252SD New Owner – What Would You Do? Trailer vs Rack vs Slip

[FSH 210 Sport]

$450/month for a 25' boat. Adding Salt Away costs extra each application depending on engines or exterior or both. But $30 for all of it. But rinsing, water through the engines, taking it in and out of the water, and storing in a covered barn is all included.

You get what you pay for. To me that sounds like a good deal. If it was me I think I might add a couple of stickers by the engine flushing ports about the engines being on before turning on the water? Just a thought, otherwise it sounds like they take pretty good care of your boat.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

@FSH 210 Sport when you talk about No Wake Level 3, you are talking about directional control for transitting, not for mooring up, correct? In my boat, I have it clutch ahead for the No Wake mode to engage, unless there is another way to make it work that I haven't figured out yet. I'm still working on proficiency in all the modes. I don't have a joystick, though, like I think yours has.

My boat is totally analog, so no joystick on my boat. IF Yamaha was to have more or all of the Helm Master EX functions ( spot lock, fish point, drift point, slow troll, auto pilot ) on the 255 FSH Sport H model then I’d probably upgrade to that boat.

The No Wake button is the same as the Cruise Assist button, by your comments it sounds like you have the forward / reverse paddles on your boat and it’s my understanding that the more the paddle is pulled the more thrust it makes. But, I think you have to engage the paddles by pushing a button, no? I get how the DrIVE works with the paddles, but I’ve found that using the throttles-splitting them / together and or steering wheel to maneuver around the docks gives me a lot of control, if I need more thrust because its windy I’ll bump up the idle speed by using the No Wake button and just bump the the shifters in and out of gear, just little shots of thrust to bring the boat smoothly into the dock or onto the trailer. Mostly I just use the shifters to steer the boat around the docks unless its really windy then I have to use the throttles / shifters in unison and the steering wheel. When it gets really windy that whole finesse thing goes out the door, our boats will get blown around like a dry leaf on the water when the winds are gusty, so you have to be ready when its windy to grab the boat and bring it back where you want it.

I’m not sure if your boat does this or not, but on the Drive X at idle I think the drives will steer opposite from the steering wheel input. I’ve read some threads about that on here, and I think that feature can be disabled. Seems counterintuitive to me, but I’m sure the designers had good reason. Again, practice makes perfect, and the practice is fun.

When cruising through the marina or just along the shore, running at the higher no wake mode levels makes steering more precise.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

@FSH 210 Sport when you talk about No Wake Level 3, you are talking about directional control for transitting, not for mooring up, correct? In my boat, I have it clutch ahead for the No Wake mode to engage, unless there is another way to make it work that I haven't figured out yet. I'm still working on proficiency in all the modes. I don't have a joystick, though, like I think yours has.

My boat is totally analog, so no joystick on my boat. IF Yamaha was to have more or all of the Helm Master EX functions ( spot lock, fish point, drift point, slow troll, auto pilot ) on the 255 FSH Sport H model then I’d probably upgrade to that boat.

The No Wake button is the same as the Cruise Assist button, by your comments it sounds like you have the forward / reverse paddles on your boat and it’s my understanding that the more the paddle is pulled the more thrust it makes. But, I think you have to engage the paddles by pushing a button, no? I get how the DrIVE works with the paddles, but I’ve found that using the throttles-splitting them / together and or steering wheel to maneuver around the docks gives me a lot of control, if I need more thrust because its windy I’ll bump up the idle speed by using the No Wake button and just bump the the shifters in and out of gear, just little shots of thrust to bring the boat smoothly into the dock or onto the trailer. Mostly I just use the shifters to steer the boat around the docks unless its really windy then I have to use the throttles / shifters in unison and the steering wheel. When it gets really windy that whole finesse thing goes out the door, our boats will get blown around like a dry leaf on the water when the winds are gusty, so you have to be ready when its windy to grab the boat and bring it back where you want it.

I’m not sure if your boat does this or not, but on the Drive X at idle I think the drives will steer opposite from the steering wheel input. I’ve read some threads about that on here, and I think that feature can be disabled. Seems counterintuitive to me, but I’m sure the designers had good reason. Again, practice makes perfect, and the practice is fun.

When cruising through the marina or just along the shore, running at the higher no wake mode levels makes steering more precise.

 

[AmesJainchill]

What are some of the essential items I will need and which mods should I seriously consider in my first season???

Congrats on the purchase! If the newer boats don't come with a stainless scupper through-hull fitting, may want to eventually upgrade from the plastic one. You also mentioned guide poles- i love my ve-ve's. Great family business.

