Hydrophase Ridesteady review and comparison to Perfect Pass

[brian86992]

I have wake surfed and wake boarded off my 2020 210 FSH with three different speed control set ups:

• Stock, no 3rd party control
• Perfect Pass
• Ridesteady

Having experienced all three on the same boat, I thought I might share my experience.



Stock

It goes without saying that on a heavily loaded jet boat it's extremely difficult to maintain speed without a speed control system. Especially at slower wakeboard speeds, the boat is at risk of falling off a plane as your passengers move around or you make a turn. Our Yamaha throttles are especially hard to make fine adjustments to speed and anyone who's pulled riders behind their Yamaha jet boat knows the struggle. Using the Cruise Assist button offers little help while pulling a rider.


Perfect Pass (PP)

Upgrading to Perfect Pass was a night and day improvement where I had so much more time to focus on the rider and my surroundings than fight the throttles. However, I quickly had trouble with a major shortcoming of the Perfect Pass. Simply put, the control system does a terrible job of maintaining speed in my 210 FSH. While wakeboarding it failed to give enough throttle to keep the boat at speed through a turn. Then it would speed up and exceed the set speed after the turn was complete. The overshoot was so bad that pulling up a wakeboarder with a set point of 20 mph, the boat would reach 27 mph for several seconds before the control began to cut throttle. When it did cut throttle, the wakeboarder's line would go slack and the boat would fall below the set speed. I experienced these symptoms with the boat heavy and ballasted as well as with minimal people and gear and not towing a rider.

Here's a diagram of what a poorly tuned control system looks like. Take note of the orange overshoot curve. The flat line is the set point (20 mph) and the curve that exceeds this set point is similar to how the Perfect Pass acted on my boat.



I worked with the Perfect Pass staff to attempt to resolve the poor performance of the control system. I was disappointed that Perfect Pass was not able to offer any troubleshooting or software updates. To me, it seems that Perfect Pass may not be actively involved in updating/creating control algorithms, rather just packaging and selling something either outdated or universal. Perfect Pass did offer for me to return the system for which they provided a full refund.


Ridesteady (RS)

Before purchasing the RS, I called up Hydrophase to ensure that I wouldn't have the same experience with their product. I had a long and technical conversation with Justin which gave me comfort to move forward with the purchase.


Install
There are some similarities and differences between the install of the PP and the RS:

Same
Control module "brain" in console
Dash mounted display
External stick-on GPS
High quality hardware, wiring, connections

Different
RS connects to both key switch wires, RS just one
PP has one throttle module in the engine compartment with connections to both throttles. RS has two complete throttle modules in the engine compartment
RS has a knob to adjust speed and settings instead of just buttons
RS has cam position sensor inputs from each engine




Operation
The operation of the Ridesteady is extremely similar to the Perfect Pass. There is one key difference between how the PP and RS treat throttle input. On the PP, if you had the throttle set at any point above the required amount, it essentially ignores any additional throttle. The RS will react (then settle back) if you adjust the throttle while the system is at set point. I believe this has to do with the RS modulating the throttle input by a percentage whereas the PP provides a direct voltage/signal to reach the desired set point. Justin explained it to me at one point and I've forgotten the specifics.

A feature of the RS which I think is very clever is how it distinguishes what a "run" is and disables itself once you throttle down. As you throttle down it displays a warning and a counter that you're about to "reset" the throttle. At that point it stops trying to maintain any speed and this would also be how the unit logs rider time. I've never had to fight the control system while having to return to pick up a rider.


My takeaways that make the Ridesteady my winner
The RS is slightly more expensive than the PP but I will recommend it to anyone looking for speed control for their Yamaha and especially the 210 FSH. I may be the anomaly (or the problem is two weak TR-1 engines trying to pull a rider) for how well the Perfect Pass algorithm works but the Ridesteady cured my issues. That within itself is enough reason for me to switch. On top of that, the RS has several design differences that offer (to me) crucial functionality. Here's some off the top of my head:

