380 hours on a 2015 Yamaha AR210

[Ricky303]

Hi guys, new to boating and posting here. I've come across a great deal on this boat and I am considering purchasing it. The boat was used in a resort for water sports racking up the high hours. My question is should a go for this boat even though the high hours considering the durability of these engines and the fact that daily usage is better then the boat sitting idle or should I stay away from it? Any feedback will help.

Thanks
-Ricky

 

[txav8r]

Hello @Ricky303 , thanks for joining us here. You have found the best source of information for anyone considering purchase or operation of a jet boat, specifically the Yamaha in question. It is true that the Yamaha engine line is durable and has great longevity overall. We of course see many of the complaints as any forum will be a source of declaration for issues, as a way to vent, and as a way to get hopeful support to solve an issue. But we have a great number of members that are friends and just love these boats. When I first started looking into Yamaha jet boats some 11 years ago, one of the things that impressed me was life expectancy before total overhaul or replacement. I was quoted engine uses above 1400 hours, but take that with a grain of salt. There just isn't a way to tell as owners aren't logged and tracked. It is pretty amazing that you could even put 380 hours on a boat in a single season! The only thing I can tell you, is if you take good care of a boat, stay on the routine maintenance items and go beyond, you can expect good service life from one of these boats. The fact that it is only a single season old, means it has had only a single season of exposure. But with the high usage, it has had a good many people in and out of it. Many of which, didn't know how to operate it very well. A rental company could maintain a boat in pristine condition and erase all blemishes and damage, and in turn, keep a boat looking almost new. But the 380 hours put that much use on it too. So some follow-up is in order to sum up its condition. Such as where it was used, salt water exposure, who they rented to, and the size of the body of water in question. Was it a general all around boat, or was it used exclusively for water sports? It could be like a high mileage car, in that mostly highway mileage is better than mostly city mileage, just do to all the start and stops. Since these boats don't have a true neutral or even transmissions, they have to be shut down when letting out or picking up a skier. And all the starts and stops are harder on an engine than a continuous pace. I would look closely at the wear items such as vinyl and carpets. It is also hard to gauge value with such high hours, as the boat sites that value boats don't accurately reflect values at the far ends of the spectrum. We want to welcome you to the forum, and encourage you to ask these and more questions, get feedback, and maybe look at some comparison boats. Good luck on the search!

 

[Speedling]

I am guessing that it's a rental. If not i am very very jealous.

 

[Scottintexas]

Glad to have you join us, sorry to hear your thinking of getting rid of that 2-stroke,

The hours wouldn't concern me if they could provide any maintenance records/receipts.

buy a YDS unit and check it for any codes and exact hour count.

 

[Ricky303]

Thanks guys, it was used down in the keys at a resort. I was told it was rented mostly for motor sports. The majority of the time it was the staff pulling tourists but they would also rent it out for people to drive. If I do move forward on this I'm definitely doing a boat survey. The durability of the motors does give me some comfort but like you said you never know how the boat was used.
-Ricky