Ziess21
Jetboaters Captain
- Messages
- 301
- Reaction score
- 357
- Points
- 212
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2014
- Boat Model
- X
- Boat Length
- 21
Disclaimer: This is an incomplete post and will be updated over the weekend as pictures and video are gathered.
TL : DR- The FSH is awesome.
Ok, now to the meat....
As many of you know, I'm a larger Yamaha Dealer based just outside of Portland, Oregon and sell 5 different brands ranging from ski boats to pontoons. We are hosting our annual demo days this weekend and Yamaha graciously sent us a pre-production FSH Sport to demo and show off. This is my review and impression...
The boat arrived late due to a problem with the truck it was on and she was absolutely filthy! The first thing that struck me when I saw the boat on the truck was the trailer. Its a very nice Shorelandr aluminum framed single axle trailer with swing tongue. The tongue and small parts of it were galvanized steel but the main frame was solid I Beam aluminum which makes it very light and corrosion resistant. I am very happy to see the switch over to aluminum and hope to see them available across the line at some point...
After unloading the boat she was unwrapped and setup began. The tower was disassembled into 3 parts - Port leg, starboard leg, and the main top. The tower is bolted together starting at the base legs that terminate just above the height of the console. The base legs look to be securely anchored to the floor and showed significant rigidity. Once we put the rest of the top up it became even more rigid and stout, I was impressed. Yamaha took a unique route in the actual canvas for the T- Top in that it fits over the frame and then is ratchet strapped to be tight. In my opinion this is a great benefit for those that travel longer distances while trailering. You can simply slip the canvas off to trailer and then put it back on once you arrive with ease, saving wear and tear on the canvas as well as drag while towing. Its important to mention that although this top is very, very sturdy it is not a tower to tow riders off of.
Next up we had to install the windshield that is designed to be removable. The windshield is a solid piece of clear acrylic that fastens to the console via quick release twist clips, super easy. Again those that tow any kind of distance will appreciate the ease of removing it.
Once we had the boat setup it was time to start going through her and seeing what Yamaha had come up with. Starting at the back of the boat you clearly recognize the addition of an articulating keel. It looks somewhat similar to the one on the 240 series for 2015 however the hull has not been modified at all. Instead, they've taken the ride plate and added a very stout cast aluminum keel and articulated the aft half of it to pivot with the jet nozzle. it hangs down beneath the running surface of the boat by about 2.5" -3".
Going forward from there is the typical stern layout you'd experience on any 190 series boat with one major difference, two hatches. To starboard is a smaller hatch with a molded in recess for a 5 gallon utility bucket and some extra space and to port your typical cleanout hatch with some wet storage like you'd expect. I really like the thought put into the 5 gallon bucket storage, it's very utilitarian and super convenient for those using cast nets and for general all purpose storage of "gear".
The transom also has coaming pads as backrests so you can hang out there and relax on the water with comfort.
Moving inside the boat you find a livewell to starboard and access to your dual battery setup to port. The livewell is good size and has an aerator built into it. Notably Yamaha has included beefy stainless steel gas struts on the lid to keep it open. The battery compartment is large and houses two 24 series batteries along with house, starting and parallel switches.
The helm is also very well thought out with comfortable seating and lots of room. The helm seat itself is a reversible seat that allows the driver to stand or sit and run the boat with ease. Underneath the large aluminum frame of the helm seat is molded in recess for the cooler that comes standard with the boat which secured by a recess in the deck, chalks, and a strap.
The helm console itself is pretty simple and features a new style gauge setup that is larger in diameter, and easier to see. Also, the LCD part of the gauge is much larger and easier to read. All switches are standard rocker types and are clearly labeled. On top the console is a molded in lip so you can throw various knick knacks up there and not have to worry about them sliding off. On the passenger side there is large area left blank to flush mount electronics and a small molded in tray as well for throwing misc. stuff into. Our demo boat had a Garmin flush mounted in it. Underneath the steering wheel is a locking glove box as well.
That steering wheel. Stainless. Stout. And... I.Love.it! It is such a robust piece of equipment and it makes you feel like you're driving a much larger sport fish boat and of course it tilts as well. Trust me, it's awesome!
