Yamaha Boat,not fast enough??

[Kyle Walker]

2013 Yamaha AR210.

Boattest.com and Yamaha specs say my boat should top out at 47-50 MPH although my boat is toping out at 39 MPH. Everything runs like a tops except the top end speed. I usually hit 35 pretty quick and very slowly top out on the speedo to 39. Just wondering if anyone that doesn't have the HO have the same problem. BTW why did my boat get the boring old 1052cc engines? would be such a much more enjoyable boat with the HO's! I mean come on the 19 foot gets the super HO engine and the 24 foot gets twin HO's and the 21 foot guys get the 2 engines that grandma would think are a little slow. LOVE MY YAMAHA BOAT, but upset with the engine power.

My tests conditions:
No Bimini
1 passenger
smooth waters
0-30 hole shot 7 seconds
Live in Galveston, TX

 

[MrMoose]

Do a test with another boat running beside you and compare speedo readings. Maybe your speedometer is off.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Well....they do make 21 footers with the 1.8s that are used in the 24 footers. They're called 212 series boats. That said, 39 seems a bit slow to me. I have an 11 SX210 and when all conditions align - smooth water, temps in the 80s, loaded with a slight rearward weight bias - it will run 47 mph on the speedo (45 GPS). Holeshot is strong - I haven't timed it to 30 but I would guess more like 4 seconds than 7.

Does your boat hit and maintain full WOT RPM of 8K or more? Are you sure your reverse buckets are adjusted correctly so that they aren't dragging in the pump output? Is the hull bottom clean?

 

[Bruce]

Is that 39 mph speedometer or GPS indicated?

What were the water conditions? Were you in the Gulf, a lake or a river?

 

[Kyle Walker]

I have put the throttles at full throttle on land and the buckets appear to clear the jet outputs.
While at "39 MPH" I do have a stready RPM on each engine of 8100.
Test done in a lake.
My hole shot may have been shorter than 7 seconds I didn't really time it but I just wanted to make the point that the boat gets up great.
If its all my boat model is known to do I would be fine with it, maybe even if I was missing out on 2-3 MPH I wouldn't care. but if I'm missing out on 10 MPH I was hoping to get some of everyones suggestions.

Thanks for input fellas.
Kyle-Houston,TX

 

[Johmas50]

I have a 2012 SX210 and 42 is about as fast as it goes. Personally I don't think you are too far off where you should be. 3-4 MPH in my opinion. I too wish mine was faster, but I also didn't want to pay the price for the SS or the X to get the larger engines.

 

[Kyle Walker]

Thanks Johmas50 that's what I am hoping. I'm ok with it just want to make sure I'm getting the most from my little engines.

 

[itsdgm]

Does the boat stay in a slip? If so, when's the last time you cleaned the hull? Not sure of your elevation either. But elevation really affects the non-ho engines. I agree, our boat does everything that we need it to do. But I would love the extra 100 hp of the ho-engines.

 

[Noko]

I think you found your answer in that you don't have the SX for the 21'. But everyone has the top end envy. Heck, if there was a way to make the boats go 80 mph, you'd see it here. But for most boats, about 50 mph is the top for the 240's. I think that you'll be happy with the nice hole shot and crusin at 30 mph. We don't do much with our boat above 20-25 mph, we mostly tube.

But.... If you stay on this forum long enough, you'll be spending way to much money on mods.

 

[Britboater]

You need to check with GPS, plus, someone correct me but I thought the MR-1 engines Rev to 10,500 rpm.

 

[Gym]

I also agree 39 is on the slow side @Kyle Walker. Double check that speed with a GPS as the speedometer pick up may have some sand or debris causing a lower indication. When was the last time you changed the spark plugs? New plugs seem to correct a lot of unexplained problems with these motors. I would also look at the air filters. Clean, no oil spots on them? Try removing the air filters to see if there is any improvement in speed. Also the impellers and caulking around the intake grates play a big role in performance. If your impellers have dings, the clearance between the impeller and wear ring is out of spec or you have missing sealant around your intake grate you will get cavitation causing your speed to suffer. Are you the first owner of this boat? If bought new or used was it always like this? If none of these suggestions work you could go a little deeper and pull the pumps to make sure your impellers and liners are really in good shape and you have the correct impellers on each side. If you bought this boat used the previous owner may have pulled the pumps/impellers and replaced them on the wrong side or may have had the impellers repitched for better hole shot at the expense of lower top end. Keep us updated as to what you find.

