The truth about fins...

[haknslash]

Nobody get their panties in a wad or put out a hit for me. It's just friendly banter . I just can't help but sit back and giggle at all these fin threads and everyone's ego getting stroked. Meanwhile I'm like...

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Aww crap someone beat you to the training wheel comment many years ago !!!!
hmfic
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Feb 28, 2006 1:38 pm

Contributing Member

Joined: Sat May 01, 2004 3:51 am
Posts: 2117
Location: Acworth, GA
Year: 2003
Make: Yamaha
Model: SR230
They are great boats and have many advantages over prop boats especially if you have kids then the safety factor for them is 10 fold increased.

Cobra Steering is a great add on and greatly increases low speed handling and reverse handling(a weakness of any jet boat). They are not training wheels for novice jet boaters but an enhancement. The only real positive add on for handling any boat is time. The more time that you operate the boat - the more secure you will become in the operation of that boat in all circumstances. Every boat has its own handling nuances which must be learned by the operator.

Contrary to the above post the Cobra Steering fins are mounted on the end of the nozzle and not on the jet pump. The nozzle has to have some small holes drilled in it to mount the fins. Having had to take the fins off due to damaging a set on an immoveable object. I found no lack of performance from the boat(except for back to the old poor slow speed handling) while operating with no fins and the small mounting holes still there. If I were going to sell this boat and upgrade to another boat it would be another 230. I would pull the fins to be mounted on the new boat and epoxy the holes and paint the nozzles.

_________________
03 SR-230 - Cobra Jet Steering -Hydro Turf - Big Air Tower - Purple Plug Fix - Riva/K&N Air Filters - Monster Racks and Mirror - Boat Buddy II - Bazooka Tubbies - 1000 watt amp

 

[F.M.]

I'm proud to have "training wheels."

Especially when I get looks of envy & jealousy from being able to spin my 242x in a complete 180, putting the swim deck against the dock so my wife can step off casually as I drive away while smiling and nodding at onlookers.

 

[haknslash]

Did someone say spin?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I actually called my steering" COBRA EXTREME PERFORMANCE STEERING' when I first invented it back in 2001 I think S B T still has that name on my account there, But the name was just sort of too long

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I love spins myself but under power and with no spin outs

 

[Bluewater272]

Did someone say spin?

View attachment 69976

Stupid question - how are your flags attached? Zipties?

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Oh my zip ties are sacrilegious superglue of course

 

[haknslash]

Stupid question - how are your flags attached? Zipties?

Yup. I even have 'fancy' reusable ones now

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

On my skies I use 4 number 10 ss button caps with nylock nuts, The fins are less than 3 inches long and the center one is less that 1 inch under the ride plate surface, and as you can see they kick butt one place on that video if you look closely I am doing 60 mph and within a few feet of the trees when I turn , shooting water over the trees and never missing a beat. Because I am POPEYE the Bad Ass. No damn Wimpy's allowed around me !

 

[JetBoatPilot]

I hear the training wheel comment from time to time too. The best response I can give to those who have indeed mastered slow speed maneuvers is to think of others who may want to drive, but are either too intimidated to try or you're too freaked out to let them try! Regardless of which system you go with it will help others to give it a shot without as much anxiety. Plus with the new Lateral Thrusters now in the mix these boats perform around the dock as well as any boat on the water!

just my $.02

 

[haknslash]

It's all in good fun. I don't really think any less or more of a person who uses fins.

I will say backing up and turning left (bow to the right) is a pain sometimes in river current......but ...these boats turn within their own length and often it's quicker to use forward blasts to initiate the rotation and use the momentum to swing the boat around then apply reverse again.

 

[PeterB]

Let's think about this- training wheels help teach, but limit performance. Most people can't wait to get rid of "training wheels"
Enhancements however improve performance- enabling better performance and creating more enjoyable experiences. We generally don't want to give up "enhancements "
I learned to pilot a boat with a single inboard and rudder. Twin inboards were an incredible "enhancement " but I/O was seriously taking away all the expertise needed to pilot a boat like a real captain. I thought these experiences made me a pretty good boater.
Then we bought a "jet boat" - first time out last April in our new twin engine, articulating keel, shiny, spotless jet boat. (looks like a rudder to me) but with I/O style steering and twin engines - this should be easy. Being anxious (some may call me impatient) to get the first run in we picked a day with winds in excess of 20 mph, and gusts close to 30. But heck, these drives turn, we have an articulating keel, and twin engines. We decided if we could run this boat in this crazy weather, we could run it pretty much anywhere.
The ramp has a protected area, with a long run at very low speed around a breakwater to get to the main lake. There were lots of fisherman inside the breakwater, as it was seriously too rough for small boats. We got out without incident, and ran through our break in period. By that time, the winds were even higher. Coming back inside the breakwater, all no wake, we were getting blown all over the place. The wake mode helped, and bumping engines in and out was becoming intuitive quickly, but with so many small boats to navigate around, while getting blown all over the place was unnerving at best. Pulling up to the dock, I aborted the approach several times. I finally estimated the drift, gusts, wind etc and pulled alongside the dock without damage, or excessive cussing.
When I got home, I ordered the Cobra AK steering "enhancement"
Based on my differentiation above, I see this addition as an enhancement, as I have no desire or plan to ever remove them, no matter how skilled I become piloting a jet!
So call it want you want - But I say these are definitely "enhancements".
Thanks to the innovators out there that keep bringing great enhancements to market, making our boating experiences even more enjoyable!
Looking forward to the next great set of "training wheels" oops- I mean "Enhancements" these folks bring to market!.

 

[swatski]

Performance enhancement with Cobras is undeniable.

I have given rides in my Cobra equipped boat to several forum members, other boating friends, some massively experienced, always get the same reaction after a hard ride - basically, shear excitement that borders on disbelieve.

Not making this up. For example, ask @Jason Winn and his crew - who lost their voices from screaming before I had to pry them off the boat when we went riding around in Bimini last year, lol.

Performance in turns is enhanced to the point of becoming a bit of a safety issue, actually.
Having pushed way too hard one day, I managed a stint that landed me in a hospital bed...
(Yes, it was too many Gs, pretty ridiculous. Though I also run some serious RIVA power mods in addition to steering enhancements)

Anyway - just saying. Try it for yourselves, Ladies and Gentlemen. Put those Cobras w/MEGAs on and go knock yourselves out! Just make sure you buckle up and hold on to your butts. Because you are gonna surprise yourselves, lol.

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[farrelltravis]

I love finless!

 

[swatski]

I love finless!

With older "non-keeled" yammies and especially those small Seadoos - slip-sliding sideways at speed can be fantastic fun. It can feel like "drifting", on water.

But, it is far from ideal for skiing/wakeboarding. In that case the more planted the stern the better.

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[farrelltravis]

For me, the new keel is a turn-off. I don't like it at all.

 

[swatski]

For me, the new keel is a turn-off. I don't like it at all.

Yep, I can totally see that. The new 24' hull feels and handles a lot more like a traditional runabout, not a flat bottom spinner.
It is a game changer, too - in rough water the "keel" helps cut through the waves so the stern does not just slap around.
Funny, I did not like the idea (initially - when they first came out) as I often run in shallow water and saw pics of a ripped out "keel" - not pretty, but after seeing @1948Isaac new AR240 in action in Bimini 2016 - I was SOLD on that new design. I don't think they will be going back, anyway. And they shouldn't.

I may get a liddle Seadoo at some point, those are really fun.

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[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I actually have people in Canada that remove the rudder and install a set of Ultimates to handle the steering couple those with the mega fangs and no issues with the rudder striking the ground or your feet. Also F Y I be very careful holding a cell phone in one hand and trying to do high speed stunts especially w o t right hand turns and I always advise you to do tricks with no passengers on board or to warn them when you are about to do a fast turn, even on my skies I tell them first so I don't have to waste fuel turning around to go looking for them. I did have a ride I called the high tide ride where I carve the trees at speed I did loose a hood off a supercharged ski from a cormorant that flew out of a tree top bounced off my hood and hit me in the right eye giving me a concussion and fracturing my eye socket damn bird just ruined all my fun.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

With older "non-keeled" yammies and especially those small Seadoos - slip-sliding sideways at speed can be fantastic fun. It can feel like "drifting", on water.

But, it is far from ideal for skiing/wakeboarding. In that case the more planted the stern the better.

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I love that feeling on the Spark. Let the ski get out from under you, and then gun it once you get turned around.... it is pretty much the only way I know to get the ski to stand up. However I would never dare such a maneuver in the boat lol.