JetBoatPilot's New Surf Tech, Thrust Vector Wake

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

So here is some food for thought.
So let's talk about jet propelled water craft.
A pump provides thrust and a nozzle directs that thrust .
The jet thrust wants to hold the nozzle straight causing the boat go straight.
A mechanical device like a steering helm or even a tiller can turn the nozzle redirecting the water jet to change the direction of the boat.
Most boats use a helm and cables to redirect the jet nozzle in order to steer the boat , thus the boat is being controlled by redirecting the jet of water exiting the steering nozzle.
Now on a twin engine boat you want the nozzles to be parallel to each other for the most effect and efficiency. The more you angle those nozzles inward or outward the less effect the pumps have causing the setup to lose efficiency.
This breaks down to a loss of top speed a loss of steering response and a loss of fuel efficiency.
All side effects that are not really desirable.
Now understand that some jet boats and P W C s use the jet nozzle to trim the hull. I have that setup on my Yamaha p w c s .
Trim is accomplished by simply aiming the nozzle up slightly causing the back of the hull to push down and the front of the hull to go up.
I use this in rough water conditions .
The opposite is aiming the nozzle down slightly , this angle lifts the back of the hull up forcing the front of the hull down.
This angle usually reduce top speed as it creates extra drag plowing the hull in the water It also makes dealing with waves more difficult .
There are situations where this angle can be helpful perhaps you have a hull that likes to develop a high speed hop , some jet skies do this and having trim to push the bow down can eliminate this issue .
A situation where I personally use a downward angled jet nozzle to lift the back of a jet ski is when I am operating in a minimum wake zone and the water is very shallow, I do that to keep the back of the ski higher to avoid sucking in weeds or trash and sand etc from under the ski while I travel through the shallow water at slow speed, it is especially helpful when you have a passenger.
That being said I avoid aiming the front of the hull down during any normal operation as it creates unnecessary drag , burns more fuel and reduces top speed and it can cause over steer. So having the direction of the water exiting the jet nozzles modified all the time is probably not the best way to get the most out of your boat or P W C.

 

[dadofral]

Sorry but I heard from a very reliable source about true lock failures and Yamaha refusing to cover any damage from the failures if people had true lock s on their cleanout plugs when they failed. So perhaps I was misinformed, but I don't think so.

Well look who’s back. Trolling again and bad mouthing. Seriously dude. Chill

 

[biffdotorg]

I will give Jeff that, they are valid points. As I loved the trim feature on all the 5 waverunners I have owned in the past. I actually wished my boat had it at times.

I think in this particular case, the TV wake is only providing enough downward pressure to take the spray off. The amount of hardware used to do this should be an indication. As if they were applying enough pressure to lower the bow, that little bit of a stop with epoxy would rip right the heck off. Especially in comparison to a jet with trim.

I could be way off base. But that was why this was originally designed as an adjustable amount of deflection. But they found an optimal amount that would get rid of the spray and redirect enough jet to increase wake cleanliness. We will see in a few weeks if we all start breaking stuff.

I personally would give up some top end for this wake enhancement, but I don't think I will have to. In my mind, it would be a fair trade off if it happened.

For the same reason I added CobraJet steering to my SeaDoo x20. It added just the slightest amount of drag, but added great handling. I also added a custom ride plate that did lower the bow at all times. I may have scrubbed some speed on glass, but in rough waves I gained speed as the boat would not porpoise anymore. So there is a give and take in most situations. Unless you have something that is adjustable, removeable, etc, it's a give and take.

 

[Rumbo]

Badmouthing competitors, especially in a thread about their product is not a good look. As a business owner I never trash my competition to a potential customer, it wouldn’t reflect well on me.

 

[Whiskey]

I need to second this. I couldn’t care less about this guys product after seeing his posts here.

 

[Arcadyus]

I need to second this. I couldn’t care less about this guys product after seeing his posts here.

Sadly he prob does that to often. His products are pretty darn good to. I have had both on my boat. Liked them both. As a business owner myself you just can't talk shit and not look like a a jerk. But if you've ever talked to Jeff you know he doesn't give a shit.

 

[Rumbo]

I need to second this. I couldn’t care less about this guys product after seeing his posts here.

I’m a newer member here but I have yet to see @JetBoatPilot talk about any product but their own. Props to Will for keeping it professional!

