2019 Yamaha ar242x questions

[Jakester1967]

I think those big chaparrals are the best looking jet boats, and that color scheme is just outrageously cool!!!

Yamaha 1.8 engines have had the timing chain failures but that’s not related to salt. BRP drivetrains still have raw water cooled exhausts that are vulnerable. I think few here would pick a BRP jet boat over a Yamaha for reasons of better reliability, as the track record still favors Yamaha. At least for now.

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From what I was told by the dealer, mine was related to the ECU failing at WOT running and causing the injectors to dump too much fuel into the engine causing a # 3 cylinder failure which cracked the block which meant new engine...Not sure but after replacing the engine and both ECUs i was not a happy camper to say the least.

 

[Jakester1967]

That's a good looking boat!

Thanks!!! We are very happy with it so far...

 

[Travp]

Before you get too far down the path on any one boat, I'd also strongly recommend getting an on-water demo of any you're interested in. That's standard procedure on wake boats for serious customers. I've heard less consistency regarding Yamaha dealers being willing to demo. Actually getting these boats out on the water tells you WAY more than you can gather by looking at them and sitting in them at the dealership or online.

I agree doing on-water demo would be great but with the weather in michigan, doesnt really permit me to do that right now and that is a bummer.

 

[Dixie Highway]

Honestly, for someone that has never owned a boat before I’d recommend against spending $70k on ANYTHING. It’s your hard earned money, spend it how you like, but frankly 80% of people who own boats started out with a cheap, old, something or other. It’s like any other hobby, probably want to make sure it’s for you before going in “whole hog” as they say.

 

[Travp]

There are applications where jet boat isn't a good fit,

Where are you located?
where will you primarily be boating?
When you say you want to surf are your talking about just as a passing hobby or as a serious endeavor?
Will you do your own maintenance?
Will you have plenty of additional money after the purchase for modifications and tubes and boards and....

Dont' buy anything without a test ride or don't complain about your $75k mistake,


.

Located in Michigan, lake fresh water boating, wakeboarding as a hobby, wouldnt be making it into a serious thing. I will not be doing maintenance myself. Not plenty of money left over for mods, possibly only left for wakeboards and towables and thats it.

 

[Travp]

Everyone has their opinion and mine would be to check out the Chaparral Vortex!!! I have the 2430 VRX...Amazing boats...High quality finish and ride amazing in the water. Closed loop cooling system on twin 250HP Rotax engines...I got mine brand new with less than 2 hours (2017 left over) for 67K OTD!!! Dealer is doing the first 2 services for no cost and many other things for me...I had a Yamaha but had issues with the engines as I ran in salt and brackish alot...I always rinsed the engines after going out and that did not keep one from failing...I love the closed loop cooling system. View attachment 89486

Very nice looking boat!!!

 

[Travp]

Two suggestions.
First, see if there is a boat show close to you and make a visit.
Second, even though they are really advertisement vs reviews, check out the videos in Boattest.com

Its almost like asking someone to pick it your clothes for you. Everyone's tastes are different.

I have gone to a boat show, it’s just so overwhelming as everyone tells you something different. I liked yamaha as it has quite a bit of room, the big bimini top. Also, the x series is suppose to be their wakeboarding/surfing boat so thats why i considered it as it being a brand new boat for 70k and other wakeboarding/surfing that i saw at the show being north of that price range.

 

[J-RAD]

I have gone to a boat show, it’s just so overwhelming as everyone tells you something different. I liked yamaha as it has quite a bit of room, the big bimini top. Also, the x series is suppose to be their wakeboarding/surfing boat so thats why i considered it as it being a brand new boat for 70k and other wakeboarding/surfing that i saw at the show being north of that price range.

Hi @Travp, welcome to the best boaters forum on the internet. Here's my humble opinion. The 242x is a fantastic boat. It's basically Yamaha's flagship model. By comparison to most boats on the market it is a great model with great options. I would call it a casual watersports boat. Its not dedicated to any one thing but it does a lot of things well. Wakeboarding behind it is about like wakeboarding behind any I/O and good enough for most non professionals. Surfing works, but it's not a great out of the box surf boat. There's a lot of great information on the topic here. The list of accessories available to make it even better is growing more and more impressive. I've been consistently impressed with my ar240. I still think I got the right boat for me.

