Installed Hydrophase - Ridesteady on 1998 Air Nautique w/ GT40

[DW SD]

On Friday afternoon I installed the second generation Hydrophase - Ridesteady. http://www.hydrophase.com
It took me about 5 hours taking my time and wanting to make sure everything is spot on, wires and cables routed cleanly and wire-tied in place. For someone else doing a similar install, I made some notes on the pictures, perhaps they'll be helpful.

I know this bucks convention vs. the Perfect Pass solutions.
I bought it for a few reasons:
1. it is slightly cheaper (-$150 after the refund for documenting my install to Hydrophase).
2. I liked the owner's responsiveness and answers to various questions. I did talk to a tech from Perfect Pass. He was very helpful, too, though.
3. I liked the user interface better. It uses a dial wheel to rotate through the settings and to adjust speed vs. the buttons. I think this is easier to use.
4. I preferred the mechanical connection to the throttle arm design of the Hydrophase. Also, PP seems to have moved on from mechanically actuated throttles with their DBW solutions. Hydrophase only serves mechanical throttle applications.

I used the system on Saturday morning for the first time. It worked flawlessly! Made driving the boat so easy. And my pull was more consistent than I've ever received. Co-drivers were very happy not to see the thumb up thumb down business.

BTW - they have several hundred units in the field now. While no guarantee they'll be around in 5 years, I expect they will.

[jtryon]

very cool. i would have gone with them as well if i didn't stumble on a group buy for PP when i was ready to purchase. seems like their product works very well.

[DW SD]

very cool. i would have gone with them as well if i didn't stumble on a group buy for PP when i was ready to purchase. seems like their product works very well.

Thanks!
Yeah, I posted on the old group buy threads and poked around other mfg forums trying to find one for PP, but failed. I explored cobbling together a used system, too, but didn't want something from more than a decade ago.
As for its performance, it worked flawlessly. I watched it stay within .1 MPH of target once settled in (about five seconds after taking over). This was out of the box. Plenty of variables to fiddle with, but I probably won't bother. I can't wait to ride again.

[obd666]

good work. had never heard of them before but it looks like a nice interface

[wakejunky]

Looking at the pics, I would have some concern about the cable coming out of the housing at the throttle body. It comes out at an angle and could cause drag on the cable as well as potentially start the fray the cable and/or break at some point. Would there be a way to angle the mounting bracket to provide a more straight shot at the connection?

[DW SD]

Looking at the pics, I would have some concern about the cable coming out of the housing at the throttle body. It comes out at an angle and could cause drag on the cable as well as potentially start the fray the cable and/or break at some point. Would there be a way to angle the mounting bracket to provide a more straight shot at the connection?

Hi,
Appreciate the comments and hear you. I didn't, unfortunately, snap a picture of the throttle connection when the control motor tensions the cable (which it does as soon as ignition is on). I snapped the photo after I had tensioned the bracketry connecting the two cables.

Once the motor tensions, it is all 100% in linear alignment. I did actually slightly clock (if looking from the top) the mechanism at the original bowden / telefax cable bracket to achieve the alignment. There is some play in the bracket there. If more were necessary, it'd be easy to open up the holes a bit.

Not sure if you've seen how these things work, but there is a nylon rope, kind of like a shoe string which wraps around the control motor spool. The motor actually lets out cable to slow down to achieve the target speed (In use you push the throttle beyond what is necessary to hold your target speed, forgive me if obvious).
The rope is clamped to the cable with a crush sleeve. I had let out 2" of the rope to gain more access for my wrenches. At ignition on, the motor rotates to some set pre-load on the rope. I should have snapped another photo, but forgot.

Cheers,

Doug