MEGA FANGs Cobra AK Power Steering: Doughnuts In Reverse

[geohil]

I lined up the articulating keel at 90 degrees to the transom then I adjusted the steering cables and tie rods so that the were an equal distance from articulating keel using my large framing square to rear bolt hold method. The fangs would have to be bent or bolt holes elongated to accomplish what you are asking about which I would not want to do and I think would defeat the purpose. It will be at least two weeks and probably more before my boat is back in the water to post opinions but even the I would to be able to discern the difference between adding the mega fangs and the toe adjustment since I did both at the same time.

Thanks Mainah - I'll be interested in hearing your opinion. Very curious if the fangs towed out with the pump will lead to bad manners or greatly reduced top speed.

 

[zipper]

Installing my Mega fangs today. Drilled the base plate per the supplied template with the drill press. Center punch thru the template and then drill. Install was quick and I used the blue locktite on the pivot bolt asm. Will try them out soon. One question...@Cobra Jet Steering LLC, based on the bolt pattern, the mega fangs are not parallel to one another, the distance between the leading edges are 1/2" narrower than the distance between the trailing edges. Better than the other way around. Just wanted to confirm that this is correct. Here are pics.





@Cobra Jet Steering LLC , tagging again. Could not get the one above to work.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

That is ok but I like 1/8 inch each however I do not believe the difference is a problem as long as they are towed in not out. Also you can make the holes a bit larger and tweak the angles so the tow in is less if you want to change it or use a small round file and make the rear holes oblong to do the same thing.

 

[swatski]

Installing my Mega fangs today. Drilled the base plate per the supplied template with the drill press. Center punch thru the template and then drill. Install was quick and I used the blue locktite on the pivot bolt asm. Will try them out soon. One question...@Cobra Jet Steering LLC, based on the bolt pattern, the mega fangs are not parallel to one another, the distance between the leading edges are 1/2" narrower than the distance between the trailing edges. Better than the other way around. Just wanted to confirm that this is correct. Here are pics.
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@Cobra Jet Steering LLC , tagging again. Could not get the one above to work.

Mine are slightly toe-in as well just like yours. I don't have exact measurments. Let me know if you need that, albeit the boat is back on the lift I should be able to reach that far from the platform.
The boat is tracking strait as an arrow, I can take my hands off the steering wheel at WOT and still track perfectly strait (w/smooth water conditions of course).
I tend to do all the final steering adjustments with the boat on the trailer, and I go strictly by eye, so I do not measure - just walk back 20-30 feet behind the boat and eyeball. Works best for me.

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[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Just for clarification @zipper has the Ultimate steering that he has had on his boat for many many years If I recall correctly , he put that set on back around the time he purchased his boat, years before I ever conceived of the fangs or mega fangs so his side force stabilizers are the old style .
All the side force stabilizers sold in the last several years already have the 4 small holes in them to accommodate adding the mega fangs .
For people who wish to convert their older style side force stabilizers to accept the mega fangs they can purchase the new style side force stabilizers and upgrade or if they choose they can drill the holes in their older ones as he is doing and save some money.
This picture shows the current style of side force stabilizers already setup for the mega fangs note the 4 small mounting holes are already laser cut in the plates. Also the inside is laser cut to work on the newer style Yamaha nozzles , his were even before those nozzles were even introduced by Yamaha when there was only one style of nozzle and the metal reverse gates.

 

[zipper]

@swatski I will take you up on that offer, just for verification. Its not imperative, so at your liesure. I probably will use a Dremel to slightly elongate the holes to reduce the tow-in on the leading edge, which in theory reduces drag. Jeff provided me with his tolerance, but I would like to know if I even need to do this adjustment by measuring ones already in use. Thank you for offering.

@Cobra Jet Steering LLC That history timeline is mostly accurate and I am impressed you can remember a discussion from last Dec. Only difference is...we bought the 07' AR230HO in May 2016, from a guy in Vt. who only owned it for 2 years. I believe, he purchased it from the OP near Lake Anna, Va. who bought/installed the Ultimates sometime during their 7 yrs. of ownership. They have served us very well. Thank you for providing a great product.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Just remember swatski has a A K mega fang system and A K steering with one non spring loaded fin per nozzle You have the Ultimate Mega fang system with the Ultimate steering system So His should be towed in a bit more than yours . I also offer to drill the holes in the older side force stabilizers for people as a courtesy but they have to send them to me so I can drill them and put them in their order when I ship it to them so they don't have to do it.

 

[zipper]

You have the Ultimate Mega fang system with the Ultimate steering system So His should be towed in a bit more than yours . I also offer to drill the holes in the older side force stabilizers for people as a courtesy but they have to send them to me so I can drill them and put them in their order when I ship it to them so they don't have to do it.

