Finally!! New boat day (well for me😁)!!

[Gwade8808]

Hey everyone! It took almost 2 month's but got a great deal on this 2015 242 LS! 98 hours but she was sitting for a year and a half (indoors) so I have been taking my time going through her swapping fluids and cleaning her up.

THE GOOD
Cleaned up beautifully
Low hours
Stunning boat

THE BAD (to be expected when sitting)
Swolen pump housing
Half the speakers dont work (looking at upgrading to SKAR anyway )
One steering cable is frozen
Transom mount polk head unit volume knob rusted off

With the deal I got, I can't complain at all and because of you guys on this thread I had an idea of what what to expect and where to look so, thank you guys!!

QUESTIONS
1. Thoughts on replacement wear rings?
OEM vs plastic inserts vs solas?
2. Plok transom head unit upgrades? What are you guys running? Thoughts and experiences?
3. Has anyone successfully freed up a frozen steering cable? Is it even worth the hassle or just replace both?

Thanks you guys for all you do! Hope to have her fixed up and in the Daytona Beach water here soon!

 

[Dean P]

Really nice looking! Congrats on the find and good luck.

to the forum.

 

[Hilario Perez]

We’re you pulling the boat with a f250 yesterday? I saw that same boat being hulled yesterday going through Bradington Florida on my way to Cape Coral.

 

[Gwade8808]

We’re you pulling the boat with a f250 yesterday? I saw that same boat being hulled yesterday going through Bradington Florida on my way to Cape Coral.

Lol yes sir!! That was us. What a small world! My
Buddy just got that Ford Tremor and we used it for the 9 hour trip there and back. Bad a$$ truck!! The boat Looks brand new now! When you saw it she had about an inch of dust on her lol. Cant believe you saw us, too cool!!

 

[VitaminSea]

Welcome aboard, congrats on the boat! Was just out at Ponce yesterday, so might see you around!

Don’t have any first hand experience with your questions - but can share the following. I’ve replaced the “reverse bucket” cables, and followed @HangOutdoors as he dealt with stiff steering earlier this year (he has a 21 vs the 24, but should be a very similar process). Chances are, you’d spend a considerable amount of time trying to “free” the stuck cable, and then get a result that far from ideal. In other words, by the cables and replace them, as replacing them shouldn’t be to big of a project.

As to your stereo question - you’re going to get a myriad of feedback here, and I think you need to define your budget, and what your ideal set-up will be down the road (adding additional speakers/zones).

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Hey everyone! It took almost 2 month's but got a great deal on this 2015 242 LS! 98 hours but she was sitting for a year and a half (indoors) so I have been taking my time going through her swapping fluids and cleaning her up.

THE GOOD
Cleaned up beautifully
Low hours
Stunning boat

THE BAD (to be expected when sitting)
Swolen pump housing
Half the speakers dont work (looking at upgrading to SKAR anyway )
One steering cable is frozen
Transom mount polk head unit volume knob rusted off

With the deal I got, I can't complain at all and because of you guys on this thread I had an idea of what what to expect and where to look so, thank you guys!!

QUESTIONS
1. Thoughts on replacement wear rings?
OEM vs plastic inserts vs solas?
2. Plok transom head unit upgrades? What are you guys running? Thoughts and experiences?
3. Has anyone successfully freed up a frozen steering cable? Is it even worth the hassle or just replace both?

Thanks you guys for all you do! Hope to have her fixed up and in the Daytona Beach water here soon!

Congrats on your new boat! And welcome!

Replacement wear rings: In 2019 there was a design change on the pump unit that has the wear ring as a replaceable component as opposed to replacing the whole casting piece, not sure if the upgraded piece will bolt right up or not to your boat. The OEM supply chain is slowly filling up so that may impact your decision on what replacement to go with.

Steering Cables: I’m with @VitaminSea in that you should just replace the steering cables with new ones and that area will be trouble free. I don’t how these cables come new, might be worthwhile to lube the new cables with some sort of oil/anti corrosion inhibitor before installing them to make them last longer. @HangOutdoors what do you think?

Non functional speakers: Have you pulled them out to check that the connections are not corroded? Seems like I read a post here a while ago about a similar issue. I don’t have any feed back to offer regarding the remote stereo unit.

