2015 Yamaha Jet Boat Pictures

[maboat]

Don't get fooled by those MSRP prices. I can't talk for Chaparral as I've never priced them. But when I bought my 212x for $50k (plus I dumped an additional $5k for upgrades), I could've bought virtually whatever I wanted. I priced out a Cobalt 220, a Bryant 233x and a Crownline E2 - all of them were within $3k of each other. Actually the Cobalt was the cheapest at $$53k.
Right now the Cobalt dealer down the street has a new fully optioned out 2014 Cobalt 276 for $90k.

Excellent point.Yamaha's sell at close to their MSRP. Other brands have inflated MSRP and frequently sell for THOUSANDS less. That puts some pretty nice boats in the same sales price as the new top tierYamaha's

 

[GTBRMC]

What I like
1) more storage
2) add'l storage behind transom seat backs
3) Those tiny little tower speakers.
4) Front hinged seat bottoms
5) Quieter ride (if it really does end up being quieter).


What I don't like
1) That touchscreen. No way, no thanks.
2) That rudder, oh, sorry, "articulating keel", lol. Is it just me or does it look cheesy and like a hack add on that doesn't belong? Let's see how long before somebody breaks one at a beach.
3) Still the same 1.8 engines with no-wake mode band aid feature for hard to control engines at low rpms.
4) That beverage station. Does one put ice in there? Does it pop out for easy cleaning?
5) Does the driver get a cupholder?
6) Where could one even mount a gps/chartplotter now on a 240?


Things we don't know about yet.

1) Still the same cleanout plug design?
2) Will I finally be able to actually get my body through the drivers helm door for when I'm working in there?


Things I've always been hoping to see, but don't see yet.

1) Engines that don't need no-wake mode or cruise control feature. Give me a throttle lever that I can move easily and I can put my engines at whatever rpm I want and I can let go, and the throttle levers stay there. Figure out how to solve why they want to jump so much in rpms and tame that.

2) A portable cooler station. I hate lifting seats to get to a cooler to then lift that cooler lid. I'd like a drawer or someplace that slides out where I can place the portable cooler, and I can get to without having to ask somebody to get up.

Welcome aboard!

Impressive first post. Stop holding back and tell us what you really think.
No, really, great stuff.

 

[BoaterGuy]

Excellent point.Yamaha's sell at close to their MSRP. Other brands have inflated MSRP and frequently sell for THOUSANDS less. That puts some pretty nice boats in the same sales price as the new top tierYamaha's

I would totally go with a chap 257ssx but my puny truck can't tow it. That's what lured me to the yamaha. People cap at 11(now 12) and size. Can't get a 24 ft out drive under 4k lbs. (regal is close I think)

 

[davel501]

All kidding aside, these new boats are terrific!

For those of you of the opinion that there is no new significant change, don't rush to judgement.
The change to the hull, specifically the keel (not so much the rudder IMHO). This represents a very substantial investment in new tooling and I'm certain a significant number of hours were spent to finalize the design.

Think about it, you are following in the wake of another vessel. He's not going quite as fast as you and eventually you have to cross out of his wake. The Yamaha hull that I have will slide quite a bit as I roll over that wake and maybe back over a few times just for grins. But you get the idea. Add chop and then it becomes unpleasant at times. Add more speed and control is an issue.

I imagine the new hull will overcome some of the deficiencies in past hull designs. I'd like to get behind the wheel and find out.

I like that they have come full circle back to twin pilot / co-pilot seats that swivel. And reclining is definitely in my vocabulary. I like a bunch of stuff....not necessarily the price, but I'm a cheap bastard, so don't mind that.

Overall, I think - if nothing else- it shows that Yamaha is very serious about this business. The security of knowing that Mama Yamaha is in it for the long haul and has the funds to make changes and innovate will only bolster the value of the brand. It's a tough business.

My 2010 242 LS cuts through those wakes now that I have added the cobra fin ultimates. I do not see how this articulating keel is really all that different from that. The one thing they may have fixed with the new keel design is intersecting wakes. Hit intersecting wakes and you get bounced on my boat.

I am interested in seeing the new schematics when they are available on Yamaha sports plaza. If I can get half the improvement in sound reduction from using whatever new parts I can make fit on my new boat then I am still doing better than simple trial and error.

I did find it interesting that it looks like there are brackets to hang the cleanout plugs on when the boat is not in use.

 

[txav8r]

Can you elaborate on this? I think I know what you're saying but I'm not sure.

