Minor Rant - Old (2009) SX210

[CarCynic]

So It's probably really poor form, but I'm going to start off (This is my first post) with a minor rant.

I recently purchased a 2009 Yamaha SX210 in knowingly poor (but not terrible) condition. I'd far rather fix up an old boat (car.. house.. PC.. Stereo..) and make it my own than spend 4X as much on a new boat (.. .. .. ). I'm actually 100% happy with my purchase, and can't wait to go out again.

But... I'm a little surprised at some of Yamaha's design and construction choices. I'm doing this not to be a jerk on an online forum, but just to hear what owners/professionals have to say and to set expectations for anyone considering purchasing a Yamaha boat -- new or used.

Note: I am in central Florida -- a lot of these are saltwater issues. Some may also be due to neglect/improper repairs by previous owners

1. Pot metal fittings. I had to replace all (4) of the latches on compartments. All were corroded, and 2 broke off in my hand during inspection. I replaced them all with stainless steel ($30 each - surplus). Note also that the area around each latch had the non-skid bumps, so they did not seal properly, allowing water to penetrate into the filler of the fibreglass hatches. Why didn't the mold(s) have a flat sealing area under the latches -- looks like some CAD operator saved about 2 minutes each by not designing a flat area into the mold.
2. The hinges (and lots of other stuff) are held in place with wood screws into the fiberglass only. Some fittings do have backing plates or are bolted through with Stainless Steel washers, and lock nuts -- far more places should have this. (ex. Anchor locker/forward ladder compartment hinges, Clean out plug hatch hinges.)
3. Very thin/cheap material in places -- such as the dash, and the arch/visor thing over the gauges. Not something you would find on even "mediocre" boat brands.
4. I've never seen an inboard boat that doesn't have basic gauges (oil pressure, temperature) for each engine. I at least installed a voltmeter in place of the corroded and non-functional depth gauge.
5. Handling -- OK, it's a jet boat -- I get that, and even though this was the first time out, I docked and drove it onto the trailer in a moderate crosswind with little problem. I was used to maneuvering "normal" twin engine boats. (I owned a Twin inboard for may years), but the low speed (no wake zone) handling is atrocious. My boat also has the little rudders attached to the drive units. I get that it's a trailerable boat, but there are all kinds of designs (tunnel hulls, stepped hulls, etc.) that are trailerable. They couldn't have done something to make it have some yaw stability? Why is the steering like 1/2 turn lock to lock, when other boats are several turns? I'm assuming this is just for parts commonality with handlebars on Waverunners.
6. The engines have no "finesse". It's not reasonable to expect the beautiful (to me) sound of 2 Chevy V8's in my previous boat (or lots of other boats from the 1970's to current), but even the Yamaha 2-cycle outboard I used to have didn't sound bad. -- These 4 cyl Waverunner/motorcycle engines have nothing pleasing about their sound at any speed. Even the seller -- who is a certified marine mechanic -- told me this.
7. Why do they need to run at 7000 rpm, and then have a reduction gear to drive the Jets? I get that a couple inch diameter impeller has to turn faster than a prop for the same power and thrust, I also get that HP = torque x RPM, and that producing more tourqe requires a bigger, heavier engine, but why rev the engine like h***, and then gear it down? I've seen lots of Chevy-based marine engines with 5000 hours on them. It seems 500 hours on these engines is considered a lot.

I've already mentioned a couple of repairs to the example I bought, but here's a few more:

1. Bimini top. Replaced the fabric with generic. In this case, the poles of the top were all good quality marine components. Having to replace the top on a boat this old is 100% to be expected. Some modifications to the generic fabric were needed to make it work on the original supports.
2. The main problem was an Engine 1 starting issue. The one-way clutch was not engaging. Replaced with a used complete Flywheel/magneto assembly from "a certain popular auction site".
3. Clean out plugs were stuck. I won't explain how I got them out because I used equipment that I'll just say "isn't a common shop tool". Cleanout Plugs cleaned, lubricated and work fine.
4. Starboard bildge blower failed, and took the circuit breaker with it (wouldn't reset). Blower and breaker replaced. Cleaned up some other corrosion under the dash.
5. Replaced Bildge pump switch due to weathering. Probably all switches/breakers should be replaced.
6. Struts for the 2 storage lockers not marine grade, and the plain steal supports were rusted. Replaced one ball stud, cleaned up rust, primed and re-painted with marine grade paint. This should all be stainless steel on a boat.
7. All 4 speakers replaced with generic marine surplus (but new) speakers. At least 2 that were installed on the boat were not original. Radio still sounds as bad as the engines. (Note, I am an audiophile and audio engineer, so take my complaints from that point of view.)
8. Lubricated all cables. Some (most/all) should probably be replaced.
9. I am still working on cosmetic issues (faded gelcoat, long-gone stickers.)
10. Other expected stuff - Oil and filter changes, grease jet bearings, etc.

