Just bought Yamaha Jet Boat

[haknslash]

Congrats! Glad to hear she arrived safe and sound!

 

[0627Devildog]

As for the cover, best way is to remove from the aft. Unvelcro and loosen the strap. Fold it up in sections as you work your way forward from the aft deck. Installation is reverse of removal.

Only thing I would add, is when folding it up in sections take all the material from the swim platform to the seat backs and fold it into the boat.

Then pull in the material hanging over the starboard side gunwhales and fold it into quarters from Starboard to port.

When you get to where everything is on the port side of the boat. Keep halving it until the cover is about the width of the lounger, fold the port side of the cover that hangs over the gunwhales into the boat.

Once you get to this point you should be able to simply roll the cover along the seats and over the windshield from stern to bow.

I've found that this helps greatly with orientation of the cover when you put it back on. Start in the bow and unroll down the port side.

 

[Trm1765]

Be very careful for the ropes for the water toys. Shut the boat off any time the ropes are close. If they get under the boat when the boat is running they can easily get sucked up into the water intakes and get wrapped around the impellers. And make sure you have something to reach into the clean out ports to cut things with if they do get wrapped around the impellers. Have fun.

 

[njmr2fan]

As a brand new boat owner I have to agree. So much to learn and figure out and aquaint yourself with and then on top of that I threw on my 2 boys, ages 4 and 5 who can hardly contain their excitement and are very distracting. Second time out was better, a little more aquaintend with things. The last time I actually remembered to turn the bilge pump on and let it run while we were out. (Everyone kept asking me why it was left on, but that's what my owners DVD said to do)
If I get out 3-4 times a week, I may be totally at ease by January!

 

[tdonoughue]

(the real answer on the bilge: The pump is automatic. It turns on for a moment to detect if there is water. If there is, it keeps pumping. If there isn't, it shuts off. The switch on the helm turns on the power to whole system. So, if that is not on, the pump never checks and never pumps. If it is on, then it checks and only pumps if there is water there. Whenever the boat is in the water, that switch should be on!)

 

[Big Shasta]

(the real answer on the bilge: The pump is automatic. It turns on for a moment to detect if there is water. If there is, it keeps pumping. If there isn't, it shuts off. The switch on the helm turns on the power to whole system. So, if that is not on, the pump never checks and never pumps. If it is on, then it checks and only pumps if there is water there. Whenever the boat is in the water, that switch should be on!)

This is true...HORRIBLE design. First thing I would change is to a Rule Pump that is water sensing. Wire it directly to the batteries and never worry about that switch again. It has a test button for checking it and about monthly I would let the hose run into the bilge until it kicks on and pumps it out.

 

[tdonoughue]

Well, I don't know that I would go all the way to horrible. Remember, on the less expensive boats in the product line, the come with only 1 battery and no switch. So, then, the only way to turn off everything running on the boat would be to remove a battery cable. Personally, I like to be able to control what is on in my boat.

Now, that said, I could have been very happy had they put the switch for the bilge down by the batteries and left it on all the time (no light, thanks). They could have used that space on the helm for useful things you actually will want to turn on/off during the day. Like an auto-deploying bimini...

(Hey, Yamaha! That was a hint.)

 

[Big Shasta]

Well, I don't know that I would go all the way to horrible. Remember, on the less expensive boats in the product line, the come with only 1 battery and no switch. So, then, the only way to turn off everything running on the boat would be to remove a battery cable. Personally, I like to be able to control what is on in my boat.

Now, that said, I could have been very happy had they put the switch for the bilge down by the batteries and left it on all the time (no light, thanks). They could have used that space on the helm for useful things you actually will want to turn on/off during the day. Like an auto-deploying bimini...

(Hey, Yamaha! That was a hint.)

I just don't like the idea of rain water building up in the bilge over time if it's stored either. And I wonder what percentage of people remember that bilge switch every time out? If you don't have water, you don't drain the battery. If it's running and the battery drains, you at least kept up with the water while it had power. What about the guys that leave their boat in the water for extended periods, do they leave the switch on all the time, draining the battery because it runs every few minutes?

I prefer the "set it and forget it" approach....it doesn't allow my old brain to forget anything. YMMV

 

[0627Devildog]

Well, I don't know that I would go all the way to horrible. Remember, on the less expensive boats in the product line, the come with only 1 battery and no switch. So, then, the only way to turn off everything running on the boat would be to remove a battery cable. Personally, I like to be able to control what is on in my boat.

Now, that said, I could have been very happy had they put the switch for the bilge down by the batteries and left it on all the time (no light, thanks). They could have used that space on the helm for useful things you actually will want to turn on/off during the day. Like an auto-deploying bimini...

(Hey, Yamaha! That was a hint.)

