researching for a purchase next spring

[Glen]

Glen I will definitely start by saying thank you for your service! I do not have 1000's of hours of experience on blue water only maybe a couple hundred as a captain of various vessels and maybe another 100 as a passenger so your experience does surpass mine in that category by a long shot. I have owned over a dozen sports bikes in the last 18 years so I do understand the concept on this and I would very much argue that 24 ft Yamaha is very much like owning a sports bike when compared to most bow riders in the similar length category. I looked and could not easily find a bow rider that is a non jet that could pass the planing time and the 0-30 time of the Yamaha. I just looked up 5 brands that I knew off the top of my head and most were not even really close. As for fins I can only speak for my personal experience and at this point I have only had one time where I felt fins would be advantage for me and that's when someone who has never driven a jet boat takes the wheel as most mention they have a tough time at fist keeping the boat straight at idle speeds but usually only take me a minute or two of showing them what to do and they are good. I feel my 240 is more maneuverable then my 20ft I/O that I still have as well. Once again I have no experience on fins so I cant say whether they are better or worse just personally have seen no need for them. Even in the circumstance of needing rapid deceleration I understand the characteristics of my boat and know that if this situation were to arise I need to turn the wheel quickly while under power then pull back on the throttle once the vessel has started the turn and will give probably more effect then pulling back on the throttle and then turning with fins. My post was really meant more to just be funny I sure hope no one took offence to it if they did I apologize. Fins are a personal preference if some feel they need them more power to them its there boat and there choice I would never question which radio someone put in there its the same with fins I would just tell someone first getting into this try it with out fins first if it doesn't work for you get them.

2015 Yamaha AR240 320 HP time to plane 2.3 seconds 0-30 4.3 seconds
2016 Formula 240 BR 320 HP time to plane 7.5 seconds 0-30 9.9 seconds
2015 Cobalt r5 375 HP time to plane ? 0-30 7.59 seconds
Bryant Calandra 320 HP time to plane 3.2 seconds 0-30 8.5 seconds
Chaparral Suncoast 300 HP outboard time to plane 3.0 seconds 0-30 8.5 seconds

So on the acceleration, all Yamaha's are like sports bikes. Nobody here doubts that-
The difference is with the new keel's and higher freeboard on the 24's, it is my opinion that Yamaha is moving up-market into the 'Sea Ray' domain of recreational boaters. They are now shopping for customers who value tracking and stability, over adrenaline and sub-moves. (with these boats)
Bet they have a customer acquisition model (I do this sales stuff for a living) that pairs the size of boat, with the age of buyer, and likely requirements and income.
Brands have realized that getting a customer is the hard part, keeping them is the smart part. We will be irrationally loyal, if treated well by the boat and manufacturer. As long as the manufacturer has products to move with our 'maturing' needs (of being less young ;-), we'll stick with what we know.
When I was born, my parents had a Catalina 22; at 70 my dad finally sold his Catalina 49 (their largest boat). He walked up nearly every boat size they made in the 40 years in between, in proportion to the size of our family and income.

Totally agree on the fins. Personally preference.

At the end of the day, we are in violent agreement. Godspeed @robert843

 

[robert843]

As both of you mention I really can't comment of the handling of the 15+ 240 as my experience driving one is limited to about 20 minutes at idle speed in the ocean while fishing at night so you never know if I move up to a 17 240 I may feel the same way about it you guys do. There is no doubt in in mind that when you have a keel running up the center line of the boat below the hull that particular boat is going to want to run straight. Which would be my assumption as to why they added the articulating keel on those models as I'm just assuming it needed help turning. The reverse limit is bothersome and really not sure why they did that.

 

[Gym]

Welcome to the forum @jvegas. This thread seems to have morphed to a debate about fins. To get back to your decision process...I think you will be very happy with this type of boat especially with the age of your kids.

I went with the Yamaha jet boat specifically because there were no props to be concerned with. I have two grandchildren ages 2.5 and 4. Knowing that they can jump off the swim platform without any worries of getting hurt gives me a lot of piece of mind. It is also great that the layout allows me to see them no matter where they are.

As mentioned earlier the maintenance of these boats is minimal in cost and labor compared to an IO. Even if you hired out your IO maintenance you will likely do your own work on the jet. Good luck with your decision.

 

[mabami]

We purchased a vacation house at Lake Havasu the other year. The river can get quite shallow going north out of the main lake towards Needles and beyond. For that reason I am about to purchase the Scarab 255 jet. I believe a jet boat is the ideal vessel for the Colorado River experience, in order to relax a bit through the multiple sandbars upriver.

