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Thank You Jeff and Will

n1111z

Jet Boat Addict
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Location
Cape Coral, Florida
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2018
Boat Model
242 Limited S E-Series
Boat Length
24
Just came in from trialing my new '18 242 LS with Cobra Jet's Magnum AK steering upgrade and I couldn't be more pleased. We traded in a '13 with Thrust Vectors which worked great for low speed handling, and of course that boat alrerady handled fine on plane. New boat was a total dog at low and high speed thanks to the addition of the keel and "articulating keel" (also known as Insufficiently Large Rudder). Now the new boat handles like a dream, the maneuvering around docks is especially fine. Also no more "hunting" which wears me out in about 5 minutes. On plane, very responsive and no longer takes a football field's length to make a 90 degree turn. Of course Jeff was fantastic in the customer service department. So here's a shout out to Jeff and Will for doing the hard work that Yamaha was either unable or unwilling to do!
 

WetWillie

Jetboaters Lieutenant
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Location
Mount Juliet, TN 37122
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2017
Boat Model
X
Boat Length
21
We boat a lot in tight docking situations and have also spent the last two seasons experiencing the same things you have in the handling characteristics of our 212x... Really looking hard at the cobra steering pkg with a combination of the lateral thrusters... As we find the need due to strong currents around our launching area and dock space for the thrusters and looking also for the better low/high speed tracking offered by the fins... I’ve gotten quite proficient in altering forward-reverse detents in between the two engines; but sometimes would like the ability to not have to put as much effort at the end of a boating day. Or be able to pass the helm off confidently to another knowing side to side tracking would be significantly affected to be able to swing the back of the boat in laterally... I also feel very confident that once I’m ready to pull the trigger on these additions that the customer service is the least of my worries on getting the right compatible system ordered and in place...

Thank you for your honest review!
 

n1111z

Jet Boat Addict
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Location
Cape Coral, Florida
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Yamaha
Year
2018
Boat Model
242 Limited S E-Series
Boat Length
24
Lateral thrusters would be a recommended addition, if they are compatible with the Cobras?
 

swatski

Jetboaters Fleet Admiral 1*
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Location
North Caldwell, NJ
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2016
Boat Model
AR
Boat Length
24
So does @MidnightRider, he posted many positive comments about the combo.

I considered it, too. At this point I would probably go for the new 2019 pump parts though, more expensive but I love the redesign.

--
 

biffdotorg

Jetboaters Admiral
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Location
Pelican Rapids, MN
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2011
Boat Model
Limited S
Boat Length
24
I know I have replied on these in the past. But after another surf session yesterday it reminded me of how much I love the Lateral Thrusters for surfing. The rope is short, and we are constantly backing up rather than looping around to pick up a surfer. The Lateral Thrusters allow me to back the stern up exactly to the boarder in the water every time for quick restarts.

It truly is amazing the control in reverse. Combine those with either fin setup and you are gold.
 

dzeppos

Jetboaters Lieutenant
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Location
Coto de caza, CA
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2016
Boat Model
Limited S
Boat Length
24
Thanks for all of your commentary. I too have the Lateral Thrusters on my 16 242 - and the ability to swing the back around when towing skiers to docking to simply so much rear control (and no real noticeable power drop - may 5 to 10% - but way worth it) make it awesome. The LTs were great on the lower end of the Colorado River where the river current moves at 4-5mph (trying to dock was brutal) - but the LTs were helpful.
With that said, I'm ordering the Cobra AKs right now. I assume they were easy to install (not very mechanically inclined - putting on Lateral Thrusters was the limit of my abilities). Can't wait to try em!
 

"IN A MEETING"

Well-Known Member
Messages
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Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2014
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X
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21
Both were awesome for me as well.
 

Ratket

Jet Boat Addict
Messages
449
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Location
Lake Havasu City Arizona 86406
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2014
Boat Model
X
Boat Length
21
Thanks for all of your commentary. I too have the Lateral Thrusters on my 16 242 - and the ability to swing the back around when towing skiers to docking to simply so much rear control (and no real noticeable power drop - may 5 to 10% - but way worth it) make it awesome. The LTs were great on the lower end of the Colorado River where the river current moves at 4-5mph (trying to dock was brutal) - but the LTs were helpful.
With that said, I'm ordering the Cobra AKs right now. I assume they were easy to install (not very mechanically inclined - putting on Lateral Thrusters was the limit of my abilities). Can't wait to try em!
Where at on the Lower Colorado River?
If you don’t mind.
 

dzeppos

Jetboaters Lieutenant
Messages
262
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Location
Coto de caza, CA
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2016
Boat Model
Limited S
Boat Length
24
Where at on the Lower Colorado River?
If you don’t mind.
Big River, CA - 5 miles south of Parker. Found two nice homes almost next to each other. It’s separated from Parker by the Hed worth diversion dam. Quieter than Parker strip, but very much in the wild- roaming wild donkeys, snakes, wildlife - but very pretty. River flows fluctuate and have to watch out for shallow areas. We had a blast
 

Ratket

Jet Boat Addict
Messages
449
Reaction score
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Points
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Location
Lake Havasu City Arizona 86406
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2014
Boat Model
X
Boat Length
21
Big River, CA - 5 miles south of Parker. Found two nice homes almost next to each other. It’s separated from Parker by the Hed worth diversion dam. Quieter than Parker strip, but very much in the wild- roaming wild donkeys, snakes, wildlife - but very pretty. River flows fluctuate and have to watch out for shallow areas. We had a blast

We live in havasu and I often work in Parker, pretty familiar with it. I bought a state Park pass just so I could day access the state parks and use their stuff when ever I wanted. So far it’s working out lol. If we didn’t have kids, my wife and I would of likely bought a house in the “ Keys” in Parker when houses where affordable... but I have kids and their schooling is important to me.

Just an FYI - az fish&game offers a free Boating safety course.. like a 9-3pm type of deal... but it saves you pretty big on ur boat insurance for life, might be something worth looking into, I actually took the class today myself and it was very informative,
 
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