1. RS allows you to adjust control system setpoints. It is a physical impossibility to create a control system that will work well for all boats in all environments. RS gives you the control over:
   1. Throttle response
   2. Activation speed
   3. Overshoot
2. When engaged, the Perfect Pass doesn't allow you to use throttles independently. You retain individual throttle control with RS. I use differential throttle frequently to position myself to pick up a rider so this is a big one for me.
3. The control knob is much easier to make adjustments to the speed while occupied with other tasks.
4. RPM mode is praised a lot on this forum and also booed as an unnecessary feature. Because the boat is light and underpowered, I use the PP or RS any time I'm cruising for long distances to keep us at a reasonable speed especially in chop. Depending on conditions, I usually find it superior to specify an RPM setpoint and let the boat react to wind, currents and waves. This just isn't possible with the PP and the RS makes it very intuitive. There is of course the benefit of running the motors at a synced RPM to equalize wear, fuel burn, etc.

 

[Ridesteady]

I have wake surfed and wake boarded off my 2020 210 FSH with three different speed control set ups:

• Stock, no 3rd party control
• Perfect Pass
• Ridesteady

Having experienced all three on the same boat, I thought I might share my experience.

View attachment 150517

Stock

It goes without saying that on a heavily loaded jet boat it's extremely difficult to maintain speed without a speed control system. Especially at slower wakeboard speeds, the boat is at risk of falling off a plane as your passengers move around or you make a turn. Our Yamaha throttles are especially hard to make fine adjustments to speed and anyone who's pulled riders behind their Yamaha jet boat knows the struggle. Using the Cruise Assist button offers little help while pulling a rider.


Perfect Pass (PP)

Upgrading to Perfect Pass was a night and day improvement where I had so much more time to focus on the rider and my surroundings than fight the throttles. However, I quickly had trouble with a major shortcoming of the Perfect Pass. Simply put, the control system does a terrible job of maintaining speed in my 210 FSH. While wakeboarding it failed to give enough throttle to keep the boat at speed through a turn. Then it would speed up and exceed the set speed after the turn was complete. The overshoot was so bad that pulling up a wakeboarder with a set point of 20 mph, the boat would reach 27 mph for several seconds before the control began to cut throttle. When it did cut throttle, the wakeboarder's line would go slack and the boat would fall below the set speed. I experienced these symptoms with the boat heavy and ballasted as well as with minimal people and gear and not towing a rider.

Here's a diagram of what a poorly tuned control system looks like. Take note of the orange overshoot curve. The flat line is the set point (20 mph) and the curve that exceeds this set point is similar to how the Perfect Pass acted on my boat.

View attachment 150514

I worked with the Perfect Pass staff to attempt to resolve the poor performance of the control system. I was disappointed that Perfect Pass was not able to offer any troubleshooting or software updates. To me, it seems that Perfect Pass may not be actively involved in updating/creating control algorithms, rather just packaging and selling something either outdated or universal. Perfect Pass did offer for me to return the system for which they provided a full refund.


Ridesteady (RS)

Before purchasing the RS, I called up Hydrophase to ensure that I wouldn't have the same experience with their product. I had a long and technical conversation with Justin which gave me comfort to move forward with the purchase.


Install
There are some similarities and differences between the install of the PP and the RS:

Same
Control module "brain" in console
Dash mounted display
External stick-on GPS
High quality hardware, wiring, connections

Different
RS connects to both key switch wires, RS just one
PP has one throttle module in the engine compartment with connections to both throttles. RS has two complete throttle modules in the engine compartment
RS has a knob to adjust speed and settings instead of just buttons
RS has cam position sensor inputs from each engine


View attachment 150521

Operation
The operation of the Ridesteady is extremely similar to the Perfect Pass. There is one key difference between how the PP and RS treat throttle input. On the PP, if you had the throttle set at any point above the required amount, it essentially ignores any additional throttle. The RS will react (then settle back) if you adjust the throttle while the system is at set point. I believe this has to do with the RS modulating the throttle input by a percentage whereas the PP provides a direct voltage/signal to reach the desired set point. Justin explained it to me at one point and I've forgotten the specifics.

A feature of the RS which I think is very cleaver is how it distinguishes what a "run" is and disables itself once you throttle down. As you throttle down it displays a warning and a counter that you're about to "reset" the throttle. At that point it stops trying to maintain any speed and this would also be how the unit logs rider time. I've never had to fight the control system while having to return to pick up a rider.


