Neutral Creep

[highanddryinco]

For all you jet veterans...Is forward creep in neutral a pretty standard thing on jet boats?

While sitting along side a dock, I don't dare start the boat until I'm ready to release the lines and start maneuvering.
Likewise when docking. There's no such thing as pulling up to the dock, throwing it in neutral, and then leisurely attaching dock lines. You pretty much need to be on your toes or the boat is going to be out of position very quickly.

While it's certainly not an unmanageable thing and I am pretty much used to it now, it was new to me.

 

[Andy S]

For all you jet veterans...Is forward creep in neutral a pretty standard thing on jet boats?

While sitting along side a dock, I don't dare start the boat until I'm ready to release the lines and start maneuvering.
Likewise when docking. There's no such thing as pulling up to the dock, throwing it in neutral, and then leisurely attaching dock lines. You pretty much need to be on your toes or the boat is going to be out of position very quickly.

While it's certainly not an unmanageable thing and I am pretty much used to it now, it was new to me.

That is very normal. Some have had success with adjusting the buckets to get an better minimal creep neutral but I have not heard of anyone eliminating the creep. Turning off the boat, which you are doing, is the only thing you can do for a pure non-creep neutral.

 

[highanddryinco]

Thanks! Kind of what I figured.

 

[Scottintexas]

do take a look at adjusting your buckets to try to get a better neutral, it's an easy adjustment,

 

[itsdgm]

It's pretty common @highanddryinco Since there's no transmission, whenever the engine is running so is the impeller which in turn can only create forward thrust. To get the boat to reverse, the reverse gate/bucket redirects the flow of water back under the boat pushing the boat backwards. So it's a balancing act of redirecting enough water while in neutral to offset the forward thrust but not too much that the boat drifts backwards.

It's really a simple adjustment back at the reverse gate. But it's much easier to do it with the boat on the trailer.
Keep in mind that if you lower the reverse bucket too much, it can get caught in the flow of water while in forward. You'll know right away if they're too low because the reverse gate will start to shake and the entire throttle mechanism will vibrate violently too.

I'm not sure if your newer model is the same, but on mine To adjust:
1. Loosen the stopper nut
2. Remove the spring loaded quick release. This will separate the reverse gate from the end of the shift cable. There's no need to remove any nuts or bolts, simply compress the spring loaded coupler and lift to separate.
3. Twist the fitting on the end of the cable to get the desired length.
4. Reattach the cable/bucket coupler
5. Retighten the stopper nut

Believe it or not, a single turn on the end of the cable might be all the adjustment that you need. Keep track of how much you adjust it so that you'll know how far to get back to your starting point if the adjustment makes it worse.

Good luck, hope it helps you out.

 

[Billy Marlin]

I am curious did you notice the creep more after installing the Thrust Vectors? Mine did not seem to bad but after installing my thrust vectors the boat seems to creep forward a little more than it did before. Might be doing the adjustment as well.

 

[highanddryinco]

Thanks all for the advice. I'll look and may play with the adjustment a bit.

@Billy Marlin, I can't say for certain since I put the TV's on pretty much right away but I really don't think they'd have much effect on fore and aft thrust.
Since we rented a house with a dock in FL and I came and went from that dock probably 30 times during our stay, the forward creep was quite evident each time, especially when I was singled handed.

 

[robert843]

Another way to slow this is to partially pull the levers towards reverse till the boat stops pulling forward.

 

[Julian]

The foward creep really shouldn't be something that pulls hard....it should be a slight pull that you could easily overcome with one adult on a rope. If it is more than that, then adjust the gate.

That said, you want to shut the boat off while tied up anyway...these boats are vacuums, so if someone left a rope in the water, or drops one in....you know where it is going to end up....