2002 22ft SeaDoo Islandia Steering Assist

[HavasuHaven]

Hey everyone. New to the group and just bought mt first jet boat. 22ft SeaDoo Islandia. Currently in the shop being detailed.
The first thing all my friends told me is that the older jet boats are notoriously hard to steer at slow speeds. They said there are aftermarket mfgs who make steering assists for SeaDoo boats. So far the only product I have found that mentions Seadoo is a company that makes a product called Thrust Vector. The only problem is that their product EXCLUDEs the Islandia model !!
So my question is: Does anyone know why? And is anyone aware of another product that could help.
Again.. I am new to this and know very little about this issue. So be gentle... ;-)
Thanks,
HavasuHaven

 

[biffdotorg]

You won’t find many options for that vintage SeaDoo as it was not really needed. We sold our 2002 SeaDoo a year ago. You should have the single Mercury SportJet in that model. We added the CobraJet steering that Jeff makes for the SportJet.

I did find that it did help. But it is nowhere near as needed as the Yamaha boats. So my advice is drive it and form your own opinion. You are going to find that the sheer size of the islandia will allow it to track fairly well. If you have any issues, reach out to Jeff at CobraJet Steering and he can hook you up with his fins for the SportJet.

Good luck!

 

[HavasuHaven]

You won’t find many options for that vintage SeaDoo as it was not really needed. We sold our 2002 SeaDoo a year ago. You should have the single Mercury SportJet in that model. We added the CobraJet steering that Jeff makes for the SportJet.

I did find that it did help. But it is nowhere near as needed as the Yamaha boats. So my advice is drive it and form your own opinion. You are going to find that the sheer size of the islandia will allow it to track fairly well. If you have any issues, reach out to Jeff at CobraJet Steering and he can hook you up with his fins for the SportJet.

Good luck!

Biffdotorg,

Thank you for your quick reply. I appreciate it

 

[biffdotorg]

You will also find that those boats had a steering assist when you turn the wheel lock-to-lock. It should give you just a quick bump in RPM’s when you go full lock as it knows you are trying to turn harder than normal. As we all know, there is no steering without thrust with a jet.

Many owners disabled this feature, so don’t be surprised if it does not work.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

His boat has the v 6 mercury and I do have a system made for that

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Also The throttle thing was only on the 4 tec engines not the v6 mercury engines and those boats steer like a barge so you will be wanting some help with it.

 

[biffdotorg]

Also The throttle thing was only on the 4 tec engines not the v6 mercury engines and those boats steer like a barge so you will be wanting some help with it.

Thanks for chiming in Jeff. You were helpful when I inquired about your steering for my 2002 X20 with 240HP Merc SportJet years ago.

Sorry to disagree with you, but the Mercury powered SeaDoo's did have have the Steering Assist technology. Mine had it, and it was a well known feature. On the Mercury models it was a cable system called Control Steering System and it actually bumps the throttle by roughly 1800 RPM's. Those that disconnected it thought that was a bit aggressive. I do believe it went to a sensor system in the 4-tec models, so yes, it may have changed, but had the same purpose.

Here is a dash shot, you will know it has it by the logo near the steering wheel.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Thanks for explaining that I really did not know those had the Damn thing, I do recall them on the 4 tec engines . I personally hate it on the Yamaha skies my skies never needed it for obvious reasons.

 

[CrankyGypsy]

my opinion: around the dock, the stock steering on my 2008 Challenger is "surgical" compared to the 2005 AR230HO I owned with Cobras. only at speed do the Cobra Fangs have me favoring the Yamaha. your setup is similar - the separate throttle makes a difference and the reverse deflector design of the SeaDoo is superior.