Is this video an intentional hit piece against wake boats?

[meegwell]

For clarity I mean "hit piece" as in published article or post aiming to sway opinions by presenting bias information in a way that appears objective.

I am new to this scene and have seen some form of tribe mentality when it comes to jet boats for waterspouts vs. prop boats. I assume I will see much more. Anyway, I do feel there are a bunch of prop boat boarders/surfers who are really anti-jet boat, but not as much the other way around?

The brings me to this video I watched last night. Its a few years old so forgive me if this is old news or has been vetted. Its a bit long and tedious but just reading the comments and maybe skimming through it will make my point clear. It really seems as if the message they wanted to deliver was pre-determined, and then they made a "test" video to deliver the message: "Jet boats suck for wake surfing".

The amount of time spent bashing this boat (242X) is phenomenal. Mysterious behaviors of the preset accretion they keep repeating, talk of some video where Yamaha kept extra ballasts out of view, and the pro boarder pretending to fall off the wave several times and blaming the lame boat that shoots a jet stream and knocks him off...

I don't know I could be wrong here but I swear this whole video seems like a set-up to promote their bias against water sporting on jet boats. I have seen plenty of videos of perfectly good wake surfing on hammy wake boats. I just don't buy that these guys are being honest.

But like I said, I am new here...

Here it is: 242X Wake Surf Test w/ Pro

 

[Dave burke]

Lots of people on this forum wakesurf all the time and are better qualified to opine on the Yamaha´s abilities than I am. My main reaction when I watched (really skipped though) the video is that these guys dont appear very professional.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

For clarity I mean "hit piece" as in published article or post aiming to sway opinions by presenting bias information in a way that appears objective.

I am new to this scene and have seen some form of tribe mentality when it comes to jet boats for waterspouts vs. prop boats. I assume I will see much more. Anyway, I do feel there are a bunch of prop boat boarders/surfers who are really anti-jet boat, but not as much the other way around?

The brings me to this video I watched last night. Its a few years old so forgive me if this is old news or has been vetted. Its a bit long and tedious but just reading the comments and maybe skimming through it will make my point clear. It really seems as if the message they wanted to deliver was pre-determined, and then they made a "test" video to deliver the message: "Jet boats suck for wake surfing".

The amount of time spent bashing this boat (242X) is phenomenal. Mysterious behaviors of the preset accretion they keep repeating, talk of some video where Yamaha kept extra ballasts out of view, and the pro boarder pretending to fall off the wave several times and blaming the lame boat that shoots a jet stream and knocks him off...

I don't know I could be wrong here but I swear this whole video seems like a set-up to promote their bias against water sporting on jet boats. I have seen plenty of videos of perfectly good wake surfing on hammy wake boats. I just don't buy that these guys are being honest.

But like I said, I am new here...

Here it is: 242X Wake Surf Test w/ Pro

You’re so right about that vid being what I would call painful to watch. With comments below from posters like “fukyouashol” I don’t take them seriously. Unfortunately with the internet it gives a lot of wing nuts a bully pulpit to jump on to. You are also correct in that it is a hit piece. I used to read dirt bike magazine tests that were always biased towards one brand and the playing field was never even, except when Jimmy Lewis was the editor of Dirt Rider..

The Yamaha boats are great machines at an affordable price all things considered. If someone wants great wakes to surf on then they should go out and buy a wake specific boat and can cut the check for $150,000. Or, you can buy a non wake specific Yamaha and add a wake booster kit for $1300 that includes everything you need to wake surf.

I’ll probably be getting a wake booster kit for my 210FSH and I’m sure my friends and I will have a fantastic time with it. Then I can take the kit off and use the boat for anything from dinner cruise to full days of fishing with my friends and not worry about getting fish guts on my upholstery..

Lastly, my friend who lives in OK, has a Yamaha 24’ model with the wake booster kit, he and his family find the wake from this boat provides hours upon hours of fun.