The good:

1. It's fast. It cruises at faster than the top speed of any boat I previously owned.
2. Econmical. As long as you aren't running hard all day, 20 gallons is sufficient for a nice, full day's outing. The $18 burger at the waterfront bar won't cost too much more than $18.
3. Planes easily, and handles fine at speed. No hydraulic steering/tilt/trim to worry about.
4. No worries about transmissions, shear pins, hitting things with the lower unit, outdrive bellows. My plan is to never have to remove another outboard or outdrive lower unit. I think I did that enough times in my life when I was like age 25.
5. Sturdy hull construction.
6. Aluminum exhaust -- No cast iron risers.
7. While one must still be aware of Exhaust fumes (CO), and shut down both engines if there is anyone near the swim platform, there is no prop to worry about. The swim platform is not blocked by a huge engine.

Again, I'm happy with my purchase. I have less than $1000 in everything needed to make this an enjoyable (and fast) day boat.

I just want potential buyers surfing this site to be aware of the non-marine grade hardware and construction practices.

 

[VitaminSea]

Welcome aboard. Glad to hear overall you are enjoying your boat.

Yamaha’s are “value” boats, and I wish they would follow the likes of Hurricane and others and offer a “salt water” upgrade trim/package, for some of the reasons you’ve mentioned, including the use of SS hose clamps in the engine compartment.

Even on their current 25 FSH model they are still using the plastic latches for the anchor locker vs sourcing GemLux SS latches (they use GemLux hinges on the boat).

As you look at the evolution of the brand, you can see improvements from model run to model run (many of the current production models use SS struts on the engine hatches now). Fortunately, as you mentioned most of this is easy to address with some sweat equity.

I’m in Central FL as well, you mentioned “marine surplus” a few times, is there a local shop or are you procuring on-line?

Oh, if you haven’t already, in the lower bilge (accessed through the tray on the swim platform by the clean out ports), inspect the hose clamps on the exhaust plumbing and the clean out trays. Either treat as necessary or replace with new clamps.

As for the bow wondering at no wake speeds, yes - that’s a known issue. Not sure what steering fins you have, but both CJS and JBP have made improvements in their designs overtime, so that might be worth looking into, but regardless the boat will remain sensitive to weight transfer at slow speeds.

 

[CarCynic]

So I don't mind putting in a plug for the Marine Surplus place I use.

I got almost everything for the repairs/upgrades from Marine Connection Liquidators in Ft. Peirce.

I am not affiliated with them in any way other than giving them lots of $$$ over the years (and 4 different boats).

Warning: If you go there you may find the urge to purchase a fix-up boat uncontrollable. They have so much cool stuff. If you are a DIY boater, it's worth the trip from anyplace in Middle or East Central Florida.

I didn't even have a chance to say anything when I walked in the place. An employee saw me holding one of the broken latches, and said "I have the stainless ones of those so that won't happen again", and immediately led me to a large bin of them. They are all stainless, and even have a basic lock. He mentioned that they didn't have as many keys as they did latches, so I only took 2 keys for the 4 latches.

I probably won't ever lock the cleanout hatch, or even the anchor locker, but I can see the benefit to being able to lock the under floor lockers when you make a stop for that $18 hamburger. Some nicer lifejackets are expensive, and thus a temptation for anyone lurking around the dock.

Thanks for the advice on the exhaust clamps. I'll check them -- and yes -- the use of automotive grade (and that may be a little generous) clamps is another problem that I should have included.

I'd be publicly lying if I said that every time I went out in my old cruiser that every exhaust connection was double clamped with pristine SS clamps, but I made an effort to replace missing or rusty clamps when I noticed them, even if one acceptable clamp was present.

"Value boat" doesn't really excuse this in my mind. Would you fly in a "value plane" that didn't have redundant ignition systems, or didn't safety wire engine bolts?

I've read about the scupper through-hull. That's another one. Thin plastic is not OK, and it should be double clamped with SS clamps.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Just wait until one of your clean out plugs blows out and either blasts the rear hatch open or floods the engine compartment but they did away with that push button type in 2017 be sure you are careful with the number 3 spark plug also those seem to break when being removed all the hose clamps rust and fall apart , the stainless liner of the jet pump and the aluminum housing have serious dissimilar metal corrosion issues that starts out making a clanging noise and goes down hill from there even locking up the pump but they finally got rid of that recently and use nylon liners And the 1./4 turn helm has NO fitting for you to grease it so over time it gets harder to turn at speed. just a few of the things you can look out for.