My takeaways that make the Ridesteady my winner
The RS is slightly more expensive than the PP but I will recommend it to anyone looking for speed control for their Yamaha and especially the 210 FSH. I may be the anomaly (or the problem is two weak TR-1 engines trying to pull a rider) for how well the Perfect Pass algorithm works but the Ridesteady cured my issues. That within itself is enough reason for me to switch. On top of that, the RS has several design differences that offer (to me) crucial functionality. Here's some off the top of my head:

1. RS allows you to adjust control system setpoints. It is a physical impossibility to create a control system that will work well for all boats in all environments. RS gives you the control over:
   1. Throttle response
   2. Activation speed
   3. Overshoot
2. When engaged, the Perfect Pass doesn't allow you to use throttles independently. You retain individual throttle control with RS. I use differential throttle frequently to position myself to pick up a rider so this is a big one for me.
3. The control knob is much easier to make adjustments to the speed while occupied with other tasks.
4. RPM mode is praised a lot on this forum and also booed as an unnecessary feature. Because the boat is light and underpowered, I use the PP or RS any time I'm cruising for long distances to keep us at a reasonable speed especially in chop. Depending on conditions, I usually find it superior to specify an RPM setpoint and let the boat react to wind, currents and waves. This just isn't possible with the PP and the RS makes it very intuitive. There is of course the benefit of running the motors at a synced RPM to equalize wear, fuel burn, etc.

Wow, thanks so much for the detailed write-up, @brian86992 !

It's so humbling to have such awesome customers. There was a lot of effort in designing Ridesteady well from the beginning, tuning the control system, hardware, software, and features specifically for Yamaha jet boats. It really is meaningful to have people recognize that and then spend the time to write up such a great review publicly. It is very much appreciated!

Just to add to your point about where the throttles are set... With Ridesteady, the engines' operating point is set to where the throttle levers currently are. The primary reason we do this is because the engines will instantly slow down with even a little pull back of the throttle. Whereas if the throttles set the absolute max level of the engines, you would have to bring the throttle levers back below where the engine is currently operating at to slow down. This delay can be disconcerting to some, so we went with the "relative" operating mode. This probably isn't the best explanation, but I hope it helps explain it a bit.

The "throttle reset" screen that pops up when you pull back on the throttle levers is actually the system resetting the throttle from a relative mode to an absolute mode, to facilitate return to "manual throttle" with the speed control disengaging.

Yes, we found it important to maintain independent throttle controls at all times. After all, this is one of the major benefits of a twin engine boat - manuverability. If the throttle levers are tied together, of course you lose that. And, should you want to run one engine faster than the other for surfing, that is an option with Ridesteady (you'd want to disable engine sync in the settings, of course).

Thanks again for the review! So many great customers on this board...

 

[landlockedpirate]

Well shoot, I just installed pp in my boat. It was what I was familiar with and didn't know RS existed at the time. Should have done some more research I guess. I haven't tried it out yet but I'm already wishing I would have made a different choice. I'm not terribly concerned about the RPM mode or even the over shoot, but the differential throttle seems useful for surfing, we'll see.

 

[dels]

Awesome write-up!! I am planning to install mine in the next week or so!

 

[brian86992]

Another thing to mention, I love the dial control of the Ridesteady. I mounted mine in place of the compass then moved the compass lower. It's positioned so at WOT my finger can reach the knob and I can fine adjust my RPM or speed while in rough water. Makes all the difference because our throttles are so touchy.

 

[suke]

I have wake surfed and wake boarded off my 2020 210 FSH with three different speed control set ups:

• Stock, no 3rd party control
• Perfect Pass
• Ridesteady

Having experienced all three on the same boat, I thought I might share my experience.

View attachment 150517

S

Ridesteady (RS)

Before purchasing the RS, I called up Hydrophase to ensure that I wouldn't have the same experience with their product. I had a long and technical conversation with Justin which gave me comfort to move forward with the purchase.


