Need help asap. <missing fin bolts>

[Av8tor07]

I lost both bolts that hold the bottom part of my cobra ultimates, the side force stabilizer bolts. Do you guys think that it'll be safe to take the boat out to the lake if I just use the original bolts? There isn't any play in the whole system when I put in the original bolt.

 

[Scuba_ref]

You might try reaching out to @Cobra Jet Steering LLC

 

[Av8tor07]

You might try reaching out to @Cobra Jet Steering LLC

I just left him 2 messages. Want to see what you guys think.

 

[Beachbummer]

Do you have an Ace hardware near by? It's just stainless nuts and bolts, I would replace them only because of how quickly it could be done. I don't see a reason not to fix it.

 

[Julian]

And @Cobra Jet Steering LLC can tell you exactly what size they are, so it would be easy to get them from Ace/Home depot etc

 

[Av8tor07]

I ordered new stuff from Jeff. The only reason I don't go the Home Depot or ace route is because I also lost the small oem spacer. Jeff said not to put the system back together without it. So I ordered those spacer too.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

He also needed the spacer and flat bearing I supply for the side force stabilizer . He is one very lucky person to have discovered these parts were missing before he went in the water. The one very critical part to this install is to use a good thread locking compound and to follow the instructions for it's use printed on the bottle.
I have a few trick I always use as a backup since some thread locking compound takes a lot of time to cure and the temperature also effects it . When I do an Install just before the bottom bolt is fully installed I reach inside the nozzle and put one small drop of superglue in the bolt hole so when the bolt finishes being seated the top threads have a backup and even if someone goes in the water before the thread locking compound has time to cure the bolt can't work loose.
I also have an alternate way to secure the nozzle and base if there is a possibility that someone over tightened the bolt and possibly stripped the threads in the inner nozzle. I always tell people to contact me if they have any questions about their steering or any issues with installing it. Because I know it inside and out.

 

[Av8tor07]

I want to thank Jeff for the quick response. He called me within 20 minutes of my email. I did use thread compound from harbor freight. I did not shake it well before using it. So it's totally my fault. Thanks to everyone

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

We need to expound on this a bit so others can avoid any issues in the future, as for the hardware store,There are several parts that were lost that are not available at the hardware store, the 5/8 od by 8mm id by .250 thick stainless standoff for the base is custom made for me, also he needed the flat bearing that he would never find and as he mentioned the factory 12mm stand off that the nozzle pivots on. There is an incredible amount of force from the jet pump being directed by this nozzle and all of it is being held in place by the factory parts 2- 8mm bolts shielded by 2 small 12mm collars , all the force is placed on those collars and there is NO bushing between the nozzle and the bolt collar, everything relies on those bolts staying in place, if just one comes loose the force will turn the loose bolt each time you turn the nozzle and it will pretty quickly fall out especially if it is the bottom one . So steering or not if you ever remove your nozzles you need to secure the bolts with thread locking compound , the factory certainly does.
After talking with him I honestly think the best advice I can give him is to go buy some lottery tickets because he is one lucky person.
This is what could have happened, he noticed his steering acting strange last time he was out, he put it off to possible weeds, now we know it was not weeds, he was unknowingly driving around with just the top bolts holding his nozzles to the pumps, this along with the ultimate steering system and the fangs all connected with just one bolt. And it all held together, he was lucky because he had the fangs holding the side force stabilizer on to the nozzle otherwise those would have fallen off, and he would have needed new parts there, he was lucky because if he had placed the controls in reverse with just one bolt holding the nozzles on, the extra force on the closed reverse gates would have broken the nozzles clean off his pumps.
Rather than spending a few dollars for hardware he would be buying new nozzles and new side force stabilizers, so he needs to take some of the money he saved and get some lottery tickets! Now you know why I harp on the thread locking compound in my instructions and if you just look inside the nozzles after your first few runs with the new steering you can see the end of the bottom bolt in the inner nozzle and therefore you can see if it is working loose as the end of the bolt will not be visible anymore. So I am amazed that nothing bad happened and glad for him that he did not try to rig it back together with the wrong parts to use the boat today because it would certainly not have ended well.

 

[Beachbummer]

Jeff, have you heard of vc-3 thread locking compound? It can be applied ahead of time.... Seems interesting for your application where it could be put on before shipping.

I also have your fins... I do like them.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Been there, tried it, dropped it like a hot potato, here in Florida it goes bad from the heat it has to be kept in a cool place. I stopped buying anything from W W Granger because they sold me a bad batch and to make it worse the sales person lied to me about it. The manager tried to make it right but I can't have people lying to me when it comes to my steering or its parts, that was several years ago, I have never returned to buy anything from them.
As serious as this one item is I recommend a GOOD thread locking compound like Loctite etc and at minimum a semi permanent Type and I also tell people to follow the directions on the bottle because each one is different. Please do not misunderstand me on this I am not in any way implying that Av8tor07 did anything wrong here, as I said he did the right thing by not rigging his parts back together and I personally know how that is when you really want to go out on the water. So I am glad he made the decision he made. I just want to use this situation that actually did not go south and let people know how important it is to properly secure those bottom bolts I actually made a mistake on a customers boat years ago and learned the hard way about using a good thread locking compound so I know how easily we can mess up that one important item.

 

[Av8tor07]

It's ok Jeff. You can say it. I screwed up. Used cheap compound from harbor freight and didn't shake the bottle. It's all on me.

 

[Beachbummer]

Thanks for the info! Good to know.

If the water call is too great, one could always unbolt the "partial " fins to save the weekend. Just watch out while docking.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Just remember when you buy those lottery tickets I get a percentage of the winnings

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

remember the rule when in doubt DON'T and if you decide otherwise be sure there are no witnesses

 

[Av8tor07]

I will buy some tickets. I'll let you know. Thinking about what bummer said. I can just cruise to the cove slowly and hang out there. That's what I do anyway.

 

[Beachbummer]

The fins are super helpful at low speeds. At higher speeds they make a difference, but the boat is just fine without them. My personal opinion is that at low speeds they are required for decent Control. If anything, extra care is needed when going slow, going fast will be no problem!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

The reason I have fins with the ability to go up at speed but still maintain a slight contact with the water for a small amount of influence for feedback etc. Or they can be set down all the time with several levels of influence provides people with many options to meet their individual needs and to make this steering very versatile to operate effectively with all the different size boats and models plus for making watersports easier by being able to plant the back of the boat if this is how you want it.
It is The Most versatile and most effective system available at any price because You can decide the effect and the amount of influence. I think having control over a boat with predictability is very important just as control during rapid deceleration in a collision avoidance emergency for example. Although I do make some model specific systems The ultimate is a good system to go with because of it's effectiveness and versatility.

 

[swatski]

making watersports easier by being able to plant the back of the boat if this is how you want it

That's been always my favorite feature.
Unless you like spinning the boat which some people like doing, I would rather buy a jet ski for that, it's just a different mode of boating.

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