Ronnie
Jetboaters Fleet Admiral
- Messages
- 8,512
- Reaction score
- 11,324
- Points
- 647
- Location
- SF Bay Area
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2010
- Boat Model
- Limited S
- Boat Length
- 24
My wife and I just bought this Waverunner but have had a 2006 FXHO since 2009. This FX HO is now the entry level model in Yamaha’s Luxury Waverunner line up, so it has a naturally aspirated 1.8 liter engine and the same hull and electronics as the rest of the line up but no stadium/cruiser seat nor a super charger. The cost of these options is plus $500 for the cruiser seats, plus $2,000 for the super charger on top of a base price of $13,800. The out the door price including almost 10% sales tax and “dealer prep” was just over $16,000. If this seems like a lot of money to you, we are on the same boat/pwc. FYI- the top of the line FX is a SVHO Cruiser for $16,300, add $1,000 for the limited which buys A different color scheme, a two speaker Sound system, garmin fish/depth finder, a tube and wakeboard.
Initially I was against purchasing this but agreed to sell our 2003 FX to make room on our trailer for a new FX HO. We picked it up I’m Sacramento last Friday. What a joke the New buying process turned out to be but that’s another story. That stated, the result was that we ended up taking the day off to pick up the ski and ride it for all of 30 minutes. Break in takes 1 hour and 35 minutes (I.e., 5 mins under 2k rpm, 30 Minutes Under 5k rpms and finally 60 minutes Under 6k), so we didn’t complete break in until Saturday, our first full day of ownership. Currently the waverunner has about three hours on it and I’ve only put on one of those hours.
My observations after just one hour are as follows:
1. The ski accelerates as well as and has the same top speed as my 2006 model. However, this is where the similarities end.
2. The new ski has all the latest bells and whistles, like no wake mode, cruise assist, levered brake/reverse and a connect system with a touch screen.
A. No wake mode has two settings, normal 2,200 rpm and -1@ 1,900 rpm. Both are faster / created more of a wake than I wanted so I just idled though no wake zones at 3 mph.
B. Cruise assist is awesome, I set it for 40 mph and the ski maintained this speed for miles of cruising and a few quasi slaloms. To disengage it simply let off the throttle and/or squeeze the brake lever.
C. The levered brake/reverse lever only took a few minutes to get used to. It works seamlessly with the throttle lever to give the pilot excellent control both at high speeds and around the dock. The one thing I forgot to check is how much braking has improved from high speeds but I suspect it’s as good as advertised, that is up to a 50% decrease in stopping distance.
3. Other noticeable differences from the first generation of FX models, in my case the 2003 and 2006 model years are:
A. The new FX is about 6” longer.
B. The swim step is now a true step with a plastic rung covered with seadek/hydro turf instead of just a bar coated with plastic dip.
C. The seadek/non slip material has a more high end look and feel to it, as do the materials for the seat. Even the grips are form fitted.
D. The foot swells drain into the hull where the water is evacuated via the bilge pump.
E. There is a water tight / removable storage compartment under the rear seat, the locking mechanism for the center console has been redesigned as a simple rubber latch and the front storage compartment and opening seem to be about three times larger in the current generation of FXs.
F. Last but not least are the controls/display. Gone is the analog guage with separate multifunction lcd displays. Now it’s just a single touch screen with Separate scroll and And alarm off buttons. The key fob to disable the ignition or to engage The learners mode has been replaced with a pin code and the ability to not only limit top speed to 35 mph but also retard acceleration performance.
4. A few things that I think would make thi ski even better/more worthy of the luxury designation are:
A. At least one pop up cleat near the bow, as is there is no easily accessible place to secure a docking line or fender to. I used the bow eye/handle sometimes but most of the time i just put a line around the steering column. this is what Yamaha expects their customers to do whether they buy the entry level model For $8k or the entry level FX For $16k, really? Yes really but it’s worth noting that the cruiser series fx also includes pop up cleats as well as the stadium/tiered seats.
B.How about a Button operated horn. Currently no sounding device is included with the purchase of an fx ho or any fix version. We did buy a new Premium lanyard that has a Yamaha patch on it and included a cheap jet logic plastic whistle, this lanyard/whistle combo retailed for $40 at the dealership we got a few dollars off it but not many.
C. More telemetry from the connext system, like air and water temperature and top speed. Maybe this Information is available and just have or seen it yet (I have not read the owners manual) but I doubt it.
D. Replace the two rubber tie downs that secure the hatch on the stern with a simple Mechanical latch/handle to make use of the compartment easier. It’s great that Yamaha included such a compartment years ago but it would not take much to make it more user friendly/usable.
E. Speakers integrated into the foot wells like Seadoo does. As is, if you add the Yamaha speakers to the fx you lose your cup holders doing so. Which makes the luxury ski less luxurious.
