Is the Yamaha 275 SD worth $130,000

[RACCAP]

I wonder why the Yamaha 275 SD is $130,000

when the Yamaha 242S is only $65,000

That's twice the price for only three (3) more feet

 

[gwrace1]

At that price it needs a roof, AC/heating, sleeping area and restroom facilities. In other words a home on the water.

 

[Dean P]

I wonder why the Yamaha 275 SD is $130,000

when the Yamaha 242S is only $65,000

That's twice the price for only three (3) more feet

No, it's not worth it, especially members with the 24' Yamis and for the facts you stated. Get a fairly new 24 footer and learn the boat and the area. A shorter boat won't break the bank on storage fees.

 

[zipper]

No, it's not worth it, especially members with the 24' Yamis and for the facts you stated. Get a fairly new 24 footer and learn the boat and the area. A shorter boat won't break the bank on storage fees.

And can be towed by an MB GLE 450.

 

[ZGhost]

I wonder why the Yamaha 275 SD is $130,000

when the Yamaha 242S is only $65,000

That's twice the price for only three (3) more feet

And that doesn’t include the $8k trailer. The 24’ is a better value proposition!

 

[Wisefam22]

Look at all other brand new boats in the 27-29ft range. They are 20-30k more and with discounts sell for same or little more still.

 

[haknslash]

To me it isn't worth the cost. Eye is in the beholder though but I don't think those boats are flying off the lots.

I don't see enough pro's to outweigh the con's.

You get:

• A boat without a trailer
• 2 thirsty supercharged engines that I'm not sure how long the 90 gallon tank would keep fed
• Funky looks (subjective, I know, but I personally think it's an ugly boat due to the windshield design and overall profile)
• Probably the close to same or less performance than a twin non-supercharged 24' Yamaha but higher cost to run due to premium fuel requirement on SVHO engines
• Low slung profile that looks like it could get swamped over the bow from a bass boat just being tied up to the dock.
• new DRIVE system used on the boats. It's been on the PWC's for years as RiDE. I totally expect Yamaha to eventually use this across the higher trim boats and not keep it exclusive to the 275. However I don't feel this is a "must have" feature since Yamaha reverse bucket direction is easy to learn compared to say BRP design where reverse requires opposite direction and thought. The problem with these boats isn't from understanding how to use the throttle it's the lack of response at slow speeds especially around docks. I'd rather see bow or stern thrusters than forward and reverse "shifter paddles".

When you look at other boats it's the same or similar size knowing you can get them below MSRP, I just don't see this boat competing big time in the short or even long haul. Yamaha could have made a 24' FSH for $55k-60k and probably sold them all compared to maybe a handful of 275's sold by now ....but where are they? The 275 just seems like a disconnected red headed step child compared to the rest of the lineup.

 

[Wisefam22]

Idk when I was at atlanta boat show people were enamored with the 275 and lined up to get ther chance to get on it.

I know the local yamaha dealer has sold 6 since release

 

[OrangeTJ]

You'd have to line it up to other boats of similar size and use-orientation from other manufacturers. Keep in mind that with other manufacturers, actual selling prices will be WAY less than MSRP, whereas Yamaha tends to hold the line on MSRP. In other words, put it next to a $160K list price Cobalt or Chaparral (or other brand) and see which you like better.

 

[spatty99]

What about something like a Jeanneau NC 795 or 895?

 

[Liveto99]

Enjoy your new boat you will love it.

 

[Plpbecks]

Obviously this is not a popular opinion based on posts so far... I’m an owner of a 2019 242 LS E series. We love it. That said, I’ve been on the 275SD and I can say that it offers a lot more of the things we love about our boat. The layout is awesome, and if I had the extra disposable cash to throw around I would go for it.

When it comes down to it, if you ask most people, a boat is a “terrible investment”, and they’re not wrong, It’s a depreciating asset. For those of us that are boat owners, we understand why we want them (we actually like to enjoy life), and we’ve purchased the most boat we can comfortably afford. Bottom line is, asking a question about whether a boat is “worth it” will NEVER get you the answer you’re looking for.

The 275 SD is a beautiful piece of machinery, and will do you real well for many years. If you like it, buy it and forget about whether it’s “worth it”. The quicker you forget it, the quicker you’ll be enjoying those amazing days out in the water.

 

[seanmclean]

When you get into the 27+ bowrider market, that's basically what these boats cost. It's a huge premium for 3' (especially compared to going from 21 to 24). If its worth it or not is only something you can answer, but to me - at that price point there are a few other brands that are piquing my curiosity even more (Sea Ray, Formula, Cobalt). They all have much higher MSRPs, but are infinitely more negotiable and your OTD price will be in the same neighborhood as Yamaha.

The draft thing is of minimal consequence to me, and i do boat in some skinny water. I can probably count on one hand the number of places that i can get to in my boat that i couldn't with a boat that has an extra 1' of draft, and even then I rarely do it because a wacky tide or a big wake can introduce you to the bottom anyway.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Oh yeah...don't forget about Regal. Regal has some really nice layout plans and generally extremely efficient hull designs.

