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Been a Yamaha guy for years now. First with motocross bikes (both 2 and 4 strokes) then on to Waverunners (both 2 and 4 strokes). Been very happy with all of those purchases.
That said, I am having thoughts that carrying that over to Yamaha jetboats may be a bit unrealistic given some of the issues that I have read on this forum.
Read any other forum on any other boat, including the very high end, and you'll find complaints. In a particular forum where a user said they were moving to another brand because of some issues, I found similar complaints on that brand. The grass is not greener on the other side. You'll find complaints on Toyota, Bentley, Ferrari, Honda, etc. You just have to weigh what the issues are against, price, how significant, and your needs. I have some complaints about my FSH sure, But that doesn't mean I don't love my boat. Heck, I got complaints about my wife...and I'll end it there
We are on our second Yamaha boat after owning a small I/O bow rider (mid-eighties 4Winns, finally blew up the outdrive and let her go) and we are happy with the Yamaha boats.
Really can't beat it for the price point. comfortable family boat, lots of room and plenty of "go fast".
If I had $200k just kicking around I'd own a different boat But for the money we spent the Yamaha delivers.
Been a Yamaha guy for years now. First with motocross bikes (both 2 and 4 strokes) then on to Waverunners (both 2 and 4 strokes). Been very happy with all of those purchases.
That said, I am having thoughts that carrying that over to Yamaha jetboats may be a bit unrealistic given some of the issues that I have read on this forum.
Keep in mind that many people come here to find out how to fix their boats....so we tend to get more folks with issues because that is who is seeking assistance. People don't come here (mostly) to rave about how much they enjoy their Yamaha.
Also, as @itsdgm points out....much of the issue is with Yamaha Dealers....your results WILL vary. Some dealers will fight for you, some don't.
Lastly, when design flaws enter into the picture, Yamaha, like all big corporations with legal departments, often shifts into legal defense mode vs customer satisfaction mode. The clean out plug issue is a perfect example.....they know the plugs blow out and that its a bad design, but will never admit it because there is no easy/cheap fix....it would cost them a fortune! The tower issue is the same....they've sold a lot of towers held up by just threads on 2 bolts....to retro fit through pins on them all would cost a lot! I get it...I work for a big company....no easy way around some of these things.
In general, Yamaha makes a really good product. But it, like most things, isn't flawless.
This is our second boat, and our first Yamaha. First boat was $8k used and 10yrs old. We had a few small issues. This boat was $30k new. We've had a few small issues. Our dealer has been great to us the few times we've been there. Yamaha of Louisville is easy to get ahold of, communication is good during the process, and they are easy to work with when things don't go 100% as planned. I've read on a number of message boards that the dealer can make or break the ownership experience. I find this 110% true. For instance, we found a broken jet pump intake grate on our BRAND NEW (sub 10hr) boat. We brought it to the dealers attention, and nobody pointed any fingers as to whose fault it was. We don't remember hitting anything, and they don't remember looking at it before we took delivery. They attempted to get it covered under warranty, and the claim was denied under "user error" causes. HOWEVER....the dealer stepped up to keep us happy. They only charged me for the cost of the replacement part, and put it on for free during my 10hr service. Where they could have said "sorry about your luck" and docked me $125 for the part, and another 1/2-3/4hr of labor to put it on, they dropped the price so they didn't lose any money on the part, and had the service guy put it on while he was under the boat inspecting the impeller and trailer for us. Saved us some money, fixed our boat, and they looked like as much of a hero as they could while still running a profitable business. I'm completely OK with that.
As a another point of reference my neighbors bought a brand new Axis wake boat last season. Spent $75k on it. It had problems and ended up getting bought back at the end of the season. They bought a $125k Centurion to replace it. It has had a few issues as well, and the nearest dealer for them is 50 miles away. not as bad as the Axis, but what seems like par for the course for the boating market (a few trips back in the first season to fix small issues). They're leaning towards keeping this one I think.
Keep in mind that boats are not "mass produced" like cars are. SO, the QC isn't as tight, and the chance of hand assembly and human error is significantly higher. Just the nature of the beast really with a luxury product like this. Yamaha's are a VALUE leader, not really a QUALITY leader. You get what you pay for and for the most part that holds true here as well. You get a lot for your money, but you don't get everything for nothing.
So to answer the original question, brand loyalty will get you a long way. If nothing else you have experience with the brand, and a preset comfort level with the quality and value you will get for your greenbacks. For me, I'll buy another Yamaha based on my experience so far. Same for GM, Denon, Lenovo/ThinkPad, Samsung, and DeWalt to name a few. I won't buy anything else from Premier Homes, Sony, Dell, or Ford based on that same level of experience. Brand Loyalty weighs into every decision I make for major dollars ($150+), but it doesn't eclipse a good objective look at the Pros/Cons of that buying decision.
I don't know if its brand loyalty, ut I grew up with Yamahas, both dirt bikes and snowmobiles. When they were selling these items in the 70's, their products were definitely better than most of the other brands. A lot of other companies have caught up now. I doubt that a Yamaha snowmobile is better now than a Ski Doo or any of the other popular brands. But I've been happy with my two Yamaha snowmobiles and my AR240. I love the boat and the jet drive. And you can't be the 1.8L engines which have been pretty well tested on the waverunners. Except for the timing chain issues.