I was saying that a new model of Yamaha with new and improved components, is not going to make the resale of your 230 or 240 less attractive. The just jumped the price point significantly. Yamaha boats hold their value if you don't just give them away. Plenty of guys think they have to steal them and some do. But most of them hold a better value than other models of boats. So what I was saying, is that even though plenty of upgrades were offered when the 240/242 was introduced, the 230 still held its value and if anything, it held it better. Primarily because the price point on a new one continued to climb...imo. And again, I am not making light of what anyone is saying, I am just stating my own opinion. And in my opinion, there is a buy for any year of Yamaha boat out there, and a boat in great condition, that is a knowledgable owner, will get a great return on his ownership value. Yamahas are great boats and have great value for the money. I don't know at what point that will turn around, they are certainly testing the waters north of $60K now.

 

[Williamsone46]

I'm on way out now to go drive them side by side. I'll let everyone know what I think.

If anyone has any questions about the new models or would like a close up picture of something let me know I will help out.

 

[Yamborghini]

Decibel meter!!! @Williamsone46

 

[Williamsone46]

I have one built in...haha

 

[SCSTWG]

I agree with what Mel says about testing the waters north of $60k. IMO, the price of the 242 LS is making the AR240 and SX240 a much more attractive purchase:

242LS: $61,499
AR240: $53,499
SX240: $50,499

I have not had the time to do a side-by-side feature comparison, but as always you are getting the same hull, power plant, etc. Without question, there are some nice extra features on the LS and there has to be for an additional $8k, but previously one of the big selling points was that the LS had the forward swept tower (which many people like). The towers of the AR240 and 242LS now have the same design. It will be interesting to see how AR & SX models sell relative to the LS compared to previous versions.

 

[ptwb]

Have your seen this?
https://jetboaters.net/threads/installing-dometic-waeco-cd-030dcw-refrigerator-in-yamaha-sx230.2630/
View attachment 10536 View attachment 10537

That is nice. Aaargggh, something new added to the list, but I don't know if I can justify the cost. Right now we just slide our cooler under the flipped down rear facing lounger like so many others and that works well. My 2nd battery is in that spot so I'd have to move it.

But what you did is exactly what I would like to see, but maybe for costs, to stay competitive, it would just be a big sealed drawer to drop a cooler into or even just the drinks and some Nu-Ice bags. I have thought of putting a drawer there, just haven't found one that is cheap enough and would seal properly.

On our 230, also, there is a big space beneath the floor above the tank between the two braces. If I ever ditch the carpet and go to some type of turf, I've thought of making a replacement fuel tank cover with a new hatch to a large shallow cooler there.

 

[ptwb]

Welcome aboard!

Impressive first post. Stop holding back and tell us what you really think.
No, really, great stuff.

Thanks. Since the forum drama I have just stayed on the sidelines. Plus, have just been really busy with work.

 

[Yamaha242lsdallas]

I'm on way out now to go drive them side by side. I'll let everyone know what I think.

If anyone has any questions about the new models or would like a close up picture of something let me know I will help out.

Would love to see a better pic of the head compartment on the 242 LS. Did they make it any bigger or was the 6 extra inches they added only used (wasted?) on making the bow anchor storage longer?

Also x2 on the sound level - with and w/out the bimini up (makes a big difference in sound level to me).

Thanks

 

[Glassman]

" I don't believe this took a substantial investment in tooling. Its all "bolt-on" stuff - including the keel (ok maybe "glue-on")."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've read - and specifically this quote from Boattest.com, " An entirely new hull and deck design along with an “Articulating Keel” delivered a crisp, responsive ride that completely changes the way a boater will look at jet boats." (emphasis added)

This tells me they invested in new tooling (molds) to create these new structures. The "Keel" runs for a good length from amidships to the transom. Unless the 2014 boats rear end match that same profile, it looks to me to be a new shape. They refer to it as a dihedral keel. You can't glue that on. (I'm not talking about the rudder)

Does any earlier model have this same profile? All I have for reference is my boat and the few I've seen at the marina parking lot. I haven't stepped foot in a dealer's showroom in a long, long time.



Additionally," higher freeboard at bow and stern, a newly designed deck and cockpit "- these structures come out of molds. Production molds of this type are very expensive. To produce the number of boats that I expect they will, they will need multiple molds. So it really boils down to the use of the word "Substantial" , what's that mean to you? Half a million, a million, two million? Tell me when to stop.

