Yamaha 21 FSH - almost newbie

[Sjones145]

Hi
I know this is an aged-old topic... my husband and I are potential soon to be new boat owners. We’ve done tons of research and have narrowed down our selection to the Yamaha 21’ FSH deluxe or sport.

Our utility of the boat: general cruising and fishing in Clear Lake and Galveston bay. We have an almost 12-year old son and a daughter in college. We don’t anticipate having lots of folks on the boat.

A couple of questions for those on the gulf coast/Galveston area:
1) how does the boat handle in Galveston bay?
2) is an outboard NauticStar or comparable outboard a better selection?
3) comments on new vs, used. I found a couple of used boats in the area, one being a 5-year old Sailfish center console. We’re concerned about warranty and other associated issues with used boats.

Thanks, in advance, for your feedback

 

[tdonoughue]

Hello, and welcome!

Don't have all your answers, but a few...
1) Never had mine in salt, so can't speak directly. But I don't think you would have any issues bay-side. Gulf side it might be pretty bumpy, but folks have even gone from FL to Bimini in these boats (in the right conditions), so probably doable there if the weather is favorable.
2) I think this would come down to hull design more than jet/outboard selection. A deeper V will let you handle bigger water better. Our boats tend to be designed to ride on top of the water and not 'cut' through as much. Outboards will generally track better, but jets can have steering enhancing fins added which can make up some of that deficit (warning--there are 2 types and it is a hot topic on the board as to which is better, etc.).
3) I bought new partially out of this same concern. Absolutely true that with a used boat you don't really know where it has been or what the maintenance has been. Equally true that you can get a used boat for much cheaper. Nice thing on a jet is that the maintenance needs are less (not none, but less), so there is less there for the prior owner to screw up. Also nice because the simplicity makes them easier to inspect for damage (for example, there is no cooling impeller that you need to pull to inspect, and no outdrive (like an IO), etc.). I did find, though, with jet boats, with some notable exceptions (like some years' timing chain issues), there seem to be fewer warranty issues. No info on Sailfish, unfortunately.

Hope that helps some!

 

[Dixie Highway]

Bought my 210 FSH because I knew I’d be in lakes and rivers 90% of the time, and in salt water (NW Florida) once a year. If it was the other way around, I’d have purchased a more open water oriented boat with an outboard. The main issue you will encounter while shopping these things is you can buy 2 FSH’s for the price of a really nice 24’ CC (Robalo, Scout, Blackfin). That being said, I do love my boat but I know what it is, and what it isn’t. It starts to feel very small down here on the bays and gulf (in FL right now), but back home on the lake feels just the right size. I’d encourage you to take a ride in one on Galveston or Trinity to get a feel for how it will be on bigger water.