Maintenance:
-Buy a service manual.
-Judging by the amount of anti corrosion coating that is left on some of the pump and intake (as well as seized steering cables) it looks like this boat may have been wet slipped in salt water, so it may be a good idea to pull the bearing caps and check the EPNOC grease for water contamination, add new EPNOC grease to freshen it up.
-You’ll need molybdenum disulfide grease for the spline end of the drive shafts.
-As well, you may want to use salt away flush and follow the “removal” procedure on the engines to make sure the cooling passages are as clean as possible.
-How do the anodes look? Might not be a bad idea to pull the anodes that are on the engine cooling passages to check those for wear.
-Spark plugs are a consumable item on these boats, and with 98 hours if the plugs are OEM they should be replaced.
-Oil and filter change.
-The intermediate bearings on the transom wall in the engine compartment probably should be greased as well.
-Pull the inspection cover on the clean out plug tray and have a look at all the hardware inside that area for corrosion on the hose clamps in that area. Might not be a bad idea to just pull the tray to do this inspection so you can put a wrench on all the hose clamps and fasteners in that area and seal it up, as from the factory these trays are not sealed that well and can allow water to enter the bilge area.
-Check the anchor locker drain to make sure the little plastic fitting comes all the way through the hull and into the anchor locker. This item has been a culprit in water intrusion into the bilge on some boats as this fitting on some boats does not come all the way through and allows water to enter the bilge between the anchor locker itself and the hull. @drewkaree did a great writeup on chasing this problem down and replacing that little plastic drain with a stainless one.
-Pull the clean out plugs, inspect and give them a thorough and liberal application of silicone spray.

I‘d hit all the fasteners on the boat with a wrench, and thoroughly inspect all areas inside with a strong flashlight as a preventative measure.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Steering Cables: I’m with @VitaminSea in that you should just replace the steering cables with new ones and that area will be trouble free. I don’t how these cables come new, might be worthwhile to lube the new cables with some sort of oil/anti corrosion inhibitor before installing them to make them last longer. @HangOutdoors what do you think?

If it were me I would just replace the cable. You may be able to lube them, but once the corrosion sets in it could start binding again at the most in opportune time. It's not hard and gives you a chance to clean up the runs and reseal everything.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

If it were me I would just replace the cable. You may be able to lube them, but once the corrosion sets in it could start binding again at the most in opportune time. It's not hard and gives you a chance to clean up the runs and reseal everything.

What are your thoughts on filling the new cables with lubricant / marine grease / anti corrosion product?

 

[HangOutdoors]

What are your thoughts on filling the new cables with lubricant / marine grease / anti corrosion product?

I did not. I did coat everything, steering as well as bucket cables/rods, externally to the boat with wax from a toilet seal as @Cobra Jet Steering LLC recommended.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I did not. I did coat everything, steering as well as bucket cables/rods, externally to the boat with wax from a toilet seal as @Cobra Jet Steering LLC recommended.

Thanks!

 

[Gwade8808]

I did not. I did coat everything, steering as well as bucket cables/rods, externally to the boat with wax from a toilet seal as @Cobra Jet Steering LLC recommended.

I was up until 1am reading your adventures on this last night lol. Great insight and I'm Just going to bite the $400 bullet and go new as you and others have suggested. Cool idea with the toilet ring wax. I was also looking at different "cable bellows" to maybe slide over and clamp at each end. Found a few but need them longer. Coat it with wax then slide these over? Might not be 100% but it could help.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I was also looking at different "cable bellows" to maybe slide over and clamp at each end.

If you go this route I would be interested in how it worked out.

 

[Gwade8808]

Congrats on your new boat! And welcome!

Replacement wear rings: In 2019 there was a design change on the pump unit that has the wear ring as a replaceable component as opposed to replacing the whole casting piece, not sure if the upgraded piece will bolt right up or not to your boat. The OEM supply chain is slowly filling up so that may impact your decision on what replacement to go with.

Steering Cables: I’m with @VitaminSea in that you should just replace the steering cables with new ones and that area will be trouble free. I don’t how these cables come new, might be worthwhile to lube the new cables with some sort of oil/anti corrosion inhibitor before installing them to make them last longer. @HangOutdoors what do you think?

Non functional speakers: Have you pulled them out to check that the connections are not corroded? Seems like I read a post here a while ago about a similar issue. I don’t have any feed back to offer regarding the remote stereo unit.

Maintenance:
-Buy a service manual.
-Judging by the amount of anti corrosion coating that is left on some of the pump and intake (as well as seized steering cables) it looks like this boat may have been wet slipped in salt water, so it may be a good idea to pull the bearing caps and check the EPNOC grease for water contamination, add new EPNOC grease to freshen it up.
-You’ll need molybdenum disulfide grease for the spline end of the drive shafts.
-As well, you may want to use salt away flush and follow the “removal” procedure on the engines to make sure the cooling passages are as clean as possible.
-How do the anodes look? Might not be a bad idea to pull the anodes that are on the engine cooling passages to check those for wear.
-Spark plugs are a consumable item on these boats, and with 98 hours if the plugs are OEM they should be replaced.
-Oil and filter change.
-The intermediate bearings on the transom wall in the engine compartment probably should be greased as well.
-Pull the inspection cover on the clean out plug tray and have a look at all the hardware inside that area for corrosion on the hose clamps in that area. Might not be a bad idea to just pull the tray to do this inspection so you can put a wrench on all the hose clamps and fasteners in that area and seal it up, as from the factory these trays are not sealed that well and can allow water to enter the bilge area.
-Check the anchor locker drain to make sure the little plastic fitting comes all the way through the hull and into the anchor locker. This item has been a culprit in water intrusion into the bilge on some boats as this fitting on some boats does not come all the way through and allows water to enter the bilge between the anchor locker itself and the hull. @drewkaree did a great writeup on chasing this problem down and replacing that little plastic drain with a stainless one.
-Pull the clean out plugs, inspect and give them a thorough and liberal application of silicone spray.

