2025 Yamaha 222 E-series worth it?

[dantebelmonte]

I currently have the 2021 AR190

Love the boat but had another kid and always have friends with us so we need more space. Naturally I started looking at the 22’ series. Saw the brown cognac interior and that is now a non-negotiable for me lol.

I was originally sold on the 2025 222S as I LOVE the black with blue bottom and cognac interior. It meets all our needs as I don’t need all the high tech stuff and add ons. But then I started doing more research…

***enter E-series***

Now I started to look at the 222SE. I read that with the two throttles, having the electric throttles over the tradition cables is a game changer. Having the 12.3” touch screen and push to start is a plus. The only reason im considering the 222SE is the throttle. Is the throttle sync worth it that much? Will I be annoyed with the 222S cable throttles coming from an AR190? Or will I be fine as this is what I’m used to?

We don’t wakeboard with the young kids yet but we really just cruise and go to some fun cove spots.

The real reason I’m debating isn’t the money, $3k I couldn’t care less but it’s the exterior color (I know shoot me). I really like the 222S black with dark blue bottom vs the 222SE grey with white bottom, just doesn’t give the wow factor like the 222S does. Now reading about e-series I’m nervous I’m going to regret the system everyone seems to love.

Me and my pity color opinion lol

 

[Acard7]

You’ll never be disappointed upgrading.. But… If money isn’t an issue go sit in a 252SE while you’re at it

 

[dantebelmonte]

You’ll never be disappointed upgrading.. But… If money isn’t an issue go sit in a 252SE while you’re at it
View attachment 231496

problem here is now towing capacity for our vehicle. We just upgraded our tow vehicle last year and I don’t want to do that as well

 

[WiskyDan]

I went from a 242LS to a 242LS-E and the electronic throttles were a game changer for me - I don’t ever want a boat without them. Being able to sync both engines to the port throttle is super convenient and the throttle/s are silky smooth. You can set a speed and acceleration curve as well so kinda like cruise control. I haven’t really used this yet but I’m gonna play with it this coming season.

 

[kgower]

We went through the same thought process last year. We initially thought we would purchase the 222S but ended up with the SE. I only use the throttle sync about half the time. For us the larger screen and no throttle cables were the biggest deciding factors.
You can't use the wake booster with the swim up seats in place, they must be removed. I am working an option. I believe Jewls Customs is also working on a solution that would negate the removal of the brackets.

 

[dantebelmonte]

We went through the same thought process last year. We initially thought we would purchase the 222S but ended up with the SE. I only use the throttle sync about half the time. For us the larger screen and no throttle cables were the biggest deciding factors.
You can't use the wake booster with the swim up seats in place, they must be removed. I am working an option. I believe Jewls Customs is also working on a solution that would negate the removal of the brackets.

What made you go to the SE, the electronic throttles I assume? I was told that if you aren't wakeboarding that it isn't that big of deal to have the cables. My kids are too young to do any water sports (4 months and 3 years old). If we do wakeboard it may be once a year if I have a friend on the boat that can drive it.

 

[Acard7]

I think what pushed us to the 252SE over the 252S was the wife really wanted the electronic throttles, throttle sync, cruise assist, and larger bimini. She doesn’t like our AR230 because the throttle cables are a little stiff. I replaced the bucket control cables which obviously makes it easy going back and forth from forward to reverse detents. I didn’t think the throttle cables were all that bad though, but I captain the boat 99.9% of the time so I’m used to it, and they weren’t near as bad as how stiff our 19ft Crownline I/O cable was!

Came down to price for us too, went to a boat show locally and they wanted $8k more for the 252S than what we bought the 252SE for and it was only 3 hours farther to drive to get it. So it was a no brainer to go with the higher trim level. Only downfall to more technology is I can’t fix it myself and parts are much more expensive compared to a throttle cable.

 

[dantebelmonte]

I think what pushed us to the 252SE over the 252S was the wife really wanted the electronic throttles, throttle sync, cruise assist, and larger bimini. She doesn’t like our AR230 because the throttle cables are a little stiff. I replaced the bucket control cables which obviously makes it easy going back and forth from forward to reverse detents. I didn’t think the throttle cables were all that bad though, but I captain the boat 99.9% of the time so I’m used to it, and they weren’t near as bad as how stiff our 19ft Crownline I/O cable was!

Came down to price for us too, went to a boat show locally and they wanted $8k more for the 252S than what we bought the 252SE for and it was only 3 hours farther to drive to get it. So it was a no brainer to go with the higher trim level. Only downfall to more technology is I can’t fix it myself and parts are much more expensive compared to a throttle cable.

Tell me more about what you did with the cables and the bucket control. I read about this but didn't really understand.

 

[Acard7]

So on our old AR230 there’s two cables per throttle, one for the bucket and one for throttle to the engine. Just like your current boat, except you just have one throttle but still has two cables. My control cables (for the buckets over the nozzles) went bad, so was really hard to move the throttles from neutral to forward or back to reverse. So when I investigated I saw both cables had split and the wire was showing and rusted, which would make it hard to move the buckets. Super easy to change though and inexpensive.

My throttle cables aren’t silky smooth and I’m not sure replacing with brand new would ever come close to what the electronic throttles provide! But my throttle cables have no rips or wire showing so I don’t want to replace them.

My in laws tritoon has an electronic throttle and it feels so weird (to me since not used to it) because there’s no resistance; but so nice because you can slowly throttle up or down without having to worry about accidentally hitting a tough or quick spot in a throttle wire.

 

[dantebelmonte]

So on our old AR230 there’s two cables per throttle, one for the bucket and one for throttle to the engine. Just like your current boat, except you just have one throttle but still has two cables. My control cables (for the buckets over the nozzles) went bad, so was really hard to move the throttles from neutral to forward or back to reverse. So when I investigated I saw both cables had split and the wire was showing and rusted, which would make it hard to move the buckets. Super easy to change though and inexpensive.

My throttle cables aren’t silky smooth and I’m not sure replacing with brand new would ever come close to what the electronic throttles provide! But my throttle cables have no rips or wire showing so I don’t want to replace them.

My in laws tritoon has an electronic throttle and it feels so weird (to me since not used to it) because there’s no resistance; but so nice because you can slowly throttle up or down without having to worry about accidentally hitting a tough or quick spot in a throttle wire.

Interesting, thanks for the explaining. I have read that somehow people change out the cables to make them smoother and event to "sync" the throttles. Not sure how syncing them without an electronic system is even possible so I will have to read up on it more.

I appreciate your insight! I believe we are going to stick with the 222S over the 222SE as I love the S exterior color combo and coming from an AR190 it should be no difference of what I am used to. Once the kids start to do water sports in a few years I will probably jump to a 252SE (exterior color dependent)

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Interesting, thanks for the explaining. I have read that somehow people change out the cables to make them smoother and event to "sync" the throttles. Not sure how syncing them without an electronic system is even possible so I will have to read up on it more.

I appreciate your insight! I believe we are going to stick with the 222S over the 222SE as I love the S exterior color combo and coming from an AR190 it should be no difference of what I am used to. Once the kids start to do water sports in a few years I will probably jump to a 252SE (exterior color dependent)

As far as synching goes with the non E drive.. its done by your ear and making small adjustments to the throttle handles. Takes a bit to get the hang of it but its pretty simple and there is a bit of satisfaction when you get the engines synched up perfectly with your hand.

The other thing that has not been mentioned, and you have it on your current boat is the no wake / cruise assist. This is something I use a lot once I get the throttles set when I’m cruising. I run the throttles up to 6000 rpm, synch if necessary, then only use the cruise assist button after that. To me this is the only way to adjust throttle settings once you get going, especially if the water is anything but glassy smooth.

There is another thing to consider with the E drive, is that the bucket(s) are also controlled electronically through a servo driven actuator, there is no feathering the thrust from “neutral” to partially open as far as I understand it. Another thing that can happen is if some sort of debris gets caught in the buckets, like sand or something, the ecu will throw a code and the bucket control will lock out and will stay this way until you turn everything off and clear the debris so the actuator can move the bucket. There is at least one member who dealt with this. And I’m not sure how, if any, affect there is on the ability to put the buckets into reverse at speed to let reverse thrust act as brakes.

Push to start buttons… from what I understand and I could be totally wrong on this, the push to start buttons are a momentary switch you push down on until the motor starts, and also serves as a kill switch, again, this is how I have come to think about the push to start button. Its not like it is in a car or light truck where you push the button and the computer takes control of the starting. IF my understanding is correct on this, I really can’t see the advantage over a key.

Fly by wire…The ETV or electronic throttle valve on the intake manifold remains the same as with the cable driven system, I THINK the difference is that the cable driven potentiometer that controls the ETV is in the throttle binnacle instead of the cable driven one in the engine bay. I could be wrong about that… but again that is what I think. Biggest advantage here is the ability to select single lever throttle and the engine synching, and depending on model you can set up speed control for surfing as well as acceleration profiles for individual riders. The best news is that if you want electronic synching and better speed control once the kiddos start doing water sports you can always just install a Hydrophase unit to accomplish the same things that the E series throttle has.

The main this is to get the boat you want, you seem pretty set on a color combo, and you should be! You’re going to be paying a lot of dough for this boat, get exactly what you want. The only thing I’ll add is that if you are thinking of going to the 252 do it now, boats are not getting any cheaper going forward. I know you just bought a new TV, but that vehicles’ resale value is at its highest now, and or buy a lower priced dedicated TV for the bigger boat.