We got our first yamaha boat in 2009 (232 ltd), and we just picked up a left over 2016 242ltd s e series. I'm not as happy with the 242 as I was with the flawless 232. I have been second guessing my recent purchase because I really expected Yamaha to deliver the same, if not a better quality boat than our 2009. You would think a company which essentially makes 4 hulls and one motor would really be able to step up their qc program.
The 232 had a few warranty items which Yamaha and the dealer handled without any issues. The 242 was purchased from a different dealer and I'm just beginning to have warranty items addressed. The jury is still out as to how this will turn out. Fortunately the items aren't mechanical, and just qc and finish defects. We have a 2007 yamaha wolverine and had 225dx back in the 3 wheeler days.
Overall, I have a bit of Yamaha loyalty when it comes to jet boats. We briefly looked at the scarab and chaparral, but the interior layouts just didn't work for us. I just can't understand why qc is letting issues leave the factory, and why Yamaha can't do better with what they deliver for the cost.
I think the word "Yamaha" on our engine lured us to these boats... Made our decision easy... gave us piece of mind... And rightfully so...
They still make awesome engines.
I don't think I would have bought mine if it had a Volvo or a Mercury in it.
I am happy for the most part. Assembly quality is certainly lacking and you'll spend a good amount of time tightening screws and whatnot the first year.
This weekend I had the bow port seat cushion break when we hit 2 wakes with a 180 # person sitting in it. My local dealer is filing a YES claim. My fingers are crossed that its covered because the seat and the hinge that got bent will put me out $500.
If you are looking for a high quality boat, look elsewhere. If you are ok with mediocre quality at a better price tough to beat a yami.
"Brand Loyalty" is something I tend to shy away from, but to me it conjures up images of internet flame wars and Calvin urinating on <not my brand> stickers. Unless you work for that company or they are sponsoring you, I don't see a lot of wisdom in tying yourself emotionally to a business.
That said, just through the "luck of the draw" I seem to end up with Yamahas when I purchase a product they make. I've had a 198? Yamaha 125 Tri-Moto (Remember 3-wheelers? For those that don't, they nearly killed off the human race. Thank goodness they stopped making them. What were my parents thinking giving a death-machine to a 12-year-old?); a 1989 Yamaha 350 Warrior; a 1990 Yamaha 85 HP outboard; a second-hand 198? 750 Seca; and finally my current '09 SX230.
The used Seca was the only one that gave me engine trouble and it probably had something to do with the previous owner wrecking it, patching it back together, and selling it cheap. The engine trouble was electrical though, not mechanical.
So with that experience, I feel VERY comfortable that my boat engines will last as long as I will - and if I every buy another Yamaha product, I expect the same.
I have not, as of late, been so high on the quality or build decisions they have made in other areas of their boats.
As a do-it-yourselfer, I feel like I got a Yamaha boat before they started adding features that their quality system just can't support. The new boats ARE awesome - don't get me wrong. I'd be happy to have one - assuming someone else is doing all the work on it and in charge of fixing any problems that arise.
Being my own mechanic, I much prefer the simplicity of the SX230 combined with the fact that I got the MR1 engines at the height of their build quality.
Will my next boat (if there is one) be a Yamaha? No. It will be either a big fat ol' trawler or a big fat ol' sailboat. Will that sailboat have a Yamaha kicker motor on it? It's a possibility.
I did not like the way they handled the 2015 timing chain thay changed the design for 16 but did no recall. Even replaced some engines under warenty but did not upgrade The other engine on a twin. Never publicly said what the problem was bad batch of chains or flaw in design. Now I'm sitting with a boat I really don't trust. That put me on the fence now add swatski tower and seat problem I'm probably one and done hopefully it'll last till it's paid for which is years from now.
I wasn't impressed with the way Yamaha handled my timing chain failure. They took four months to replace the engine, including additional delay because they sent the wrong head to the dealership. 10 hours later, the throttle body and steering system failed on the same trip. All of this has been covered under warranty but it does affect my trust in the boat and the brand.
I didn't have any serious mechanical issues in the five years I had a Honda PWC or the 5 years I had a SeaDoo boat.
My boat made it through this summer with no more failures so maybe everything is fixed now.
@vetplus40 what about All the Yamaha boats that their owners has had zero issues? if someone does like what they have bought, it doesn't matter what it is, car, boat, house, anything, it's going to be a piece of shit. just my 2 cents.
@vetplus40 if someone does like what they have bought, it doesn't matter what it is, car, boat, house, anything, it's going to be a piece of shit. just my 2 cents.
Keep in mind that many people come here to find out how to fix their boats....so we tend to get more folks with issues because that is who is seeking assistance. People don't come here (mostly) to rave about how much they enjoy their Yamaha.
I do. I love to post about all the good things I see in my Yamaha. But I am also going to let them hear about the design flaws I see. I did come looking for information, and I have learned a lot about these boats in the last 16 mos. Still, mine has been a good purchase, mechanically trouble free, with minimal maintenance. Lots more fun than not on our Yamaha so far. But I will need to see improvements in new models/manufacturing/assembly before I buy a new one. With 150hrs +/- on mine its gonna be a while. Next purchase will probably be a PO 30+ ft. sailboat anyway.
We did not have any warranty issues the first year or have had it in the shop since. It has over 140hrs.
It is not babied in any way, we jump in and go and put it away without fussing over it. The kids take it out whenever they want and I don't worry about it.
We have owned Mastercrafts and Supras with the same type of history and trouble free operation.
I would certainly recommend the Yamaha to a friend.