 

[MrMoose]

@robert843 I think we all agree about the fins in jet boats in general being a personal preference. However, the new 240/242 are SEVERELY impaired in reverse, which is electronically limited in all Connext boats, and worse yet with NO override in E-series.
https://jetboaters.net/threads/override-in-reverse-for-e-series.10086/#post-173896

There has been a Yamaha vs Scarab or Chaparral comparison video posted here about the wide turning radius of the new Yammies - I think it is quite accurate actually! These new hulls do not want to turn, and truck strait.

IDK what else but fins? I honestly feel like I can use any help I can get to beef up that little OEM rudder-eske appendage function.

My 0.02
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When I briefly had my 2015 AR240 for sale, a guy with a 2010 AR came for a test drive. He could not get over how well the new hull design turned at full throttle. He said that his boat (with fins) would slide sideways in comparable maneuvers. He was amazed with how mine grabbed and pulled some serious sideways g-force when cranking the wheel all the way at full throttle. All that said, the boat doesn't steer much unless there is forward thrust. You just need to know how to work with it. For example, if I need to quickly turn around to retrieve a fallen wake boarder, I know that I have to first cut the throttles to neutral, crank the wheel, then get back on the throttles to instantly turn the boat on a dime. You just need to learn how the boat responds.

 

[swatski]

For example, if I need to quickly turn around to retrieve a fallen wake boarder, I know that I have to first cut the throttles to neutral, crank the wheel, then get back on the throttles to instantly turn the boat on a dime. You just need to learn how the boat responds.

Sure... That works very well when you need to retrieve a skier. But NOT when you need an emergency turn/maneuver and you are, say, in a narrow channel with rocks on both sides -- going fast and about to run into something that emerged in front of you...

Not to argue, but lets keep it real . NO WAY I would want to be without fins, specifically Cobra fins -- the only way currently available to get some control at speed w/no thrust.

The reverse is severely limited at speed in all new boats, and non-existent in E-series.

--

 

[MrMoose]

Sure... That works very well when you need to retrieve a skier. But NOT when you need an emergency turn/maneuver and you are, say, in a narrow channel with rocks on both sides -- going fast and about to run into something that emerged in front of you...

Not to argue, but lets keep it real . NO WAY I would want to be without fins, specifically Cobra fins -- the only way currently available to get some control at speed w/no thrust.

The reverse is severely limited at speed in all new boats, and non-existent in E-series.

--

Note to self. Don't go for a ride with @swatski in his boat. He relies on emergency maneuverability. Maybe it's a Bimini mangrove thing.

 

[Julian]

Hello I'm considering the SE my self can u pls give me some feed back on the huge Bimini top I'm concerned just because its always open don't know if the wife and I would like having it open all the time, thank you.

Here in NC, when its hot out the main cabin on our 242X is where people want to be! The kids usually sit in the bow while underway, but when its really hot, they too seek the cabin seats.....so we have ZERO regrets and LOVE the HUGE bimini! One of our favorite features of the boat!

 

[robert843]

Sure... That works very well when you need to retrieve a skier. But NOT when you need an emergency turn/maneuver and you are, say, in a narrow channel with rocks on both sides -- going fast and about to run into something that emerged in front of you...

Not to argue, but lets keep it real . NO WAY I would want to be without fins, specifically Cobra fins -- the only way currently available to get some control at speed w/no thrust.

The reverse is severely limited at speed in all new boats, and non-existent in E-series.

--

Those of us with out fins don't worry about logs popping up we throttle up and go over it lol.... jk

 

[JTC1016]

Welcome @jvegas . We switched to a '16 AR240 last spring from an I/O Bayliner that we had for about 6 years prior to that. My wife and I have a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a 6 month old so safety was a consideration for us when we chose the boat but we also wanted value and low maintenance. We put about 50 hours on the boat last summer and loved every second of it. I don't have any fins on the boat and like others have said, it's an adjustment but when you figure it out it's much easier to maneuver than my single I/O was. We boat mostly on inland lakes in Michigan and on Lake Michigan. The boat handles great, has tons of room and maintenance is super easy. I'm very happy with the decision. There are endless mods and things you can buy, but they pretty much ship them ready to go, especially if your dealer includes a coast guard kit. I left the dealership and went straight to the boat launch to start break in (I took lines, anchor, etc. with me to pick it up). If more questions come up as you shop you've got a great resource here with this board. Happy shopping!