Done with Yamaha.

[DJMattyT]

With a new boat with a warranty you are likely to do same or worse with any other builder. If you value your time and are handy consider a used boat with no warranty. Much cheaper, and when it breaks you can pay cash for repairs which usually results in faster service, and you ability to select from a variety of repair options vs just the one dealer near by. I personally hate being on the hook with a warranty, which means you have already paid, and unless the organization is super top notch, the treatment post-payment is always worse than before you pay.

Best of Luck wherever you go.

You’re totally wrong here. The dealer isn’t putting cash work in before warranty work. The dealer gets paid from Yamaha direct for warranty work. They get paid on both jobs, they’re not fixing his boat “for free” at the dealer level.

 

[Neutron]

You’re totally wrong here. The dealer isn’t putting cash work in before warranty work. The dealer gets paid from Yamaha direct for warranty work. They get paid on both jobs, they’re not fixing his boat “for free” at the dealer level.

Not really sure how it is in the boating word, but in the automotive world there is warranty time, and customer pay time paid. And warranty time is usually 50 to 75% of what customer pay time is. So as a business owner what would you want to see more of come across your service department?
So I am sure if it is the same concept, then I am sure warranty gets pushed back.

I worked for a "Hardley Ableson" dealer for a short time, long ago. I ran the service department. The owner specifically told me to push back any warranty work and schedule it so far back the customer would give up and try another dealer.
Imagine paying that much for a motorcycle and not being able to get your broken bike fixed.
Not all dealers are like that i am sure. But some really do suck

 

[the MfM]

Biggest issue was starboard motor wouldn’t start intermittently. They still don’t know what the issue is, they just replaced everything including the motor. Had a bad touchscreen, cleat bolts fell off in storage compartments, Bimini pin came off and got lost, straps for front of Bimini broke, anti pooling cover broke twice, have had both compartments doors crack multiple times, window strip came off and rubbed black finish off driver window, rear grab handle broke, window strap broke, anchor locker leak, still some other leak they can’t find going on, ground issue they can’t find but potential resolution was posted on here, loose bolts where the trailer connects to the boat, anchor door used to fly open in small chop, falling foam in engine compartment. I’m sure there is more, I have an encyclopedia of paper work in just two years.

But is your dealer open on Saturday?

 

[Beachbummer]

You’re totally wrong here. The dealer isn’t putting cash work in before warranty work. The dealer gets paid from Yamaha direct for warranty work. They get paid on both jobs, they’re not fixing his boat “for free” at the dealer level.

I don't think I am. It has been my personal experience, as well as that of others in this board, that warranty work is slower and I'll add less flexible. Even when they do the right thing...How many things could be easily bought from Amazon to replace something gone wrong, but with the warranty you are now torn with the desire to get it covered, now it's a 2+ hours ordeal... Even if they are doing it right.

I hope that's never your experience, but call me surprised if it doesn't ever happen to you.

 

[DJMattyT]

Honestly I’m a service advisor and I never put cash work before warranty work. Yes we get paid less on warranty but I make half my moths profit on warranty so I treat it the same. My whole dealership does, but maybe that’s the difference between Mercedes and Yamaha lol!

 

[Neutron]

Honestly I’m a service advisor and I never put cash work before warranty work. Yes we get paid less on warranty but I make half my moths profit on warranty so I treat it the same. My whole dealership does, but maybe that’s the difference between Mercedes and Yamaha lol!

Automotive service world depends highly on CSI and surveys. Its a completely different world.
At Toyota our Service Writers lose $500 of their monthly bonus for every survey score that drops below a certain mark. At Toyota the warranty work is a small percentage of the total work we do. And Toyota pays high on their warranty labor rate.