Forward of the console is a nice seat that is large enough for one adult sized person or two children. While it was very comfortable I would like to see the addition of extra handholds somewhere nearby. What is really magical about this seat though is that it flips up to reveal a changing room inside the console. Surprisingly it was larger than expected and really could house a porta potti if desired. Us 6' tall guys would never go in there but the more petite members and children of our families certainly could. Inside the console you also have extra storage and easy access to the back of the helm for electronics installs and wiring.
Forward of that seat is a large locker/cooler that is fully drained and secured by a pressure strap. In front of that are two large openings to large storage areas. Both of these hatches feature stainless gas struts and provide easy access to the spaces inside.
Of course the bow has a large anchor locker and a conveniently placed center pop up cleat for anchoring or tying off.
I was afraid that when the boat arrived it would feel too small but to my relief, and all of my staff that rode it, we all agreed that it was almost the perfect size.
Boarding the boat from any angle was a breeze because all of the gunwale caps have been widened and given a diamond pattern non skid texture. I was able to walk from the bow of the boat to the stern on the gunwale caps with ease.
One of my major concerns was the stability of standing on the forward casting deck, some smaller boats tend to be bit wobbly and unstable. I'm 6' and 200lbs, ok 210 lbs, and felt totally comfortable standing on the bow, even while underway at slow speeds. The aft deck was even more stable.
Performance wise, the boat tops out at 41 mph and has the same acceleration profile as an AR190. I'm told that the pre-production model we have is not tuned the same as the retail units will be so there may be some improvements in the future production models.
The articulating keel makes a huge difference in this hull. I was unable to make this boat spin out and curiously I was unable to make her cavitate either. Slow speed handling was much better and the ability to have off power steering was huge!
Overall I am vey impressed with this boat and look forward to taking delivery of our shop boat this fall. We'll be buying one to trick out and use as a tow/service/utility boat for our dealership.
There are a couple of improvements though that need to be made however.
- The stern light is located dead center of the aft bulkhead down low. It would take a 7' light stick to make that location workable. Hopefully Yamaha is able to locate the anchor light on top of the T-Top.
- The bow compartment is one large area that is accessed by the two forward hatches with no divider or bulkhead to keep stuff from sliding further back. I'd like to see this compartment divided and a small bulkhead installed to keep from losing stuff to unreachable places.
I hope you've enjoyed this write up and if there are any specific questions, pictures or video you'd like to see before we have to send the boat back then please don't hesitate to ask!!!
Ok, now to the meat....
As many of you know, I'm a larger Yamaha Dealer based just outside of Portland, Oregon and sell 5 different brands ranging from ski boats to pontoons. We are hosting our annual demo days this weekend and Yamaha graciously sent us a pre-production FSH Sport to demo and show off. This is my review and impression...
The boat arrived late due to a problem with the truck it was on and she was absolutely filthy! The first thing that struck me when I saw the boat on the truck was the trailer. Its a very nice Shorelandr aluminum framed single axle trailer with swing tongue. The tongue and small parts of it were galvanized steel but the main frame was solid I Beam aluminum which makes it very light and corrosion resistant. I am very happy to see the switch over to aluminum and hope to see them available across the line at some point...
After unloading the boat she was unwrapped and setup began. The tower was disassembled into 3 parts - Port leg, starboard leg, and the main top. The tower is bolted together starting at the base legs that terminate just above the height of the console. The base legs look to be securely anchored to the floor and showed significant rigidity. Once we put the rest of the top up it became even more rigid and stout, I was impressed. Yamaha took a unique route in the actual canvas for the T- Top in that it fits over the frame and then is ratchet strapped to be tight. In my opinion this is a great benefit for those that travel longer distances while trailering. You can simply slip the canvas off to trailer and then put it back on once you arrive with ease, saving wear and tear on the canvas as well as drag while towing. Its important to mention that although this top is very, very sturdy it is not a tower to tow riders off of.
Next up we had to install the windshield that is designed to be removable. The windshield is a solid piece of clear acrylic that fastens to the console via quick release twist clips, super easy. Again those that tow any kind of distance will appreciate the ease of removing it.
Once we had the boat setup it was time to start going through her and seeing what Yamaha had come up with. Starting at the back of the boat you clearly recognize the addition of an articulating keel. It looks somewhat similar to the one on the 240 series for 2015 however the hull has not been modified at all. Instead, they've taken the ride plate and added a very stout cast aluminum keel and articulated the aft half of it to pivot with the jet nozzle. it hangs down beneath the running surface of the boat by about 2.5" -3".