Yes, you offered this service to me during my inquiries. I chose option B, mainly because I am a cheap ba$tard, most farmers are, and a consummate DIY' er. I am confident I drilled per the template and if needed I can adjust to bring within your recommentation above. No worries. I posed the question about the tow-in, because I must have missed it on all the videos/posts I have viewed. Its easy to adjust from the current 1/2" tow in to 1 /4" as per your specifications. All good here. Thanks for making great products.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Actually on the mega fangs and A K mega fangs I do not even mention the tow in because I put it in the part when I build it so bolting it up to the plates it already has that handled.
I do not believe you will need to adjust the tow in that you already have but if you want to you can just keep a minimum of 1/8 of an inch .
When people add the Magnum A K system to their twin engine rudder boats they setting up the second tie rod to balance out the steering system I do mention adjusting in a 1/8 inch tow in between the front of the fins for straight tracking .
Keep in mind the original system not only taxes just one nozzle and cable but it has a lot of play in the nozzles.

With the second tie rod you remove all that play and you set the nozzles and fins to react instantly to the helm, you also adjust the tow in so you get really nice straight tracking at speed. Imagine an arrow head.
And the A K fangs are already set with their own tow in , the interesting thing about the instant handling of the boat with this system is it is actually steering the back of the boat out to either side thus pointing the boat in the direction you want it to go in. If you imagine trailing rudders or fins they drag and cause resistance that moves the back of the boat out but with forward leading fins added to this they steer or pull the back of the boat out and that makes for a lot quicker response with less drag on the steering system since they are canceling out the drag on the system also providing less bleed off. This also kicks in when backing the boat only now you are using the trailing fins to lead and the fangs to follow, but the extra useable thrust makes it nice and predictable.

The big thing people often forget is the KEEL built into the hull in the A K boats is just a very long fixed rudder that is stationary , the end result is it resists turning, the faster you go the more it wants to go straight, so the more it needs extra high speed influence to get the nimble and predictable handling the A K systems and mega fangs provide.

 

[Lion]

Hey Jeff,

Finally took my boat out this weekend with the CJS w/ Mega Fangs.
What a difference. The handling was awesome.
Although I never had a chance chance to try my boat with just the fangs, I did drive
my buddies boat with fangs and could tell the difference from my boat with just the AK no fangs.... if that makes any sense...lol
Now I must say, from my buddies boat compared to my boat with the whole CJ w/mega fangs....big difference as well. Seemed so much smoother.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Well thank you or your buddy or just kidding Sounds like you like the system as you should and will for years to come.

 

[djetok]

Just got mega fangs for my b-day. Thanks beautiful wife.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Cool but you do realize who she really purchased those for , Don't you?

 

[djetok]

Cool but you do realize who she really purchased those for , Don't you?

Well since I got the ultimates with fangs for her on day 2 of the ownership of the Yamaha. Yes ☹ If it keeps her happy , it makes me happy. Beside the point that she doesn't hassle me about working on my race cars.

 

[Crlos16]

Have a question here @swatski or @Cobra Jet Steering LLC I just did my mega Fangs install on my ULTIMATE fins, install was pretty easy, But I did notice two things that don’t feel right.
1) now there is this water splash similar to “if I had left the ladder down” behind the boat that is now getting the lower deck on the swim platform wet. Is this normal with the mega Fangs? Please see picture below I circled the “splash” I’m talking about. Now if the steering is straight both jet nozzles will have the “splash”.
2) once on the way about 25-30MpH steering becomes hard to maneuver, is this normal?

Again both symptoms just started to happen this weekend, and want to see if this is normal or I might have installed something wrong!?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

From the look of the jet wash you may have one nozzle out of alignment and that will cause a pull also I would adjust the nozzles and tow those in very slightly so the leading edges of the outboard fins are 1/8 of an inch closer than the trailing edges.

 

[Crlos16]

From the look of the jet wash you may have one nozzle out of alignment and that will cause a pull also I would adjust the nozzles and tow those in very slightly so the leading edges of the outboard fins are 1/8 of an inch closer than the trailing edges.

For the picture I had the nozzle slightly pointed left, so the splash could be noticeable, when I have the steering straight both nozzles have this splash. Does not have any pull left or right is just the splash that I’m not used too.

 

[Pullen724]

@Crlos16 - I noticed the same extra spray caused by adding the mega fangs.

 

[swatski]

Can't say I've seen it.
I will pay more attention next time out, but have not seen anything that would stick out as far as spray.
Here are some random pics with the wake from yesterday and last weekend:
24mph


20mph


18mph


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[Neutron]

Can't say I've seen it.
I will pay more attention next time out, but have not seen anything that would stick out as far as spray.
Here are some random pics with the wake from yesterday and last weekend:
24mph
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20mph
View attachment 74882

18mph
View attachment 74883

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You dont have ultimates with the crossover bracket like his