- Location
- Saskatchewan
Recently picked up a Rickter FS2 evo with a piped 701/stock 144 pump with a stainless impeller. Before i get into the review about the system i want to explain why i picked this hull. I picked up the ski to chase a few boats, some mild flat water(stabs, spins ect) and cruise around the lakes/rivers to different ride spots, beaches, islands and cabins without feeling like i was going to get tossed off at anything over 10 mph, run out of fuel or break down. As much as i would of liked a full out freestyle boat with a larger CC engine i still wanted something with a full size tank to ride longer distances and easily chase boats all day. The 701 FS2 Evo was local, matched my budget, my riding style and my skill level. yea i'm sure i could of went with a bigger motor but i can always swap it in a year or two.
The one thing the ski didn't come with was a trim system. Now for a 701 boat chaser a trim system isn't necessarily something you MUST have but i wanted bigger setup wake and my last ski (07 SJ) didn't have trim either so i figured it would be fun to experiment with.
Right out of the box you can tell the system is no joke, the machining, clearance tolerances and the over all feel of the system is impressive. operating the trim function/steering by hand you can really feel how solid the system is.
Before installation i disassembled all of the nuts/bolts and reassembled with blue locktite to ensure i'm not riding back to the beach without a steer nozzle.
When installing the system the rear left reduction nozzle bolt that holds the trim cable mount would not thread into my hull. Upon further inspection the size of the bolt hole on the mounting tab needed to be bored out a few more MM so the cable mount could slip over the reduction nozzle mount tab and have the bolt line up with the insert on my hull.
During installation i noticed how close the bare trim cable came to touching the rear left reduction nozzle bolt so when slacked it would touch for sure. To stop any potential wear from happening i simply cut a groove into the bolt so when the cable slacks it doesn't touch.
The stock reduction nozzle did not require any washers when installed but the Thrust reduction nozzle needed 1 washer on each side because the bolts simply would not suck it up tight enough to the hull.
Once installed i cycled the system a few times left to right and noticed the steer nozzle was rising a few mm and then lowering again. Turns out the top of the slit on the steer nozzle was just slightly touching the arm that comes off the trim ring so i popped the steer nozzle off, shaved a few mm from the slit with a file, hit it with some touch up paint, re installed and the issue was gone.
Few day later i had the chance to get out on the water. The trim had enough throw to increase my setup wake to twice the size as it was. The system operated flawlessly all day and i was airing out spins/stabs bigger than i ever have before to the point where i was laughing under my helmet(don't lie you've done the same).
I'm not trying to win world finals over here and im pretty new to the sport but the Thrust system has definitely made my ski a little more fun to ride. I would suggest the system over the previous RRP system i tried for 1 day.
The problem with the RRP system was that by the time you threaded the cable to the top pull mount from the trim tube it created an incredibly sharp S in the cable that would bind and even under full thrust the steer nozzle would not return to neutral unless you manually pushed the cable end back in by hand on the bars.
The side pull of the Thrust system directly lines up with the location of the Rickter trim tube so the system operates without cable binding or any sort of return issues.
In conclusion i would rate the system a 9/10 because it did need some slight modifications but otherwise its top notch. I would not hesitate to spend the extra money on this system or suggest it some one who's looking to buy.
The one thing the ski didn't come with was a trim system. Now for a 701 boat chaser a trim system isn't necessarily something you MUST have but i wanted bigger setup wake and my last ski (07 SJ) didn't have trim either so i figured it would be fun to experiment with.
Right out of the box you can tell the system is no joke, the machining, clearance tolerances and the over all feel of the system is impressive. operating the trim function/steering by hand you can really feel how solid the system is.
Before installation i disassembled all of the nuts/bolts and reassembled with blue locktite to ensure i'm not riding back to the beach without a steer nozzle.
When installing the system the rear left reduction nozzle bolt that holds the trim cable mount would not thread into my hull. Upon further inspection the size of the bolt hole on the mounting tab needed to be bored out a few more MM so the cable mount could slip over the reduction nozzle mount tab and have the bolt line up with the insert on my hull.
During installation i noticed how close the bare trim cable came to touching the rear left reduction nozzle bolt so when slacked it would touch for sure. To stop any potential wear from happening i simply cut a groove into the bolt so when the cable slacks it doesn't touch.
The stock reduction nozzle did not require any washers when installed but the Thrust reduction nozzle needed 1 washer on each side because the bolts simply would not suck it up tight enough to the hull.
Once installed i cycled the system a few times left to right and noticed the steer nozzle was rising a few mm and then lowering again. Turns out the top of the slit on the steer nozzle was just slightly touching the arm that comes off the trim ring so i popped the steer nozzle off, shaved a few mm from the slit with a file, hit it with some touch up paint, re installed and the issue was gone.
Few day later i had the chance to get out on the water. The trim had enough throw to increase my setup wake to twice the size as it was. The system operated flawlessly all day and i was airing out spins/stabs bigger than i ever have before to the point where i was laughing under my helmet(don't lie you've done the same).
I'm not trying to win world finals over here and im pretty new to the sport but the Thrust system has definitely made my ski a little more fun to ride. I would suggest the system over the previous RRP system i tried for 1 day.
The problem with the RRP system was that by the time you threaded the cable to the top pull mount from the trim tube it created an incredibly sharp S in the cable that would bind and even under full thrust the steer nozzle would not return to neutral unless you manually pushed the cable end back in by hand on the bars.
The side pull of the Thrust system directly lines up with the location of the Rickter trim tube so the system operates without cable binding or any sort of return issues.
In conclusion i would rate the system a 9/10 because it did need some slight modifications but otherwise its top notch. I would not hesitate to spend the extra money on this system or suggest it some one who's looking to buy.