Can you define "less expensive boats" please. . . . . I dropped nearly $50k on mine after taxes and I only got 1 battery. . . .

 

[tdonoughue]

If you don't have water, you don't drain the battery.

Well, see, that is the problem. That statement is false. The pump comes on occasionally to see if there is water there. If there is, it keeps pumping. If not, it turns off. But it is on a timer and constantly flipping on and off, testing for water. Were you to leave it on, it would drain your battery....

Can you define "less expensive boats" please. . . . .

I think that the 242 LS is the only one that comes with the battery switches and 2 batteries. Mine came with one battery, too... So, in this case, 'less expensive' is the less than $60k ones...

 

[Trm1765]

Rain water should never get into the bilge, at least in a 242 model,, You could turn on a hose, lay in on the floor of the boat and let it run all day and that water will never get to the bilge area or the pump. Same as rain water, it could rain all day and not get to the bilge. That water is all routed through a system of rain gutters (for a lack of a better terminology) under the fuel compartment cover and around the ski locker door.. All that that water is drained from the boat out the back end and straight into the river, never hitting the bilge area.

 

[0627Devildog]

Rain water should never get into the bilge, at least in a 242 model,, You could turn on a hose, lay in on the floor of the boat and let it run all day and that water will never get to the bilge area or the pump. Same as rain water, it could rain all day and not get to the bilge. That water is all routed through a system of rain gutters (for a lack of a better terminology) under the fuel compartment cover and around the ski locker door.. All that that water is drained from the boat out the back end and straight into the river, never hitting the bilge area.

While I agree this should in fact be the case, and is on my boat. . . . . I have seen others complain of rain getting into the bilge, and having the pump cycle nearly every trip to offload a few gallons. Knock on wood, I have never personally experience this.

 

[Trm1765]

I have also had a little water get pumped from my bilge, and I do keep my pump on when the boat is on. I am not real sure where that water comes from but I have tested the hose, and that water goes right out the back end. I have left it out in heavy rain over night multiple times,, no water in the bilge. I have had water come over the nose of the boat when I am nose heavy and hit a big wave just right, and that water goes right out the back end.
I think I get water inside my ski locker from wet skis and things, and that gets pumped to the bilge because all my plugs are open between compartments, but that isn't very much water.

 

[njmr2fan]

You read my mind^... The ski locker has a plug, when i recently washed it out and opened the plug, where does that water go? Inside the hull to the rear drain plugs? Engine Compartment?

 

[Trm1765]

You read my mind^... The ski locker has a plug, when i recently washed it out and opened the plug, where does that water go? Inside the hull to the rear drain plugs? Engine Compartment?

I think it goes into the engine compartment and pumped out with the pump. There are plugs in the front and back of the fuel tank compartment also and I think with all of them open they just become one big compartment. I guess I'll have to stick a hose in and find out for sure.

 

[dansshin]

Sorry I didn't get a chance to post more pictures today but my kids and I were washing/cleaning the boat. It was bit dirty and dusty inside I'm guessing from long journey and since we were getting to the water until Wednesday it was good excuse to take the cover off and get in the boat.

Seller sent me Yamalube vinyl protectant which I used to clean and now it looks like new inside as well. I did find couple of very very small cuts in cushion. Is there a way to repair it so that it won't get worse?

Anyways I'll try to take pictures of interior tomoorow as I need to take some photos for insurance.

 

[tdonoughue]

Sorry, @dansshin . No more answers until you update your profile. You are no longer boatless.

(kidding, of course; I just don't know about the cuts in the cushion--but given the length and wandering of this thread, you might get a better answer by starting a new one with that question as the thread name)

As for the ski locker question, the plug there and the plug in the bottom of the engine compartment go to the bilge below and will ultimately come out the bilge plug at the back of the boat. If too much water accumulates, there is an opening at the aft side of the engine compartment (about the size of a baseball) aft of the pump. Backed up water backs up into the engine compartment and is pumped out by the bilge pump.

Some have installed a second bilge pump underneath the cleanout port tray, which opens to the bilge and is lower than the engine compartment...

 

[GiddYupJoe]

@dansshin did you put yammalube all over your seats? I was under the impression that yammalube is for the engines? Unless they make a vinyl protectant with the same name that I am unaware of? May have been a typo but wanted to check. I don't think you would want an feul additive all over your seat!

 

[tdonoughue]

No, that is the right stuff. There is a Yamalube-branded Yamaclean vinyl cleaner. Comes in a spray bottle...

 

[GiddYupJoe]

No, that is the right stuff. There is a Yamalube-branded Yamaclean vinyl cleaner. Comes in a spray bottle...

And to think I can still learn stuff from this forum! Thanks for the clarification @tdonoughue