JetBoatPilot New Video Series: Yamaha VS BRP Powered Jet Boats

[swatski]

Great videos @JetBoatPilot. I'm sure that they'll help others greatly.
I think that the new keel-based hull design is greatly underappreciated, and poorly promoted for what they really do. I agree with the points in the handling video. If I were to characterize the difference between the two systems in terms of high-speed forward motion handling, this is how I would do it.
1. If you combine a sandbuggy and a drifting car, you have the non-keeled hull experience, or in boating terms, you have a big jet ski, which is a blast to drive, and have fun with.
2. The keel-based hull is like driving a formula one car. Yes, it gives more control similar to a prop boat, which some might characterize as boring.
Here's the part that everybody fails to recognize with the keel-based hulls, and in my opinion it is a huge differentiator. Take any non-keel jet boat, and any prop boat at a speed of 50 mph (I say 50 because 48-52 is the wot speed of my AR240), crank the steering full-starboard, or full-port, and see what you get.
My 2015 AR240 gives you safety (nobody has to worry about bouncing out of the boat) and control (I know exactly where my boat is going), as pointed out by many already, and it gives g-forces like a formula one car. What it doesn't give is cavitation, spiking RPMs, injured passengers, and a stern that is bouncing sideways.
Many will characterize the Yamaha keel-based hulls as handling more like a prop, but they deliver much more at wot and sharp turns... something that nobody else can do.
Having owned both Yamaha hull types, maybe @swatski and @Julian have an opinion to share from a Yamaha perspective. Also, I'm sure that many of our members who have owned prop boats can agree that cranking a sustained hard turn at 50 mph and not cavitating is unlikely with a prop driven boat.
Yes, in the end, it's a matter of preference, but it's important to recognize that the keel-based hulls are outstanding in a F-1 kind of way.

Very well said, Mr Moose! I think yours is one of the better descriptions of the 2015+ 240 Yamaha hull experience.

The unique feature being that weird no-cavitation/no-ventilation/no-slip-sliding/tight-as-hell high speed turns. With just about any outboard - you can not pull turns that tight, there is no way. Unless you trim down the lower to control cavitation and then loose a bunch of speed. With those yammies (on the other hand) you get almost like a roller caster effect - with high Gs and little speed loss. And it is very distinct from "drifting" of a traditional jet boat turning style, as you said.
I have had people literally just burst into uncontrollable giggle when making those very tight turns (without spinning) inside a narrow portion of my little river. I can tell that attempting that in a propped boat (even smaller) would be catastrophic.

So, yes - very accurate description, indeed.

I will add one more thing here which @Julian already eluded to but I think it deserves a separate mention, anyway. The way these new keeled hulls cut through waves - as in rough water, chop, or crossing someone else's wake - is so much more civilized. I have had hard time getting used to it initially (coming from the flattish bottom of my older 190) - when running hard and hitting bigger waves I would brace for impact (a jarring "stern slap") on hard reentry - which there isn't any.

Those are some of the major reasons I see this boat as a keeper.

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[JetBoatPilot]

I love to read all of these various perspectives. I learn something new Everytime!