Install
There are some similarities and differences between the install of the PP and the RS:

Same
Control module "brain" in console
Dash mounted display
External stick-on GPS
High quality hardware, wiring, connections

Different
RS connects to both key switch wires, RS just one
PP has one throttle module in the engine compartment with connections to both throttles. RS has two complete throttle modules in the engine compartment
RS has a knob to adjust speed and settings instead of just buttons
RS has cam position sensor inputs from each engine


View attachment 150521

1. RPM mode is praised a lot on this forum and also booed as an unnecessary feature. Because the boat is light and underpowered, I use the PP or RS any time I'm cruising for long distances to keep us at a reasonable speed especially in chop. Depending on conditions, I usually find it superior to specify an RPM setpoint and let the boat react to wind, currents and waves. This just isn't possible with the PP and the RS makes it very intuitive. There is of course the benefit of running the motors at a synced RPM to equalize wear, fuel burn, etc.

This has popped into my head a couple times now that I've had time to play with RS a bit. So I finally got full time sync figured out and it works as described. I'm fairly certain I know the answer, but not 100%. For the sync it essentially retards the throttle of the faster rpm/throttle to meet the other from what I've noticed. Which gives me sort of a flat spot in the throttle while throttling up. For instance I throttle up and one motor is at 6000 the other at 5500, it drops the other motor to 5500 rpms to match the other, rather than increase the 5500 rpm motor to 6000. At that time it creates sort of a stumble, until I give it more throttle to get both motors back at 6000 rpms. I switched it to match the motor that has the higher RPMs rather than the lower RPMs. What that has essentially done is caused it not to work for engine sync anymore. Is that to be expected? Is it not capable of increasing the RPM to match rather than decreasing?

 

[brian86992]

This has popped into my head a couple times now that I've had time to play with RS a bit. So I finally got full time sync figured out and it works as described. I'm fairly certain I know the answer, but not 100%. For the sync it essentially retards the throttle of the faster rpm/throttle to meet the other from what I've noticed. Which gives me sort of a flat spot in the throttle while throttling up. For instance I throttle up and one motor is at 6000 the other at 5500, it drops the other motor to 5500 rpms to match the other, rather than increase the 5500 rpm motor to 6000. At that time it creates sort of a stumble, until I give it more throttle to get both motors back at 6000 rpms. I switched it to match the motor that has the higher RPMs rather than the lower RPMs. What that has essentially done is caused it not to work for engine sync anymore. Is that to be expected? Is it not capable of increasing the RPM to match rather than decreasing?

I'm sure Justin will have a good answer for you but I suspect you're right. I'd expect the RS system to only have the capability to decrease throttle input rather than increase (safety).

What gives you consistently off RPMs? Can you adjust your throttle cables?

Other solutions are to check out your parameters. I have all of my profiles set to engage at 1 MPH, overshoot at about 100% and response way up too. Seems to work well on my boat.

You can also just burry the throttles at WOT and let the system do all the work.

 

[suke]

I'm sure Justin will have a good answer for you but I suspect you're right. I'd expect the RS system to only have the capability to decrease throttle input rather than increase (safety).

What gives you consistently off RPMs? Can you adjust your throttle cables?

Other solutions are to check out your parameters. I have all of my profiles set to engage at 1 MPH, overshoot at about 100% and response way up too. Seems to work well on my boat.

You can also just burry the throttles at WOT and let the system do all the work.

I haven't messed with anything other than setting speeds for profiles, and well of course to get the throttle sync working. Otherwise it's totally bone stock with whatever settings it came with. And this wouldn't be while trying to do watersports, but just poking along. I generally don't hammer down when taking off. I've sent kids flying before, regardless how many times you tell them to hold on. LOL! So easing into the throttle and on getting on plane is when I notice it. So, just general driving around.

 

[brian86992]

I'm jealous of your HO engines! WOT for me with passengers is not too eventful.

 

[Ridesteady]

This has popped into my head a couple times now that I've had time to play with RS a bit. So I finally got full time sync figured out and it works as described. I'm fairly certain I know the answer, but not 100%. For the sync it essentially retards the throttle of the faster rpm/throttle to meet the other from what I've noticed. Which gives me sort of a flat spot in the throttle while throttling up. For instance I throttle up and one motor is at 6000 the other at 5500, it drops the other motor to 5500 rpms to match the other, rather than increase the 5500 rpm motor to 6000. At that time it creates sort of a stumble, until I give it more throttle to get both motors back at 6000 rpms. I switched it to match the motor that has the higher RPMs rather than the lower RPMs. What that has essentially done is caused it not to work for engine sync anymore. Is that to be expected? Is it not capable of increasing the RPM to match rather than decreasing?