 

[BoaterGuy]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've read - and specifically this quote from Boattest.com, " An entirely new hull and deck design along with an “Articulating Keel” delivered a crisp, responsive ride that completely changes the way a boater will look at jet boats." (emphasis added)

This tells me they invested in new tooling (molds) to create these new structures. The "Keel" runs for a good length from amidships to the transom. Unless the 2014 boats rear end match that same profile, it looks to me to be a new shape. They refer to it as a dihedral keel. You can't glue that on. (I'm not talking about the rudder)

Does any earlier model have this same profile? All I have for reference is my boat and the few I've seen at the marina parking lot. I haven't stepped foot in a dealer's showroom in a long, long time.

View attachment 10562

Additionally," higher freeboard at bow and stern, a newly designed deck and cockpit "- these structures come out of molds. Production molds of this type are very expensive. To produce the number of boats that I expect they will, they will need multiple molds. So it really boils down to the use of the word "Substantial" , what's that mean to you? Half a million, a million, two million? Tell me when to stop.

I dont think the average person understands what it takes to add a $2 part to a production system as well as what that means for the P&L. Economies of scale is not a widely understood concept.

Sure adding two dollars to a product seems like nothing... but multiply that by how many you expect to produce. Then you must borrow that much extra on credit to pay for these new parts. Then you pay interest on that (cost of capital), then you need to do R&D on design, re-tool, modify software, and work the kinks out of your production process. Then you have to test that new product for defects and usability. (Time, Fuel, Labor) Then you have to modify you inspection process and documents, marketing material, re-train sales trainers.... it goes on and on.... You two dollar addition is now a multi million dollar investment.

I think Yamaha spent big dollars on the changes they made to the new 240's and I appreciate the effort they put in to do so. I wonder what their ROI is on these new boats. (Or even the NPV for you finance geeks )

 

[captainhook]

I was saying that a new model of Yamaha with new and improved components, is not going to make the resale of your 230 or 240 less attractive. The just jumped the price point significantly. Yamaha boats hold their value if you don't just give them away. Plenty of guys think they have to steal them and some do. But most of them hold a better value than other models of boats. So what I was saying, is that even though plenty of upgrades were offered when the 240/242 was introduced, the 230 still held its value and if anything, it held it better. Primarily because the price point on a new one continued to climb...imo. And again, I am not making light of what anyone is saying, I am just stating my own opinion. And in my opinion, there is a buy for any year of Yamaha boat out there, and a boat in great condition, that is a knowledgable owner, will get a great return on his ownership value. Yamahas are great boats and have great value for the money. I don't know at what point that will turn around, they are certainly testing the waters north of $60K now.

Yeah, you were saying what I thought you were saying. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[ACRDSPORT14]

Is Yamaha is a public company? look at The profit Margins on boats. Not crazy but not bad.

 

[BoaterGuy]

Is Yamaha is a public company? look at The profit Margins on boats. Not crazy but not bad.

Mailbu didnt pay taxes on most of those years. Look at the net income during the last couple of quarters...

http://quote.morningstar.com/stock-filing/Quarterly-Report/2014/3/31/t.aspx?t=XTKS:7272&ft=&d=a7ef5e853a4bc945eefa371a1772107a

Key Ratios:

http://financials.morningstar.com/ratios/r.html?t=7272&region=jpn&culture=en-US

 

[ccrayjr]

http://global.yamaha-motor.com/ir/report/pdf/2014/2014explain-q2-e.pdf

 

[txav8r]

Yamaha markets and sells thru its distribution network much differently than its competitors, or at least it has. I don't know how much they jacked the pricing to dealers and how much the dealers jacked the pricing to their market, but there has not been a great deal of wiggle room in the price structure of Yamaha boats vs other makes out there. Yamaha Corp. is a Japanese company, which has many companies within its control, such as Yamaha Motor Company Limited, which is where the boats are. Yamaha is heavy into robotics and is the worlds largest producer of musical instruments.

 

[soggyshoes]

I think this argument of whether the changes to each new year are significant or not is a testament to how well designed these boats really are. I fell in love with Yamaha boats by renting one 10 years ago. While there are what I would consider major changes and differences between a 2004 boat and today's boats like my 2014 212x, the breed is easily recognizable and to an outsider at first glance they wouldn't seem so different. My buddies that I rented that Yamaha 10 years ago with have gotten in my boat and, other than the tower, feel it is just like that amazing boat we all fell in love with a decade ago.
The fact that there are a lot of members here that are really happy with boars of all years and that the "major" changes can seem incremental is a big part of why I chose a Yamaha. It seemed like the most fun, reliable, versatile boat that I will enjoy for a very long time.

I am very happy that I like my space blue color more than the new 212x's! Thank goodness they didn't add that fridge like @Bruce did or I might have been wistful.