Season two: some initial thoughts on boat control

[DutchBoy17]

I don't post much, but I've learned a ton from this forum and hope this is a useful contribution.

Yesterday we took our SX190 out for the first time in our second season of boating. Season one was short because we bought the boat in September, and we only got out on the water a half-dozen times; it was mostly fun, but it was obvious I had a lot to learn, especially when it came to low-speed control and dealing with choppy water.

Yesterday was day one of season two, and it was a really satisfying day on the water. Some things that really helped: CJS Vipers, no-wake/cruise mode, and a better understanding of low-speed control techniques (thanks to lots of YouTube videos).

It's hard to know how much of it was the CJS and how much of it was more knowledge, but slow-speed control is definitely something worth investing in.

Things that really helped?

• Slow speed
  • No wake mode: you don't need a lot of power at low speeds; so I clicked + once or twice, and then focused on direction and "gear"
  • Setting the steering based on where I was heading and what I wanted to do with the stern to change that
  • "Bumping" the throttle control between neutral t0/from TDE/forward or reverse so I could apply short pulses of power when and where I (thought I) needed it
  • Working the helm slower when under constant power to avoid overcorrecting and controlling course
• Cruising speed:
  • Getting just on plane and then hitting cruise mode
  • Using cruise mode to back off a bit and just stay on plane
  • Quartering the waves; last season I hit too many of them at 90 degrees
  • Using minor helm/cruise adjustments to deal with the occasional larger wave

It's hard to overstate how much a difference it made at slow speed to use pulses of power instead of constant power:

• Last year, around the docks/ramp I'd try to use low power in forward and then stop momentum with a burst of reverse; I always felt like I things were moving too fast and it was hard to take stock and think through the next thing I needed to do
• Yesterday: neutral, decide what to do, set steering, "bump" into TDE/reverse, back to neutral, repeat

Back when I learned to ride motorcycles, a key strategy I learned was to adjust speed and position to separate my potential hazards in time and space, so I could manage them. Last season as I started to learn power boating I didn't know/appreciate how helpful it is to be out of "gear" and to position the jet first and then apply a power pulse to slow things down. Over the winter I think I got a better appreciation of how to adjust steering and power to sequence adjustments to speed and direction as a boating version of what I learning riding.

I can't quantify how much the CJS Viper helped, but it definitely seemed like our boat tracked better at slow speeds, yet cornered at speed as well as ever.

Anyway, I'm definitely going to continue to work on pointing the jet then bumping the power.

Hopefully this'll help other new SX190 owners.

 

[haknslash]

The key no mater what is thrust. I have been trying to upload a video I shot retrieving the boat in windy conditions on Friday but I keep having issues uploading it. Basically I was filming what I've been trying to tell new jet boat owners and that's to use NWM with TDE to your advantage. Glad to hear you are getting the hang of it. I'm sure fins help but the biggest key to maneuvering a jet boat where you want it to go is understanding that thrust is your friend. Sounds like you're on your way to a good season

Edit - I finally managed to get the video to upload. Here's the thread to show how I use NWM and TDE to retrieve the boat on the trailer https://jetboaters.net/threads/how-i-use-no-wake-mode-and-tde-to-retrieve-my-boat.17161/

 

[BigAbe75]

• Last year, around the docks/ramp I'd try to use low power in forward and then stop momentum with a burst of reverse; I always felt like I things were moving too fast and it was hard to take stock and think through the next thing I needed to do

I’m in a similar situation, not having many outings last year and am still struggling with this point above. Coming from an I/O, I’ve grown up relying on reverse to slow and pull the rear around when docking. So, still trying to retrain my brain.

Actually backed in to my first slip yesterday. That was pretty gratifying, having never done that before.

 

[DutchBoy17]

I’m in a similar situation, not having many outings last year and am still struggling with this point above. Coming from an I/O, I’ve grown up relying on reverse to slow and pull the rear around when docking. So, still trying to retrain my brain.

Actually backed in to my first slip yesterday. That was pretty gratifying, having never done that before.

I liked how using power pulses instead of always staying powered slowed things down a bit. It's definitely true that no power = no steerage, but bumping into neutral also means coasting slowly and giving just that bit more time to think things through (assuming wind and current aren't too strong). Last year, when I was always "in gear" it always felt like I was going too fast in forward, turning more then I wanted to, and then applying a lot of power in reverse to slow down. And I didn't really have the hang of turning the wheel towards the dock and using reverse to pull the stern in yet either. Hopefully with more practice I'll get better at passing right through neutral and staying powered, but I felt like "bumping" helped me keep things manageable.

