Did the Cobra steering but around the docks not so good... (my fault)

[krypto69]

HI

I have a 2023 Yamaha 222. Added the Cobra steering but to be honest having allot of trouble around the docks still. Straight is improved but man docking is reaaaaallly difficult.

Is is possible to add the 'Lateral Thruster' to my current setup? Guessing I'm screwed..?

 

[Dave burke]

Is this this your first jet boat? It does take a while to get used to docking. One thing I’ve been doing is approaching the dock at 45 degrees and then reversing pretty hard and turning the wheel as I get close to the dock.

The other trick people have suggested is to keep it in no wake mode number 2. I do this as well, particularly if it’s windy. Number 1 is fine if it’s calm.

I also practice trying to turn the boat just with the throttles and that can help too. Takes quite a bit of practice though.

You’ll get there!

 

[kgower]

This may help: if going forward turning the wheel Starboard (right) the bow will move right. If in reverse and turning the wheel to the right the stern will go right. Vice versa for left (port). I agree with above, #2 mode is a good speed.

 

[Thermobrett]

Keep in mind that thrust is your best friend, unlike a prop that cuts water you can any turn as fast and you are pushing water. I found I had better low speed turning when I had everyone in the back of the boat. The more weight I had in the front would lift the pump higher and “toss” water opposed to pushing it. @Cobra Jet Steering LLC, do you recommend a particular screw setting for the question above.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

HI

I have a 2023 Yamaha 222. Added the Cobra steering but to be honest having allot of trouble around the docks still. Straight is improved but man docking is reaaaaallly difficult.

Is is possible to add the 'Lateral Thruster' to my current setup? Guessing I'm screwed..?

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First of all, you are not screwed, I see you are in a driving suit, so I’m going to guess that you are either a professional or amateur racing car / kart driver. So how do you cut your lap times? How do you learn to drive in the rain? Practice, chassis and tire set up, but mostly practice practice practice.

Whenever possible use small shots of thrust, neutral to forward for a moment then back to neutral.

Never approach the dock any faster than you would want to hit it.

The practice part is what you are going to have to focus on, if you can, find a dock where you can practice.

First and foremost, whenever possible always fight your enemy, whether that is wind, current or both. Whenever possible drive into the wind / current, that way if something goes wrong you can just allow the wind and current to push you away from the dock. If you are trying to time the wind/current to push towards the dock when things go wrong you are then at the mercy of those elements, and reverse thrust is far less authoritative that forward thrust. You can always come at the dock from the opposite side, meaning if you have to put the starboard side against the dock with your bow into the wind/current.

The other two guys suggestions are great, but remember this, if you split the throttles the steering wheel stays centered, only when you are using the throttles together do you use the steering wheel. Once you get in enough practice then you can learn how to use the split throttle and throttles in sort of a hybrid fashion to maneuver the boat.

As the other guys have suggested, use the no wake mode to raise your rpms which will increase the amount of thrust your pumps are making without having to advance the throttles further and possible give it too much thrust, then use forward or reverse in little shots of increased thrust.

Heres a great vid to watch

 

[Thermobrett]

I had a single engine and this is how I had my fins set up.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

He needs to set the outer fins on the 4 and 5 position to allow for the factory side thrust on the new nozzles to work properly.
above right is a picture showing the angled thrust opening is clear whenthe fins are set on the 4 and 5 setting .

 

[krypto69]

Ahh! ..thanks Cobra Jet - I'll move them up to 4 and 5 before I go out again. You don't know what a relief to learn that it is blocking the side thrust. Is 4-5 enough? Would 3 - 4 allow more side thrust? (assuming I would sacrifice some straight line stability?)

And very huge thanks to everyone else on this thread - great tips and video. Sounds like after moving the fins up - I need to practice more and learn how to split the throttles. I'm used to an outboard. Very different around the dock. Actually got spun around backwards at the dock - very embarrassing...

