Sea VTS Trim ?

[John Pfennig]

I have a 2004 Sea Doo Sportster jet boat. I noticed an ad on Craigslist for a Sea Doo VTS Trimfix repair module for a Sea Doo variable trim system. Is this similiar to power trim on a outboard or IO? Was it available on a pwc and a jet boat as well?

The reason I ask is I would like something to prevent waves from coming over the bow in rough water.

Another solution would be to install a small windshield in the bow area. Did SeaDoo ever offer one for my model boat or do you know of a aftermarket company that makes one?

Thanks for your help,
John Pfennig

 

[MacSeaDoo]

To my knowledge, Seadoo has never implemented VTS on any of their boats. Also, VTS utilizes components of iBR, again something the boats do not have.

I have a Speedster 150 and hear you on the wish for trim to bring the bow up to prevent water from crashing over the bow. My guess is that the actual ability of VTS to actually material change the bow position would be very limited as it does not have a leverage point in the water like a prop and outdrive provides on a I/O or Outboard.

 

[John Pfennig]

Thanks for your reply. Not sure what IBR is but I'm sure my boat doesn't have it. Would a small windshield in the bow area help and where would I buy one?. There are some large cruiser waves where I boat and I'm tired of getting wet when they come over the bow. Another issue I'd like to remedy is seaweed winding around the driveshaft and making it hard to come on a plane. I try not get in too shallow but that's not always possible. Can I install a mesh screen over the intake grate or would that impede the amount of water going into the pump? If it's possible how fine a screen could I use? Guess I should have bought an outboard or IO. I really appreciate your help.

 

[Spider4real]

To the best of my knowledge the trim on the boats were all manual. Not on many models had them. My 1996 Challenger had a manual trim. Trim on pwc's are all electronic with the exception of the 1992 XP which had a manual trim.

None of the older jet boats had iBR (intelligent braking). No real need since there is enough drag to stop a boat pretty fast.

It is not recommended to block the intake with anything. You would likely kill performance and probably introduce cavitation. If you are in a weedy area I am sorry to say it may not be the best boat for you if you are finding this to be a big problem. Or you just need to go for a swim now and again to clean out some of the weeds.

 

[John Pfennig]

Thanks for your reply. I saw my SeaDoo pwc dealer and he confirmed what you said. Did you know SeaDoo has introduced a jet drive pontoon boat? It's only around 13-1/2' long. To cure the seaweed winding around the driveshaft problem they designed the shaft so it can be reversed with the touch of a button. Pretty sweet! Not sure what that puppy costs but I'm sure it's not cheap. Guess I'm stuck pulling the boat out of the water, holding my breath or breathing thru a long neck snorkel . Water where I boat is never warm enough to spend much time overboard. Maybe I'll have to invest in a wet suit. Again, many thanks for setting me straight.

 

[Spider4real]

Yup, I saw the pontoon boats. They are pretty neat and they do cost a fair bit (for me anyway), especially considering the length of the boating season up here in Canada.

They did bring the iDF system over from their PWC's. It is a cool system but just adds a layer of more things that can go wrong. I like the simplicity of direct drive. Although it is not ideal in some situations.

Maybe you can devise and long curved hook of some sort to clean the grate out from inside the boat. Attach a waterproof camera and light on the end so you can see what you are doing. Lol...