Going forward from there is the typical stern layout you'd experience on any 190 series boat with one major difference, two hatches. To starboard is a smaller hatch with a molded in recess for a 5 gallon utility bucket and some extra space and to port your typical cleanout hatch with some wet storage like you'd expect. I really like the thought put into the 5 gallon bucket storage, it's very utilitarian and super convenient for those using cast nets and for general all purpose storage of "gear".
The transom also has coaming pads as backrests so you can hang out there and relax on the water with comfort.
Moving inside the boat you find a livewell to starboard and access to your dual battery setup to port. The livewell is good size and has an aerator built into it. Notably Yamaha has included beefy stainless steel gas struts on the lid to keep it open. The battery compartment is large and houses two 24 series batteries along with house, starting and parallel switches.
The helm is also very well thought out with comfortable seating and lots of room. The helm seat itself is a reversible seat that allows the driver to stand or sit and run the boat with ease. Underneath the large aluminum frame of the helm seat is molded in recess for the cooler that comes standard with the boat which secured by a recess in the deck, chalks, and a strap.
The helm console itself is pretty simple and features a new style gauge setup that is larger in diameter, and easier to see. Also, the LCD part of the gauge is much larger and easier to read. All switches are standard rocker types and are clearly labeled. On top the console is a molded in lip so you can throw various knick knacks up there and not have to worry about them sliding off. On the passenger side there is large area left blank to flush mount electronics and a small molded in tray as well for throwing misc. stuff into. Our demo boat had a Garmin flush mounted in it. Underneath the steering wheel is a locking glove box as well.
That steering wheel. Stainless. Stout. And... I.Love.it! It is such a robust piece of equipment and it makes you feel like you're driving a much larger sport fish boat and of course it tilts as well. Trust me, it's awesome!
Forward of the console is a nice seat that is large enough for one adult sized person or two children. While it was very comfortable I would like to see the addition of extra handholds somewhere nearby. What is really magical about this seat though is that it flips up to reveal a changing room inside the console. Surprisingly it was larger than expected and really could house a porta potti if desired. Us 6' tall guys would never go in there but the more petite members and children of our families certainly could. Inside the console you also have extra storage and easy access to the back of the helm for electronics installs and wiring.
Forward of that seat is a large locker/cooler that is fully drained and secured by a pressure strap. In front of that are two large openings to large storage areas. Both of these hatches feature stainless gas struts and provide easy access to the spaces inside.
Of course the bow has a large anchor locker and a conveniently placed center pop up cleat for anchoring or tying off.
I was afraid that when the boat arrived it would feel too small but to my relief, and all of my staff that rode it, we all agreed that it was almost the perfect size.
Boarding the boat from any angle was a breeze because all of the gunwale caps have been widened and given a diamond pattern non skid texture. I was able to walk from the bow of the boat to the stern on the gunwale caps with ease.
One of my major concerns was the stability of standing on the forward casting deck, some smaller boats tend to be bit wobbly and unstable. I'm 6' and 200lbs, ok 210 lbs, and felt totally comfortable standing on the bow, even while underway at slow speeds. The aft deck was even more stable.
Performance wise, the boat tops out at 41 mph and has the same acceleration profile as an AR190. I'm told that the pre-production model we have is not tuned the same as the retail units will be so there may be some improvements in the future production models.
The articulating keel makes a huge difference in this hull. I was unable to make this boat spin out and curiously I was unable to make her cavitate either. Slow speed handling was much better and the ability to have off power steering was huge!
Overall I am vey impressed with this boat and look forward to taking delivery of our shop boat this fall. We'll be buying one to trick out and use as a tow/service/utility boat for our dealership.
There are a couple of improvements though that need to be made however.
- The stern light is located dead center of the aft bulkhead down low. It would take a 7' light stick to make that location workable. Hopefully Yamaha is able to locate the anchor light on top of the T-Top.
- The bow compartment is one large area that is accessed by the two forward hatches with no divider or bulkhead to keep stuff from sliding further back. I'd like to see this compartment divided and a small bulkhead installed to keep from losing stuff to unreachable places.
I hope you've enjoyed this write up and if there are any specific questions, pictures or video you'd like to see before we have to send the boat back then please don't hesitate to ask!!!
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