 

[suke]

I think it's fairly well known Yamaha boats are jack of all trades, masters of none. Whereas wakeboats are purpose built machines to do a few things REALLY well. Yamaha's aren't great surf boats, they just aren't. Can you make them tolerable? Absolutely! You want a dedicated, push button, purpose built surf machine.....any current Yamaha won't be able to measure up. I think Yamaha COULD build a surf monster, the 255XE/D is still not the answer, but that's not their target market.......or so it seems.

 

[anmut]

I think it's fairly well known Yamaha boats are jack of all trades, masters of none. Whereas wakeboats are purpose built machines to do a few things REALLY well. Yamaha's aren't great surf boats, they just aren't. Can you make them tolerable? Absolutely! You want a dedicated, push button, purpose built surf machine.....any current Yamaha won't be able to measure up. I think Yamaha COULD build a surf monster, the 255XE/D is still not the answer, but that's not their target market.......or so it seems.

Exactly what these boats are. Out of the box, great at doing many things pretty good. With some tuning, you can do a few things better. Surfing is a great example - I can pull a hell of a wave out of my boat, but there's a lot of setup and screwing around. Switching sides is a PITA, filling bags takes time, putting the booster on in the water... etc. But if you have the time and don't want to spend another 50+ grand for that convenience, then they're great boats.

I'm still going back and forth (even today I was looking at wake boats) on selling the Yammie and going with something purpose built for sports. But we spend so much time on rivers and flowages, it just pains me to think of having a big expensive brass prop hanging in 3' below the waterline at WOT with only one engine to count on to get back. I'd be one stump away from a ruined day/weekend of boating - just like on my old I/O boats, and the entire reason I went with a jet pump drive!

What I need to do is keep the Yamaha and find some friends with a Paragon. Or wait until Yamaha decides to REALLY build a surf boat.

 

[haknslash]

I remember that video and it’s been discussed here I believe in the past. Personally I don’t think they were trying to slam against a Yamaha jet boat. I think the owner was on that boat (not driving but filming) and somehow knew or was introduced to the surfer guy and I’m assuming that’s the surfers dad or perhaps his “pro driver” who usually drives I’m assuming his or their own wake boat for competitions or whatever. A lot of assumptions, I know but hang with me lol. That’s just sort of the the way I remember the video going and I did not go through and rewatch the whole thing. I remember the surfer and driver trying to understand how to make a wake on a jetboat using conventional wake boat setup techniques but as anyone who surfs on a jetboat knows you have to use a wake wedge or some type of device to deal with the jet wash. That is what was missing in that video along with more ballast of course on the swim deck.

If I recall this video was taken right when Yamaha had introduced the X series and if some recall Yamaha had some ....ahem... questionable marketing tricks they used to make their boats look like they performed more than they do in stock form. People would buy the X and try to surf the stock wave then come on here wondering why it wasn’t producing. I think that is the same timeframe the video came out and honestly I can understand their frustration given there was no Yamaha wake booster device available during that time and they didn’t have that boat setup with a wake wedge nor fat sac. To put it blunt, they were newbs at jet boats and what it takes to surf behind one. In short I blame Yamaha for the shady marketing job they did back then to lure in people who thought these would make a wake comparable to a wake boat. This was it isn’t a slam on Yamaha IMO ...I just think they bought into the X hype and were a bit baffled why they didn’t get what the Yamaha videos were showing at the time. You’d kind of have to know the history of the product launch and be on this forum to know what I’m referring to but I don’t think they were making this video to throw shade towards Yamaha or jet boats. My .02

As for wake boat owners vs jet boat owners most of us on here who have had both respect both for what they are. Of course you will find some wake boat owners completely dismiss jet boats and to a agree I understand why because it’s not an apples to apples comparison with a modern day wake boat and Yamaha is pricing them in the same category. On the other side of the coin there are some jetboat owners that think wake boats are one trick pony boats which is far from the case. At the end of the day just ignore the haters and all is well. I like both boats in different ways.

