Seeking used Yamaha pre-purchase advice...

[MrWizard]

Before I drive/put an offer on this boat - I'd love to hear some opinions on price, durability, etc.

I contacted the broker this morning and this is what i know of the vessel - it's been mostly run in salt, there's no mooring cover, it's recently been serviced and he's reasonably sure that the trailer will need new tires.

I used to own an SX230 so this would be a bit of step up, at least I would think?

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions are appreciated!

2014 Yamaha Boats 242 Limited MarineMax Wrightsville Beach

NEW TO MARKET 2014 YAMAHA 242 LIMITED S! Take a peek at this beautiful family friendly boat with extremely low hours and a fresh service! This 2014 YAMAHA 242 Limited S is powered by twin 1.8 L jet propulsion engines with only 82 hours on them. Black hull with white interior and a black arch...

www.marinemax.com

 

[BlkGS]

Before I drive/put an offer on this boat - I'd love to hear some opinions on price, durability, etc.

I contacted the broker this morning and this is what i know of the vessel - it's been mostly run in salt, there's no mooring cover, it's recently been serviced and he's reasonably sure that the trailer will need new tires.

I used to own an SX230 so this would be a bit of step up, at least I would think?

Any thoughts, comments, suggestions are appreciated!

2014 Yamaha Boats 242 Limited MarineMax Wrightsville Beach

NEW TO MARKET 2014 YAMAHA 242 LIMITED S! Take a peek at this beautiful family friendly boat with extremely low hours and a fresh service! This 2014 YAMAHA 242 Limited S is powered by twin 1.8 L jet propulsion engines with only 82 hours on them. Black hull with white interior and a black arch...

www.marinemax.com

If I were to replace my Sx230, that'd be my top pick. Most of the later boats have dual captains chairs, which are stupid. That lounger makes a ton of sense for us.

Price wise... Ouch. But I guess that's not bad considering market conditions?

Nothing about it would scare me away, it looks nice and clean.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

The boat looks nice, the starboard steering cable looks like it will need replacing. 82 hours are low for a boat of that age.

But for the same money you could have a brand new AR210, or for $16K more a brand new AR250….

My opinion, go with a new boat and avoid any possible headaches with an eight year old boat.

 

[MrWizard]

Price wise... Ouch. But I guess that's not bad considering market conditions?

The market is definitely screwed up...I thought it was a "fair price" considering what i have been seeing pricing at lately

 

[MrWizard]

The boat looks nice, the starboard steering cable looks like it will need replacing. 82 hours are low for a boat of that age.

But for the same money you could have a brand new AR210, or for $16K more a brand new AR250….

My opinion, go with a new boat and avoid any possible headaches with an eight year old boat.

82 hours and already needing a replacement steering cable? Ouch. They just don't make things like they used to - or is that [IYO] a result of running in salt water?

IF I could find a brand new AR250...I'd be all over it.

 

[MrWizard]

Just found this boat, a little closer to home...

2016 Yamaha Boats 242 Limited S MarineMax Lake Hopatcong

250 Hours: A one-of-a-kind, luxury boating experience for enthusiasts who demand excellence. This award-winning platform comes standard with all the innovative technologies that have made Yamaha the global leader on the water. Premium amenities include a feature-rich stern lounge and...

www.marinemax.com

 

[biffdotorg]

2014 is a rock solid 242LS. Painted trailers mostly used in salt will rust from the inside out. So even though it looks great on the outside, assume that trailer is eating itself up from the inside. Look it over for any bubbling in the trailer paint, as it may be a sign of the rust coming through.

The boat itself was a $35,000 boat two years ago. So that being said, it's fair in this market. It is missing the two front cushions that make the bow a full bench on both sides. Also, look for the other table leg and bow filler cushions. there is also one more filler cushion for the step between the stop over to the swim deck.

Good luck!

 

[MrWizard]

2014 is a rock solid 242LS. Painted trailers mostly used in salt will rust from the inside out. So even though it looks great on the outside, assume that trailer is eating itself up from the inside. Look it over for any bubbling in the trailer paint, as it may be a sign of the rust coming through.

The boat itself was a $35,000 boat two years ago. So that being said, it's fair in this market. It is missing the two front cushions that make the bow a full bench on both sides. Also, look for the other table leg and bow filler cushions. there is also one more filler cushion for the step between the stop over to the swim deck.

Good luck!

I had planned to look over the trailer pretty carefully - especially as I'd be driving it about 500+ miles home.
I just had my insurance company give me a quote for the year and they're [ERIE] valuing the boat/trailer at 69k!

Thanks for the info re: the cushions, I'll send a message now to the broker!

 

[MrWizard]

One more thought - how secure is the tower on the 242? Any wobbling, shifting, movement at all?

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I had planned to look over the trailer pretty carefully - especially as I'd be driving it about 500+ miles home.
I just had my insurance company give me a quote for the year and they're [ERIE] valuing the boat/trailer at 69k!

Thanks for the info re: the cushions, I'll send a message now to the broker!

If you do decide to go with this boat, I’d seriously consider pulling the wheels off and checking, heck you’re that far you might as well just repack the bearings and replace the seals and wear rings before making that 500 mile trip.

The reason I mentioned the steering cable is that you can see a rust plume on the cable right at the transom…who knows, could just be superficial. The sacrificial anodes look good from what I can see, and there is very little corrosion on the pumps.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Just found this boat, a little closer to home...

2016 Yamaha Boats 242 Limited S MarineMax Lake Hopatcong

250 Hours: A one-of-a-kind, luxury boating experience for enthusiasts who demand excellence. This award-winning platform comes standard with all the innovative technologies that have made Yamaha the global leader on the water. Premium amenities include a feature-rich stern lounge and...

www.marinemax.com

This boat has the articulating keel whereas the 14’ does not.