 

[Gym]

You need to check with GPS, plus, someone correct me but I thought the MR-1 engines Rev to 10,500 rpm.

Mine do but I have the HO engines. Not sure about the non HO's but @Kyle Walker has some kind of explainable issue going on. If he can do some digging I'm sure it will surface.

 

[Johmas50]

You need to check with GPS, plus, someone correct me but I thought the MR-1 engines Rev to 10,500 rpm.

The non-HO MR-1 engines max out at about 8200, which is what he is getting. Like I said in my post, as an owner of a similar boat (same boat minus the tower) He is not far off the maximum that I've ever gotten here in KY. The speedometer is historically unreliable in these boats, so if he is not checking via GPS that could be the only issue he has. Maybe it is something minor like needing a wax job/dirty hull, or a little ding in an impeller, but I wouldn't be spending a ton or money or time on this one as he is basically where he needs to be.

 

[MNdrifter]

I have the same boat without the tower. I was only able to get 38-40 on GPS. When I pulled the impellers I noticed that they both had the same part number stamped on them. Yamaha replaced the port impeller with the correct part number. I had hoped that this would boost my top speed since the new impeller has more pitch. I was disappointed. The new impeller didn't change the top speed and now my port engine wont get over 8k. I'll keep tinkering but I don't think I'm ever going to see 45.

 

[Julian]

A dirty hull will definitely slow your boat down....when I was wet slipping my old boat (before I got an air dock), my top speed would drop from 49 to 35! Clean the hull...right back to 49!

I would also check your intake grate to make sure all your sealant is in place....missing sealant will cause turbulance in the intake and drop your speed.

 

[MrMoose]

All great suggestions, but before "fixing" anything, I think you would be wise to verify your speed. Take a portable gps, (i.e. one for a car) and see what speed it says. Maybe the only thing that needs fixin' is your speedo...

 

[Rideitout]

I have a 2014 AR210, so basically same boat. I have had it to 45mph on the speedo with my iPhone app showing the same speed. The max speed indicator shows 46 which may have been hit at some point without me seeing it.

 

[mattschepker]

I boat in Missouri, Mississippi River and lakes. I have a 2011 SX 210.GPS top speed this year so far. 46.9 mph 2 adults 2 kids 3/4 tank of gas. 8000 rpm. Fresh coat of wax.
Last year was 45.8 mph 1/2 tank of gas same rpm and people.

 

[Kevin1741]

I bought a 2012 ar210 used with 4 hours on it without test driving. Big mistake. The fastest it would go was 37 mph. Needless to say a couple weeks later i upgraded

 

[pagekl]

2013 Yamaha AR210.

Boattest.com and Yamaha specs say my boat should top out at 47-50 MPH although my boat is toping out at 39 MPH. Everything runs like a tops except the top end speed. I usually hit 35 pretty quick and very slowly top out on the speedo to 39. Just wondering if anyone that doesn't have the HO have the same problem. BTW why did my boat get the boring old 1052cc engines? would be such a much more enjoyable boat with the HO's! I mean come on the 19 foot gets the super HO engine and the 24 foot gets twin HO's and the 21 foot guys get the 2 engines that grandma would think are a little slow. LOVE MY YAMAHA BOAT, but upset with the engine power.

My tests conditions:
No Bimini
1 passenger
smooth waters
0-30 hole shot 7 seconds
Live in Galveston, TX

@Kyle Walker, how many people did you have on your boat at the time? Also, what were the water conditions? Last season, I had about 9 people on my boat (never again) and I was only able to get up to about 30 something mph.