Interesting Article on Boat Sales

[That_Jeep_Dude]

Last weekend i was on the Hiwassee River in Charleston, TN (not far from the Yamaha plant) and spoke with a guy who works in the plant. They are back up and running and are finishing out the 2020 models in the next two weeks before they move onto the 2021's. He assured me that lots of changes were being made for 2021 on all models.

 

[Outnumbered212S]

Last weekend i was on the Hiwassee River in Charleston, TN (not far from the Yamaha plant) and spoke with a guy who works in the plant. They are back up and running and are finishing out the 2020 models in the next two weeks before they move onto the 2021's. He assured me that lots of changes were being made for 2021 on all models.

That’s awesome that they are changing stuff up. I hope it’s for the better.
I think it’s strange they don’t release any info on what’s coming out in the next year models like they do with vehicles . You would think marketing would help sell them. But I guess if a pandemic hits Everything sells anyway.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I hope that is correct, although have they ever made changes all model lines and boats in one year? I thought they refresh certain ones or groups every few years or so. It seems odd, but what do I know.

 

[JetMania]

Finalized the deal, swinging up Saturday to grab our 2020 212s in black. I haven’t slept all week. We are super excited.

I’m excited for you!! I wouldn’t have slept either. That will be a beautiful boat! Good luck!!

 

[Dixie Highway]

Seems like they focus on certain "hulls" every year. Last year the 19' hulls got freshened, 2017 the 21' hull, I think the 24' was 2014 so it should be next.

 

[HangOutdoors]

ah man... They are going to do something crazy and make me upgrade next year. I can just feel it.

 

[Outnumbered212S]

It’s all mine

 

[HangOutdoors]

Where in michigan did you get it from?

 

[buckbuck]

Congratulations @OutnumberedSX210
Your family is going to have a fun summer.

 

[Outnumbered212S]

Where in michigan did you get it from?

Grand Point Marina In Lansing. He was able to get it from Michigan City Indiana. Not sure the details on that but he called me Monday said he had one and I put the deposit down Monday. He has two 212x’s left.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Just drove by their location in Sterling Heights on way to lake if anyone needs a boat i saw 195 and a 240 out on lot, they may have others per site.

Inventory Archive | Grand Pointe Marina

grandpointemarina.com

 

[JetMania]

It’s all mine

She’s a beauty! Boat looks good too! Old joke, sorry.
Bet you can wait to get it on the water. Should be hours and hours of fun. Enjoy!!

 

[HangOutdoors]

It’s all mine

Change out that Bow Roller, before it breaks your heart. Mine did on first launch, scuffed up the boat a bit.

 

[Weeb]

It’s all mine

You have to change your forum name now lol. Congrats.

 

[biffdotorg]

That’s awesome that they are changing stuff up. I hope it’s for the better.
I think it’s strange they don’t release any info on what’s coming out in the next year models like they do with vehicles . You would think marketing would help sell them. But I guess if a pandemic hits Everything sells anyway.

They do, and Yamaha is the king of saving that info till the right time of year to sell out current stock and then take orders on the new. Their seasonal products are sold nearly on a JIT system. (Just In Time) You don't see many carry over units at dealers for a reason, and you won't see other brands hold their value like Yamaha.

Both Snowomobiles and Boats are seasonal, with new announcements in the fall for boats and spring for sleds. Allowing dealers to take orders on the next model year with plenty of time to produce this stock, plus whatever dealer inventory dealers feel they can move. There is no need for many sneak peaks or announcements early of new features as it would kill sales of current inventory sitting in lots.

Another thing they also do is keep model names around for a long time. Too long in my book, as they make serious changes in features and MSRP giving early adopters the false sense of value in their old boat/sled. 242 was announced in the fall of 2009, and still has nearly the same name (plus letters) in the current 2020 lineup. But they are not the same boat. Yamaha released The Apex snowmobile in 2006 and produced it till 2019. Same thing, changes made, but it held it's value because of it.

There are serious marketing reasons for the way they do business and it's not always around market share. It's about being efficient with production and inventory. Giving dealers a business that is sustainable, and customers with a product that holds value.

