2015 Yamaha Jet Boat Pictures

[maboat]

..... I'm in no rush to pay more at the pump but at over $60k, an $8k premium over the ar240, I expect the performance, not just the interior, to be better than the ar240. .... let's face it, a buyer willing to pay over $60k, closer to $70k after taxes and fees, for a boat only used on the weekends several months a year, the price of gas shouldn't be an issue..

Exactly, exactly! If I'm going to pay top dollar for the FLAGSHIP, it should have the best/biggest/most powerful engines.

 

[maboat]

Take a look behind there, I think I remember seeing a boomerang shaped control arm that manipulates the cables... I could be wrong.

You are right - before 2015. The new rack and pinion steering replaces the parts you are talking about.

The previous boats didn't have a rack at all that I could discern.

Do we know if ALL 2015 boats have it now, or just the models with the rudder?

 

[txav8r]

Rack and pinion could be a very good solution. Because at slow speed, you don't have huge resistance to turning the wheel when bending the flow from the pumps, and the rack will really help move them without so much resistance. Very low maintenance on a rack system, no more really than the setup we have had. I want to see it and try it out!

 

[Williamsone46]

Dang! That is no fun!

@txav8r couldn't get his new 240 boat to do a sub move either.

The older 230's are sounding better!

I've never understood spinning or the sub move. It seems like would beat it up, and after all the money I invest in my boat I'm not to keen on beating it up.

 

[maboat]

From an engineering perspective this is no big deal. Its just one of many different ways to skin the cat (turning rotational motion into lateral motion)

In the automotive world, rack and pinion steering gives the driver more feedback of the road - which is considered to be better by car enthusiasts. I'm not sure if that is good or bad for a boater.

 

[Yamaha242lsdallas]

I've never understood spinning or the sub move. It seems like would beat it up, and after all the money I invest in my boat I'm not to keen on beating it up.

I agree, it has never appealed to me -dumping 10s of gallons of water into your boat. I know its a boat and its OK to get some water inside but the port/starboard bow storage carpet is a bitch to dry out once it gets wet. and if it stays wet it starts to smell. I don't want to deal with that at all! Heck, it even bugs me the forward cup holders don't have drain piping to move any water that may get in them away from the carpeted storage and down into the bilge somehow. In fact that may be my next mod for all 4 forward cup holders, routing the water drains from them to drain into the hull/bilge protecting the carpet.

 

[txav8r]

I am with you on the sub move @Williamsone46 . But I even learned something watching @farrelltravis do it in his 230. He doesn't get anything but spray and no water over the bow...just a bat stop in all practicality. The spins however, on smooth water hurt nothing and your kids will say over and over..."do it again daddy"! The boat turns fast and hard with a good amount of g force, but it puts no strain on the boat if the water is smooth. Start small with 30mph and just lay the wheel over. Work up to higher speeds...I am a huge "respect the equipment" guy, and I wouldn't do anything that subjected my boat to an unusual amount of wear and tear. Even Yamaha puts their boats through more than that in testing. Sure, stuff we wouldn't do normally, but they don't really spin anyway, it is a hard turn and slide. Here is a Yamaha test boat in the gulf!

 

[farrelltravis]

I've never understood spinning or the sub move. It seems like would beat it up, and after all the money I invest in my boat I'm not to keen on beating it up.

I understand. We disagree that those things "beat it up", but I understand your point of view.

 

[farrelltravis]

I am a huge "respect the equipment" guy, and I wouldn't do anything that subjected my boat to an unusual amount of wear and tear. Even Yamaha puts their boats through more than that in testing. Sure, stuff we wouldn't do normally, but they don't really spin anyway, it is a hard turn and slide.

I, too, agree that the spins don't beat up the boat.

 

[maboat]

I even learned something watching @@farrelltravis do it in his 230. He doesn't get anything but spray and no water over the bow...The spins however, on smooth water hurt nothing and your kids will say over and over..."do it again daddy"! The boat turns fast and hard with a good amount of g force, but it puts no strain on the boat if the water is smooth. . ...I am a huge "respect the equipment" guy, and I wouldn't do anything that subjected my boat to an unusual amount of wear and tear. Even Yamaha puts their boats through more than that in testing.

You know if @txav8r is willing to do it in his boat then you know its not harming anything!

Sub moves for me in a 230 are the same way. Lots of spray over the bow and the bow is never underwater. Kids love it! How can you deny them?

 

[farrelltravis]

You know if @txav8r is willing to do it in his boat then you know its not harming anything!

Sub moves for me in a 230 are the same way. Lots of spray over the bow and the bow is never underwater.

x2

I call it "cuttin' it up". If I get smooth water, I'll be cuttin' it up!

 

[PEARCE]

The kids, as well as this daddy, do love doing donuts as the kids call them. Great fun on smooth water. Doesn't hurt anything but burn more gas.

 

[Topper232]

Hope them have them at the Atlantic City in-water boat show next month. Would love to test drive one, or two for comparison.

 

[Pointblank]

Here's a copy of the 2015 brochure.

(Hadn't seen it posted yet; apologies if dupe.)

 

[Geiger41]

ZACTLY!