5.Overall, the new model is much more comfortable to use than the older model. By this I mean, it turns faster and absorbs Rough water conditions and wake much better. The cruise assist and no wake modes are true throttle finger savers and the connext system is easy to read and use. Again top speed and acceleration are comparable but other than these metrics the new model is a totally different animal more like a well trained dog instead of a wild wolf or for the auto minded, a retail hummer v. the military version. Again, I was reluctant to agree to this purchase, and did so primarily on the basis of “happy wife, happy life” but after riding it for just one hour, I’m hooked, this is my new favorite PWC and my wife Has already set and reiterated (several times) that she not me is it’s primary user. In conclusion, as Ferris Beahuler (sp?) said, “if you have the means, ....” if I had the means I’d replace my 2006 FXho with a 2021 fx svho.
Initially I was against purchasing this but agreed to sell our 2003 FX to make room on our trailer for a new FX HO. We picked it up I’m Sacramento last Friday. What a joke the New buying process turned out to be but that’s another story. That stated, the result was that we ended up taking the day off to pick up the ski and ride it for all of 30 minutes. Break in takes 1 hour and 35 minutes (I.e., 5 mins under 2k rpm, 30 Minutes Under 5k rpms and finally 60 minutes Under 6k), so we didn’t complete break in until Saturday, our first full day of ownership. Currently the waverunner has about three hours on it and I’ve only put on one of those hours.
My observations after just one hour are as follows:
1. The ski accelerates as well as and has the same top speed as my 2006 model. However, this is where the similarities end.
2. The new ski has all the latest bells and whistles, like no wake mode, cruise assist, levered brake/reverse and a connect system with a touch screen.
A. No wake mode has two settings, normal 2,200 rpm and -1@ 1,900 rpm. Both are faster / created more of a wake than I wanted so I just idled though no wake zones at 3 mph.
B. Cruise assist is awesome, I set it for 40 mph and the ski maintained this speed for miles of cruising and a few quasi slaloms. To disengage it simply let off the throttle and/or squeeze the brake lever.
C. The levered brake/reverse lever only took a few minutes to get used to. It works seamlessly with the throttle lever to give the pilot excellent control both at high speeds and around the dock. The one thing I forgot to check is how much braking has improved from high speeds but I suspect it’s as good as advertised, that is up to a 50% decrease in stopping distance.
3. Other noticeable differences from the first generation of FX models, in my case the 2003 and 2006 model years are:
A. The new FX is about 6” longer.
B. The swim step is now a true step with a plastic rung covered with seadek/hydro turf instead of just a bar coated with plastic dip.
C. The seadek/non slip material has a more high end look and feel to it, as do the materials for the seat. Even the grips are form fitted.
D. The foot swells drain into the hull where the water is evacuated via the bilge pump.
E. There is a water tight / removable storage compartment under the rear seat, the locking mechanism for the center console has been redesigned as a simple rubber latch and the front storage compartment and opening seem to be about three times larger in the current generation of FXs.
F. Last but not least are the controls/display. Gone is the analog guage with separate multifunction lcd displays. Now it’s just a single touch screen with Separate scroll and And alarm off buttons. The key fob to disable the ignition or to engage The learners mode has been replaced with a pin code and the ability to not only limit top speed to 35 mph but also retard acceleration performance.
4. A few things that I think would make thi ski even better/more worthy of the luxury designation are:
A. At least one pop up cleat near the bow, as is there is no easily accessible place to secure a docking line or fender to. I used the bow eye/handle sometimes but most of the time i just put a line around the steering column. this is what Yamaha expects their customers to do whether they buy the entry level model For $8k or the entry level FX For $16k, really? Yes really but it’s worth noting that the cruiser series fx also includes pop up cleats as well as the stadium/tiered seats.
B.How about a Button operated horn. Currently no sounding device is included with the purchase of an fx ho or any fix version. We did buy a new Premium lanyard that has a Yamaha patch on it and included a cheap jet logic plastic whistle, this lanyard/whistle combo retailed for $40 at the dealership we got a few dollars off it but not many.
C. More telemetry from the connext system, like air and water temperature and top speed. Maybe this Information is available and just have or seen it yet (I have not read the owners manual) but I doubt it.
D. Replace the two rubber tie downs that secure the hatch on the stern with a simple Mechanical latch/handle to make use of the compartment easier. It’s great that Yamaha included such a compartment years ago but it would not take much to make it more user friendly/usable.
E. Speakers integrated into the foot wells like Seadoo does. As is, if you add the Yamaha speakers to the fx you lose your cup holders doing so. Which makes the luxury ski less luxurious.
5.Overall, the new model is much more comfortable to use than the older model. By this I mean, it turns faster and absorbs Rough water conditions and wake much better. The cruise assist and no wake modes are true throttle finger savers and the connext system is easy to read and use. Again top speed and acceleration are comparable but other than these metrics the new model is a totally different animal more like a well trained dog instead of a wild wolf or for the auto minded, a retail hummer v. the military version. Again, I was reluctant to agree to this purchase, and did so primarily on the basis of “happy wife, happy life” but after riding it for just one hour, I’m hooked, this is my new favorite PWC and my wife Has already set and reiterated (several times) that she not me is it’s primary user. In conclusion, as Ferris Beahuler (sp?) said, “if you have the means, ....” if I had the means I’d replace my 2006 FXho with a 2021 fx svho.
Last edited:
