275SDX

[Judge]

For the 275sdx owners out there: do you guys have any issues with hard turns at a decent speed? Mine really struggles. Is it normal for the clean out ports to fill with water? I'm coming from a 222 and there was never any water in the clean outs on that boat. I have a couple other issues: it's taking on water from somewhere, dealer can't figure it out yet, starboard engine shakes and doesn't run as smoothly as the port engine. The boat is beautiful but I'm not impressed with the quality and performance so far.

I have a '22 275SD but basically the same boat. I can't say that I feel like I have any steering issues. I also can't say I have made any super hard turns at speed but I have been happy with the steering at speed for the most part. But I also installed the Cobra Jet Super Ultimate AK-19 Deluxe fins and Lectrotab trim tabs before I ever put the boat in the water so we might not be comparing apples-to-apples at this point.

I am not getting any water into my cleanout ports or very minimal. I was just out today in 2-3 footers in the Gulf of Mexico and when I opened the covers there was maybe an inch of water on them. The backend of the 275 sits so high I think it is very hard to get water to enter through the bottom of the seats and into the inspection port area and cleanout ports. You would have to be doing 50mph and then dropping to Neutral so a massive wave crashes over the back of the boat.

Did you pull your cleanout ports and make sure they were seated properly? I would also put some this lube around them periodically.

Amazon.com

I did put a bead of marine silicone around the entire inspection / access area and the water drain on both sides just in case water did get into that area but so far I think very little water gets in there on a 275.

There is a fairly well known problem with the anchor locker drain causing excess water getting into the hull and down to the bilge. @drewkaree and a few other guys posted how to keep water from getting into the hull from a poorly installed anchor locker drain allowing water to come in from outside the bow and leaking into the fiberglass in the anchor locker and down to the bilge.

I was going to put in the stainless steel fitting like they did but my plastic fitting was in there very tight and would not come out unless I would have completely destroyed it. Yamaha must have put it in with 4200 or 5200 unlike some of the boats. All I did was take a little 5200 and put it around the hole they cut in the fiberglass that was exposed inside the anchor locker and I put a little more around the drain port on the outside of the bow.

I have to say my boat has been fairly water tight after 25 hours of use in the first month. I was a little worried because I installed a Garmin Chartpotter and had to cut a 1/2" hole under the swim platform for the transducer. Then I drilled 18 holes through the transom to install the trim tabs and another 6 holes in the bottom of the swim platform for the actuator mounts. I did this all before putting the boat in the water so if I had a lot of water coming in I wouldn't have known if it was my trim tab install or something else from the factory.

One place I know a fair amount of water could get into the boat very easily is the four cup holders on the swim platform. When I pulled two of them out when I was getting to run the cables for the trim tab actuators, I could see Yamaha did a very crappy job sealing them. I pulled the other two out, removed the terrible sealant job Yamaha did and resealed them with 3M Marine Sealant. If I didn't pull the cup holders and reseal them, I'm sure I would have been getting water into the bilge.

Yamahas design for letting the cup holders drain when they fill with water.... and they always do.... is also terrible. They drilled four holes in the bottom of the swim platform and then shot in a boatload of 4200 until it formed around the bottom of the cup holders. Then when the 4200 dried, they tried to drill a hole through the bottom of the cup holder opening through the 4200 and out the bottom of the swim platform. The 4200 keeps re-sealing around the holes they drilled and the water never drains out of the cup holders. I bought a large upholstery needle on Amazon to poke through the holes. I can push it all the way through the bottom of the cup holder and out the bottom of the swim platform and when I remove it, the elasticity of the 4200 seals the hole back up so the cups won't drain when they fill with water. I may try to pit some 3/16 - 1/8" tubing through the 4200 to allow the cups to drain. If Yamaha didn't do a good job adding enough 4200, you could be getting water in from the bottom of the swim platform or from the cup holders draining into the transom.

As far as the engine shaking.... it could be an engine issue but I would also ask them to check the alignment of the shaft from the motor to the pump.

How are your engine RPM's? Do both engines accelerate evenly in single throttle mode? Do they both hold the same RPM's at idle and at speed?

 

[M5Law]

I have a '22 275SD but basically the same boat. I can't say that I feel like I have any steering issues. I also can't say I have made any super hard turns at speed but I have been happy with the steering at speed for the most part. But I also installed the Cobra Jet Super Ultimate AK-19 Deluxe fins and Lectrotab trim tabs before I ever put the boat in the water so we might not be comparing apples-to-apples at this point.

I am not getting any water into my cleanout ports or very minimal. I was just out today in 2-3 footers in the Gulf of Mexico and when I opened the covers there was maybe an inch of water on them. The backend of the 275 sits so high I think it is very hard to get water to enter through the bottom of the seats and into the inspection port area and cleanout ports. You would have to be doing 50mph and then dropping to Neutral so a massive wave crashes over the back of the boat.

Did you pull your cleanout ports and make sure they were seated properly? I would also put some this lube around them periodically.

Amazon.com

I did put a bead of marine silicone around the entire inspection / access area and the water drain on both sides just in case water did get into that area but so far I think very little water gets in there on a 275.

There is a fairly well known problem with the anchor locker drain causing excess water getting into the hull and down to the bilge. @drewkaree and a few other guys posted how to keep water from getting into the hull from a poorly installed anchor locker drain allowing water to come in from outside the bow and leaking into the fiberglass in the anchor locker and down to the bilge.

I was going to put in the stainless steel fitting like they did but my plastic fitting was in there very tight and would not come out unless I would have completely destroyed it. Yamaha must have put it in with 4200 or 5200 unlike some of the boats. All I did was take a little 5200 and put it around the hole they cut in the fiberglass that was exposed inside the anchor locker and I put a little more around the drain port on the outside of the bow.

I have to say my boat has been fairly water tight after 25 hours of use in the first month. I was a little worried because I installed a Garmin Chartpotter and had to cut a 1/2" hole under the swim platform for the transducer. Then I drilled 18 holes through the transom to install the trim tabs and another 6 holes in the bottom of the swim platform for the actuator mounts. I did this all before putting the boat in the water so if I had a lot of water coming in I wouldn't have known if it was my trim tab install or something else from the factory.

One place I know a fair amount of water could get into the boat very easily is the four cup holders on the swim platform. When I pulled two of them out when I was getting to run the cables for the trim tab actuators, I could see Yamaha did a very crappy job sealing them. I pulled the other two out, removed the terrible sealant job Yamaha did and resealed them with 3M Marine Sealant. If I didn't pull the cup holders and reseal them, I'm sure I would have been getting water into the bilge.

Yamahas design for letting the cup holders drain when they fill with water.... and they always do.... is also terrible. They drilled four holes in the bottom of the swim platform and then shot in a boatload of 4200 until it formed around the bottom of the cup holders. Then when the 4200 dried, they tried to drill a hole through the bottom of the cup holder opening through the 4200 and out the bottom of the swim platform. The 4200 keeps re-sealing around the holes they drilled and the water never drains out of the cup holders. I bought a large upholstery needle on Amazon to poke through the holes. I can push it all the way through the bottom of the cup holder and out the bottom of the swim platform and when I remove it, the elasticity of the 4200 seals the hole back up so the cups won't drain when they fill with water. I may try to pit some 3/16 - 1/8" tubing through the 4200 to allow the cups to drain. If Yamaha didn't do a good job adding enough 4200, you could be getting water in from the bottom of the swim platform or from the cup holders draining into the transom.

As far as the engine shaking.... it could be an engine issue but I would also ask them to check the alignment of the shaft from the motor to the pump.

How are your engine RPM's? Do both engines accelerate evenly in single throttle mode? Do they both hold the same RPM's at idle and at speed?

First off, thanks so much for taking the time to respond with such detail. I will check all the points you mentioned. I had such high hopes for this boat especially given its cost.

My clean out ports were literally filled to the top. I did not make any sudden stops from speed. Guess I have to spend some time and see where it's coming from.

When I turn, at anything other than really slow I get a huge drop in power and it sounds like it's sucking air, like the impellers are losing "traction."

You've made some compelling suggestions, especially the cup holders. Will check that out. It's interesting, there's water collecting in a groove under starboard motor that's higher than the bilge. Here's a pic. Where the hell would that be coming from? Only on that side....

 

[M5Law]

And the engines are pretty well in sync in single lever. Didnt see any issues there. My concerns started during break in where I was only getting 11 mph at 5k rpm. Seems low

 

[Judge]

First off, thanks so much for taking the time to respond with such detail. I will check all the points you mentioned. I had such high hopes for this boat especially given its cost.

My clean out ports were literally filled to the top. I did not make any sudden stops from speed. Guess I have to spend some time and see where it's coming from.

When I turn, at anything other than really slow I get a huge drop in power and it sounds like it's sucking air, like the impellers are losing "traction."

You've made some compelling suggestions, especially the cup holders. Will check that out. It's interesting, there's water collecting in a groove under starboard motor that's higher than the bilge. Here's a pic. Where the hell would that be coming from? Only on that side....View attachment 210943

I know the groove you are talking about and there is no way you should have water up there unless a cooling hose was leaking.

The symptoms you are describing sound exactly like cavitation, which would cause the loss in power in the turns and the trouble getting on plane.

Assuming you didn’t suck something into the pump as soon as you launched the boat the first time or there isn’t manufacturing debris lodged in the pump, I am wondering if the pump was not sealed properly at the factory and you are sucking air and leaking water around the pump / shaft.

I would get under the boat and look into the grates to see if you can see anything that may be wedged in the pumps.

Then I would look at the pump housings and verify you can see sealant around the mating surfaces and check for loose bolts.

The boat should still be under warranty so I would lean hard on the dealer and contact Yamaha as well. The dealer should put it in the water as well and test it to verify your complaints… which are well founded.

You paid a lot for that boat and it is not right so the dealer and Yamaha need to step up.

 

[Judge]

One more question…..

Are you 100% sure both cleanout plugs are installed properly and locked into place?

Loose cleanout plugs would cause the ports to fill up, cause cavitation with a loss of power and it could cause water to be forced past the seals and into the bilge.

Loose or leaning cleanout plugs would explain all of your symptoms…. but so would an improperly installed pump.

 

[M5Law]

One more question…..

Are you 100% sure both cleanout plugs are installed properly and locked into place?

Loose cleanout plugs would cause the ports to fill up, cause cavitation with a loss of power and it could cause water to be forced past the seals and into the bilge.

Loose or leaning cleanout plugs would explain all of your symptoms…. but so would an improperly installed pump.

As I mentioned, I had a 222 before so am familiar with the easy stuff. So, yes, the first thing I checked was the clean out plugs. Pretty sure they're in right: lined up tabs, etc per the instructions. Made sure they were in all the way and clicked into place. I always get under the boat and spray corrosion x on the impellers and shafts the day after I clean and flush the boat. The clean out plugs appear to be oriented properly from below, which was my initial concern. There was no debris and I only run in saltwater not the weedy central Florida lakes so don't get debris very often.

An issue with the pump seems to make sense. The boat has right at 10 hours and is 2 weeks old since delivery so definitely under warranty lol. Just hope my dealer can figure this out. They're a pretty big dealer in FL with multiple locations, but this one is new.

 

[Judge]

As I mentioned, I had a 222 before so am familiar with the easy stuff. So, yes, the first thing I checked was the clean out plugs. Pretty sure they're in right: lined up tabs, etc per the instructions. Made sure they were in all the way and clicked into place. I always get under the boat and spray corrosion x on the impellers and shafts the day after I clean and flush the boat. The clean out plugs appear to be oriented properly from below, which was my initial concern. There was no debris and I only run in saltwater not the weedy central Florida lakes so don't get debris very often.

An issue with the pump seems to make sense. The boat has right at 10 hours and is 2 weeks old since delivery so definitely under warranty lol. Just hope my dealer can figure this out. They're a pretty big dealer in FL with multiple locations, but this one is new.

Where are you located in Florida and which dealer are you using? I live in Cape Coral and used Walkers for my 10-hour service... but I purchased my boat in New York because I could not find a 275 anywhere around August 2022. Walkers has only been selling / servicing Yamaha a couple years now.

Given your past experience with the 222 and everything you have checked I would say you do have a major pump issue based on the significant lack of performance you are experiencing... especially with the water intrusion and vibration in the starboard engine.

Personally, I would not use the boat any more in case there is a major problem and it causes more problems down the road. There was one guy on here with a 275 a couple years ago who had some issues and eventually one of the shafts snapped. Major issues are rare but they can happen... especially in today's world.

I would be pressing the dealer for assistance and also contacting Yamaha customer service. If you or the dealer haven't seen this video, watch it from the 9 minute mark and see how the boat should perform. If the dealer has not had it on the water, they should watch the video and then take it out themeslves.

The dealer in New York where I bought the boat took it out and water tested it and sent me videos of it on the water before I picked it up. They even got it up to 50MPH briefly to make sure it was running properly and there was no vibration etc. If your dealer hasn't had it in the water, I would get them to go out with you so they can see the issues first-hand.

 

[M5Law]

Where are you located in Florida and which dealer are you using? I live in Cape Coral and used Walkers for my 10-hour service... but I purchased my boat in New York because I could not find a 275 anywhere around August 2022. Walkers has only been selling / servicing Yamaha a couple years now.

Given your past experience with the 222 and everything you have checked I would say you do have a major pump issue based on the significant lack of performance you are experiencing... especially with the water intrusion and vibration in the starboard engine.

Personally, I would not use the boat any more in case there is a major problem and it causes more problems down the road. There was one guy on here with a 275 a couple years ago who had some issues and eventually one of the shafts snapped. Major issues are rare but they can happen... especially in today's world.

I would be pressing the dealer for assistance and also contacting Yamaha customer service. If you or the dealer haven't seen this video, watch it from the 9 minute mark and see how the boat should perform. If the dealer has not had it on the water, they should watch the video and then take it out themeslves.

The dealer in New York where I bought the boat took it out and water tested it and sent me videos of it on the water before I picked it up. They even got it up to 50MPH briefly to make sure it was running properly and there was no vibration etc. If your dealer hasn't had it in the water, I would get them to go out with you so they can see the issues first-hand.

I've actually seen that video, which is another reason why I know something is amiss. That being said, I am still able to get 50mph. However, I suspect time to plane is way more and the turning this is off too, and the leak also.

I live in Orlando but the dealer is a short drive away. I don't want to put them on blast publicly as I have to continue to work with them. But, if you really want to know PM me. Thanks again for your responses.

 

[Judge]

I've actually seen that video, which is another reason why I know something is amiss. That being said, I am still able to get 50mph. However, I suspect time to plane is way more and the turning this is off too, and the leak also.

I live in Orlando but the dealer is a short drive away. I don't want to put them on blast publicly as I have to continue to work with them. But, if you really want to know PM me. Thanks again for your responses.

If you have a pump cavitating, I can see you having issues when turning hard.

Also... if you have noticed your cup holders not draining like mine, I may have found the problem. I looked at the schematics and mine are missing the drain tubes. This might not cause your water intrusion problem but worth looking at under warranty.

Partzilla has them for $1 a piece so I may order them but the shipping might be 10x more than the parts. I may just get some nylon tubing and try to fabricate my own drain lines.

Yamaha totally botched the install of the cup holders. Instead of install the drain tubes and connecting the tubes to the thru-hull drain fittings and sealing the thru-hull fittings..... Yamaha installed the thru-hull drain fittings and then stuck a gun of 4200 into the fittings and blasted a huge of 4200 into the cavity until it hit the bottom of the cup holders then sealing around the cup holders. Then they tried to poke a hole through the 4200 so the cups would drain. Whoever did that work was a moron.

Here is a picture showing you what I mean and you can also see the terrible sealing job around the cup holders and how that would allow a ton of water into the transom area.

 

[M5Law]

They seem to be draining ok. I can see right through the center hole. However, maybe they're not sealed correctly around? Going to see if i can disassemble and check. I can tell you the drain tubes that connect to almost all the other cupholders are loose or come off very easily. You need to pull the tube, tighten the zip tie that's supposed to hold them, but not properly tightened from the factory, and then shove the tube back on the bottom of the cupholder.

 

[Judge]

They seem to be draining ok. I can see right through the center hole. However, maybe they're not sealed correctly around? Going to see if i can disassemble and check. I can tell you the drain tubes that connect to almost all the other cupholders are loose or come off very easily. You need to pull the tube, tighten the zip tie that's supposed to hold them, but not properly tightened from the factory, and then shove the tube back on the bottom of the cupholder.

See my updated post above that now shows how bad the sealing was around the cup holders. All four cup holders were that bad.

 

[M5Law]

Yeah, that's bad. I'm guessing some water is definitely coming in from there on my boat. I'll report back when I get them off. Taking into the dealer tomorrow to address the other stuff.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

First off, thanks so much for taking the time to respond with such detail. I will check all the points you mentioned. I had such high hopes for this boat especially given its cost.

My clean out ports were literally filled to the top. I did not make any sudden stops from speed. Guess I have to spend some time and see where it's coming from.

When I turn, at anything other than really slow I get a huge drop in power and it sounds like it's sucking air, like the impellers are losing "traction."

You've made some compelling suggestions, especially the cup holders. Will check that out. It's interesting, there's water collecting in a groove under starboard motor that's higher than the bilge. Here's a pic. Where the hell would that be coming from? Only on that side....View attachment 210943

The bow wander , the speed bleed-off in turns when on plane and the very serious total loss of steering when rapidly decelerating in a turn are very real complaints that I receive about these boats , I also add plaining surfaces to the nozzles and a second tie rod special super fins and top fins , so for all the money you spent on the boat you can not return it for a refund but for the small price of $489.99 with free domestic shipping you can remedy those issues and several others. Also so if you are no happy you have a 30 day MONEY back guarantee. Sort of a no brainer just speak to people who already have them I don't know why you would no want a new boat without a big expense. Steering is what I started 22 years ago and making drivers smile is what it does, just the fact that you are on here discussing these issues is enough to validate trying the steering. heck I had a dealer this morning call me ordering another super magnum ak-19 deluxe after he installed some on a customers boat and the customer took it out for a test drive, this dealer was so intrigued with it that he actually tried it himself that is all it takes ! look at the position of the bottom of the fins in relation to the bottom of the rudder no increase in the draft of the boat .

 

[M5Law]

We spoke on the phone. Problem is my boat is a '23 275sdx with the new nozzles.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

We spoke on the phone. Problem is my boat is a '23 275sdx with the new nozzles.

Yes I believe we did however On your profile it is showing a SD so for those who have an articulating keel and want to rectify the issues with it no problem there as for the S D X versions that is a horse of a different color.

 

[M5Law]

Yes I believe we did however On your profile it is showing a SD so for those who have an articulating keel and want to rectify the issues with it no problem there as for the S D X versions that is a horse of a different color.

Gotcha. Yeah, there's no option for "sdx" in the model drop down in profile settings.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

hmmmm as important as that one letter is maybe they should fix that

 

[M5Law]

So got the report back from the dealer. Looks like the engine and pump shaft are not aligned properly and is causing the vibration. Most likely the leak as well since the seal around the shaft is not able to do its job given the misalignment. I believe the solution is to shim the engine up to match the shaft. Also need to replace the seal around the shaft. 9.5 hours on the boat and it's now out of commission pending receipt and install of necessary parts to rectify the situation. Awesome job building my $160k boat Yamaha.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

So got the report back from the dealer. Looks like the engine and pump shaft are not aligned properly and is causing the vibration. Most likely the leak as well since the seal around the shaft is not able to do its job given the misalignment. I believe the solution is to shim the engine up to match the shaft. Also need to replace the seal around the shaft. 9.5 hours on the boat and it's now out of commission pending receipt and install of necessary parts to rectify the situation. Awesome job building my $160k boat Yamaha.

The motor mounts use shims to place the engine in correct alignment .

 

[M5Law]

The motor mounts use shims to place the engine in correct alignment .

Yeah, that's what basically they told me. They would have to order shims to correct the alignment. Not sure if they forgot them from the factory or didn't use the right ones or what. Regardless shouldn't have needed to be corrected on a new boat.