 

[JetMania]

Spent the week in the Ozarks on my buddies 31” Sea Ray. Fun times. Stopped by my Yamaha dealer to talk details. Supposedly I am first on their list to get a ‘21 AR195 from their first batch in. The Sales Manager says he thinks that’ll be early September as that is what his 18 years experience has shown.

The Service Manager who has 19 years at the dealer says he still thinks they may see the first batch late July/early August. He says everything is different this season. Yamaha doesn’t have ‘20 inventory sitting to sell off plus they have tremendous demand and orders for boats that will be ‘21 models.

Not sure who will end up right. Obviously I’m hoping the Service Manager is as I cannot wait for my new boat.

The Sales Manager said specs were the same on the AR195, but they were showing different color schemes. He is supposed to be sending me those, but I’m thinking I am going to have to follow-up to get it.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Darren Scherer I hope that some way they can get out some new boats so you can at least see some water time late summer or early fall. That would be awesome.

 

[minn19]

It’s all mine

Very nice, I'm sure you and your family will love it. I'm curious to hear your thoughts between this and your SX210. My wife and I went between the SX210, AR210 and 212 for a couple of months before making a final decision. Tower/no tower with bigger bimini along with difference of the seating and engine size were obviously the biggest differences to think about. We are very happy with our choice for different reasons. My wife loves the captain's chair and better flooring/interior etc. I like the bigger engines of course. We had 6 adults and 4 kids on board yesterday with a few coolers etc. We were still able to do 45-46 according to the speedo with the wind at our back while going over fairly choppy water. I am very impressed with this boat in a lot of ways.

Any way, congrats and enjoy!

 

[Woodsy]

We are in the same boat - no pun intended.
A couple weeks ago we purchased a 2017 AR210 that was still brand new with full warranty. This is our first ever boat. Like others said, it makes for good family isolation time during the COVID. From what I hear, boat sales in Alberta, Canada are up big time too now.

Sure glad I found my way to this forum and a big thank you to everyone for sharing your expertise and knowledge.

As we approached the boat ramp, returning from our first ride on the water, I had my son open the floor locker to grab the boat fenders. Much to my surprise the locker was 3/4 full of water. I later realized all the compartment carpets under the seats were damp also. Searching this forum, I discovered that the problem was the drain tube in the anchor locker. I plugged the gaps in the drain hole with silicon, and successfully addressed this issue.

A couple things I have wondered about:

• Jet Pilot Thrust vectors or the Cobra jet steering systems. Are they worth it? which set-up is better? Based on my first few drives around the docks, some added low speed control would be beneficial.
• I often wonder what basic gear or tools I should have on the water? Simple things to help a person out in a pinch with more typical or likely boat issues.
• What other peoples favorite accessories or modifications are?
• It appears lots of people on this forum are running in salt water. I wonder, in lake water applications, is flushing the motors and pulling the port plugs on the regular as important?

Thanks again Jet Boaters Forum.

Woodsy

 

[HangOutdoors]

I have Cobra Jet Steering. It is a big difference, night and day - you will notice it. Boat tracks much straighter and slow speed maneuvering and no wake are much better to handle, at least for me.

I went to Harbor Freight. Bought a a bag and tools just for the boat. Zip ties, wrench set, socket set, vice grips, spark plug socket, extension for 3/8's in drive. Torque wrench, oil filter wrench, pliers, Screwdrivers, curved knife and straight blade knife (for getting stuff out of the impellers), a small plastic storage tray to fit in bag that has spare fuses. Also Allen wrench set. Had to add a larger size as well. I chose a bag that zips across the top since when I put it in storage it doesn't slide around. I put a flashlight in there as well. Electrical tape. Then I bought a plastic container for organization with locking lid. In there I keep grease, two quarts of Yamalube 10w-40, duck tape (can fix anything), Yamaha spray lubricant, a funnel for oil and several spare spark plugs. A few more things I can't think of off the top of my head. I figure I can handle 90% of the things that could come up. In the truck I keep jack stand, Ring Free Additive, Stabil 360, a grease gun and bearing grease in another bag.

I flush after every outing. Although probably not required, but I may suck up sand and silt at the ramp. I pull the impeller plugs after every outing and inspect and leave them out till the next run. I make sure there is a bit of lubricant on them as well. Finally I open all drain plugs and put tongue up on a jack stand to let any residual water leak out.