Full time sync is different than just "on". When it's just "on", sync only operates when the cruise is active. When the cruise is active, you typically have given the system more throttle than it takes to maintain a particular set speed (otherwise the system will complain with the "more gas" screen). In this case, the system has the ability to increase the throttle of the slave engine to match the master (up to the point of the slave engine's throttle lever).

With full time sync, when the cruise isn't active, the engines are running exactly at the throttle lever speed. Because Ridesteady can't force an engine speed above the throttle lever speed (for safety reasons, as @brian86992 pointed out), it must slow down the faster engine. This is what "auto" means as "sync master".

The only way to achieve allowing the slower engine to speed up to the faster engine when the cruise isn't active (i.e. with full time sync) would be to run the slower engine above the throttle lever speed, which is a safety/design decision not to do.

I hope that makes sense!

 

[suke]

Full time sync is different than just "on". When it's just "on", sync only operates when the cruise is active. When the cruise is active, you typically have given the system more throttle than it takes to maintain a particular set speed (otherwise the system will complain with the "more gas" screen). In this case, the system has the ability to increase the throttle of the slave engine to match the master (up to the point of the slave engine's throttle lever).

With full time sync, when the cruise isn't active, the engines are running exactly at the throttle lever speed. Because Ridesteady can't force an engine speed above the throttle lever speed (for safety reasons, as @brian86992 pointed out), it must slow down the faster engine. This is what "auto" means as "sync master".

The only way to achieve allowing the slower engine to speed up to the faster engine when the cruise isn't active (i.e. with full time sync) would be to run the slower engine above the throttle lever speed, which is a safety/design decision not to do.

I hope that makes sense!

understood! So it's operating as designed. Was making sure I didn't miss something somewhere.

 

[suke]

I'm jealous of your HO engines! WOT for me with passengers is not too eventful.

HAH! I had an 09 212x before this and it didn't quite have the torque this one does. If I hammer down, even with the ballasts full it'll toss ya. Can't imagine these motors in the bigger boats. I imagine they're ok, but I'd miss the punch these things have. Granted I'm sure you could pitch the impellers to make up for some of that.

 

[AZMark]

I’m finally seriously considering adding ridesteady but I honestly probably won’t use it as much as I’d like over the next couple years (family & work). Is there a realistic lifespan to any of the components or is it supposedly good for the life of the boat?
Any negative experiences out there?

 

[Ridesteady]

I’m finally seriously considering adding ridesteady but I honestly probably won’t use it as much as I’d like over the next couple years (family & work). Is there a realistic lifespan to any of the components or is it supposedly good for the life of the boat?
Any negative experiences out there?

The only thing that has a defined lifespan is there is a battery in the GPS receiver that helps remember satellites configurations so that if it is powered off, it's quicker to restart (it doesn't have to reacquire the satellites, which only takes about 30s on a "cold start" anyway). We aren't aware of a battery going dead since we started selling GPS units back in 2013.

 

[seventyeight]

Is am about ready to buy one of the systems too, for my ‘17 AR190. Primarily use is wakeboarding. Any feedback on either system for AR190 owners?
TIA

 

[white2kstang]

We run RideSteady on our 2019 AR195. Its been solid for two seasons. End up using it all the time even when not surfing or boarding. Never tried PP but happy with RS for sure.

 

[AZMark]

Is am about ready to buy one of the systems too, for my ‘17 AR190. Primarily use is wakeboarding. Any feedback on either system for AR190 owners?
TIA

Based on what I’ve read I’m not even considering PP and I’m not aware of a single advantage.

 

[white2kstang]

Based on what I’ve read I’m not even considering PP and I’m not aware of a single advantage.

The knob on the RS was a big selling point for me. Buying from the local guy made it an easy decision as well.

 

[YoDaddy292]

Maybe I missed it somewhere…..does the boat still maintain normal usage of the Connext screen and stock cruise/no wake mode?

 

[dels]

Maybe I missed it somewhere…..does the boat still maintain normal usage of the Connext screen and stock cruise/no wake mode?

yes, no changes there, (Ridesteady) it plugs right in and only starts working as the boat reaches a certain speed that I can’t remember (7mph maybe?)

it is probably the best addition to the boat after the gps trolling motor!