Starting to second guess my boat purchase

[subysti]

love my boat. No real problems with it in 3 years except for th crappy trailer. Problem is I finally got my wife to come ocean fishing with me for the first time ever. Usually I only go a couple times a year with the kids when their home as its a 90 minute drive to the CT coast. Now the wife is hooked and wants to every weekend. Boat is great on the river but not so much in the ocean. The current can really rip through the race in LI sound and 4 foot seas come out of nowhere when the tide changes and this boat doesn't really seems to bite when being tossed around. More than once a large roller hit us and we thought the boat was going over. Without an out drive to hold the boat in the water it just doesn't seem as stable as my old 19' I/O in rough seas. OK I'm done ranting.

 

[Betik]

Do you have the fangs or something similar ? I think they help.

 

[Seadeals]

I wonder if you would feel that way if you actually went back out in your old 19 foot i/o. 24 is a LOT more boat regardless of the drive system. Trim tabs are also a consideration. Many have added them.

 

[OrangeTJ]

I really liked our SX210, but even with Cobra Ultimates, it was a handful to keep on track crossing rollers at anything short of probably 75 degrees. Over time I figured out how to cope with it (i.e. use the throttle quite a bit and countersteer significantly). However, the difference in tracking/handling in those kinds of conditions as compared to the v-drive boat we traded too last year is dramatic. New boat is barely affected at all by things that would have had my 210 trying to take off in a completely new direction.

 

[Ronnie]

Are you thinking about trading in for a center console? Yamaha just rolled out their new 22' (?) twin engine that might be worth a look.

 

[TechRider]

Sounds like you are going down the same part of the CT river and LI sound as me. I agree large boats can throw some big wakes down in the Essex area and you can have some big rollers coming in on the sound.

I upgraded to a larger boat this year to explore some of those same areas. Loved the Yamaha for small lakes and upper river. In the ocean she gets tossed around and I have taken waves over the bow a couple times. Having a full head for all day trips isn't bad either

 

[seadude]

You took the boat out in ocean in rough seas to fish with your wife and now she wants to every weekend? (this sounds like a fish story )
But seriously, these drooping bow, low freeboard boats are not designed for that kind of use. A standard outdrive wouldn't give more stability, but a more appropriate style ocean worthy boat definitely would.

 

[Julian]

@OrangeTJ what make is your boat (I'll add it to the drop down).
@TechRider I added Regal as a choice for you.

 

[OrangeTJ]

@Julian My new boat is a 2016 MB Sports F22. I had a 2011 SX210 from 2011 to 2016.

 

[Noko]

Time for a new model wife. Just kidding.

 

[Britboater]

Took the wife out fishing and now she's HOOKED ! Tad ah! .

@subysti your asking a question which I'm seeing a lot of 24' owners, who have had their boats around three years, asking too. I find myself looking at other boats that will be more fitting to my boating needs. It's a heart and head choice, I love my AR 240, the look, rear swim deck, modern design etc but as soon as you get some chop you notice the wrong choice. I think along with the poor build quality and the issues all our boats have (voltage display, leaks, lack of manufacture back up etc, etc) this time frame leads us to question our choice.

This fall/winter will be my third season with my boat and to be honest, it's ran seamlessly, I've finished building it where Yamaha stopped, serviced, cleaned and nurtured it and it's repaid me with good times. But it's just not a rough water boat and last May, coming in from the Gulf, through Boca pass and up Peace river, we were battered, and the ride was painful, leading me, like you to question what I want from a boat.

 

[subysti]

I do have TV fins but in rough chop they don't do nearly as much as a out drive with a large hydrofoil fin on it.

 

[swatski]

@subysti Hah. I so can relate. That feeling of the lower planted in the water. I miss it every time I go out.

But then..., I quickly remind myself of just one season in recent memory that cost me not one, not two, but three... whole lower units. Enough said.

Yeah, those "Swiss army knife" boats of ours are a big compromise but not big enough for me to give up, yet. A single boat to do everything from water sports to cruising in big water (albeit poorly)? Yeah, it is worth an occasional dislocated kidney, for now, LOL.

(Now - I'm just patiently waiting for the BRP jb makers to pull their $hit together)

--

 

[Gym]

I do have TV fins but in rough chop they don't do nearly as much as a out drive with a large hydrofoil fin on it.

I believe the TV fins are OUT of the water at speed (correct me if I'm wrong) so would have no effect in any water condition unless you were going pretty slow.

 

[blacksapphirez]

Trim Tabs hands down the best thing I've added. I always keep them deployed 35~50% for smooth ride

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Before you give up on your boat please understand that the steering you currently have was not designed to do anything beyond an idle, it simply goes up at the speed you need the help in.
My systems are made for all time assistance slow and fast There is a huge difference between what you have and what I make for your boat. if you want to have control at all speeds , overcome side slide in waves or boat wakes, have instant response to the helm input , even be able to steer in off power situations , better reverse control, Have a jet boat that handles more like a conventional boat and 30 days guarantee to be sure it will do what you want then don't buy a new boat , get a new boat by putting my steering system with fangs on your existing boat. www.cobrajetsteering.com do yourself a favor go check it out. Three us patents with a forth pending and 15 years of making jet propelled watercraft steer .

 

[ClemsonTiger]

LMAO....Fins or Thrust Vectors or Trim Tabs WILL NOT help the issue!

Bow and stern deadrise angle...plain and simple, its not rocket science. These (Yamaha) lake boats do not have the hull design for open water. You need 21 degree minimum deadrise angle, preferable 24 degree deadrise.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Well now if you take any boat out in the ocean and you do not have proper steering control you will eventually have an issue , if he wants to be able to control the direction of his boat better and handle his boat in a safer way having steering improvements is important , obviously it went without saying that he could not change the hull unless he spends a lot of money on a different boat, so making his boat more responsive and cooperative in rough water from time to time allows him to keep his boat and make it more versatile. here is his comment about the boat in rough water
"the tide changes and this boat doesn't really seems to bite when being tossed around"
So my response remains the same Add some steering that will help you deal with this lack of bite and enjoy your boat.

 

[Betik]

30 days money back guarantee !!!! I do not see a problem with giving it a shot.

I got tossed around lot during no the Bimini crossing, but I know for fact that I was getting grip as at times I felt that the resistance was to high that I worried I would brake my steering. I would not get such resistance if there was no grip.

I can also keep a straight a line with a 80% single trim (12x12) deployed.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Trim is designed to level your hull , and it can hold your bow down, it also can add drag to your hull when it does that , you can even cerate drag on one side or the other to get your boat to track straight.
Steering is made for controlling your boats direction, some only do that at idle, others can do that all the time and some can be set at different levels of influence to meet your personal preference.
And some can be set either way ,up at speed or changed to stay down at speed and have various levels of influence that you get to choose.
Having full time steering lets you stop the constant left right steering input and it lets you predict your boats response to your steering input. It can also allow you to relax and enjoy the ride with a lot less stress worrying about side slide or drifting or delayed response.
It also allows other people to operate the boat with a lot less practice.
People today are accustom to more steering response from their boats and they use them for a lot more activities that just joy riding.
Boaters can be a family wanting to pull tubes or go fishing or go cruising and enjoying the sights plus many other functions , all more enjoyable if you have predictable and responsive steering. So it makes little sense to have a boat and not have the exact type of steering that makes boating more enjoyable and more versatile.