dgfreeze]

How handy are you, and how much are you willing to spend? The sweetest mod I've seen for our vintage boats is the dash remodel that @cybuch did on his boat.

https://www.jetboaters.net/threads/2005-ar230-dash-rebuild-instead-of-new-boat.28875/

 

[84rzv500r]

I think there is a point of diminishing returns in retro fitting technology and buying the right boat is a better choice for most folks... there are a lot of features that are provided by the ECU or systems that are integrated with the ECU... I didn't do that I started with a Hull that suits my use case and then repowered with a generation newer power train... other technology I added were 4KW radar and with vector and raster charts satellite weather and radio, and LiFePO4 batteries... I can do nearly all of my engineering and fabrication in house so I'm still way under budget for a newer boat with a hull that doesn't suit my operational needs... and is operated in salt water nearly every day...