My 50hr review of my 242X

[mraz72]

is the built in ballast worth it? It sounds like you still need a few adults to get the wave you want....

 

[jcyamaharider]

What pumps are Yamaha putting in the boat to fill the ballast system on these boats?

EDIT: Nevermind I watched @Julian video and found my answer.

 

[Rod5]

Great question...hope somebody has tried it....I may give it a shot this weekend. However, seems to me I read that there is only a certain speed range that you can set for the profiles, and I dont believe it was that high.....might be wrong!

Yep 40.0 MPH seems to be the max speed that can be set. Bummer!

 

[rsg1963]

Nice review and pics. I don't mind the fuel consumption as I'm used to it on my Kawasaki 300x. But the amount of power available is definitely at the minimum usable when I have 4-5 people in the boat and towing a wake-boarder. I was very surprised to find out there is almost no aftermarket goodies to get more power/RPM's safely out of these engines. I know I'd be very interested if there was.

 

[swatski]

Nice review and pics. I don't mind the fuel consumption as I'm used to it on my Kawasaki 300x. But the amount of power available is definitely at the minimum usable when I have 4-5 people in the boat and towing a wake-boarder. I was very surprised to find out there is almost no aftermarket goodies to get more power/RPM's safely out of these engines. I know I'd be very interested if there was.

I find the fuel consumption to be quite good when cruising. But, once at WOT -- it kind of doubles!
That is why (I think) we are unlikely to ever see a twin SHO/SVHO model -- they could not fit a fuel tank big enough for that, LOL.

Re: power mods, an ECU reflash such as V-tech affords a nice boost in power at the lower end, but may require tuning the pump to adjust for that newly found torque. It does not seem to help all that much at the top, however, at least in my experience. Probably due to those non-SC 1.8 engines running very high compression to start with, so those are kind of maxed out at the top from factory.

Ribbon delete is an strait forward way to get some extra 200RPM on top, as long as the boat is not rev limited (running 7,800RPM) before hand. Removing the "snorkels" from air filter boxes seems to help a bit, too.

Overall - I love my new boat! It is an AR240, but I think @Kane really nailed it in his review here.

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[rsg1963]

I find the fuel consumption to be quite good when cruising. But, once at WOT -- it kind of doubles!
That is why (I think) we are unlikely to ever see a twin SHO/SVHO model -- they could not fit a fuel tank big enough for that, LOL.

Re: power mods, an ECU reflash such as V-tech affords a nice boost in power at the lower end, but may require tuning the pump to adjust for that newly found torque. It does not seem to help all that much at the top, however, at least in my experience. Probably due to those non-SC 1.8 engines running very high compression to start with, so those are kind of maxed out at the top from factory.

Ribbon delete is an strait forward way to get some extra 200RPM on top, as long as the boat is not rev limited (running 7,800RPM) before hand. Removing the "snorkels" from air filter boxes seems to help a bit, too.

Overall - I love my new boat! It is an AR240, but I think @Kane really nailed it in his review here.

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I agree swatski about the good review, and I will try the simple mods you suggested (ribbon delete and snorkels). Thanks for the nudge, I read about them previously on this forum but just put them out of mind. The ECU flash is something I'd consider except for the $$ it seems like very little gain. Especially since part of the cost is doubled due to our twin engines.

 

[Kane]

I meant to Post this a month ago! So I finished out the season with 72 hours. I took this on the last ride of the season. Until next year!

 

[Glen]

I'm 100+ hours into my 242X and largely agree with everything above-
I did have a massive issues with the ballast tanks as they did not function for the first 10 months. Somewhere between dealership incompetence and Yamaha parts shortage (Ballast Control Unit; ballast computer), I went without for the vast majority of the first season.
With that said, I have no regrets as we had so many great adventures without the ballasts tanks, that very little joy was lost.

We did all the lake stuff that are normal, including surfing, tubes, wakeboard, skiing,...
Trailered to FL (fm VA) and took it across the Gulf Stream (Bimini '16)
Trailered to NY, to Long Island Sound (to play a Pirate Ship in a Memorial Sailing Race)
chasing fresh water bass in 2-3 feet of water
up the Potomac for a DC tour
to the Chesapeake Bay, Severn River for Blue Angels
late night on Potomac for 4th of July fireworks
de-winterized (and then re-winterized) and cruised in Dec '15, twice, due to anomalous 70+ degree days...because we could!

The point-
If you want a pure lake surf boat, then the 242X is likely not the boat you want.
If you want a boat that will take you on nearly any powered boating adventure you can reasonably conceive, with safety, fun, ease and efficiency, this may be your boat.

It is not the best at any of the above, but that it does all of them well, is why we got and love ours.
(and I can do all the maintenance myself, without being a life-time wrenching guy)

.02

 

[Larkintx]

where did you get your boat license tag. Made ?

 

[Kane]

where did you get your boat license tag. Made ?

I had my guy who letters my trucks do it. I would think any sign shop could do this for you.

 

[Julian]

@Kane how did the boat handle the waves on the way to bimini? I'm thinking the bigger bow will deflect waves better than my old 230 pointy bow did?

 

[Kane]

@Julian I've never been....that would be one hell of a ride from the Northeast!

 

[Julian]

@Julian I've never been....that would be one hell of a ride from the Northeast!

Whoops....brain fart....meant @Glen!

 

[Pirana]

very cool pics and good review...I think Yamaha did their homework when they did the storage designs...that transom storage its a hit! The X looks the part!