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

OK 4 and 5 is fine , the side thrust is actually angled at around 45 degrees your style nozzle is on the left in the picture below ,the other is the older style .
The nozzle has the correct angle so when you turn it in reverse one pushes backward and one pushes the boat sideways.
That way the real reverse thrust is not compromised nor is the stopping power.
Next trick is that you can use the throttles forward -neutral -forward- neutral and walk it in a inch at a time.
Also being new at this you can also use just 1 throttle to park the boat and leave the other in neutral you can also use reverse so when you are close to the dock you can go neutral- forward or neutral- reverse doing this will make it easy to dock but after you get acustom to the boat you will see that you can pretty well drive it slow just like a prop boat and drive it fast like a sports car on a dry road way better than a prop boat.
So remember you do not have a transmission so you can go from forward to reverse etc all you want since it is just the reverse hoods that change the direction of the thrust.
I had prop boats from the time I was 14 and purchased a jet boat when I was 49 I hated the jet boat but once I built the first steering system way back in 2001 I loved driving a jet .
So it will be very easy once you get familiar with using the steering and the thrust together. Sounds like you came in too fast when you docked the boat and did not understand the reverse control.
Change the setting and do some familiarizing with the setup and you will be just fine.
Customers tell me that their wives learn to handle the boat with my steering and then go show off at the dock. You are always welcome to contact me directly if you have any questions.

 

[krypto69]

Cobra - really appreciate you taking the time to write a detailed response and help me out.

I will follow your advice! Also thanks for the pics as it makes perfect sense now. I did my research before buying and was surprised at the lack of reverse response but I'm looking forward to trying it 'unblocked' now. I should have at least put it in reverse after I did the install - but i didn't.

Hopefully my mistakes will help someone else.

I owe you all an update once I get it back in the water.

Thanks again. and to everyone else that took the time to respond - good karma and safe boating to you all!

 

[VitaminSea]

@krypto69 At least with the older nozzles and i imagine the same with the newer nozzles, in Reverse, you need to use more throttle then in FWD for equivalent thrust, unlike with an outboard. As Jeff pointed out, there is no transmission with the jet drives, the propeller is always spinning in a fwd direction (even in neutral), and its the buckets that divert the trust.

Next time you are out and its calm, keep your boat in neutral and determine if there is a tendency for it to want to move, or spin. That could be an indicator that you MAY need to adjust your reverse buckets to achieve a neutral offset. If all is well here, as you mentioned practice splitting your throttles and spinning on an axis without the boat moving forward or backwards. This will give you an idea as to how much more reverse throttle is needed to offset the fwd throttle.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

@krypto69 At least with the older nozzles and i imagine the same with the newer nozzles, in Reverse, you need to use more throttle then in FWD for equivalent thrust, unlike with an outboard. As Jeff pointed out, there is no transmission with the jet drives, the propeller is always spinning in a fwd direction (even in neutral), and its the buckets that divert the trust.

Next time you are out and its calm, keep your boat in neutral and determine if there is a tendency for it to want to move, or spin. That could be an indicator that you MAY need to adjust your reverse buckets to achieve a neutral offset. If all is well here, as you mentioned practice splitting your throttles and spinning on an axis without the boat moving forward or backwards. This will give you an idea as to how much more reverse throttle is needed to offset the fwd throttle.

Yes first place the controls in forward and make sure the openings are EVEN with each other and above the opening completely.
Adjust them if needed, then place the controls in neutral and recheck to see if the buckets are still even with each other and adjust if needed . Also the nozzle alignment I instructed you to do before installing the fins is very important , a lot of these boats are way out of alignment new so the way I have you set the nozzles has the water exiting the nozzles with a slight tow out in back and tow in in the front this stabilizes the hull and more but it also aims the leading edges of the fins inward toward each other about 1/8 inch total helping the boat to reack straight and not pull to either side on plane. I also noticed the washers are missing on the anode brackets and that is important to correct, look at the picture and you will see that the anode brackets in your picture do not have the washers where it bolts to the pump block like the first picture shows.