I‘d hit all the fasteners on the boat with a wrench, and thoroughly inspect all areas inside with a strong flashlight as a preventative measure.

Awesome feed back, thank you!! Its because of you guys on this awesome forum that I was able to get ahead and have my oil change pump, oil, filters, plugs (the correct ones) grease gun, grease, sprays, salt away/sprayer and some other goodies on hand and ready to go! Didnt know about the anchor drain and clean out port access cover so I will definitely look into those!!

I plan do do the wear rings, impellers, steering cables, zinc's and re-grease the cone/inspect bearings all at once while the pumps are off. Just going to do the original OEM wear rings at the moment due to cost and availability. By the time there due again I might know more about how the plastic ones are hold up/perform. Just my thoughts anyway . Thanks again for all the insight!

 

[VitaminSea]

As you are running your new cables, do a visual check on the hose clamps in the bilge (via the access port). The exhaust hose clamps have been know to rust and can be a failure point.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Awesome feed back, thank you!! Its because of you guys on this awesome forum that I was able to get ahead and have my oil change pump, oil, filters, plugs (the correct ones) grease gun, grease, sprays, salt away/sprayer and some other goodies on hand and ready to go! Didnt know about the anchor drain and clean out port access cover so I will definitely look into those!!

I plan do do the wear rings, impellers, steering cables, zinc's and re-grease the cone/inspect bearings all at once while the pumps are off. Just going to do the original OEM wear rings at the moment due to cost and availability. By the time there due again I might know more about how the plastic ones are hold up/perform. Just my thoughts anyway . Thanks again for all the insight!

You are most welcome! I‘ve learned all that I know about my Yamaha jet boat from this site. There is so much information here it takes a while to find them.. Check out the FAQ section for a myriad of topics on all things that you may need to know to keep your new boat in tip top shape! The FAQ is best viewed on a PC based machine fyi.

Getting this boat was a 6 year journey for me.

 

[Gwade8808]

Welcome aboard, congrats on the boat! Was just out at Ponce yesterday, so might see you around!

Don’t have any first hand experience with your questions - but can share the following. I’ve replaced the “reverse bucket” cables, and followed @HangOutdoors as he dealt with stiff steering earlier this year (he has a 21 vs the 24, but should be a very similar process). Chances are, you’d spend a considerable amount of time trying to “free” the stuck cable, and then get a result that far from ideal. In other words, by the cables and replace them, as replacing them shouldn’t be to big of a project.

As to your stereo question - you’re going to get a myriad of feedback here, and I think you need to define your budget, and what your ideal set-up will be down the road (adding additional speakers/zones).

After seing the response's and reading through the journeys of trying to save the steering cables, I'm just going to buy new ones. Great point on the sterio. I wish Skar would make up my mind for me and come out with tower speakers and a marine sub. What I'm thinking is around a $1500 budget and it seems very doable with SKAR audio.

- three sets of Skar 6.5's in the factory LS locations
- 2 Skar 8's mounted by the captain and co-captain bucket seat area. I have heard they provide exceptional mid sound quality and a ton of bass for what they are. Not to mention they are in stock and $189 for the pair
- Skar 1000x5 amp
All this is under $800.00 and I still have a channel on the Amp for tower speakers when that time comes. Already have a new interstate starter and house battery as well as a group 27 DC AGM on stand by.

- plan to run the speakers off the AMP
-Speaker Tweeters and tower tweeters off the head unit using factory wiring (will have to look into how they are wired in parallel?)
- 3 to 4 zones max.
Zone 1. Rear lounge and wake tower speaker (when I get them).
Zone 2. Front and rear seating areas inside the boat
Zone 3. Mid cabin / 8's
Or however the head unit defines zones.
And that's where I'm stumped. Not sure what head units work with Connex. Was looking at the kicker KMC5, JL MMA, or just replacing the polk. I don't like that all of them have a volume knob ready to just rust off. Also saw a thread where a guy made his own race's off the factory unit due to the way Yamaha spliced the RCA's together causing voltage drops.

 

[Gwade8808]

You are most welcome! I‘ve learned all that I know about my Yamaha jet boat from this site. There is so much information here it takes a while to find them.. Check out the FAQ section for a myriad of topics on all things that you may need to know to keep your new boat in tip top shape! The FAQ is best viewed on a PC based machine fyi.

Getting this boat was a 6 year journey for me.

Thanks for the insight! Ya it's been about the same for us lol. 6 years of "adulting" always getting in the way! We actually saw our boat for sale almost two years ago. For whatever reason I saved the ad and phone number. Fast forward and now that we were ready, I sent them a message and come to find out the boat had not moved since they took the ad down. Worked out for both of us!