We trailered last year and we're trying a dry stack this year (long story), and this place actually wants us to dock bow-in because they move the boat backwards using the lines to the fork lift. I was actually looking forward to trying to learn to back in before I learned that

I had to watch it a few times to be able to really follow it, but this SX190 docking video ended up being very helpful for me.

 

[Ilmmct]

@DutchBoy17 great write-up of your experience. A couple tidbits that I’ve picked up for this forum:
-place a ziptie at 12:00 on your steering wheel. This has helped me when docking, to know the position of the thrusters, without looking down at the wheel ... I feel the ziptie in my hand while concentrating on the confluence of other factors.
-perform one input at a time and measure the results. In heavy wind and/or tidal situations add the input of thrust w/out changing the steering wheel position. See what this input does to the boat. Then change the steering position without modifying the thrust and see what she does. This might be intuitive to advanced boaters, but it has helped me when docking in windy and tidal situations ... I don’t spin the wheel and modify thrust at the same time. Less uncertainty/confusion if “boat’s positional change” is a function of thrust or steering.

 

[Jgorm]

The thing i learned on my first outing with 1000s of hours on io's and outboards was the throttle movements need to be way more aggressive during slow speed adjustments.

 

[DutchBoy17]

@DutchBoy17 great write-up of your experience. A couple tidbits that I’ve picked up for this forum:
-place a ziptie at 12:00 on your steering wheel. This has helped me when docking, to know the position of the thrusters, without looking down at the wheel ... I feel the ziptie in my hand while concentrating on the confluence of other factors.

Great idea: I've been thinking I need to do something like this since the wheel on my 2017 gives no visual indication of where you are whatsoever since all three spokes look exactly the same, and I really want to know where the jet is pointing (without having to crank to one side and then re-center) before I bump the lever in either direction.

-perform one input at a time and measure the results. In heavy wind and/or tidal situations add the input of thrust w/out changing the steering wheel position. See what this input does to the boat. Then change the steering position without modifying the thrust and see what she does. This might be intuitive to advanced boaters, but it has helped me when docking in windy and tidal situations ... I don’t spin the wheel and modify thrust at the same time. Less uncertainty/confusion if “boat’s positional change” is a function of thrust or steering.

Yes! I didn't communicate it well in my initial post, but the thing that "bumping" did for me was allow me to manage steering/jet position and thrust application separately and then relate to how the boat reacted. Last year I was doing both at the same time and having trouble figuring out just how it affected the boat's steerage and speed. Last weekend I no-waked out of the marina, found a quiet spot on the creek, and did just what you suggest:

• into neutral
• choose no wake power level
• wheel to starboard
• bump into TDE
• see what happens
• back into neutral
• repeat, varying wheel to port/starboard and thrust forward/reverse to see what difference it made

keeping the inputs separate really helped unpack how each of them affects the boat. We also had some wind, so I played around with what happens when wind is on the bow, coming from either side, from behind (e.g. more or less power, or time in gear might be needed). Sure, I was going awfully slow, and not really going anywhere, but it was really educational.

 

[Bluewater272]

The thing i learned on my first outing with 1000s of hours on io's and outboards was the throttle movements need to be way more aggressive during slow speed adjustments.

Especially in reverse. Got so used to just bumping in and out when moving around docks. Definitely a learning curve.

 

[DutchBoy17]

The thing i learned on my first outing with 1000s of hours on io's and outboards was the throttle movements need to be way more aggressive during slow speed adjustments.

Hi, so I should generally be a bit more aggressive with a Jet boat then someone might be with an IO/Outboard? I noticed a lot of the outboard videos I watched said stuff like "just use idle", but I was usually in the middle no-wake setting last weekend. We did have a 10-15 knot breeze going and the lowest no-wake setting didn't seem to do much when trying to head upwind...

 

[DutchBoy17]

Especially in reverse. Got so used to just bumping in and out when moving around docks. Definitely a learning curve.

It seems like the jet is only 1/2 as effective in reverse as it is in forward, and I also noticed in my manual that Yamaha limits the RPM in reverse unless you override it. I definitely had a few moments last year trying to slow up on dock (trailer) approach where I shifted into reverse and felt like .. not much was happening. So of course I kept moving the lever back until something did ... and then it was loud ...

 

[Jgorm]

Hi, so I should generally be a bit more aggressive with a Jet boat then someone might be with an IO/Outboard? I noticed a lot of the outboard videos I watched said stuff like "just use idle", but I was usually in the middle no-wake setting last weekend. We did have a 10-15 knot breeze going and the lowest no-wake setting didn't seem to do much when trying to head upwind...

Yes. With a prop i just click on and it out of gear for forward and reverse when docking. Never really add throttle when docking unless it's non standard. On the jet i give it nearly half throttle stabs to do the same. You can also go forward to reverse much quicker in a jet because you don't have a transmission. Practice away from the dock!