 

[haknslash]

It's simple. If you have a good dealer (no matter the boat brand) then they will take care of you and make your boat purchase feel like a good experience. If you have a crappy dealer with even the most high-end best boat out there it can leave you feeling sour and regretting your purchase, especially if they are the only game in town. Our Yamaha dealer wasn't horrible but also wasn't that great and being hours away makes things even more of a pain to deal with warranty work. When we traded it in I put great dealer support near the very top on my "needs' list on the next boat purchase. Could have gone with different or better brands out there but the stellar dealer experience is what I knew was going to matter more than the boat in the long run, especially a new boat as things will pop up. That being said our dealer doesn't push warranty work back for cash customers. If anything they treat their customers to the highest level who bought a boat new from them vs someone coming in just needing some work done. They know that in the end it's the return customer who they are after and not the guy who comes in, gets his boat fixed and then never comes back. So my dealer makes it a point to make you feel like you're wanted and appreciated and not just as a ticket holder for next in line.

 

[swatski]

Biggest issue was starboard motor wouldn’t start intermittently. They still don’t know what the issue is, they just replaced everything including the motor. Had a bad touchscreen, cleat bolts fell off in storage compartments, Bimini pin came off and got lost, straps for front of Bimini broke, anti pooling cover broke twice, have had both compartments doors crack multiple times, window strip came off and rubbed black finish off driver window, rear grab handle broke, window strap broke, anchor locker leak, still some other leak they can’t find going on, ground issue they can’t find but potential resolution was posted on here, loose bolts where the trailer connects to the boat, anchor door used to fly open in small chop, falling foam in engine compartment. I’m sure there is more, I have an encyclopedia of paper work in just two years.

Makes me feel better, lol.
I never had any engine trouble, knock on wood, but boy did I have to fix a lot of stuff in my boat. Mostly things that were just sloppy install.

I’m happy now, and can’t really see anything I would want to upgrade to that would be worth the effort. When these boats are put together right they are fantastic.

—

 

[adrianp89]

It's simple. If you have a good dealer (no matter the boat brand) then they will take care of you and make your boat purchase feel like a good experience. If you have a crappy dealer with even the most high-end best boat out there it can leave you feeling sour and regretting your purchase, especially if they are the only game in town. Our Yamaha dealer wasn't horrible but also wasn't that great Luis they were hours away making things even more of a pain to deal with warranty work. When we traded it in I put great dealer support near the very top on my "needs' list on the next boat purchase. Could have gone with different or better brands out there but the stellar dealer experience is what I knew was going to matter more than the boat in the long run, especially a new boat as things will pop up. That being said our dealer doesn't push warranty work back for cash customers. If anything they treat their customers to the highest level who bought a boat new from them vs someone coming in just needing some work done. They know that in the end it's the return customer who they are after and not the guy who comes in, gets his boat fixed and then never comes back. So my dealer makes it a point to make you feel like you're wanted and appreciated and not just as a ticket holder for next in line.

I wouldn’t say it’s that simple. If the boat was built right and had quality parts used from the get-go, then the boat may never even see a dealer in its lifetime.

 

[the MfM]

The wife says I’m cheap. But I almost never buy anything new.

I don’t mind fixing stuff when I paid 10-25% of what the original buyer did. Usually works out. And I can do it on my own time.

 

[haknslash]

I wouldn’t say it’s that simple. If the boat was built right and had quality parts used from the get-go, then the boat may never even see a dealer in its lifetime.

You're kind of missing my point. Basically what I'm saying is if you have a good dealer who goes to bat for their customer then those issues usually take care of themselves one way or the other and make the boat owning experience much more palatable when things go wrong. Either the dealer makes it right or the boat manufacturer with a warranty claim but point is the customer is taken care of and not made to feel like they're hassle to deal with. You can buy a Pavati or a badass massive yacht of the highest caliber but if the dealer doesn't give two shits about you then it really makes owning that boat feel like crap or you'll eventually learn to hate it. Having good dealer support for toys like a new boat is huge! It's not like a car where there are dealers all over sprinkled throughout and if you don't like one you can just pack up and go to the next one.

