Important Summary of Anchor Locker Drain Issue - Attention FSH and 21 Foot owners!

[MrMoose]

Edited on 05/08/2017 to correct my misconception in one of the photos:
At this point in time, I think that it’s necessary summarize the anchor locker drain problem in a new thread because I think that it will help others take appropriate action to correct it if they are affected.

If you have a FSH or a current model 21 footer, you need to read this whole post because there is something that you need to be aware of.

So far we know that all current model 24 footers, 21 footers, and the FSH are affected. Most 24 footers are affected to a lesser degree than the FSH and 21 footers. @Julian has mentioned that Yamaha knows about the problem, and that it will be corrected on new production.

The problem is that the anchor locker drain fitting is too short to properly seal to the inner shell of the anchor locker. The following pic is from the anchor locker of a newly arrived 242X in a dealership lot in March/April timeframe of 2017:




If the spacing between the outer hull and the inner surface of the anchor locker shell is significantly greater than the length of the drain fitting, the resulting gap will allow water to flow in between the hull and the shell (2017 21 foot LS):


The FSH, 24 footers, and 21 footers all use the same part number for the anchor locker drain fitting. On the 24 footers, the fitting is often about 1/16"-1/8" short. On some but not all of the FSH and the 21 footers, it's often much shorter, which creates the gap and allows the water to flow into the bilge rather than out through the drain.

As far as I’m aware, this problem does not apply to older model hulls, just current model hulls.
I hope that this helps.

 

[Scottintexas]

@MrMoose do we know year model this effects that we could add to the title of the post?

I will add this to the FAQ

[USERGROUP=3]@Administrative[/USERGROUP] would it be beneficial to add this as a sticky to the appropriate model forums ?

 

[Scottintexas]

[USERGROUP=3]@Administrative[/USERGROUP] or maybe a general notice banner that everyone sees at least once when the log in like the sales promotions and can x out of,

 

[JoeMitchem]

Just picked up my 2017 242X yesterday and this was one of the first things that I checked.

My boat just came from the factory and was a late production model but still had this issue to some extent. Not as bad as pictured, but still enough to be a possible issue although I really cannot say if there was a void or not.

After showing my dealer they fixed it with some 3M 4200 just for added peace of mind. If nothing else it certainly looks better now.

 

[Ancient canoe]

I don't have a Yamaha, but I am in the market, and likely looking at a 21'. Is this drain intended to drain the anchor locker outside of the boat? If so, is there a plug that seals from the outside or is the anchor locker taking on water/and draining water constantly?

 

[Bruce]

I don't have a Yamaha, but I am in the market, and likely looking at a 21'. Is this drain intended to drain the anchor locker outside of the boat? If so, is there a plug that seals from the outside or is the anchor locker taking on water/and draining water constantly?

The anchor locker should be water tight. The drain is above water level especially when on plane. In the right conditions it can take on water which will run out. The purpose is to drain water dripping from the anchor and rode.

 

[robert843]

@MrMoose I can confirm my 2017 AR240 did have a very small part that did not have solid fill and had a gap. 3/4 of the hole was solid and about 1/4 on the bottom had a tiny gap. I do not have any good pictures and have since repaired that small corner.

 

[Julian]

I keep meaning to check mine, but in the mean time, the inner and outer hulls are separate and there will be a gap between them no matter what. I expect what we are seeing here is simply variance in whether or not they sealed the gap between the two at the anchor drain or not. If just use some flexible sealant like 4200 and fill the void neatly and be done. You don't want a firm join as you want the two hulls to be able to flex. Also makes me wonder if there used to be seal and perhaps the hulls flexed during shipping and the sealant came loose?

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I would suggest using epoxy/resin to seal the open fiberglass to permenately seal the fiber glass so that there is no blistering down the long road. After the epoxy/resin is applied you can then dress it with the 4200.

 

[JoeMitchem]

@JoeMitchem, yur kinda missin the point... ya should check that there is not a void between the hull and inner shell, just don't seal it up.

@MrMoose Nope, not missing the point at all. What I'm saying is that I saw no evidence of a void but I didn't pop the drain fitting out to inspect it nor did I ask my dealer to do so. There was simply a slight unevenness in where the fitting came into the anchor locker so I asked if they could address it. 4200 was enough to appease me until I see evidence to warrant further action.

 

[JoeMitchem]

@JoeMitchem My point is that you need to pop the drain out in order to see if there's a void between the outer hull and inner shell. Take a look at the third pic in the first post of this thread.

@MrMoose I saw the pics and I read the thread. Again, I get it and I'll say again that I wasn't going to ask my dealer to take anything apart to look for a problem. The problem that was VISIBLE was addressed to my satisfaction.

I was told that my boat was one of the last few built for this model year so maybe the problem has already been addressed to some extent at the factory, who knows. All I know for sure is that mine looked nothing like your pictures. The rubber drain fitting sat maybe 1/16th of an inch below the inner level of fiberglass so I asked them to fill it in just in case. I really don't think there was a problem, I was just adding some peace of mind.

 

[swatski]

Nope, you are wrong @Julian. The third pic in the first post of this thread is what my hole looked like when I popped the drain fitting out. Solid, and reinforced. I poked at the material with my finger nail and with a screw driver and it was hard. There were no voids to be seen or felt in the walls of the hole that was drilled for my anchor locker. Feel free to dismiss my opinion, but the pictures tell a clear story, even if it's a story that Yamaha may not want people talking about.