Edit: and on topic, I've always kept mine near the launch at a marina on the trailer for easy in/out during the season. If I could get a slip with a rack/lift, that would be my ideal choice, but way more expensive.

 

[RedlineRider]

Congrats on the purchase! If the newer boats don't come with a stainless scupper through-hull fitting, may want to eventually upgrade from the plastic one. You also mentioned guide poles- i love my ve-ve's. Great family business.

Edit: and on topic, I've always kept mine near the launch at a marina on the trailer for easy in/out during the season. If I could get a slip with a rack/lift, that would be my ideal choice, but way more expensive.

Thanks for the recommendations, I will definitely look into these.

 

[AceKicker]

Thank you for the reply. That's above what I'm willing to pay and now I have a figure to tell the Wife, hah.

Ha ha, glad I could help.

 

[AceKicker]

My boat is totally analog, so no joystick on my boat. IF Yamaha was to have more or all of the Helm Master EX functions ( spot lock, fish point, drift point, slow troll, auto pilot ) on the 255 FSH Sport H model then I’d probably upgrade to that boat.

The No Wake button is the same as the Cruise Assist button, by your comments it sounds like you have the forward / reverse paddles on your boat and it’s my understanding that the more the paddle is pulled the more thrust it makes. But, I think you have to engage the paddles by pushing a button, no? I get how the DrIVE works with the paddles, but I’ve found that using the throttles-splitting them / together and or steering wheel to maneuver around the docks gives me a lot of control, if I need more thrust because its windy I’ll bump up the idle speed by using the No Wake button and just bump the the shifters in and out of gear, just little shots of thrust to bring the boat smoothly into the dock or onto the trailer. Mostly I just use the shifters to steer the boat around the docks unless its really windy then I have to use the throttles / shifters in unison and the steering wheel. When it gets really windy that whole finesse thing goes out the door, our boats will get blown around like a dry leaf on the water when the winds are gusty, so you have to be ready when its windy to grab the boat and bring it back where you want it.

I’m not sure if your boat does this or not, but on the Drive X at idle I think the drives will steer opposite from the steering wheel input. I’ve read some threads about that on here, and I think that feature can be disabled. Seems counterintuitive to me, but I’m sure the designers had good reason. Again, practice makes perfect, and the practice is fun.

When cruising through the marina or just along the shore, running at the higher no wake mode levels makes steering more precise.

What are you referring to when saying "shifters?" You're not talking about the throttle I don't think. I thought you were talking about the paddles, but you said you don't have those. I have a feeling it's obvious and I'm just missing something.

I do have the paddles. There are two ways to enable the DriveX mode, through a touchscreen toggle that switches from normal, to single lever (for syncing both engines while going fast), and DriveX. You must be in neutral to change modes. You can also toggle DriveX to normal mode with a physical button on the helm/wheel. Are they called helms on boats this small?

I will try in neutral, but I'm pretty sure on my boat you can only engage No Wake mode when clutch ahead. Going to neutral will turn it off and not allow it to engage. And if you push the throttles much past clutch ahead, No Wake mode turns off. I'm not sure what the difference is in No Wake mode and just pushing the throttles ahead a little more than clutch ahead. But I like that mode because I can engage it and feel at ease that I'm not going too fast through a No Wake zone. Although one buddy of mine, who is a long-time boater, thinks No Wake 3 creates too much wake.

Sorry for highjacking your thread, @RedlineRider

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

No wake mode is used between neutral and where the throttles / shifters bring the engines up to higher speeds on my boat.

It’s the same button as the cruise assist button. Do you know which button I’m talking about?

You would not be in the DriVEX mode when using no wake. I agree that no wake three makes too much of a wake.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

What are you referring to when saying "shifters?" You're not talking about the throttle I don't think. I thought you were talking about the paddles, but you said you don't have those. I have a feeling it's obvious and I'm just missing something.

I do have the paddles. There are two ways to enable the DriveX mode, through a touchscreen toggle that switches from normal, to single lever (for syncing both engines while going fast), and DriveX. You must be in neutral to change modes. You can also toggle DriveX to normal mode with a physical button on the helm/wheel. Are they called helms on boats this small?

I will try in neutral, but I'm pretty sure on my boat you can only engage No Wake mode when clutch ahead. Going to neutral will turn it off and not allow it to engage. And if you push the throttles much past clutch ahead, No Wake mode turns off. I'm not sure what the difference is in No Wake mode and just pushing the throttles ahead a little more than clutch ahead. But I like that mode because I can engage it and feel at ease that I'm not going too fast through a No Wake zone. Although one buddy of mine, who is a long-time boater, thinks No Wake 3 creates too much wake.