I agree if a boat manufacturer builds a shitty boat with shitty parts then you can expect a shitty final product. I don't think any of these boat mfg's build a shitty boat but I do think some QC corners are cut where they shouldn't be, especially for the money Yamaha and other jet boat mfg's are asking for these things. However it's a bit niece to think that nothing will ever go wrong. It could be a Honda powered lawnmower with the tried and true 160 SOHC engine, a Rolls Royce Phantom hand built with the finest materials and craftsmanship or a boat built by any manufacturer. Things can and will go wrong. Sure some boats may never have an issue but most will have something arise at some point. Using sourced components in this global manufacturing era things are going to happen. It's how your dealer supports you as they are your first line of defense and that is what my point was really all about.

 

[swatski]

You're kind of missing my point. Basically what I'm saying is if you have a good dealer who goes to bat for their customer then those issues take care of themselves one way or the other and make the boat owning experience much more palatable when things go wrong. Either the dealer makes it right or the boat manufacturer with a warranty claim but point is the customer is taken care of and not made to feel like they're hassle to deal with. You can buy a Pavati or a badass massive yacht of the highest caliber but if the dealer doesn't give two shits about you then it really makes owning that boat feel like crap or you'll eventually learn to hate it. Having good dealer support for toys like a boat is huge! It's not like a car where there are dealers all over sprinkled throughout and if you don't like one you can just pack up and go to the next one.

I agree if your boat manufacturer builds a shitty boat with shitty parts then you can expect a shitty final product, I don't think any of these boat mfg's build a shitty boat but I do think some QC corners are cut where they shouldn't be, especially for the money Yamaha and other jet boat mfg's are asking for these things.

@haknslash I think what you are saying is certainly true but it is not the whole story. In many cases a dealer is hamstrung by the manufacturer's approval, Yamaha does not have a perfect track record there. I can attest to that from personal experience.
We have a dealer who is absolutely great yet they can only do so much in certain cases.
Dealers need to be mindful of a manufacturer's clout, getting their hands on future inventories, etc. It becomes a little dance of decision making based on (future) business calculations, "goodwill" can run out fast...

--

 

[haknslash]

@haknslash I think what you are saying is certainly true but it is not the whole story. In many cases a dealer is hamstrung by the manufacturer's approval, Yamaha does not have a perfect track record there. I can attest to that from personal experience.
We have a dealer who is absolutely great yet they can only do so much in certain cases.
Dealers need to be mindful of a manufacturer's clout, getting their hands on future inventories, etc. It becomes a little dance of decision making based on (future) business calculations, "goodwill" can run out fast...

--

Well I agree based on your serious safety issue and others who have shared their issues that Yamaha is not that great at customer relations. I didn't want to specifically call them out on it but yes your issue and others who should have their warranty claim honored and didn't because of Mother Yamaha is a shame. Not being a jetboat owner and making that statement on here doesn't bode well for me lol so I try not to bring it up or cast any shade. A very small part of why we didn't go with Yamaha again was because of some of those stories and how Yamaha turned a blind eye to them. I don't know why they turn a blind eye to some claims that clearly should be honored. In this digital and social media era it's just foolish as word of mouth travels much faster than in the past. I will say though I give them kudos for stepping up to some of the TC failure victims who are outside of warranty and do a full replacement of the motor. Of course I'm sure they've denied many others but maybe there is some hope for any future TC failure victims beyond warranty so there's that. Not a guarantee of course but I think it's because they know they have motors out there with a known defective issue and to avoid class action lawsuits should a group of people come together legally.

When I was shopping I tried to find threads and posts where people had issues to see how either their dealer or the boat manufacturer handled the issue. From what I could find it seemed that Skiers Choice always tried to make it right if the claim was indeed legit. I've had to have things warranties a few times on my Moomba and thankfully they have taken care of me no questions and have been proactive on the front end of any recalls. In fact I have a few things that will be addressed in the off season (stupid Airmar triducer again and one of the Gatorstep mats on my Boatmate trailer is lifting in a small area). Totally different than how it was dealing with warranty claims with my Yamaha dealer who always seemed like I had to provide a lot of proof to back up something that's clearly obvious. My bimini top wearing and boot zipper deteriorating on my Yamaha still leaves a sour taste in my mouth from my previous dealer tip toeing all around the warranty claim and shrugging it off as "normal wear and tear" effectively negating what a warranty means lol.

