1st Yamaha Boat Purchase: 2016 242 Limited SE or 2020 AR240?

[lifeisradincbad]

Looking to buy a used 2016 242 Limited SE (125 hours) or 2020 AR240 (53 hours). Both have a JD Power average retail values of ~$48K.
Boat will be wet docked May-Oct & used in fresh water lake at 5,000 foot elevation in Southern California. For family of 4 (2 adults+2 younger teens) and occasional other family/friends.
Which would you choose and why? Are there other year/make/model we should consider? Thanks.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/240900775482632/
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/3831493990455735/

 

[Corsair21111]

Both are very similar. Same hull and power plants. The 242 has some upgrades from the factory like the floor mats, transom seat cushions, larger display screen, larger Bimini, etc. but it’s also 4 years older and has 75 more hours. For my money I’d buy the newer boat with less hours.

My $0.02

 

[WiskyDan]

I went from a 2015 242LS to a 2018 242LS-E and the e-throttles made all the difference in the world. If you’re a young man and don’t have arthritic hands I would go for the newer boat but I’ll never have a boat without e-throttles again.

 

[Ronnie]

2020 for the upgraded timing chains. I read that yamaha didn’t make the switch until 2017.

 

[WiskyDan]

It was my inderstanding that the timing chain issue was limited to some 2015 engines (including my previous boat) and that subsequent years were OK.

EDIT: From what I can find, the timing chain failure issue was more prevalent in the late 2014 and early 2015 1.8’s and was cleared up by 2016 with the beefier 5/4 chain. A timing chain failure can happen on any year but the ‘14/‘15 1.8’s had documented issues supported by Yamaha posting a TSB on the subject.

 

[I_squared_r]

Make an offer on them both, go look and them, and make your decision. Choose the boat that was better taken care of. The 2020 has bad pictures because it doesn't show inside the boat. I believe the 2016 e-series also has the cruise control for watersports. And if you can get that 242 limited for $5-10k cheaper then definitely go for that. The 2016 could be more reliable than the 2020 if the 2020 was built during COVID

 

[Ronnie]

It was my inderstanding that the timing chain issue was limited to some 2015 engines (including my previous boat) and that subsequent years were OK.

EDIT: From what I can find, the timing chain failure issue was more prevalent in the late 2014 and early 2015 1.8’s and was cleared up by 2016 with the beefier 5/4 chain. A timing chain failure can happen on any year but the ‘14/‘15 1.8’s had documented issues supported by Yamaha posting a TSB on the subject.

I am not certain what year yamaha upgraded the timing chain but did check the part numbers for 2017 and 2010 and found they were different. I only did so because a chain on one of my 2010 motors failed at about 500 hours and was considering replacing the engines with those from a 2017. One less thing to worry about.

by the way, yamaha offers an upgrade kit for about $2,500 (parts only) which what it would have cost me to repair the motor with the broken chain.

assuming both boats have the same chain, I’d normally lean toward the newer boat with less hours plus I like the grey more than the black. The 242 has a larger Bimini though but my next question is whether the 240 was manufactured before the pandemic or during it? It seems like boats made during the pandemic had more quality issues. Seems being the key word. If 2016 is the first or second year the hulls changed (went from 23.5’ to 24) and went to the connext system I’d be reluctant to buy it. I’ve had a few first year cars and my 2010 is a first year 240 all had issues that were corrected in later years, often by the third or fourth model year not the second.

Not to make light of the decision but it’s not a bad one to have to make, first world for sure. I wish I was in the OP’s position. If I was I’d asked for a sea trial/test drive on each and probably buy the one I’m most comfortable in.

 

[jmargo]

With all the QC issues Yamaha had I would avoid 2020/21 or 22.

 

[Ronnie]

The engines have placards which reflect when they are manufactured. Additionally, another placard reflects the other stats of the engine, emphasis on KW which may be converted to HP if desired. If the engine has a catalytic converter it will have less KW/HP.

 

[WiskyDan]

Confirmation:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/1-8l-timing-chain-confirmation.15748/

 

[Neutron]

Either boat wont have a T/C issue. But any engine can have a failure. There has been reports of failures on newer years but not as widespread as the 14/15 model years.
My opinion would still be the 2020 ar240.
The covid quality control issues weren't untill the 21s came out.

 

[WiskyDan]

Either boat wont have a T/C issue. But any engine can have a failure. There has been reports of failures on newer years but not as widespread as the 14/15 model years.

Agreed, I only mentioned it due to the differing info on when the TC issue was at it's peak.