new to me 2018 SX240... loves, hates and a question or 2

[JetBoatingUpstateNY]

what's up JetBoaters.net! long time lurker, first time poster. Just took ownership of my 2018 Yamaha SX240. Private sale, upstate NY. I upgraded from a 2015 Bayliner 175... all i can say is WOW what an upgrade!

Loves: this boat looks SHARP in my slip. What a great, thoughtful layout on this boat. Handling is comparable to my old I/O. More storage than I know what to do with. I also love the basic color scheme of the hull, i'm not big on decals and prefer a clean look.

Hates: i know, i don't want to hate on anything because i truly love this boat. But do you really own a boat if you don't have several complaints about it.

1. putting the throttle levers in neutral DOESN'T deactivate no-wake mode and put the boat in neutral? are you kidding me?? why?? does anyone else think this is crazy?
2. i find the dashboard screen to be a little clunky... like why can't i turn the music down until i push the radio button.
3. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP when you turn the boat on.
4. not specific to my boat, but it took Yamaha Financial 60 days to send the lien releases. SIXTY days. 2 months. This is lawsuit-worthy.

Questions:

1. Previous owner did the 10 hour oil change Fall 2018. That's the last time the oil was changed. I'm at 60 hours. My plan is to change the oil and filters this weekend, then do it again Fall 2021 at the end of the season. Any issues with this?

2. My boat has ablative bottom paint. I have no idea what to do to maintain this. Light powerwash at the end of the season? Can i do it on the trailer or do i have to pull the boat off the bunks?

Appreciate all the help this forum has provided.

 

[Julian]

There is a mod from @Mainah to turn the shrill beep to chill.

Oil change plan sounds good.

No clue about your bottom paint.

 

[2kwik4u]

Hate #1

Learn to use that. Leave no wake mode at #1 or #2 then you can bump out of forward and reverse as often as you like. No transmission to tear up, shift early shift often. You can use this to add or remove momentum, and if you're buckets are adjusted properly even at the highest no wake mode neutral will barely move the boat. It makes some noise but doesn't hurt a thing.

@haknslash did a great write-up on how to use this to your advantage. I'll try to track it down when I'm back to a PC. Gotta change your mindset away from the I/O world!

Honestly, it's a feature not a big. I promise.

 

[BigAbe75]

On my boat, I only use the buttons or screen for selections... never the joystick. So, my joystick is always in Media mode. I can turn the big joystick knob anytime, from any screen to adjust volume. Is that something you can do?

 

[KC-AR240]

Radio volume. Tap the media button, push down on the round knob and then you can use the knob to turn volume up and down with that.

 

[IvanRZB]

Hate #1

Learn to use that. Leave no wake mode at #1 or #2 then you can bump out of forward and reverse as often as you like. No transmission to tear up, shift early shift often. You can use this to add or remove momentum, and if you're buckets are adjusted properly even at the highest no wake mode neutral will barely move the boat. It makes some noise but doesn't hurt a thing.

@haknslash did a great write-up on how to use this to your advantage. I'll try to track it down when I'm back to a PC. Gotta change your mindset away from the I/O world!

Honestly, it's a feature not a big. I promise.

100% agree, practice using this method and you'll be able to maneuver just about any docking situtation. There are a couple of YouTube videos out there as well showing how to best take advantage of it.

 

[2kwik4u]

@JetBoatingUpstateNY

Here's that thread I spoke of above. Have a read and come back with questions.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/how-i-use-no-wake-mode-and-tde-to-retrieve-my-boat.17161/

 

[biffdotorg]

If you are leaving it in the water, that paint is pretty much necessary from what I have heard. If you do want to clean it up, try an acid wash. You can do it on the trailer, but you will miss where the bunks are. I suppose that may scrub a couple MPH the next time out due to drag (smile)

Wipe this on with a sponge or brush and rinse off. I am going to use a pump sprayer this year on mine, as the fumes are horrendous!!

But watching the bio material rinse off really is satisfying!

 

[JetBoatingUpstateNY]

thank you everyone!

regarding no wake mode... i think i get it now. it just sets the engine RPM to a certain speed and then you essentially just control the direction of the jetwater using the throttle handles and steering wheel. i thought putting the throttle in neutral while in NWM did absolutely nothing and kept my boat essentially in "cruise control" moving forward. sounds like this isn't the case. (or shouldn't be if my buckets are adjusted properly)

thank you for the tips regarding radio, awful beep and bottom cleaning, will look into these

 

[AZMark]

I never thought about no wake mode that way either until reading this. Seemed dumb to me too.

I just ordered a less horrible beeper (I think) to replace the factory one.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/connext-alarm-replacement-option.29026/#post-473713

 

[212s]

regarding no wake mode... i think i get it now. it just sets the engine RPM to a certain speed and then you essentially just control the direction of the jetwater using the throttle handles and steering wheel.

Note that No Wake will cancel as soon as you move the throttles beyond the initial acceleration point at full forward, that way it goes back to default settings so when you come off plane it's not revving higher than you expect. Cruise Assist works almost the opposite where if you're cruising along and you want to quickly slow down, just drop the RPM's below 3000 and it cancels.

 

[212s]

Learn to use that. Leave no wake mode at #1 or #2 then you can bump out of forward and reverse as often as you like. No transmission to tear up, shift early shift often. You can use this to add or remove momentum, and if you're buckets are adjusted properly even at the highest no wake mode neutral will barely move the boat. It makes some noise but doesn't hurt a thing.

Gee, and I thought I discovered this first!
I found this handy on windy days and/or around tight docks as it helps to get a faster reaction to input.

 

[212s]

On my boat, I only use the buttons or screen for selections... never the joystick. So, my joystick is always in Media mode. I can turn the big joystick knob anytime, from any screen to adjust volume. Is that something you can do?

I never touch my screen now that I learned to use the Joystick - there's a button in the middle ahead of the Joystick that changes mode from Volume to Scroll and if you press that, the Joystick now moves a cursor around the screen as needed, pressing it down like a mouse button selects whatever you have highlighted. I cleaned the screen of fingerprints after I found this, and now it stays print free.

 

[212s]

There is a mod from @Mainah to turn the shrill beep to chill.

I guess Yamaha listens...my 2020 has a faint beep when the Connext boots up and that's all. No further beeps until something is wrong like passing over weeds and the depth sensor goes off.

 

[Cambo]

Hates: i know, i don't want to hate on anything because i truly love this boat. But do you really own a boat if you don't have several complaints about it.

1. putting the throttle levers in neutral DOESN'T deactivate no-wake mode and put the boat in neutral? are you kidding me?? why?? does anyone else think this is crazy?
2. i find the dashboard screen to be a little clunky... like why can't i turn the music down until i push the radio button.
3. BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP when you turn the boat on.
4. not specific to my boat, but it took Yamaha Financial 60 days to send the lien releases. SIXTY days. 2 months. This is lawsuit-worthy.

Congratulations on the boat

item 1. These boats tend to creep so the no wake mode revving does make it creep more . They have no real neutral the impeller always spins you may want to look at the gates they can be adjusted they may be to high or to low letting the thrust go more in one direction.

item 2. the music symbol on the joy stic is the way to go as stated above

item 3. the beep is really annoying when in float mode with low gas it resets every few minutes and starts beeping again . Im putting a toggle switch to turn it off

Item 4. always when buying used, titles are slow they could care less that you need it to get legal paperwork . I always find a deal with title in hand unless what Im buying does not need paperwork.