yamaha jet boats

[winterh]

Heading to the boat show next week and looking to buy something to replace my searay 240 sundeck after 12 years of trouble free use. Would love another one but don't want to spend 80k plus. Thinking about a tritoon but the higher end performance ones are not cheap either. Anyone know anything about the Yamaha 24 ft jetboats. Seems like a lot of boat for the money (mid 50's) Primarily used for tubing, skiing... with the occasional cruise around the lake or trip to town for an ice cream. Sons have reached the age where they can drive it so I like the idea of no prop. Pros and cons please.

[tis]

WE had two jet boats and had trouble with both of them. We had a Donzi first when they were brand new and had so much trouble with it, we traded it for a SeaDoo and the first year we had it we didn't have it all summer as the engine went after a couple of weeks. We gave up and got the little Crownline and have not had one single problem with that. They might be better now, but when they were new they had a lot of problems.

[MeredithMan]

I was very close to buying a 23' Sea-Doo jet boat a couple of years ago. It was just before they went bust, so I am very glad I didn't, (just dumb luck...I did not know they were getting out of the boat biz). However, the features that attracted me are the ones that you have pointed out: 1) Lots of standard equip and a lot of boat for the money; 2) No lower unit and prop to worry about, (a big safety feature that was popular with the Mrs); 3) Very fast

The reason I ultimately decided against it was that I couldn't get past my own prejudice of it being basically a large jet ski...I couldn't help thinking of it as more of a toy than a boat. I was very used to the solid feel of a large deep V, (previously had a 25' Sea Ray). Ultimately bought a used 25' Cobalt Bow Rider which we are very happy with.

I think the Yamaha would be a great option...just a matter of what your personal preference is and if it would handle the rough water ok. Good luck!

[Woodsy]

Take one for a ride...... then make a decision! (that goes for ANY boat)

They are pretty flat bottomed compared to most I/O boats. makes for a ROUGH ride on Winni....


Woodsy

[Happy Gourmand]

I agree with Woodsy...take it for a ride. The engine/s wind up to high RPS and are very noisy in my opinion. A friend has one and I have driven it several times. It's a 23' Yamaha with twin motors. Pretty fast, pretty loud, and doesn't turn for cr@p. My tritoon pontoon boat rides way better, they always want to go with us rather than take theirs. He won't admit it, but his wife does....it was a big mistake.

[Lakeboater]

If you are going to sell the Sundeck I have a friend that is interested.

[Bernie Girl]

We have a 2011 Yamaha SX240 high output, twin engines. It gets a lot of use, we are islanders. The newer models come with battery kill switches - we had to have one installed as the battery died constantly when we first bought the boat and no one could figure out what was draining it. Handling at low speeds took some getting use to, the twin engines really help and the fact that there is no prop to worry about is a plus. When the engines are in neutral the boat is actually moving forward at a very slow speed. I believe the newer models have better control at low speeds. Its a really comfortable to drive or ride in with plenty of storage. We like the way it handles in rough waters but it may be a bit harder to dock in rough conditions. We've got a great breakwater, we can come straight in or make a 180 degree turn in the docking area since there's no prop to worry about. We're not bothered by the noise, Im not sure if its louder or just a different type of noise, we can always tell from far away when a family member is returning to the dock. Wonderful for waterskiing, tubing, etc.

[NH_boater]

Had a Yamaha 21ft jet. Fun little boat but not great ride, noisy and low freeboard in the rough. I went to Crownline sterndrive and I would never go back to a jet drive. I could dock it very well, after a few years but was always slippery on the water without positive hook up. It would roll sideways over wakes and side wind. This is even with aftermarket steering fins were added.

Steering in reverse is more of a suggestion than a command. Windy days make reverse quite an adventure.

The 23's and 24's are nice, especially for the price but they tend to be low draft, flat bottom, light weight and low sitting in the water. This makes for a poor ride in much of what Winni throws our way.

The Yammy never really felt like a real boat to me. Just my opinion.

[TiltonBB]

I had a Yamaha LS 2000 jet boat. Great acceleration and a great second boat but certainly not a great primary boat. I found that it used a lot more fuel than a single I/O and was quite a bit noiser. The ride was poor and there were many days that it was too rough to be enjoyable. Also, jets are great but plan on ingesting a few ski and dock lines until people understand that the pump is constantly running.

