Huge difference between the two... true cavitation requires an immediate and large reduction in throttle... metal is being damaged in a cavitation event.
Hard to imagine running jets for 35 years and not hearing the proper term. But there is a big difference between 35 years of experience and one year of experience 35 times.
You seem the sort that think they know more than the actually do....Im betting you've never run an outboard jet. I've owned and operated a fly in fishing lodge for most of the last 40 years, and I can promise you I have more time on the tiller than you could dream of. The biggest concern with cavitation is the sudden increase in engine RPMs...and the loss of power that comes with it....
Wrong on about all counts...
There are many here at the fire that have been in my jet boat... and my son's, which he built from scratch... or the many other boats I have owned over the years. Held a USCG Masters License for a couple decades, but disabusing you of your fantasies is not really my job.
If you think the biggest problem with cavitation is the loss of speed and the increase in RPMs you were not listening and did not understand what you should have read. Cavitation leads to serious metal damage on the prop or impellor very quickly. Ventilation is very different from cavitation which seems to be the only thing you have run into with your jet. Except it probably isn't if you actually have run a jet as much as you claim.
Something for you to wrap your head around: if your prop or pump left the water while running in rough weather it did not cavitate, but the RPMs increased and resulted in lost power.
