ajvigants
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 29
- Reaction score
- 21
- Points
- 52
- Location
- Houston, TX
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2016
- Boat Model
- FSH
- Boat Length
- 19
I get my 190 FSH next week and already shopping for things to add.
The Thrust Vector and CJ Viper systems are both interesting. In a boat that I will fish from low speed tracking is especially important. In general, I prefer things made of metal to things made of plastic or composites. I also prefer things that have fewer moving parts to those that have many. I appreciate that Thrust Vectors swing up when at speed but it is also true that the rudder on the new boats protects the Vipers. The difference in price is not a deciding factor for me. Both gentlemen have loyal followings.
What holds me back is an abundance of caution, a career as an engineer and having worked for large manufacturers (Emerson, Boeing). Yamaha Boats, as market share leaders, must be some of the highest volume boats in production, right? So more than anyone else, Yamaha probably have the engineering horsepower available to try and squeeze every last penny out of the manufacturing process. That means making components as heavy duty as they need to be, not heavier (as opposed to my old Malibu WakeSetter which is layer after layer of heavy fiberglass - wonderfully solid, but heavy). That applies to the thickness of the fiberglass, how heavy the metal parts are and whether to use sensible brass drain plugs or silly little plastic ones.
What I am getting at is that the steering mechanisms (cables, linkages, castings, etc.) were designed for the stock rudder / steering system. Certainly they made them as light duty as they could get away with without creating a warranty nightmare or staining the brand image. I've seen posts claiming that the extra fins either add no stress or reduce stress, but I question the validity of those claims. The stress/force that a rudder/fin experiences is primarily a function of surface area, angle of attack and velocity (navy white paper on rudder design) so there is little doubt that more surface area means more force. In fact, if there were not more force, the steering would likely get worse, not better.
I assume that at low speeds (when they are most necessary) nothing bad is happening. But for any fin that is deployed at speed, I wonder how far into Yamaha's design engineers' safety margins this is eating? I am not an expert on the complete history of all of the fin designs that have ever been tried - it seems like all of the TV models always deployed only at low speed but some of the CJS fins are always deployed. The new CJS Viper fins are certainly "always on".
I'd like better handling, but not at the cost of wrecking the boat prematurely. So what I am wondering is what the people who have had aftermarket fins for many years (especially those that are deployed at all speeds) have experienced in terms of wear and longevity of the related components?
The Thrust Vector and CJ Viper systems are both interesting. In a boat that I will fish from low speed tracking is especially important. In general, I prefer things made of metal to things made of plastic or composites. I also prefer things that have fewer moving parts to those that have many. I appreciate that Thrust Vectors swing up when at speed but it is also true that the rudder on the new boats protects the Vipers. The difference in price is not a deciding factor for me. Both gentlemen have loyal followings.
What holds me back is an abundance of caution, a career as an engineer and having worked for large manufacturers (Emerson, Boeing). Yamaha Boats, as market share leaders, must be some of the highest volume boats in production, right? So more than anyone else, Yamaha probably have the engineering horsepower available to try and squeeze every last penny out of the manufacturing process. That means making components as heavy duty as they need to be, not heavier (as opposed to my old Malibu WakeSetter which is layer after layer of heavy fiberglass - wonderfully solid, but heavy). That applies to the thickness of the fiberglass, how heavy the metal parts are and whether to use sensible brass drain plugs or silly little plastic ones.
What I am getting at is that the steering mechanisms (cables, linkages, castings, etc.) were designed for the stock rudder / steering system. Certainly they made them as light duty as they could get away with without creating a warranty nightmare or staining the brand image. I've seen posts claiming that the extra fins either add no stress or reduce stress, but I question the validity of those claims. The stress/force that a rudder/fin experiences is primarily a function of surface area, angle of attack and velocity (navy white paper on rudder design) so there is little doubt that more surface area means more force. In fact, if there were not more force, the steering would likely get worse, not better.
I assume that at low speeds (when they are most necessary) nothing bad is happening. But for any fin that is deployed at speed, I wonder how far into Yamaha's design engineers' safety margins this is eating? I am not an expert on the complete history of all of the fin designs that have ever been tried - it seems like all of the TV models always deployed only at low speed but some of the CJS fins are always deployed. The new CJS Viper fins are certainly "always on".
I'd like better handling, but not at the cost of wrecking the boat prematurely. So what I am wondering is what the people who have had aftermarket fins for many years (especially those that are deployed at all speeds) have experienced in terms of wear and longevity of the related components?