 

[Travp]

Hi @Travp, welcome to the best boaters forum on the internet. Here's my humble opinion. The 242x is a fantastic boat. It's basically Yamaha's flagship model. By comparison to most boats on the market it is a great model with great options. I would call it a casual watersports boat. Its not dedicated to any one thing but it does a lot of things well. Wakeboarding behind it is about like wakeboarding behind any I/O and good enough for most non professionals. Surfing works, but it's not a great lot of the box surf boat. There's a lot of great information on the topic here. The list of accessories available to make it even better is growing more and more impressive. I've been consistent impressed with my ar240. I still think I got the right boat for me.

Thank You and i am glad i found this forum as it is very helpful. I saw something about a wakebooster, is that something that would be helpful?

 

[OrangeTJ]

Those Chaps are definitely beautiful boats! I remember reading that they are louder underway than Yamahas. Is that accurate or am I misremembering? In any case, if my buddy's 1999 chaparral is any indication, they definitely do know how to build a quality boat.

 

[J-RAD]

Thank You and i am glad i found this forum as it is very helpful. I saw something about a wakebooster, is that something that would be helpful?

The same WakeBooster is Yamaha's new answer to improving the surf-ability of their boats. Is new to the market this year, many have them on order, but they've yet to reach the consumer. It does look fairly promising thought... there's just not a lot of first hand feedback to judge just how good it actually is.

There are a couple of issues with trying to surf these boats:

1. They are light weight for their size.
   • Although some models are equip with stock ballast their still light by comparison and that effects the overall displacement which effects the size of the wake.
   • @jcyamaharider has worked with Wake Makers to develop a custom transom bag that really helps.
   • Listing the boat surf side really helps the wake size and shape.
2. The twin jets make a messy wake.
   • The twin jets being side by side make the wake wider at the very rear of the boat and create a lot of turbulence right in the surf pocket.
   • Typical surf enhancers don't work the same on a jetboat but devices like the Yamaha Wake Wedge (also a @jcyamaharider product), the WakeBooster, and the newly introduced Thrust Vector Wake are all designed to combat this issue.
     1. The Wake Wedge acts to deflect the jet wash on the surf side and sculpt the wake by skimming the surface of the water behind the boat. In combination with additional ballast, like the custom transom bag, this has proven to be very effective.
     2. The WakeBooster acts to grab water passing along the side and under the boat on the surf side and directs it into the center of the wake flooding the jet wash and claims to help build the size of the wake as well as clean it up.
     3. The new Thrust Vector Wake, in addition to offering improved low speed handling deflect the thrust down at the jets and claims to improve the quality of wake for most all watersports. Although the final product has yet to reach the consumer. I suspect ballast will still be a necessity.

Bottom line is, these boats are versatile enough to make them do most everything. Somethings just might be a little more cumbersome than pushing a button and jumping in the water.

 

[Tms1224]

First time boat owner bought the Yamaha 242 last year. I did get the opportunity to demo the Scarab and thought the Yamaha had a better layout. The Connext 12inch screen is a big plus and the Bimini top of the E and X was awesome! I did research prop drives but ones I wanted were too $$ . I personally decided on a jet boat for multiple reasons. Liked the idea of no prop, shallow waters, tow ability and price (the yamaha's seem to hold value well too) Between the Rotax and Yamaha I felt the Yamaha power plant was more linear, very clean smooth power the biggest difference to me was the noise! The Scarab felt fast but had an unrefined feel and too loud specially after driving the 242. I come from a Powersports background and LOVE Rotax engines but have had my share of Yamaha's too and you really can't beat the reliability...right up there in the category of Honda engines. These things are Yamaha soup to nuts.. I love that they build the entire boat. I have wake surfed behind it, but have never experience surfing a prop drive . The jet drive has been very versatile and definitely impressed with the performance ...but for me I'm more likely to be drinking and grilling then watersports just going out on the water to relax and party and just escape the grind! One big factor that really helped me decide on a jet boat was this Forum. The the support and community here is a great tool and feature of ownership.

 

[J-RAD]

The same WakeBooster is Yamaha's new answer to improving the surf-ability of their boats. Is new to the market this year, many have them on order, but they've yet to reach the consumer. It does look fairly promising thought... there's just not a lot of first hand feedback to judge just how good it actually is.