I am also not a big fan of pontoon boats. They are great when the weather is good but for those early or late season rides or the nights out to dinner I would rather have the protection of a large windshield in front of me to keep the wind down. My opinion is that you just can't beat a 24-26 foot single I/O boat on Winnipesaukee for the best combination of ride, low noise, and fuel economy.

That is just my opinion, I know everyone has their favorites!

[jbg]

I have a 2012 SX210. I agree with most of what people have already posted. Mine is used mainly for weekend fun and light touring so we love what we got for the money. We have had a couple of issues that I'm told are fairly well known to Yamaha owners around this model year. The issue mentioned about the battery was a problem for us as well. It turned out that the radio was basically turning itself on and draining the battery. We did not realize this until we started leaving the boat plugged in to power during the weekdays when we were away. Initially, we were coming back to a dead battery. After leaving it on power, we were coming back to a radio on. The first time we thought that we just mistakenly left it on but we did this for three weeks straight and came back to the same thing each time. Spoke with two service providers and both seemed to be somewhat aware of the issue. Yamaha replaced the JBL radio with a new Sony and that seems to have done the trick. Only other issue was a warning that appeared on the display that turned out to be an issue with a harness for the computer system. Both replaced under warranty with very little down time. Slow-speed steering did take a while to get used to and I'm still working on the skills of docking it in tight spaces. I will say that the aftermarket fins, put on after year one have helped a great deal.

Bottom line is that in my opinion, when you look at it in terms of value, it's a great deal. Absolutely there are more luxurious boats and boats that are far better suited for cruising the lake during the busier times. But, for the money it's hard to beat the value and the fun that we have with this boat.

[Bernie Girl]

thanks for the suggestion of the aftermarket fins, we had not heard of these. Did you purchase these from a Yamaha Dealer?

[jbg]

thanks for the suggestion of the aftermarket fins, we had not heard of these. Did you purchase these from a Yamaha Dealer?

Yes, we purchased from the dealer after the first season.

[hig]

I have a 2012 242 limited S and I think it is a great boat for the money. The swim platform is awesome and the interior is better organised that most bowriders I looked at. The bow does sit low off-plane but on plane it is no more wet than any bow rider. It handles the lake fine.

Mechanically it is almost zero maintenance - plugs and oil once a season. No weatherization necessary either, other than adding stabilizer.

Manouvering at slow speeds takes a little getting used to. The fins really help.

Good luck.

[tis]

So from reading this it sounds like nobody has had engine problems with them? They must have improved since they first came out. Our first one worked better after the company came out with a "fix" for the problem, but we were advised to get rid of it before it had problems again. The second one was ok after it got the new engine. When I see them go by I wondered if the issues have been resolved and it sounds like they have. They are fun little boats.

[SIKSUKR]

I've had 2 Yamaha PWC's over 13 years which are the same engines as the boats.Both have run flawless and I've never really winterized them.New plugs on each only once.Great reliability in all my friends that own them also.

[TiltonBB]

I've had 2 Yamaha PWC's over 13 years which are the same engines as the boats.Both have run flawless and I've never really winterized them.New plugs on each only once.Great reliability in all my friends that own them also.
I agree. I had a Yamaha jet boat and I am on my fourth Yamaha jet ski and they are very reliable. I have never had any engine problems and the engines in the Yahama jet boat I had (twin 135's) were the same ones that were put in the jet skis at that time.

I know the jet ski rental business in the Weirs Channel runs all Yamaha's and during the whole 2014 season they did not have to tow one machine back in. That is a testament to the reliability of Yahama jet skis given the abuse many renters put on the machines.

[codeman671]

Having owned many Yamaha jet skis and jet boats, as long as you stay with 4 stroke powered boats you are fine, I have had machines in the past powered by the 2 stroke engines (xr1800 or gp1200r) and they were problematic.

[tis]

I had a Donzi and a SeaDoo. That was a long time ago so very interesting to know they are improved. I don't think Yamaha made a jet boat when I first got mine. Do you know then they started making the jet boats?

[SIKSUKR]

My first Yamaha was a 2-stroke and my current one is a 4-stroke. Both have been equally reliable.

[caloway]

I know this is from last year, but wanted to see if anyone has seen the new yamahas. I'm looking at the 24 footers. Looks like they've fixed the low freeboard, noise and handling issues.

[nhbiglake]

We have a lx2000, I love it we wakeboard and wakesurf off of it. It's a fun fast littke boat. Docking takes practice though. Can dock it better than a regular stern drive now though.