250 hours on a 16 boat sounds about right…my guess would be more hours in the first few years of ownership then waning to the point of we might as well sell it?

Seems very clean and complete!

 

[MrWizard]

If you do decide to go with this boat, I’d seriously consider pulling the wheels off and checking, heck you’re that far you might as well just repack the bearings and replace the seals and wear rings before making that 500 mile trip.

The reason I mentioned the steering cable is that you can see a rust plume on the cable right at the transom…who knows, could just be superficial. The sacrificial anodes look good from what I can see, and there is very little corrosion on the pumps.

That's a really good idea, wouldn't hurt to have fresh for the trip home - thank you!

Speaking of corrosion, since this is/was a salt boat - anything I can do to help mitigate/remove salt deposits? I seem to recall there's a really good salt remover product but for the life of me cannot remember it's name.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

That's a really good idea, wouldn't hurt to have fresh for the trip home - thank you!

Speaking of corrosion, since this is/was a salt boat - anything I can do to help mitigate/remove salt deposits? I seem to recall there's a really good salt remover product but for the life of me cannot remember it's name.

Salt away is the most well known I think…there is a procedure salt away has that takes 30 days I believe where you put the product in the engines (normal way to use it) each day for a month to remove salt from inside the engine(s). I’m not that familiar with that model year, but the newer model years have an engine mounted anode that could be inspected for wear. Those anodes are there to get eaten up so the engine doesn‘t.

Judging by the photos, it doesn’t appear this boat was wet slipped, or not for very long.

There is a tab in the faq that talks about what to look for when picking up a new or used boat. One thing for sure that I would do is take it for a test ride and do at least a 20-30 minute run at say 75-80% power or better yet at full throttle. If there is going to be an overheat problem it will show up then. Have a look and sniff test the oil, if it’s black and smells…well, like old oil then ?. Pop the rear access hatch and have a good long look with a bright light, mini mag lites with led bulbs are amazing, down inside there and look for rusted hose clamps and the like. Then slide under the boat and look at the impellers and wear rings. You are also going to want to pull the pumps and check under the cone for water intrusion into that area. Check to see that the steering effort is smooth and effortless… that’ll give you a good idea about the health of the cables.

I think those are the bigger things to check on…the last thing to remember is that parts are pretty hard to come by right now. Just things to weigh out considering these used boats.

 

[captras]

An 8 year old boat mostly run in salt water, from a broker! The broker will tell you what he needs to tell you to make the sale! I tend to be paranoid anyway, but I would run away from a salt water boat unless I knew the owner and the history very well! I had a Four Winns that was used only a few times in salt water and eventually I had big problems that the mechanic attributed to salt water useage.

 

[MrWizard]

An 8 year old boat mostly run in salt water, from a broker! The broker will tell you what he needs to tell you to make the sale! I tend to be paranoid anyway, but I would run away from a salt water boat unless I knew the owner and the history very well! I had a Four Winns that was used only a few times in salt water and eventually I had big problems that the mechanic attributed to salt water useage.

I appreciate your concerns, as I had the same thoughts.
My first Yamaha came out of NJ - definitely a salt boat. I had no motor problems with it and was able to fix minor corrosion issues. Clearly I'd prefer a fresh water boat - but if a deal can be made on this one or something like it - I'm probably not going to shy away from it unless there's noticeable issues from the get go. And I'll add that I will have my mechanic along to look over the boat and trailer.

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

From the pics, it appears the boat has been left in the open uncovered...pine needles in an engine compartment? Seems like a rush to sell it due to market forces driving the prices on everything up up and away. 82 hours is super small change for an 8 year old boat so it's super unused which is good and maybe not so since things age weirdly when not used. I'd still go after it though and get a serious test drive plus as stated above get those wheels/bearings re-greased and maybe even bring a spare...a 500 mile return trip North is long haul on 4 unknown 8 year old tires.

Good Luck with your search!

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

From the pics, it appears the boat has been left in the open uncovered...pine needles in an engine compartment? Seems like a rush to sell it due to market forces driving the prices on everything up up and away. 82 hours is super small change for an 8 year old boat so it's super unused which is good and maybe not so since things age weirdly when not used. I'd still go after it though and get a serious test drive plus as stated above get those wheels/bearings re-greased and maybe even bring a spare...a 500 mile return trip North is long haul on 4 unknown 8 year old tires.

Good Luck with your search!

New tires would be a must….

 

[Dixemon]

I bet the brakes on that trailer are trashed. Also, hard to see by the picture, but it looks like the starboard exhaust is pretty corroded by where the rubber coupler joins. I would be concerned about internal corrosion as well. It really depends on how it was cared for and stored. Both answers will unlikely be answered by a broker honestly. If you could pull the zincs out of the block that would tell you a lot about how it was cared for. I wouldn't buy that boat unless i was a mechanic or pretty handy. Some parts are really hard to get a hold of right now. So if you need a steering cable it could be months.

 

[BlkGS]

The boat looks nice, the starboard steering cable looks like it will need replacing. 82 hours are low for a boat of that age.

But for the same money you could have a brand new AR210, or for $16K more a brand new AR250….

My opinion, go with a new boat and avoid any possible headaches with an eight year old boat.

Depends on use. My Sx230 has like 60 to 70 hours. We would take it, cruise out to the sandbar for 10 minutes, then anchor and hang out, and cruise back to the marina. Even doing that 20 weekends a year still didn't add much time.

 

[sunbyrned]

One more thought - how secure is the tower on the 242? Any wobbling, shifting, movement at all?

I have a 2012 242. Never had a problem with the tower. Hasn’t budged, wobbled, etc.