This picture shows you the buckets on this boat are set evenly above the nozzle opening when in forward.
in this picture you see the buckets are also even above the top of the nozzle and the nozzles have a slight angle out away from the center of the boat where the water exits them. this will actually bring the wheel back to center if you are turning and let go of the wheel in the turn also note how centered the rudder is .
this is all important if you want the boat to handle perfectly at all speeds. The nice thing with this is if for some unknown reason your boat has a high speed pull that you casn not find the cause for you can adjust the rudder to compensate for it.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I have a picture of a nozzle just posted by a customer that had his fins powdercoated before he installed them I just noticed that in the picture you can actually see down in the nozzle and see the angled reverse opening on the outer fin.

 

[krypto69]

Thanks for the pics - love the power coating black - and maybe I'm seeing this incorrectly - spent allot of time zooming in on your pics. But did I put the inner fins in upside down?

Or are the inner fins I have a little different then the ones in the pics?

 

[Noko]

With a twin it just takes time. I don't even use the steering wheel docking or trailering. I go slow and use differential thrust. It takes a few seconds for the bow to respond but you can get pretty precise with just thrust alone. And with the helm centered, going into reverse thrust just takes you straight back. It just takes finding what works and patience.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Thanks for the pics - love the power coating black - and maybe I'm seeing this incorrectly - spent allot of time zooming in on your pics. But did I put the inner fins in upside down?

Or are the inner fins I have a little different then the ones in the pics?

you have spring loaded ones he has the non spring loaded set all you need to do is correct the setting of the outside fins.

 

[krypto69]

you have spring loaded ones he has the non spring loaded set all you need to do is correct the setting of the outside fins.

great, thanks!

 

[drewkaree]

The only thing causing embarrassment is stuck between your ears, you'll get better at this and look back, and be better suited to say why this was difficult.

You have the disadvantage of having to unlearn some outboard habits, much like accidentally hitting the brake after switching from an automatic to a manual. It's why you need to work on your technique without any outside pressure to dock with others on board, and no purpose to be out on the water other than to practice maneuvering the boat.

You've had success with an outboard, so there's every reason to believe you'll get this down in short order with some practice.

Initially, I wanted more help docking than was necessary, now I tell everyone to stay seated until I tell them, and I direct people to the help I want - many bodies moving while trying to dock are a big hindrance to me, you may feel differently.

Guys do this solo, I expect you will pick up the right technique for you as well ?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The only thing causing embarrassment is stuck between your ears, you'll get better at this and look back, and be better suited to say why this was difficult.

You have the disadvantage of having to unlearn some outboard habits, much like accidentally hitting the brake after switching from an automatic to a manual. It's why you need to work on your technique without any outside pressure to dock with others on board, and no purpose to be out on the water other than to practice maneuvering the boat.

You've had success with an outboard, so there's every reason to believe you'll get this down in short order with some practice.

Initially, I wanted more help docking than was necessary, now I tell everyone to stay seated until I tell them, and I direct people to the help I want - many bodies moving while trying to dock are a big hindrance to me, you may feel differently.

Guys do this solo, I expect you will pick up the right technique for you as well ?

I boat 99% of the time by myself, Im going to second what you have to say about keeping people seated until the ride has come to a complete and full stop. Once people start moving around I have to now take their un seated safety into what I’m doing, unlike an outboard as pointed out by cobra above, thrust direction can be changed instantly and with great force, if something happens and I need to reverse thrust abruptly and someone is standing they will go down. My friend Danielle always helps out when docking, so I just hand her the docking pole for to hold the boat off the dock with or grab the cleat with.

Also going out by yourself for a day on the water only to practice maneuvering is a great suggestion. As mentioned above, the direction of thrust can be changed at anytime and speed which means you have brakes, this not something to be taken lightly but should be practiced. It is down right impressive how quickly you can stop your boat from full speed ahead. Pick up this video at the 3:33 mark to see what I’m talking about. https://boattest.com/boats/yamaha/195-fsh-sport-2020

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

100% master it solo and keep guests seated. I am much better doing everything by my self then with help trying to guess what needs to be done.