New 2016 Yamaha E-Series Options Described with lots of photos!

[Billtex2000]

I'm with you @ptwb. For me, my 2009 is the sweet spot. I like the traditional lines, the head compartment and the ability to fix most problems - especially the electrical kind - myself... even while on the water.

The '07 - '09 boats were the peak of the "Average Guy" time (to borrow a phrase from @njmr2fan) in the Yamaha lineup. Since then they've added a lot of complexity and price that - to be honest - has kind of turned me off.

You hit the nail on the head @biglar155 ! I'm a guy who grew up changing my own oil (and I still do). All the "innovations" are turning me off as well as driving up prices. I think ultimately they'll amount to less time on the water and more time in the shop. I like the traditional hull design as well. A 2011 sx210 (before the hull change) was listed at $32,999.00. The 2016 212ss (least expensive 21' boat) is now $45,999.00. That's quite a jump for their entry level 21 foot boat! Last years sx210 was $38,999.00. I was planning on looking into a 2016 sx210 since my boat is ten years old. Guess not! I cant justify being forced into paying that extra $7000 for the HO motors. Hopefully in the Spring I'll be able to find a nice pre-owned 21 footer from 2010 or 2011 that's in good shape, and that will be my last Yamaha. If I go for new, it will be a Scarab 215. I miss "Average Guy" time

 

[Julian]

I love the tracking of the boats with the rudder, I dont see any negative implications to how they drive with a rudder.
I love the sound reduction in the 2015s+
I love the drive by wire in the 2016s
I love the solar panels in the 2016s
I love the engine sync in the 2016s
I love the seat fabric in the 2016s
The price....not so much in love with that!

 

[BigN8]

At $70k they have pushed their target market out and now this market segment will look at other options, like Sea Ray, Regal, Chaparral. I know I would.

 

[biglar155]

I love the tracking of the boats with the rudder, I dont see any negative implications to how they drive with a rudder.
I love the sound reduction in the 2015s+
I love the drive by wire in the 2016s
I love the solar panels in the 2016s
I love the engine sync in the 2016s
I love the seat fabric in the 2016s
The price....not so much in love with that!

Don't get me wrong - these are great features. I just don't want them enough to pay for them, and I certainly don't want to pay to fix the the high-tech ones (and have to wait for my boat to be fixed).

Stir in the fact that a lot of Yamaha dealers out there have a poor reputation and many folks have to drive a LONG way to get to one and it would make my boat ownership experience go from confident, happy owner to being as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs. The first time I had to push a button twice to activate something, I'd be on the verge of hyperventilating (was that something I did, or is it going to hell already?).

 

[Billtex2000]

Agree strongly @biglar155 !

@Julian I think it's more having something hanging below the keel than steering issues that we dislike. What's your take on the 7:2 ratio of 24 vs 21 foot boats? Why did they eliminate the more inexpensive 21's?

 

[Billtex2000]

At $70k they have pushed their target market out and now this market segment will look at other options, like Sea Ray, Regal, Chaparral. I know I would.

Scarab, Chaparral, etc.

 

[Bruce]

Why did they eliminate the more inexpensive 21's?

I believe that Yamaha eliminated the MR-1 engine which was used in the 210 models.

 

[Julian]

I believe that Yamaha eliminated the MR-1 engine which was used in the 210 models.

That does make sense...

 

[Billtex2000]

Which unfortunately made their entry level 21" boat $45,999.00!
19' too small, 21' too expensive.
Hello Scarab.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I'm optimistic that Yamaha will fill that void in 2017.

 

[Billtex2000]

From your lips to God's (or Yamaha's) ear, Murph!
And it better not have a rudder! LOL

 

[JMSGA]

Can the rudder not be removed?

 

[jcyamaharider]

WOW!!! I was hoping for a " Surf boat" I would have upgraded immediately. This price is way out of the ball park. There are some cool features but my boat has everything this boat has and more. Can't wait to see what the Wake wedge will do behind it with full factory ballast!! I will already say it will need more weight. The board that I seen them wake surfing with could go ropeless with any size wake. It is a super floaty board and the rider had to put TONS of nose weight on it to go ropless for a any amount of time. Good looking boat but out of my price range for what I would be buying. If I was buying I would buy a 2015 AR240 and just add the ballast I wanted and be tons of money ahead.

 

[njmr2fan]

Even if it goes absent for a year or two, I believe Yamaha will see that the entry 21' market is too much to neglect. They're in the business to sell units. If I start out in an entry 19 then a few seasons in want to jump up to a 21 but cant afford it, they're losing unit sales. I might keep what I have (no sale) I might jump on a different brand (no sale) but if they have that economy 21' segment then they've sold me another boat. a few seasons later when I want more features I move up to "luxury" 21'. Seems logical to me, but i'm not a Yamaha bean counter.


Most importantly.... Its more costly to gain new customers than to retain current customers. If you buy a Scarab and love it, you have no reason to not buy another new Scarab. Same for Chapparal. Does Yamaha want to lose die hard legacy customers by forgetting what brought them to their current level of success? Probably not.

 

[Morrowcat]

optimistic that Yamaha will fill that void i

@Murf'n'surf @Julian ....you guys seem to know some higher ups....could you please plant a bug in an ear?

