- Messages
- 3,149
- Reaction score
- 3,414
- Points
- 362
- Location
- Panama City, Fl
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2016
- Boat Model
- Other
- Boat Length
- 19
For those of you who have already received your single engine Lateral Thrusters we have great news for!
JetBoatPilot had another breakthrough last week. We've found a way to retrofit the original single engine Lateral Thruster (spring loaded check valve version) with a set of wedges which eliminate the need for the moving parts!!!
This is a huge development and we wanted to let you know ASAP! If you have a current set of single engine Lateral Thrusters and would like to receive the replacement parts (wedges) we will ship them to you free of charge. Just e-mail and request the new parts.
You may be asking yourself, "why would I want to replace parts on my brand new Lateral Thrusters?"
Firstly you will not have to worry about the potential for the check valves sticking in the event trash or debris gets stuck in the action. Though we have not had this happen yet, we know it is potential scenario that could cause the part to jam. Second, if you are not the type to spend a lot of time maintaining parts such as these, the elimination of the moving parts will save you a step (less maintenance). Lastly, we have had two customers that have noted that their check valves were broken after only a few uses. We believe that there was an issue with a batch of parts that were not printed correctly and those gates were defective. We don't believe that there should be any cause for alarm. If yours were to fail the only thing you'd notice is that the part would function with less effectiveness than with the check valves in place.
Wedge Installation Instructions
If you've opted to install the Wedges to replace your single engine Lateral Thruster's moving parts the steps are very simple and you don't need to remove the Lateral Thruster from the boat.
Step 1: Using a pair of vice grip pliers and a Phillips head screwdriver remove the check valve hinge pins from the left and right side of the Lateral Thruster. You will only have a small bit of surface area to clamp the vice grips to the head of the hinge pin so you'll want to make the grip as tight as you possibly can. Also we used lock-tite during assembly so it will take some force to break the screw loose from beneath.
Step 2: Remove the spring loaded check valves (or the remaining portion of the check valve if you've had a failure) from each side. You should note two springs per side plus the check valve will come out of the pocket in which they reside. Clean any residue that may be left behind with a cloth.
Step 3: Place the new heat treated wedges in place as pictured above, and install the new hinge pin and screw. Make sure you use lock-tite on the screw to prevent it from being lost.
That's it! Now your Lateral Thruster will function as well as before without the need to concern yourself with the maintenance and cleaning.
JetBoatPilot had another breakthrough last week. We've found a way to retrofit the original single engine Lateral Thruster (spring loaded check valve version) with a set of wedges which eliminate the need for the moving parts!!!
This is a huge development and we wanted to let you know ASAP! If you have a current set of single engine Lateral Thrusters and would like to receive the replacement parts (wedges) we will ship them to you free of charge. Just e-mail and request the new parts.
You may be asking yourself, "why would I want to replace parts on my brand new Lateral Thrusters?"
Firstly you will not have to worry about the potential for the check valves sticking in the event trash or debris gets stuck in the action. Though we have not had this happen yet, we know it is potential scenario that could cause the part to jam. Second, if you are not the type to spend a lot of time maintaining parts such as these, the elimination of the moving parts will save you a step (less maintenance). Lastly, we have had two customers that have noted that their check valves were broken after only a few uses. We believe that there was an issue with a batch of parts that were not printed correctly and those gates were defective. We don't believe that there should be any cause for alarm. If yours were to fail the only thing you'd notice is that the part would function with less effectiveness than with the check valves in place.
Wedge Installation Instructions
If you've opted to install the Wedges to replace your single engine Lateral Thruster's moving parts the steps are very simple and you don't need to remove the Lateral Thruster from the boat.
Step 1: Using a pair of vice grip pliers and a Phillips head screwdriver remove the check valve hinge pins from the left and right side of the Lateral Thruster. You will only have a small bit of surface area to clamp the vice grips to the head of the hinge pin so you'll want to make the grip as tight as you possibly can. Also we used lock-tite during assembly so it will take some force to break the screw loose from beneath.
Step 2: Remove the spring loaded check valves (or the remaining portion of the check valve if you've had a failure) from each side. You should note two springs per side plus the check valve will come out of the pocket in which they reside. Clean any residue that may be left behind with a cloth.
Step 3: Place the new heat treated wedges in place as pictured above, and install the new hinge pin and screw. Make sure you use lock-tite on the screw to prevent it from being lost.
That's it! Now your Lateral Thruster will function as well as before without the need to concern yourself with the maintenance and cleaning.