Even though it appears to be a big change year, in the grand scheme, no big game changers here. Just incremental improvements that we all asked for long ago. I'm glad to see these improvements, but without a new engine and/or new jet pumps, or a completely new model (cabin/cuddy?) they are pricing closer to other boats that I would rather have for that price range.

In the under$50k range, Yamaha boats are hard to beat. In the over $50k range, not so much. That touchscreen add-on looks to me like a cheezy way to self-justify positioning against other $60k+ boats. But the rest of the construction doesn't match. The hinged seats don't hinge down so they get in the way when you open them. We've already see a picture of a missing screw on a boat that should have been examined very closely by Yamaha before showing it off. No changes to the cleanout plugs as far as we know. Even the fancy-named "articulating keel" is an add-on afterthought. "Quiet Cruise"??? Really? Wow a fancy name for basic sound deadening that should have been there long long ago. Its not rocket science. And it should be in all the Yamaha boats, not just the $50k boats. I'm underwhelmed.

Sorry guys. But for the price range it doesn't compare. Compared to cheaper yamaha models, yes, the 242 looks nice. But now in the over $60k price range I don't see it standing out so much in that class.

I may have a

Hope them have them at the Atlantic City in-water boat show next month. Would love to test drive one, or two for comparison.

I just looked at the website...doesn't say anything about YAMAHA's being there.

 

[Williamsone46]

Exactly, exactly! If I'm going to pay top dollar for the FLAGSHIP, it should have the best/biggest/most powerful engines.

I find this so funny. Everyone begs for a supercharger so Yamaha puts them in the 192's and then low and behold everyone freaks out about economy..... really really? I'm 100% confident that would most likely be the case if they put them in the 242's or 212X's. I really don't find the need for supercharger on the bigger boats, they have plenty of power as they sit. I understand if your going to buy a 60K boat fuel shouldn't be an issue but I'm pretty sure that's not the case. The percentage of people on here that are willing to gain 10-15% in performance to reduce economy by 30% I would think are very few.

At least in my opinion the trade off would not be worth it.

 

[octavio3311]

X2.
I have no desire for superchargers or a need for more power. I find these boats plenty fast - faster than most. My buddies 24' 8.1L powered Chappie is ONLY doing 57mph anyways. And it takes him a while to get there. Meanwhile, our boats are there NOW!

If speed is your thing, then there's other boats better suited for that.

 

[Bruce]

My biggest issue with the superchargers is range. I certainly would not want a 242 with supercharged engines that goes 60 MPH but has half the range.

 

[txav8r]

I completely agree @Williamsone46 , those superchargers really ought to be an option almost, because the masses aren't likely to want to spring for the additional operating costs. Perception is a funny thing, and some will spend $3 to drive out of the way to save $0.10/gallon on gas, and if they did the math, they would find that it actually cost them more to do that than pay the extra per gallon. I do see the marketing on the 192 as missing the target, but I am sure they sell more boats that way. I would be willing to bet money, that a huge majority of people owning anything in the sport line are concerned about economy. I say that, you you know better than most, because how many people finance that 242LS for 15 years? IMO, that is crazy, but who am I to say. Some carry notes, some pay cash, and some buy a new boat every year. Even with your deep discount as a F&I manager for a dealer, changing boats every year takes deeper pockets than most boat owners have. It is all a question of where you want to spend your discretionary income and how you want absorb it. But my guess is that even though I can afford a $60K boat, I am going to be concerned with what it costs to keep it going. I know guys down here, that have cruisers that don't even run! And if they did run, they couldn't afford to pay the operating costs on them. They enjoy the dock life and that is ok, but it is all a question of what floats your boat. We all speculate on the forum about Yamahas intentions and the market acceptance, and we may be right or wrong, but no one on here fully knows or understands either. Even you guys...you are fed hype from Yamaha on what they want you to see and share, not actually what they are creating. Personally, I think Yamaha listens and produces what they perceive the market desires. But they are pushing the envelope and changing what they are. These huge price increases every year will bite them eventually or just change their demographic. But lets face it, the middle class has been eroding for a long time, so I think they are going in a risky direction on price point. What they should be doing IMO, is figuring out how to build these new features into the boats at a zero cost, and putting a better product out there than the competition and at a advantageous cost advantage over them. Yamaha is an absolute leader in robotics and manufacturing, they can add these new features without gouging the consumer, and that is what has built the loyalty and increased their market share year over year. The ice is getting thin, because they are already beyond their demographic's loose change threshold IMO.

 

[maboat]

I find this so funny. Everyone begs for a supercharger so Yamaha puts them in the 192's and then low and behold everyone freaks out about economy..... really really? I'm 100% confident that would most likely be the case if they put them in the 242's or 212X's. I really don't find the need for supercharger on the bigger boats, they have plenty of power as they sit. .

You're missing the point.

I never said I was begging for a supercharger. I'm saying the premium flagship boat should have the a premium flagship engine The 242 has the same engine as the 240, then what are you getting for the extra $8,000 difference?
The 212's have an upgraded engine over the 210's. Why shouldn't the 242 should have an upgraded engine over the 240. ESPECIALLY since there is a $8,000 price difference.