Sorry for highjacking your thread, @RedlineRider

The functionality of the different throttle positions, no wake mode / cruise assist are covered in your owners manual pages 42,43, 53 & 54.

LIT-18626-15-29

LIT-18626-15-29

boats.yamaha-owners-manuals.com

If you have not used the cruise assist function you should, once I get my throttles set when I’m cruising all I use to adjust speed is the cruise assist. It is especially helpful to use when it’s rough so you don’t make large throttle changes because the boat is bouncing around.

 

[AceKicker]

Following up on this. I confirmed that No Wake Mode does work at idle. And as I press the button again to go up to level 2 and 3, the rpms increase, but the boat does not have any thrust. I don't know what the point of that mode in idle is. But when I'm clutch ahead, it works like you'd think.
I've been playing with the Cruise Assist, too.
I don't think it was addressed in this thread, but I also confirmed the bow swings in the opposite direction of where you steer while in idle. I went as far as going to idle, steering left (it went right), then steering right (it went left), all without taking the throttles out of idle. @RedlineRider, check that out. It explains some situations now where I felt like I wasn't driving well, but it was the way it steers at idle. Apparently, this is a thing on the Yamahas jet boats.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Following up on this. I confirmed that No Wake Mode does work at idle. And as I press the button again to go up to level 2 and 3, the rpms increase, but the boat does not have any thrust. I don't know what the point of that mode in idle is. But when I'm clutch ahead, it works like you'd think.

The no wake functions main purpose is to raise the engine speed in three increments whilst using the first position of the throttle when going from neutral to forward, this is the TDE position where the gate or bucket is partially raised, some thrust is directed aft to push you forward as well as down and to the sides which dramatically increases the directional control of the boat while going slow. I use this function a lot and it works great.

The no wake mode raises the engine rpms not only for “no wake” cruising but for maneuvering around the dock. Lets say it’s windy or there is current and you’re either docking or putting the boat on the trailer, you need more thrust to counter act those affects, by raising the engine rpms you’ll have more thrust when you shift from neutral to forward or reverse. You can go from neutral to forward or reverse momentarily providing little shots of thrust to deftly position the boat where you want it.

I've been playing with the Cruise Assist, too.
This function is what I mainly use whilst cruising at speed, I set the rpm of the engines at 6000 and use the cruise assist to adjust engine rpms in the eight steps above and below the rpm set point. This is exceptionally useful when the water is choppy.

I don't think it was addressed in this thread, but I also confirmed the bow swings in the opposite direction of where you steer while in idle. I went as far as going to idle, steering left (it went right), then steering right (it went left), all without taking the throttles out of idle. @RedlineRider, check that out. It explains some situations now where I felt like I wasn't driving well, but it was the way it steers at idle. Apparently, this is a thing on the Yamahas jet boats.

This has been talked about in other threads and this functionality can be turned off in the settings. I know @TeeNGee posted about this on his 255 FSH boat.
Here is one of the threads

Post in thread '255xd Neutral Steering Assist'

Mar 27, 2025

This attachment describes how the Neutral Steering Assist is supposed to work on a 255FSH

• TeeNGee

• 

 

[AceKicker]

I don't have my boat yet. I signed all the paperwork and paid for it just haven't taken delivery of it yet as I have date next month to take it out on the lake across from the dealership with my sales rep to do a complete run through of the boat and all the systems to ensure I am familiar with operation. Once I have it here I can certainly check.

Has your boat arrived? How has it been treating you?
If you do have it, can you check that freshwater tank? Specifically, does the straps for it synch in where there is space cut out of the container on the top? See post #30 above for a picture.

 

[RedlineRider]

Has your boat arrived? How has it been treating you?
If you do have it, can you check that freshwater tank? Specifically, does the straps for it synch in where there is space cut out of the container on the top? See post #30 above for a picture.

I just picked up my boat from the dealer after the 10 hour service. So far it has been treating me well, as I am still learning. I took a picture of my shower tank for your reference.

 

[AceKicker]

I just picked up my boat from the dealer after the 10 hour service. So far it has been treating me well, as I am still learning. I took a picture of my shower tank for your reference.

Thanks!

 

[RedlineRider]

For those following this thread, it’s been about a month and a half since I took delivery of my boat, so I wanted to provide a quick update.

