shanes17
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 48
- Reaction score
- 19
- Points
- 47
- Location
- Lake St Louis MO
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2020
- Boat Model
- AR
- Boat Length
- 24
Good afternoon!
New jetboat owner here, purchased a 2020 Yamaha AR240 a few weeks ago. This is the first boat I have ever owned outright. Grew up around them, parents had one and grandparents as well. Spent a lot of the time boating the Ozarks. We are a family of four with a good sized dog, who I have yet to introduce to the boat.
We will be trailering most of the time keeping it in storage nearby, with the exception of a few extended weekend lake trips that will involve us using a slip. We have taken her to Mark Twain lake a few times so far and got to experience pulling the cleanout plug already once to dislodge some debris, hurray!
In all seriousness, it was a good experience as now I know what to look for the next time.
We plan to explore LOTO next (grew up on this lake so very familiar) and Tablerock later this summer. I would like to eventually take it down to the Gulf (Orange Beach area) however that will be a year or so down the line as I build up the confidence first.
Few questions that I have for you experienced vets
Do you take out your clean out plugs when you remove the boat from water for storage? Rather than letting them sit plugged in? I found a guy online who takes his out, sprays them with silicone spray and leaves them until the next time out. Basically said to prevent rotting of the rubber seals. Makes sense just curious if this is common practice.
Something else that happened to me recently, when backing the trailer into storage the trailer brakes kept locking up. I had to place the brake actuator lockout bracket into the tongue and secure it from falling out with a bungee cord because after placing it in then making any slight correction to the trailer, it would fall back out and lock up the brakes again, really not a fun experience after prior back-ins went relatively smoothly. I am concerned since this never happened prior and we have done this at least 5 other times without the lockups occurring or the need for the actuator. Am I missing something here?
Lastly, winterizing. I have researched this a bit yet still not sure which recommendation to go with. One poster I saw ran antifreeze through his flush lines which I thought wasn't necessary? Is it as easy as just running some fresh water through the flush line, blowing out the access then putting in some fuel stabilizer before storing for 6-7 months? We likely will keep it outdoor with the factory cover although we have a mooring cover, I've read the factory ones are better for the harsher conditions. I plan to take the boat in for the 10 hour maintenance ($400), trying to avoid the additional winterization cost this fall if possible.
Looking forward to mixing it up more on here and excited to share some adventures with the board!
Pic of our new baby:
New jetboat owner here, purchased a 2020 Yamaha AR240 a few weeks ago. This is the first boat I have ever owned outright. Grew up around them, parents had one and grandparents as well. Spent a lot of the time boating the Ozarks. We are a family of four with a good sized dog, who I have yet to introduce to the boat.
We will be trailering most of the time keeping it in storage nearby, with the exception of a few extended weekend lake trips that will involve us using a slip. We have taken her to Mark Twain lake a few times so far and got to experience pulling the cleanout plug already once to dislodge some debris, hurray!
In all seriousness, it was a good experience as now I know what to look for the next time.We plan to explore LOTO next (grew up on this lake so very familiar) and Tablerock later this summer. I would like to eventually take it down to the Gulf (Orange Beach area) however that will be a year or so down the line as I build up the confidence first.
Few questions that I have for you experienced vets
Do you take out your clean out plugs when you remove the boat from water for storage? Rather than letting them sit plugged in? I found a guy online who takes his out, sprays them with silicone spray and leaves them until the next time out. Basically said to prevent rotting of the rubber seals. Makes sense just curious if this is common practice.
Something else that happened to me recently, when backing the trailer into storage the trailer brakes kept locking up. I had to place the brake actuator lockout bracket into the tongue and secure it from falling out with a bungee cord because after placing it in then making any slight correction to the trailer, it would fall back out and lock up the brakes again, really not a fun experience after prior back-ins went relatively smoothly. I am concerned since this never happened prior and we have done this at least 5 other times without the lockups occurring or the need for the actuator. Am I missing something here?
Lastly, winterizing. I have researched this a bit yet still not sure which recommendation to go with. One poster I saw ran antifreeze through his flush lines which I thought wasn't necessary? Is it as easy as just running some fresh water through the flush line, blowing out the access then putting in some fuel stabilizer before storing for 6-7 months? We likely will keep it outdoor with the factory cover although we have a mooring cover, I've read the factory ones are better for the harsher conditions. I plan to take the boat in for the 10 hour maintenance ($400), trying to avoid the additional winterization cost this fall if possible.
Looking forward to mixing it up more on here and excited to share some adventures with the board!
Pic of our new baby:
