Thrust Vector add-on from JetBoatPilot.com, my review.
Ok folks, probably nothing gets asked about more, or causes more controversy as these unassuming add-ons, so I figured I’d jump right in, try them out, and discuss this head on. First off, what are they? The “Thrust Vectors” are small, add-on rudders for your jet-powered boat, as see in the image below. The goal being to add more low-speed control of the boat, something jet boats are known to struggle with, while (hopefully) not taking away from the jet-boat drive advantages. (more on this later)There are a couple takes on this idea, these Thrust Vectors from Jet Boat Pilot, and another similar product from a company called “Cobra Jet”, which I currently have not tried. They perform the same basic function, with a key difference, that may or may not be an advantage, depending on your perspective and opinion. The Thrust Vectors are designed to hinge up out of the water once the boat is at speed, the idea being they then have no effect on high-speed handling or the ability of the boat to spin. The Cobra Jet fins do not do this, but instead are bolted on solidly to the steering nozzles. The claim here is they also enhance high-speed tracking, but again, this may or may not be a good thing, depending on perspective. Most folks like the way a jet-boat handles at speed, but some like the increased tracking, so this is all dependent on the user. The Cobra Jet, due to being metal, and firmly attached, have a higher chance of damaging the jet nozzle if anything is impacted, so the fact the Thrust Vectors are CNC-machined high-strength resin, and that they hinge on impact, offer a theoretical advantage here. Additionally, installation of the Thrust Vectors requires no drilling, or modification of the boat in any way, whereas you do have to drill into the jet nozzle to mount the Cobra Jet fins.
I’m not here to compare these two products fully, each has their proponents, and each work in a similar way, but with those key differences. I do welcome anyone with experience with the Cobra Jet product to reply to this post with their opinions. Ok, on to my review of the Thrust Vectors. I will start out saying that many “expert” and “long time” users and drivers of a BRP-powered Jet Boat will likely think they don’t need these add-ons, and they may be right, but hear me out. I’m a VERY experienced jet-boat owner and driver, I’ve owned many jet boats and PWC, going back to the 70s, but after actually trying them out, I do feel they offer an advantage, so let me explain.
One of the main issues many new jet-boat owners face, is low-speed control of their boats. Since a jet-boat is steered by only jet thrust, steering response and handling is completely dependent on how you are working the throttle, as well as the steering input you give on the wheel, which turns the nozzles right/left. There is no rudder in the water at all, like on other types of drives.
Many new users will turn the boat at low speed, the boat takes several seconds to respond, so the driver will keep giving more steering input, and by the time the boat responds, too much response happens, the boat swings further than they wanted, so the driver then turns the other way to counter…The same thing then happens. The boat takes a few seconds to respond, so the driver gives more steering input, turning wheel further and further, then when the boat responds, again the boat overshoots the desired heading.
The net effect of all this is the boat ends up going back and forth, like a dog wagging his tail, and the driver cannot maintain a straight line for the life of them. This can be terribly embarrassing and frustrating, especially in less-than-optimum conditions, when it’s windy, around other boats, or the dock, or when trying to put the boat on the trailer!
The answer to all this is simple experience. If the driver dials in a bit less steering, is a bit more patient, and/or uses a little throttle, along with steering, it’s possible, and pretty easy, to make the boat drive straight, or go wherever you want it, it just takes a fair amount of time and building muscle memory, but herein lies the market for the Thrust Vector.
What this product does is add small rudders into the water, which makes steering more direct, resulting in quicker steering response, and less overshoot. So you may ask, but why do I need that, if simple practice and experience can result in the same thing?
This is very true, and one reason experienced drivers often scoff at these, almost as if it’s a bad of honor to not have these, but hear me out.After trying these out, I did really appreciate how much less the boat wanders at slow speeds, very noticeably so. When you turn the wheel, the boat pretty much turns to where you put the wheel, and goes there, with considerably less overshoot. It makes it almost child’s play to drive straight ahead, which results in less thinking and steering input for all drivers, even experienced ones.
But to me, the biggest benefit would be to someone not as experienced driving the boat. What if you, as the boat owner, and experienced driver, want to let your significant other drive, and possibly pull you on a wakeboard, but they don’t have the experience you do?These rudders provide a way for a new driver or owner to pick up and become competent much quicker, in my opinion, while also making it easier for an experienced driver.So, in my experience, this product definitely enhances low-speed handling, so what are the drawbacks? Nothing is free, right?Well, this is true. If you make the boat more stable while steering, you are reducing the ability, albeit very slightly, of the boat to “spin” in place, which is an ability somewhat unique to the Rotax jet, with its side-thrust buckets.