 

[Julian]

They read the site....and hopefully are taking notes.....

 

[ptwb]

I'd kind of like to see a return to the basics. An AR240 now starts at 54k. The next step up with a tower is the Limited-S at 62k. And then the Limited S E-Series at 66k.

12k to go to an E-series. That is just crazy. I just don't see 12k worth of extra stuff in that boat. Yeah, I want electronic throttle but I don't care about touch screens, turning on my bilge by touch, or setting up a watersports profile.

Seadoo offered electronic throttle and engine sync standard on all their twin boats. The higher model boats then got extra throttle features like the watersports mode, auto cruise speed for best fuel econony mode, docking mode, etc.

It seems like almost every single new feature added to a Yamaha since '10 has been Yamaha copying from other brands. Hinged seats, nope, Seadoo offered that a long time ago. Yamaha didn't even offer folding towers for the longest time. We had 60+ mph (gps) seadoo 230 super wake models. That thing was a blast to test drive! Seadoo did charge more and people complained that seadoo charged too much.

Yamaha set the stage in 03 and 07. Not anymore. Now it's reversed. I don't see one single major creative new feature on new Yamahas. And the irony that seadoo stopped making boats and now Yamaha is just as expensive if not even more.

For the 1st time ever, one can now actually get the equivalent of a Yamaha boat cheaper. The 1' longer scarab 255 HO impulse comes with tower,wake bags and throttle control for 60k. $6k cheaper then the Limited S E-Series. Even the chaparral 243 is only 3k more than a Limited S E-Series, 66k vs 69k.

I wonder if Yamaha felt forced into adding electronic throttle since now all the competition has it since they're rotax based?

IMO, the single best thing about the higher boats is the electronic throttle. Of course Yamaha is hoping that that will lure people to upgrade and pay more. Will it work? I do like that new bimini too, but can the tower still fold? If so, where does the bimini go? If not, then no thanks, I need to store my boat in a garage and I don't want to also have to dismantle a bimini.


I'd like to see Yamaha reintroduce a basic boat, no touch screen, basic controls, but that at least has the most basic electronic throttle and engine syncing in place. No watersports mode needed. No RUDDER either! Also give me back a traditional stereo that when the time comes, I can upgrade myself. What happens when the next bluetooth or usb comes out? When apple changes connectors again? I don't want to be locked into Yamaha to fix or upgrade my stereo, although this is probably exactly what they want. Then again, things like this can date something quickly if future stereos quickly gain wanted technologies that can't be retrofitted easily.

In theory, I don't see why Yamaha can't design a single dash with a blank for the screen, or the blank becomes the traditional switch array. If somebody wants to pay to upgrade to a touch screen or more advanced throttle with watersports, remove the switch array and plug in the screen and upgraded computer. The servo's and all are the same.

This could even make it easier for dealers to sell boats they have on the lot that are not exactly what the customer wants. Somebody wants the touchscreen, they can add. Ask for it at time of purchase and get a better deal. Almost everything else can potentially be added by the dealer and or the customer themselves.

There is one dream feature I've always asked for, but Yamaha appears stubborn on this one. Fixed reverse gates. I love these on Seadoos and on my Yamaha PWC. It makes neutral and reverse TONS better.

Ok, maybe one more feature, the return of the convertible lounger. I hate the captian chair setups. I don't think our convertible has ever been in fwd seat mode.

I guess I kind of want a new project boat! The single only feature yamaha has finally added in the past 8 years that I want is electronic throttle control but I only want the core basics of it.

 

[Julian]

Everyone has their preferences....I hate the lounger and prefer the 2 captains seats....in fact my wife refused to buy one with the lounger, which is why we went with the older model when we bought our 2005 used in 2007.

The bimini is removable and the tower collapses with it. I didn't get the chance to see how easy that was, but the Yamaha guys said it wasn't hard. I've asked if they can prove photos/videos....we'll see what they can come up with.

I do agree the pricing is a high.

 

[ptwb]

The bimini is removable and the tower collapses with it. I didn't get the chance to see how easy that was, but the Yamaha guys said it wasn't hard. I've asked if they can prove photos/videos....we'll see what they can come up with.

That will be very interesting to see. The bimini looks like one enormous welded piece. I wonder if somehow it collapses down and over the windshield.

Will a trailering cover still fit over every thing folded down?

I don't know what those that store their boat in a garage (like me) would do. I have to lower my bimini and remove my tower to get my boat into the garage. Once in the garage I can then raise and open my bimini (or I can leave it down). It's nice that in the garage I have full access to the entire boat standing up. Makes it super easy to load up, clean, and unload. I then place the tower on the ground backwards in front of the trailer.

At first glance, if the new tower does lower, I have a feeling it's not going to clear my garage door anymore. Even if it does, I doubt I will be able to raise it once inside. If the bimini stays attached, it looks like one is going to be crawling on their hands and knees beneath the lowered bimini in the garage. If so, that will really really suck. If one removes the bimini, but it's one solid piece, now need to figure out where to store that!

 

[OCMD]

There goes the affordability of these boats........at this price it would be time to shop other makes.