 

[ripler]

I think there is a huge misconception by a lot of people thinking that wake boats are way more expensive than Yamaha's "wake" series boats. Yamaha wants 94K for a boat is crazy, there are plenty of other boats in that price range with wakes that the Yamaha can't touch. Yamaha is late to the wake surfing game and will have a hard time getting people to choose their wake series boats over a V-drive because of their price. The only thing Yamaha has over a V-drive is the safety of the jets and that's it. They ruined what used to be one of their biggest attributes which was storage, it's taken up by ballast. Don't get me wrong I had my Yamaha for 10 years and it was a great boat, but when we decided to get into wakesurfing and buy a new boat, I didn't even give Yamaha a thought.

 

[anmut]

I think there is a huge misconception by a lot of people thinking that wake boats are way more expensive than Yamaha's "wake" series boats. Yamaha wants 94K for a boat is crazy, there are plenty of other boats in that price range with wakes that the Yamaha can't touch. Yamaha is late to the wake surfing game and will have a hard time getting people to choose their wake series boats over a V-drive because of their price. The only thing Yamaha has over a V-drive is the safety of the jets and that's it. They ruined what used to be one of their biggest attributes which was storage, it's taken up by ballast. Don't get me wrong I had my Yamaha for 10 years and it was a great boat, but when we decided to get into wakesurfing and buy a new boat, I didn't even give Yamaha a thought.

You have to consider that yes, for 94k you can get an actual wake boat that produces an amazing wave. But can you get a wake boat that will skim 12" of water at 50mph with a beautiful walk through transom seating area for time at the beach? All a preference of what you want to do on the water.

 

[haknslash]

I suppose but skimming 12” of water is not the norm nor is it something I’d do on my jet boat. Good way to f up your boat or get stuck. Just ask @Evil Sports

But seriously IF you drive both boats within their recommended minimum depth you’ll be driving them in very similar depths of water. Can you take a jet in shorter depths? Sure ...but a) don’t stop or come off plane b) hope you don’t hit anything submerged or damage the keel and c) don’t suck up debris to clog your jets which will eventually mean you have to stop (see A).

I say all this I guess to say that I don’t see that as an advantage to a jet boat. Very very rarely did I ever put my 192 in less than 3’ of water. I don’t beach my boats, don’t do any daredevil driving such as 12” of water and I don’t anchor in less than 3’ to allow my boat plenty of safe vertical travel in rough water or waves. Following that mindset kept my boat looking new and kept me from filing insurance claims. YMMV

 

[swatski]

You have to consider that yes, for 94k you can get an actual wake boat that produces an amazing wave. But can you get a wake boat that will skim 12" of water at 50mph with a beautiful walk through transom seating area for time at the beach? All a preference of what you want to do on the water.

Exactly. And you could be doing this with a Yamaha on the way to Bimini, Bahamas, no less!

I've tried to think of reasons to sell my yammie and upgrade for the last year or so. I gave up, couldn't come up with a plan that would make sense, lol. She's staying with the family, and yes, we surf quite a bit.

With a little bit of work your Yamaha can produce a very nice wave; the guys in the video obviously had no interest in doing that.

--

 

[ripler]

You have to consider that yes, for 94k you can get an actual wake boat that produces an amazing wave. But can you get a wake boat that will skim 12" of water at 50mph with a beautiful walk through transom seating area for time at the beach? All a preference of what you want to do on the water.

My wake boat won't skim in 12" of water at 50MPH, but I can carry on a conversation without yelling. The transom seating is what sold me on the Yamaha originally and it was my wife's favorite place to hang out, but it wasn't enough of a feature for me to consider a new Yamaha. I'm sure my daughter won't miss getting sprayed in the face while tubing either.

 

[Julian]

As the #1 selling boat in its class it will always be under attack.

 

[anmut]

As the #1 selling boat in its class it will always be under attack.

Yep, you can usually judge your level of success by the volume of haters.