 

[Trevor Shipman]

 

[JetBoatPilot]

Hey guys and gals, we've been hearing some feedback about heavy steering from a few customers. As best we can tell this is due to the right side up stop coming into contact with the steering clevis on the right side of the nozzle. We are investigating. If your boat is experiencing this issue please let us know. Revisions are underway to resolve consistently across all Yamaha nozzles. Apparently the tolerances on these nozzles are not nearly as tight as with other Yamaha parts.

Again this is not happening with all Thrust Vector Wake users. Most have been very positive with their boating experience but again we want to make sure that all have a great experience and we are relying on your feedback to correct this as soon as possible.

 

[Wisefam22]

We have had tighter steering this morning. I thought I had plenty of clearance when installing but in garage and water is 2 different things

 

[tabbibus]

We have had tighter steering this morning. I thought I had plenty of clearance when installing but in garage and water is 2 different things

But otherwise?

 

[Wisefam22]

Def cleaner wake. We only started with the surfing mid last summer so need to find correct placement of ballast.. had super clean wake but it was tall and short.

Need to move around the ballast some.

Might blow up tube. Crusing the wash looked greatly knocked down

 

[DavisAR195]

Anyone else with the Thrust Vector Wake installed running a Lucky 13 cone?

 

[tabbibus]

Def cleaner wake. We only started with the surfing mid last summer so need to find correct placement of ballast.. had super clean wake but it was tall and short.

Need to move around the ballast some.

Might blow up tube. Crusing the wash looked greatly knocked down

What ballast do you use? The gatlin one?

 

[VaMarine]

Sorry you took my tone wrong as I was quite serious as you sounded like you were not comfortable with a wrench or epoxy. That’s a fair statement.

As Will has never produced a product that would void your warranty with Yamaha. In fact I would say they love the products he produces as they address their shortcomings and are 100% optional.

It’s totally understandable if you dont care to epoxy on your boat. I get it, I’m literally in the same boat. But for many of us, the benefits outweigh the pain. In in your case they do not and so it makes sense to go the other route.

You are now clear it’s the epoxy that you are worried about and that eliminates that issue.

Good luck.

@biffdotorg my apologies if I took your comment about needing to find someone that can handle a wrench incorrectly. It appeared to be a slam as I didn't want to epoxy something on my boat, that I wasnt able to do basic mechanical work.

@JetBoatPilot thanks for your input, my dealer isn't the easiest to deal with and would rather not give him a reason to not cover something. The Lateral thrusters have worked wonderfully and I'm looking forward to the delivery of the Thrust Vectors for installation.

 

[Jester429]

i hope my thrust vector wake shows up soon...before i do something stupid and buy a new boat lol shipments still coming out @JetBoatPilot ? or have they been delayed? just wondering lol

 

[capt]

i hope my thrust vector wake shows up soon...before i do something stupid and buy a new boat lol shipments still coming out @JetBoatPilot ? or have they been delayed? just wondering lol

I got my shopping notice yesterday. Scheduled to be delivered Tuesday. I ordered mine early March.

 

[Wisefam22]

What ballast do you use? The gatlin one?

I have 3 bags 800,800,540. Last year we used 800 on back deck and 800 in floor.. I had my parents eith me today. It seemed as though the wake was big just not long. I actually let a little water out of back deck once we were finished to see what it did... it made it little longer. I moved the 800 in boat up to over ski locker as well.

I used tube to end day, the only time I got any spray worth turning head for was when the rope cut water some and kicked up spray.

 

[Jester429]

I got my shopping notice yesterday. Scheduled to be delivered Tuesday. I ordered mine early March.

i was at the dealer today to talk about the crack in my wake tower. they had a very nice 23' supreme wske boat for ssle. only 90k.... my wife said no i also got to see the new yamaha 27 footer.... but now im off topic lol

 

[JetBoatPilot]

I have 3 bags 800,800,540. Last year we used 800 on back deck and 800 in floor.. I had my parents eith me today. It seemed as though the wake was big just not long. I actually let a little water out of back deck once we were finished to see what it did... it made it little longer. I moved the 800 in boat up to over ski locker as well.

I used tube to end day, the only time I got any spray worth turning head for was when the rope cut water some and kicked up spray.

More weight in the rear, taller wave. More weight in the front, longer wave. We try to put as much in the rear as the boat can handle so that the swim platform is submerged. Then when we start seeing that the boat is struggling to get to speed we add about 100 or so lbs to the bow and it is usually perfect from there. We're surfing with 1200 lbs and getting a great wave!