Cobra Jet Steering

[turbosl2]

https://cobrajetsteering.com/cobra-mercury-optimax.html
Has anyone ever used these on their Challenger 1800? My steering at low speed is horrible and at high speed requires alot of correction

 

[dblackstone]

The steering at slow speed is much different then a stern drive and takes longer to react to a steering change. When I first got ours i was always correcting it at slow speeds. I found that with just subtle changes it worked best.

I had looked at cobra when I first got the boat but the more I used it and got used to it I found I did not need them.

 

[slaizer2000]

I had a ton of steering issues at low speed due to being a novice. Especially at slow speeds while docking with high winds or waves. This drastically fixed the issue with my islandia. Can even steer after turning the engines off.

The major downside is you lose a bit of “jet ski” type whip turns but personally i feel the better control at low speed or no engines was worth it. Also much better handling. Steering is stiffer as well due to the drag with the fin when turning.

There are some newer model fins that are spring loaded that get pushed up and out of the water the faster you go. I would have gotten these more expensive models but they didn't make them for my older 2006 islandia.

i also looked at thrust vectors since their models are spring loaded as well. However they are plastic instead of stainless steel. I however was considering them but ended up not being able to since my jet nozzle has a cut out in the nozzle and the ring portion of the thrust vector that slides on to the nozzle would have blocked the cut out in the nozzle. If you dont have the cutout you may want to look at the thrust vectors as well if you can live with plastic.

 

[turbosl2]

I had a ton of steering issues at low speed due to being a novice. Especially at slow speeds while docking with high winds or waves. This drastically fixed the issue with my islandia. Can even steer after turning the engines off.

The major downside is you lose a bit of “jet ski” type whip turns but personally i feel the better control at low speed or no engines was worth it. Also much better handling. Steering is stiffer as well due to the drag with the fin when turning.

There are some newer model fins that are spring loaded that get pushed up and out of the water the faster you go. I would have gotten these more expensive models but they didn't make them for my older 2006 islandia.

i also looked at thrust vectors since their models are spring loaded as well. However they are plastic instead of stainless steel. I however was considering them but ended up not being able to since my jet nozzle has a cut out in the nozzle and the ring portion of the thrust vector that slides on to the nozzle would have blocked the cut out in the nozzle. If you dont have the cutout you may want to look at the thrust vectors as well if you can live with plastic.

Thanks guys I appreciate the feedback. I am just looking for more slow speed control. If that comes with a price I am ok with that. I don’t like the jet ski whip and flat bottom hull design. Great for high speed but not really an interest of mine. It will never drive like a stern drive but the way it is now is horrible. In all honesty I hate the jet boats control all around. I just bought this as a project and it was cheap. That said I will check again regarding the thrust vectors and the spring loaded ones. Didn’t see any of them on their website. I rarely go super fast cause I have a 18m old, 8 and 11 on board. Yes we tube but whatever I have to give up is worth being able to control the boat for docking or pulling in tight qtrs. I could dock my twin screw 30+’ boat anywhere. This thing is a toy and scary with any current of wind.