I decided to keep my 252SD at a rack-and-launch marina. About a week before I was scheduled to pick up the boat, I took my WaveRunner out for the first time this season. After dealing with the launch ramp on a Sunday, I quickly realized I didn’t want to deal with the chaos at a busy boat ramp, or the time and effort required to launch and retrieve a larger boat. I also didn’t want the stress and anxiety that comes with towing it.

Since this is my first year of boat ownership, I wanted to make the experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. I tried to eliminate as many points of friction as I could, and rack-and-launch made perfect sense. It’s basically a boat valet with an app. I show up, step aboard, and go. When I return, I unload my gear and walk away. The dock hands handle the docking, there’s a full-service fuel dock with Rec 90 fuel, boat washing and detailing services, a restaurant, and more—all on the property.

So far, it’s been a great experience. I’ve gotten to know the staff well and have met a lot of great people along the way who have been incredibly helpful. I’m very happy with the decision so far.

As for the boat itself, it’s been excellent. I typically get out on the water 3–5 times a week. I installed a Starlink Mini, which has given me excellent connectivity and allows me to work effectively while anchored in the coves.

Mechanically, everything has been solid. I’ve had no issues with water intrusion, the batteries have performed well, and the engines have been flawless. So far, I’ve seen a top speed of 51–52 mph.

My biggest complaint has been the audio system:

#1: The sound was very flat, and the subwoofer barely seemed to engage, even at maximum volume. After doing some research, I figured out how to adjust the amplifier settings. About 20 minutes later, it sounded like a completely different system. I’m now very happy with the audio quality.

#2: The bigger issue has been Bluetooth. The connection cuts out when my phone is at the back of the boat, and the music is interrupted every time I receive a notification or phone call. I know that’s just how Bluetooth on a phone works, but it’s still annoying, and I don’t want to dedicate another phone just for music. I’m currently working on a solution using a media streamer connected to the AUX input on the amplifier, with everything tucked away neatly under the helm.

I’ve posted a few pictures below.

 

[Hot2Go]

For those following this thread, it’s been about a month and a half since I took delivery of my boat, so I wanted to provide a quick update.

I decided to keep my 252SD at a rack-and-launch marina. About a week before I was scheduled to pick up the boat, I took my WaveRunner out for the first time this season. After dealing with the launch ramp on a Sunday, I quickly realized I didn’t want to deal with the chaos at a busy boat ramp, or the time and effort required to launch and retrieve a larger boat. I also didn’t want the stress and anxiety that comes with towing it.

Since this is my first year of boat ownership, I wanted to make the experience as easy and enjoyable as possible. I tried to eliminate as many points of friction as I could, and rack-and-launch made perfect sense. It’s basically a boat valet with an app. I show up, step aboard, and go. When I return, I unload my gear and walk away. The dock hands handle the docking, there’s a full-service fuel dock with Rec 90 fuel, boat washing and detailing services, a restaurant, and more—all on the property.

So far, it’s been a great experience. I’ve gotten to know the staff well and have met a lot of great people along the way who have been incredibly helpful. I’m very happy with the decision so far.

As for the boat itself, it’s been excellent. I typically get out on the water 3–5 times a week. I installed a Starlink Mini, which has given me excellent connectivity and allows me to work effectively while anchored in the coves.

Mechanically, everything has been solid. I’ve had no issues with water intrusion, the batteries have performed well, and the engines have been flawless. So far, I’ve seen a top speed of 51–52 mph.

My biggest complaint has been the audio system:

#1: The sound was very flat, and the subwoofer barely seemed to engage, even at maximum volume. After doing some research, I figured out how to adjust the amplifier settings. About 20 minutes later, it sounded like a completely different system. I’m now very happy with the audio quality.

#2: The bigger issue has been Bluetooth. The connection cuts out when my phone is at the back of the boat, and the music is interrupted every time I receive a notification or phone call. I know that’s just how Bluetooth on a phone works, but it’s still annoying, and I don’t want to dedicate another phone just for music. I’m currently working on a solution using a media streamer connected to the AUX input on the amplifier, with everything tucked away neatly under the helm.

I’ve posted a few pictures below.

Is the amp pic after you made adjustments? I might give it a go and just see how much of a difference it is if so!

 

[RedlineRider]

Is the amp pic after you made adjustments? I might give it a go and just see how much of a difference it is if so!

Yes, these are the setting I am using and the pic represents the setting that worked for me. I may have turned the sub level knob up a bit after taking this pic but not by much and you can adjust it to your liking.

 

[RedlineRider]

Before


After