I think @Julian is right on. The void is there in all new boats, it is the space in what you could call the Yamaha "pseudodouble" hull. In all the pics I have seen, the 21s have a gap, the 24s (including mine) are more like @robert843's with a tiny gap - mine was exactly like it. I don't think the void has ANYTHING to do with structural integrity of the hull, the only problem is - if the anchor locker drain hole is not sealed - water gets into the void and in the hull and storage compartments etc.
I have a big void in the bow of my 240. It just isn't open much around drain hole in the anchor locker (where the inner and outer shell are pretty close in 240s, but more apart in the 21s).
This is not a structural issue. Raw fiberglass, as @Murf'n'surf pointed out, is kind of bad but I think the 5200 seal done right will do. There is plenty of that going on in those boats (raw fiberglass cutouts/edges), I kind of stopped worrying about that.

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[swatski]

I can't find the picture of mine -inside, looked more like @robert843. I did find this, after you called it:

I was pretty pissed when I saw that - and I initially missed it as it was obstructed from view by the little divider there. But I don't see it as structural as there is a void (by design) in between the hull and the inner compartment shell. Yamaha hulls don't use encapsulated wood or any other type of coring, so this is very different that the old school inner and outer "skin". I'm actually leaning towards a view that Yamaha FRP is very good/solid. I think the nanocell hulls (or whatever they call it) in the new jet skis - is pushing it too far though. But our (2015+) hulls are very strong yet thin and light. Albeit I would prefer something little beefier - like the pre-2010 hulls of the 230s.

I understand that today's Yamaha hulls are based on a different technology.

Yes indeed (and thank god for that).
This is one of my favorite articles on the current state of rec boat building. Well, it's written in late 90s early 2000s (I'm showing my age...), but all the same. Pretty good insight into the industry's practices. Also makes Yamaha look pretty good, I think.
http://www.yachtsurvey.com/Fiberglass_Boats.htm

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[Julian]

So @swatski, why did Yamaha build mine this way?

I'm going to guess that your inner and outer hull simply didn't come as close to each other as some do at that spot. There will always be a little variance in the way the molds set. It isn't easy to see just what they used to buffer between the two parts there....but they need something to help ensure a seal. Elsewhere in the boat that gap is more like 3-5 inches...they bring it down to 1" or less at the anchor locker drain.

This is definitely a quality control problem, but IMO not a structural issue at all. I think they would be better off using a two part connector there vs a "grommet" on the outside to what seems to be plain caulk or 4200 on the inside. Use 2 "grommets" that fit into each other like a sleeve and 4200 them together at assembly.

 

[haknslash]

See....this just proves that the 19' SX/AR boats have the most superior hull out of the entire product line !

On a serious note I hope Yamaha does indeed fix this for all 2018 models. Thankfully we don't have this issue with our anchor locker design. Sucks you guys are having to fix this on your brand new expensive boats. @Julian this would be the first thing I'd check at the dealers meeting this year when you go. I also don't understand why they don't use the same robots that cut out the holes in most of the hull to also cut out the hole for the drain. The hole saw method looks horrible and unfinished. At a minimum even if doing it manually by hand they could have used a flange and tube so it looks more professional and complete.

 

[swatski]

Just to be clear, I'm not talking about a scenario where the gap between the hull and shell has solid filler, but that filler may have a small void caused by an air bubble.

The hull and the shell are assembled with a void in between.
There are places where the void is null (where the two shells touch).
The Yamaha hull double shell void is NOT a defect, neither a structural concern. The two shells/skins are core-less, but also not true double-hull, by design.

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[Julian]

I'll definitely be interviewing them on this topic at the media preview. Perhaps I need to start a thread called: questions you'd like me to ask Yamaha? Not sure they'll agree to an interview style sit down like that, but they might....I know we have lots of questions....might be a long interview! LOL I try and sneak in those questions on the side while chatting with the product managers. Last year we had an interesting discussion about horsepower and boats vs skis. They clearly didn't see a market for high HP (gas guzzling) jet boats.

 

[Emilio22]

Checked it out yesterday and sure enough. While anchored water coming and going the whole time. Might explain water in the bilge. Ugh!!!! 2016 AR 240

 

[MrMoose]

Checked it out yesterday and sure enough. While anchored water coming and going the whole time. Might explain water in the bilge. Ugh!!!! 2016 AR 240

View attachment 55447

@Emilio22, it's ok to have water flow in through the drain, as long as it flows out through the drain. You need to pop out your drain fitting and see if there is a void between the hull and inner shell that water can leak into (going to the bilge as opposed to draining out to the ocean). If it's solid, then it's probably not your source of water in the bilge.

 

[micj]

I picked up my boat this past Friday and spoke to the service manager while I was there. They had to fill the void with fiber glass. I was not able to get a pic due to the falling rain but it turned out exactly like this pic @MrMoose posted in the original thread referring to the problem. The Service manager said I was there first ever issue of this kind and went through all of their remaining Yamahas on hand and found one that needed to be fixed. I am going to put some 3M 5200 in a couple days when the rain stops in my area.