I guess in my OP I shouldn't have said it's simple but rather said it's important to:
#1 research worst case scenarios of potential boat mfg's you're interested in and see how they handle warranty claims on the net.
#2 once you find a boat mfg you like and feel confident in them then pick a dealer with great customer support and reputation. Visit them often and compare to others prior to making the purchase.
#3 buy boat, have fun and hope for the best!

 

[OrangeTJ]

There's a lot in this thread! I will say this: I've spent time on quite a few different boat forums, most brand specific, and it certainly seems very very common that folks have a handful of issues with brand new boats that result in dealer repairs. I don't believe boats are built to quality and engineering standards that are even anywhere close to the same neighborhood as automobiles so trying to draw parallels is somewhat pointless. Yes, I agree that for the money these things cost, they should be perfect.....but we don't live in should land.

The OP mentioned that he boats mostly in salt water. That said, I think that over the long run he is likely to find that something built more specifically for salt water - probably something with an outboard engine - will be easier to keep up with. Maintenance and repairs will always exist, though.

 

[Dan_NC]

@OrangeTJ I think you make some good points, but I disagree with your saltwater boat suggestion. The only differences between a "saltwater series" outboard and any other engine is the type waters the owner chooses to operate in. When Mercury launched their saltwater series it was nothing more than a marketing gimmick that led many of folks to believing there was a freshwater and saltwater version of boat motors. Definitively, that is not the case, all motors are made to "saltwater" standards. The major difference between boats and engines is their intended use (ie: Deep V, versus modified V, versus catamaran, etc). While the size of vessel usually, but not always, determines number and type of engines.

 

[OrangeTJ]

@OrangeTJ I think you make some good points, but I disagree with your saltwater boat suggestion. The only differences between a "saltwater series" outboard and any other engine is the type waters the owner chooses to operate in. When Mercury launched their saltwater series it was nothing more than a marketing gimmick that led many of folks to believing there was a freshwater and saltwater version of boat motors. Definitively, that is not the case, all motors are made to "saltwater" standards. The major difference between boats and engines is their intended use (ie: Deep V, versus modified V, versus catamaran, etc). While the size of vessel usually, but not always, determines number and type of engines.

Sorry - I wasn't talking about "saltwater series" vs non, I was talking in general about outboard vs. jet drive for primarily saltwater use. IMO, the outboard is a more proven setup for salt than the Yamaha or Rotax jet setups. This is not to say one can't use a Yamaha in salt, so I hope nobody takes it that way.

 

[the MfM]

The rotax have closed loop cooling for the block...that seems better for salt water.

 

[Neutron]

The rotax have closed loop cooling for the block...that seems better for salt water.

I agree as far as the engine is concerned but the pumps and heat exchanger still takes a beating i will bet. Unless you could paint and anti foul the surfaces

 

[swatski]

I will say though I give them kudos for stepping up to some of the TC failure victims who are outside of warranty and do a full replacement of the motor.

Apparently those goodwill “off warranty” broken TC motor replacements will not continue... is what I’m told. Probably better topic for another thread. But boy, it could turn into a messy situation. Hopefully those events continue to be rare.

—

 

[Dan_NC]

Sorry - I wasn't talking about "saltwater series" vs non, I was talking in general about outboard vs. jet drive for primarily saltwater use. IMO, the outboard is a more proven setup for salt than the Yamaha or Rotax jet setups. This is not to say one can't use a Yamaha in salt, so I hope nobody takes it that way.

I do agree with you there, if I lived close enough to the ocean for weekly use in saltwater, I would have a twin outboard center console for fishing (assuming I could afford it). The only caveat being our jets make cruising across shoals at the outer banks an easy endeavor. When fishing in the Pamilico sound, near Hatteras inlet, I just throttle up onto plane and I can skip right across shoals that are about 1 foot below the surface, without making contact. Its a nice advantage over potentially losing a prop or skeg.