 

[the MfM]

Yep, you can usually judge your level of success by the volume of haters.

 

[Rooster585]

1st year surfing behind the 240 and we had a great time. The lighter folks had an easier time of it for sure but as the experimentation moved on the wave got better and better.
With a total investment of around 56K vs. 180K on up, I feel like the extra setup time is well worth it. Besides, from what I hear you have to pack a wake boat full of people or add a bit of extra ballast to get a good wave.
Gantlin wake wedge, 850 on the rear, about 700-750 up front and 3-4 people on board and we are good to go.

 

[haknslash]

1st year surfing behind the 240 and we had a great time. The lighter folks had an easier time of it for sure but as the experimentation moved on the wave got better and better.
With a total investment of around 56K vs. 180K on up, I feel like the extra setup time is well worth it. Besides, from what I hear you have to pack a wake boat full of people or add a bit of extra ballast to get a good wave.
Gantlin wake wedge, 850 on the rear, about 700-750 up front and 3-4 people on board and we are good to go.

vs 180k? LOL you can get into a wake boat for wayyyy less than 180k. This is your first season setting all that stuff up. It gets old after a while so give it some time. IMO Nothing beats flipping a switch and being ready to go with minimal effort or setup involved. This especially is the case if you have people that surf both sides like we do. For me that alone is worth the price of a wake boat regardless if it’s entry level or premium level. If you make surfing a big focus on your outings you’ll quickly find out how much you want to deal with the setup in a jetboat. I did that for 2 years with mine but grew tired of all the effort setting it up.

 

[Rooster585]

Honestly hak, I really really wanted to spring for a wake / surf boat. I wasn't going to settle for just anything used because the "used up" surf boats for sale around 120 - 130K just weren't worth throwing that much money at.
So then I looked for a QUALITY new surf boat. Once you sprang for the extra H.P., purchased the tower, stereo system and all the extras to outfit the rig properly, yes I would have certainly been in the 180K range, minimum. I dedicated 5 months of searching and scouring ads. Looked at a dozen or more used boats, drove 5 and then sat down with 3 dealers in N. Texas trying to get into a new boat for a decent price.
Now on your point of being able to flip the switch - Oh yeah! much desirable and how convenient. And the space and seating available on some of the top of the line Mastercraft / Tige boats are impressive.
The 24' Yammy has plenty of room, comfortable, paid cash so no 10 year payoff for me.
Have a great off season and Happy Holidays.

 

[haknslash]

You can get into new Moomba, Axis, ATX, MB Sports, Mastercraft NXT for less than $130k with every or nearly every option they offer depending on brand. Any of those boats will have higher grade build quality and materials than Yamaha jet boats will. So I’m not sure if you think they aren’t “quality” boats because they’re cheaper/entry level brands than premium wake boats. For $180k you must be looking at ultra premium models and brands such as Nautique G series, Centurion, etc. Heck you can build a VERY well equipped Supra with stern thrusters and all sorts of bells and whistles for less than $180k. I’ve also seen used Pavati’s in $175k range, If the styling of those interest you. You don’t need to spend $180k on a wake boat to get a quality built boat with a surf system and made for doing wake sports. The people that spend that kind of money want those extra plush materials, lots of tech features and options but it’s certainly not required for this sport.

 

[OrangeTJ]

I know that I got in to what I consider a pretty nice custom ordered wake boat for a long ways under $100K, though that was 5 years ago now. Even today, it isn't necessary to spend even $100K to get a very well built and capable wake boat. Just my 2 cents. That said, I certainly won't fault a guy for buying a Yamaha as I had one myself for 5 years, but I think it is reasonable to compare as close to like-for-like when talking about prices. Otherwise it's like comparing a Ferrari to a Nissan Altima and saying the only way to get a decent european car is to spend $400K but a Japanese car is only $35K.

 

[Rowdie]

I call bull spit on this master of none take. I'm the undisputed master of the local island cruise.