There are a couple of issues with trying to surf these boats:

1. They are light weight for their size.
   • Although some models are equip with stock ballast their still light by comparison and that effects the overall displacement which effects the size of the wake.
   • @jcyamaharider has worked with Wake Makers to develop a custom transom bag that really helps.
   • Listing the boat surf side really helps the wake size and shape.
2. The twin jets make a messy wake.
   • The twin jets being side by side make the wake wider at the very rear of the boat and create a lot of turbulence right in the surf pocket.
   • Typical surf enhancers don't work the same on a jetboat but devices like the Yamaha Wake Wedge (also a @jcyamaharider product), the WakeBooster, and the newly introduced Thrust Vector Wake are all designed to combat this issue.
     1. The Wake Wedge acts to deflect the jet wash on the surf side and sculpt the wake by skimming the surface of the water behind the boat. In combination with additional ballast, like the custom transom bag, this has proven to be very effective.
     2. The WakeBooster acts to grab water passing along the side and under the boat on the surf side and directs it into the center of the wake flooding the jet wash and claims to help build the size of the wake as well as clean it up.
     3. The new Thrust Vector Wake, in addition to offering improved low speed handling deflect the thrust down at the jets and claims to improve the quality of wake for most all watersports. Although the final product has yet to reach the consumer. I suspect ballast will still be a necessity.

Bottom line is, these boats are versatile enough to make them do most everything. Somethings just might be a little more cumbersome than pushing a button and jumping in the water.

Sorry, so many typos in my last post. I think I fixed it to make a little more sense.

 

[jocolo21]

lake Michigan do get rough it will limit your already short days of summer, on a dedicated wake boat, period, my buddy bought a salt edition premium wake boat even in the protected waters of the inner coastal he almost shit his pants more than once. While i was just cruising with 8 adults a my dog in my ar230, now i have a 2019 ar242se. just in case we had owned just about every kind of boat growing up in the carribean, jet boats are frown upon, now im on my 2nd i owned my first for 5 years salt and fresh water used, flawless. The guy that bought it shipped it to el combate PR to keep at the marina over there. before i bought my 2019 i showed my fam a 266 Commander, yes CC, both screamed at my ME ARENT CENTER CONSOLE PEOPLE LOL. we love hanging out on the swim deck. That said there are some beautiful wake boats out there, i surfed behind an axis, I bough my 07 yamaha for $21k sold it 5 years later for $17.5. in december im sure i would of waited and get more money.. Think about all the condition that the members have spoken off, and see which boat suits your lifestyle better.

 

[the MfM]

Spoiler: NSFW

A girl who swallows is like owning a V-Drive for surfing, You don't need it, but it's nice to have.

 

[Travp]

So went to a boat show yesterday, i think i am going to get the 2019 242x, ask the dealer about the wakebooster, he had it installed on the display boat. He said that i wouldn’t need it but if i like i would have to pay $1000 and he has some in the store. Thank you everyone for your input, i did go around looking at other boats, their were some very nice boats but the price was too much for me. Maybe in the near future once i get the hang of wakesurfing i will look into those boats. Now time to buy some towables and spend more money

 

[swatski]

So went to a boat show yesterday, i think i am going to get the 2019 242x, ask the dealer about the wakebooster, he had it installed on the display boat. He said that i wouldn’t need it but if i like i would have to pay $1000 and he has some in the store. Thank you everyone for your input, i did go around looking at other boats, they were very nice boats but the price was very high as well. Maybe in the near future once i get the hang of wakesurfing i will look into that. Now time to buy some towables and spend more money

I don't think you can go wrong with a 242X.
Sounds like you are not getting any discounts on the WakeBooster, it is brand new concept this year so you could let others test it out before you make a decision what surf enhancements to get, IMO.

--

 

[J-RAD]

Nice choice! When you factor it all in the wakebooster is not a bad deal. If you will be surfing you will eventually want something, but you don't need anything to try it.

I'm just going to leave this right here...
https://jetboaters.net/threads/transom-watersports-introduction.21119/

 

[JCKC]

Looking at purchasing a 2019 yamaha ar242x. This will be the first boat I have ever owned. It will be used for chilling on the boat, tubes being towed, wakeboarding and surfing. No little kids will be on it. Boat is costing 70k, is there any other new boat comparable in price that will offer the same?

Thanks

Big T

I like mine for the money. My daughter surf‘s all day. I guess if we were “ serious” boarde/ surfers it might make sense to think differently. But, for general purpose boat, recreational activities, the difference in money isn’t worth it to us.