I personally found the reduction in spin rate almost nil, and barely noticeable, but it’s there, so it will come down to your personal preference – do you prefer a more stable steering experience at slow speeds, with a slight loss of spin speed? (It will still spin, just a little slower, due to the added rudder friction.)For me, as a very experienced driver, so far, I like the trade off. I think having less overshoot while idling around will be a huge benefit, and when I need to spin the boat, in place, the very slightly slower spin rate won’t be noticed. Others may not agree, but it’s your choice. If you like it stock, great! But it’s really no reason to look down upon, or chide someone who prefers a more stable feeling instead at slow speeds.Another possible disadvantage I’ve heard of would be for those who may back their boats into a beach area, or other similar situation, where the rudders down in the water may make contact with the sand. I do not back my boat all the way to the beach, and if you did, you could rig up some bungees to hold the fins up out of the water, but I wanted to point this out.I do not feel these would reduce the shallow-water capability of the boat, given they only hang down a few inches. If these touch the bottom, you are already far too shallow and would be ingesting mud or rocks, or whatever is down there. At any depth the boat should be run, they won’t come near the bottom.
As far as reverse operation, I basically felt almost no difference in the boat with and without them. I do need more testing in this regard, but the change in reverse is very low, if any. Regarding high-speed, in my test, they couldn’t be felt at all once the boat was planed out, they came out of the water as expected, with zero effect. they did not slow down my boat either, I saw no drop in maximum MPH.
So in closing, for some reason this is a controversial product. Many experienced users feel the BRP jet drive does not “need” them, and indeed, in most ways, it is a far superior jet drive than the Yamaha unit for handling, but my testing confirms in my mind that for many, even the BRP handling at low-speeds can be improved with the Thrust Vectors, with very little trade-off or negatives.
Does an experienced driver NEED these? No, probably not, but that applies to 90% of what we add to our boats, cars, or trucks; these are an enhancement, not a necessity, so it’s up to your, as an owner, to decide of the value of the enhancement is worth the cost. I feel they do add significant ease-of-control for less-experienced drivers, more relaxed control for experienced drivers, with very few trade-offs.
I’m going to continue to run these units as summer approaches, and will add to this review as I get more time under my belt, but for now, I give them a thumbs up!
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Addendum 3-8-21
Hey folks, wanted to update after spending a whole day out with the kids running these, including tubing, and wakeboarding.Not a lot left to add, but a few things I did take notice of.First, the boat still can do a high-speed spinout if you wish, in fact, it seems to do it even better than before I added the TV, but that maybe just dreaming since it’s been a few months since I did this. However, if you crank the wheel hard at 30, give it a punch at just the right time, then let off the gas, the thing will spin so hard it would throw people out, so please tell everyone to HOLD ON before you try this, lol.I can’t put a finger on it, but it just seemed to spin harder and come out if the spin better with the TV, but again, this is a crazy activity anyway, so it’s difficult to really judge, but one thing is really clear, they do NOT inhibit spinning at all, and it doesn’t damage them at all, so if you like spinning, have at it, just warn your passengers!2nd, my boat seemed to track straighter even when cruising like at 30-35, which I don’t see how is possible, given the TV hinge up mostly out of the water, but for some reason I can now pretty much just let go of the wheel and it just goes straight, with no drama. Again, it wasn’t bad before, and this may be just different conditions, but the boat felt super stable even at cruising speeds. If this is a product of the TV, no idea, but just pointing it out.I did also appreciate the product while doing water sports, seemed to give me better tracking when getting ready to HIT IT, and pull up a wakeboarder or take off on the tube.Honestly, all the effects of these are subtle, but noticeable, a and if I had to use a word to overall describe them, it’s “stability”, it basically makes the boat more stable in several areas, for better or worse, so it’s going to depend if you LIKE this or don’t, it’s a simple preference.I did beach the boat (front) also, and the wind blew me sideways, where the boat was entirely resting in sand, but the TV never touched bottom. If you look from the rear, at least on the twin-engine models, the very bottom of the boat’s hull, the “V” is actually a tiny bit lower than the TV, so unless the boat tilts, or possibly you come in backwards to a beach that gets shallow quickly, the bottom of the boat touches before the TV do. They didn’t touch, or bend, but it did scare me, so I kept an eye on it.I would expect them to be a bit more vulnerable on a single-engine boat, given the single engine is in the center, so the TV might hang lower than the very bottom of the boat.The only negative I’ve noticed in my two outings is they do make the steering a little bit stiffer to turn, obviously because you are turning the nozzles against the jet stream, plus now turning two small rudders in the water, there is a little added resistance noticeable to me. Is it a deal breaker? I don’t believe so, but I feel I have to point it out.So that’s it for now, I’m going to keep these on. Again, do I NEED them? No, but I do so far like the enhanced control at slow speeds. I may change my mind down the road, I’m prone to do that, but so far, I consider these a positive upgrade.— at JetBoatPilot.com.
