How does your 230 series handle?

[JetPowered]

My boat is a twitchy mess at speed.

It's a fun mess but with all of the work needed to keep it going straight, I'm tired by the end of the day, especially on a busy lake. While we do anchor/beach, we do but a good 3-4 hours of engine time on during a typical day. I'm about 10 trips in since I bought the boat last fall.

When I say speed, I mean over 25mph. We usually cruise 25-30 with some excursions into the 40's to blast around if the traffic is light. If I cross a wake or pull into a wake and behind another boat. This upsets the boat so much that I can feel it slide across the wake and then grab at it settles into the valley of the wake. Surfing would be a good analogy of how it feels.


Even in the normal chop of the lake, it takes constant course corrections to maintain a heading. But when we get wind, example a even a 10 mph blow coming 45 degrees from port, I have to have the steering wheel pointing at the 10 o'clock position to maintain a straight course.

Steering cables don't seem to be binding and move smoothly from lock to lock. I have added the Cobra Ultimates primarily to pick up handling at low speed and they are currently in the down always mode, but I haven't noticed that they greatly added to the twitchy steering. I will change them to stay up at speed for the next time out to test and compare.

So maybe I'm still adjusting to the characteristics of a jet boat, but maybe there is something else going on.

Do the newer articulating keel models feel more surefooted?

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Something seems wrong unless you are just used to driving a car.

Are you sure both nozzles are turning?

Have somebody turn the wheel left and right while you watch the nozzles. Can you move them by hand while the wheel is held? ( broken cable)

 

[Speedling]

I think it's a jet boat. The fins of most types flip up and will return that jet boat feel. It will slide around a bit. I like it like that.

 

[rkluck]

I would agree with Speedling. Mine will do the same thing. If I cross a larger wake the bot will slide across and the bow will change direction. I try to cross wakes at a steeper angle which stops this but sometimes there are so many wakes you just have to ride through them. It feels very odd but you will get used to it. We will ride around as well but I don't get tired from this.

 

[Julian]

Yup.....this is the nature of a jet boat with no skeg in the water. You can spin the thing on a dime and carve some amazing turns because of thrust directional turning, but the same plus is a minus. Now the 24' boats with the new keel and rudder (they call it an articulating keel") have changed this significantly....they is no longer any wiggling when cutting through wakes, and tracking is hugely improved. But there is also a little less "Jet boat feel"....she doesn't spin on a dime like the older boats....but still great turning....just not awesome.

 

[Glassman]

I'm with Murf on this one...mine runs straight as an arrow, I can steer the boat with the throttles without touching the wheel if I have a mind to.
Now, crossing a wake the boat will slide, of course. But that's where all the grins start!

 

[Murf'n'surf]

You need to remember that your bow is going to wander a few degrees left and right.....let it and you will see that your course will remain the same for the most part unless you have wind from the side. It's when you start to correct the wander that it gets squirrely

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I'm curious if this is your first boat.
The steering you describe with wind pushing at you from 45 degrees is pretty normal with any boat, you need to compensate with the wheel, also the description of boat wakes making you feel like you are sliding and then catching at the bottom is normal with boats, what isn't normal with jet boats is the catching at the bottom and being capable of carving out of the wake or compensate for the wind and hold a steady course with an adjustment to the helm.
The steering you have on your boat makes it controllable if you set the fins to rise above idle speed I think you will see just how out of control that boat really is and have a new understanding of what those fins are doing to improve the control. Imagine what will happen if you are in traffic and you are being pushed by a wake and you can't overcome it. If you think wind and waves are pushing you around now you probably should not reset those fins to rise up , but if you do be ready to return them back to the full time mode .
I think a keel would be the best you can get if you want to go straight however the keel will also have it's drawbacks as the boat won't be as responsive at speed or at idle so it's a trade off.

 

[scot71]

Mine has a tendency to do the same thing. It will kind of slide over the top of a wake if I go across at a shallow angle and I'll have to saw at the wheel some to keep it running where I want. I've accepted it as just the nature if the beast. I'm not bothered by it, and sometimes it's kind of fun.

 

[JetPowered]

Quick update. Took a video of the play at cruising speed.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

That play is definitely in your helm.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Stick you head behind the dash and see what the cables and steering block are doing while somebody moves the wheel back and forth. Something may stand out while doing this...

 

[JetPowered]

You think? There is definitely a null even when tied up at the dock. It's not as pronounced but there is an inch or two of play at the wheel. Can feel consistent input from wheel shaft to steering assy Cables feel smooth in movement. All else looks tight.

 

[Zarrella]

I have the same boat. I definately do not have that much play in my wheel.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Hold the nozzles tight and have someone turn the wheel with the boat on the trailer, I bet you have the same amount of play as you do at speed in the water

 

[JetPowered]

Jeff, I'll try that out soon. I'm 99% sure it's in the steering box.

So, is there any adjustment to the steering box that can be made? Initial examination says no. It could just be a bad bushing. The shaft that runs vertically seems to have some play in it but with no other boat to compare to in at a loss. Of course with steering any slop get magnified BIG time. Maybe I need to meet up with @Wayloncle and compare with his.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I do not believe you can do any adjustments, nor are there any grease fittings in the helm.
So perhaps you can rebuild it with new bushings and modify it by installing some properly placed fittings to grease it in the future.
I doubt it is a difficult piece to rebuild. I would also inspect the attachment points of the outer steering cables at both ends just for good measure. If those are loose there will be play in the steering and if the outer cables are bad or soft you will also get play in the steering. Usually the steel in the outer casing gets rusted and goes bad, however you can usually see that in the form of bulging in the cable case.

 

[Wayloncle]

Jeff, I'll try that out soon. I'm 99% sure it's in the steering box.

So, is there any adjustment to the steering box that can be made? Initial examination says no. It could just be a bad bushing. The shaft that runs vertically seems to have some play in it but with no other boat to compare to in at a loss. Of course with steering any slop get magnified BIG time. Maybe I need to meet up with @Wayloncle and compare with his.

I was thinking the same thing as I was reading through the thread! I definitely don't have that much play in mine.

 

[Livewire]

@JetPowered did you ever find the cause of your steering play? My 232 has about the same amount.

 

[JetPowered]

No. I am going to be lubing the cables tomorrow, but I will also me ordering a set of new steering cables. The helm gear seemed fine on close inspection, so that pretty much leaves cables.