 

[swatski]

When you get into the 27+ bowrider market, that's basically what these boats cost. It's a huge premium for 3' (especially compared to going from 21 to 24). If its worth it or not is only something you can answer, but to me - at that price point there are a few other brands that are piquing my curiosity even more (Sea Ray, Formula, Cobalt). They all have much higher MSRPs, but are infinitely more negotiable and your OTD price will be in the same neighborhood as Yamaha.

The draft thing is of minimal consequence to me, and i do boat in some skinny water. I can probably count on one hand the number of places that i can get to in my boat that i couldn't with a boat that has an extra 1' of draft, and even then I rarely do it because a wacky tide or a big wake can introduce you to the bottom anyway.

Good points. but the 275 is not really comparable, size-wise, to most 27-28' OBs (CC or DC). the transom is recessed by almost two feet under the swim platform while some outboards are hanging on a bracket... Huge, huge difference in ride quality for those different boats with nominally smame LOA. Also, sadly, the quality of fit and finish in Yamahas is just not comparable to SR or Cobalt, leave alone Formula!

The huge plus is tow-ability of Yamahas as our JBs are super thin FRP hulls and super lightweight.

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[haknslash]

The weights in that boat size class seem to vary over the place. Take for example the Sea Ray SLX 280 is north of 7k lbs while the Cobalt R7 is 5,600 lbs dry, which is about 150 lbs more than a 275 SD. Crazy the amount of differences between these things. I bet that SeaRay eats chop like nothing! They really are nice boats and I liked what I saw at the boat shows. Not really my kind of boat these days but still can appreciate how nice it felt sitting inside them.

 

[seanmclean]

As a comparison, if I'm spending 130K, I'm looking hard at something like this: New 2020 Sea Ray SDX 270, 45226 Cincinnati - Boat Trader

The only tradeoff to me is that it's a single engine. I really like the idea of a twin engine boat just from a redundancy perspective. The length of the swim platform takes away the safety concerns from the prop.

 

[swatski]

As a comparison, if I'm spending 130K, I'm looking hard at something like this: New 2020 Sea Ray SDX 270, 45226 Cincinnati - Boat Trader

The only tradeoff to me is that it's a single engine. I really like the idea of a twin engine boat just from a redundancy perspective. The length of the swim platform takes away the safety concerns from the prop.

I would agree.
To me, what's the advantage of jet propulsion if one is not: 1. wake surfing behind the boat and/or 2. running extreme shallow/small rivers/creeks?

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[Troch1]

I would agree.
To me, what's the advantage of jet propulsion if one is not: 1. wake surfing behind the boat and/or 2. running extreme shallow/small rivers/creeks?

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The advantages in my specific use scenario were:

1) swim deck, rear facing seats that are unobstructed. Our family spends 75% of our boating days at anchor. 90% of that time is spent either sitting at the stern or in the water. Our 242 is second to none at its price point. We looked at single OB dual consoles and bow riders and my wife vetoed every one. Those 300hp engines are MASSIVE in size. Those that say they don’t see that as an issue don’t know or truly appreciate the open concept. Kinda like the difference between ocean VIEW and ocean FRONT.

2) simplistic maintenance/winterization. I already owned a Yamaha waveruner, so was familiar with the engine. Stupid simple winter routine. I came from dual v-drives, and before that an i/o. Both were SIGNIFICANTLY more cost and effort to maintain, and I had to farm out a decent chunk of the work due to the additional time involved.

3) towability. The boat is light compared to its competitors. I don’t hesitate to take it places like our previous I/o bow rider.

4). Shallow water ability. In the northern Chesapeake bay, in general it’s quite shallow. We love being able to access places others can’t.

 

[seanmclean]

I would agree.
To me, what's the advantage of jet propulsion if one is not: 1. wake surfing behind the boat and/or 2. running extreme shallow/small rivers/creeks?

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For me, it was to be able to get twin engines and a great layout in a reasonably priced boat. The options in the 24' market are limited in that respect (and the other boats take a pretty commanding price jump), the 27' market isn't the same discussion since the price leap for yamaha is so huge. If the 275 were priced something like 80/95/110 - I might be steering back to it being the best value in that size.

I don't quite get the 'running in extreme shallows' either. Sure, in theory the boat can run on plane in 6-8" of water or something crazy... but what if you need to stop? Then you're right back to needing 1.5-2' (AKA, an I/O with drive up), and if you're starting in that depth you're sucking half the bottom with you. The shallow draft for me is just an insurance policy, but I still get wary when I see 4.5/5' depth on the dash - things change in a hurry.

My bottom line opinion - and its cool if you/others don't share it) - is that Yamaha is a solid performer and pretty good in the fit/finish department from 19-24'. Equivalent high-end boats all have a 20-30K price gap separating them (with a better fit/finish/materials, but not sure its worth the premium). At 130K (without trailer)? It's not a clear cut winner.