New “25 Foot Yamahas” Missed the mark by a Mile

[Mike Clark]

First off don’t call it 25 Ft boat when its only 24’6”. Do a complete re-design and don‘t even make it an actual foot longer? What a joke. Still don‘t come with a head unit even on the $90 K 252XD? Of course door is still not big enough to get into with out doing twist fit. Why not follow design theme as on 275?
Not sure about the triangle storage behind drivers seat, looks like it takes up additional seating space, and basically useless. Oh and the shit brown and tan interior, Must of got a close out deal on it as it nobody else wanted it. Just what I want in my new sport boat, color interior out of my grandmas house. Need to fire anybody that has any imput in the exterior and interior color choices. Color combos have sucked for the past couple of years.
It appears that they have spent all their time on trying to make a wake boat, which has driven the entire hull design which unfortunately is not ideal for non wake boats. In reality anybody that is serious about wake boarding will not buy a jet boat for wake and will buy one of the many top brands that will perform way better. Especially if looking at 90 k for this. Majority of people buying 24 ft boats were not buying the X series as too expensive. Even at 76 -78 K

As all can tell from my post, so disappointed in new 25 ( 24 1/2) will be looking elsewhere for my next boat. Chapparelle 255 SS , oh its actually 26 Ft long and a full walk in head compartment.
Yamaha didnt learn from their pricing on the new 27 Ft boats, way over piriced and not selling, (trailer extra) My guess will be the same for the new 255 SD they have priced this out of the price range of the people that were buying them as they could actually afford one. Stripped down SX 250 & AR 250 now $60K ? As soon as Covid 19 is over and people can go back to their normal lives there will be slightly used boats for sale everywhere. And there will be A bunch of new Yamaha 250 sitting in showrooms and warehouses. Ok done ranting now.

 

[Epsmith19]

I like the brown. My vote is to not fire anyone.

 

[Dixemon]

I love rants. Awesome!

 

[Seadeals]

I see good and bad. You make some sound observations I suspect will be relevant to a lot of buyers. Yamaha has never really been for everyone though. Price points on new products over the last five years are ridiculous. People don’t own boats anymore. Banks own them. Boats have gone the way of the automobile. Gone are the days when cash in hand gets the best price. It’s all a shell game with company affiliated finance companies now. I fear they are preying on a lot of people, especially in this hot COVID market.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Seadeals No doubt.

Boy if they would go pure lease, say $500 ish a month for a nice $70,000 circa boat, I would be leasing a new one every two years.

The funny thing is, understanding how leasing works, it could be done with boats. Cars lose much more value than some boats. The residual value could make it very attractive.

 

[Epsmith19]

Interesting idea..I'm the type of guy who doesn't like debt and couldn't stand the idea of having no equity but I would love to take advantage of the off lease used market.

 

[HangOutdoors]

The nice thing though is you have a fixed time period out and you could also experience different boats that you would never otherwise buy. Bowrider -> Jet -> True Wake Boat -> Offshore Center Console -> Cuddy. Most people in their lifetime won't own that many different boats. How much fun would that be. I would like to play on a nice big water Cuddy, but I will never buy one, and probably never get the chance.

 

[mrcleanr6]

Everyone has their opinion and i respect that. thats why there are more than one mfg out there making different style boats. Certainly find the one you like and go with that. I will say this though concerning the 27. I have looked at alot of other boats in that size class and while there are alot of nice boats, none really stood out to me. They were all basically the same different layout. The 275 is very unique. I also compared cost and anything i found that was atleast comparable to the 275 was either just as expensive or quite a bit more. I work for a boat mfg whos price tags are from 500k to 15mil so i have seen and know quality and I personally think they did a fantastic job on that boat and your right, 130k is alot of money but compared to everything else i dont think they are off base.

 

[ZGhost]

@Mike Clark I can’t say you left any nails that you didn’t hit right on the head! Love the rant!
YAMAHA, are you reading? You should be listening, not just reading.

Colors have sucked for a while that is until I got the 2019 blue 242XE but had to wait for a while. Just changing sticker colors ain’t going to do it so yes, I vote to fire those in charge of interior and exterior colors!

 

[captras]

I like the rear seats on the 25s but thats about it. For the money.....no where near the value of my 242 LSE. And although, in some instances, an additional 6 inches might be desireable in this case its a waste!

 

[captainhook]

I don’t disagree with everything you said but anybody know of a 275 on a lot, anywhere? I suspect these will be the same. I don’t think recreational demand (boats, campers, etc.) will go down next year either.

 

[Ian S]

I see your point and agree on some aspects. However, when you compare the 2021 FHS 255 and 252 to the "competition", Yamaha has overall value locked up. I love the idea of 500hp and 55+mph offered on the 255E ($80K). That to me is the magic number for speed, no need for me to travel any faster over water. Saying that I don't want a slug for a boat. Been there and hated it. Being slow on the water sucks. I don't need to be the fastest but low 40mph is a bummer for me. My buddy just ordered a 26' Chapparal w a 300hp outboard and every bell and whistle they offer... OTD pushed him up over $150K! POS brand and nowhere worth it in my opinion. Re-sale is horrible. Yamaha enjoys a stellar reputation on the resale market. I want to see numbers for the FSH 252 with the naturally aspirated engine. That should translate to around 360hp and upper 40's maybe travelling down wind, 25% fuel and running light hit 50mph (hahaha) and much better fuel economy.. Of course for me personally, I was really hoping for the 210 FSH to get the much needed power boost and upgrades, I mean a 4" repurposed Waverunner screen.... STILL. Can you imagine a 210 FSH stock running 50+mph...game changer. Love Boats though and when my buddy takes delivery of his POS 2021 $150k Chapparall, I'll bring the beer and launch him and enjoy my day. Getting out on the water is what we all enjoy.

 

[fireflymedic]

I'm holding my opinion until I see it in person. But I can say I'm not wowed by just the pics and idea of paddle shifters on steering wheel.

 

[Will B Free]

I see your point and agree on some aspects. However, when you compare the 2021 FHS 255 and 252 to the "competition", Yamaha has overall value locked up. I love the idea of 500hp and 55+mph offered on the 255E ($80K). That to me is the magic number for speed, no need for me to travel any faster over water. Saying that I don't want a slug for a boat. Been there and hated it. Being slow on the water sucks. I don't need to be the fastest but low 40mph is a bummer for me. My buddy just ordered a 26' Chapparal w a 300hp outboard and every bell and whistle they offer... OTD pushed him up over $150K! POS brand and nowhere worth it in my opinion. Re-sale is horrible. Yamaha enjoys a stellar reputation on the resale market. I want to see numbers for the FSH 252 with the naturally aspirated engine. That should translate to around 360hp and upper 40's maybe travelling down wind, 25% fuel and running light hit 50mph (hahaha) and much better fuel economy.. Of course for me personally, I was really hoping for the 210 FSH to get the much needed power boost and upgrades, I mean a 4" repurposed Waverunner screen.... STILL. Can you imagine a 210 FSH stock running 50+mph...game changer. Love Boats though and when my buddy takes delivery of his POS 2021 $150k Chapparall, I'll bring the beer and launch him and enjoy my day. Getting out on the water is what we all enjoy.

Sooo agree with the speed issue. My 210 FSH is sooo slow. I don't need to break any speed records but anything under 40 mph on the water is like riding a scooter though rush hour traffic. I struggle to hit 35 mph with 4 ppl on board---SUX!!! Every grandpa in a Bayliner can blow by me in this bucket. Very disappointed. why didn't I water test this thing! Boat test said 44mph huh? This thing never went over 40 downwind downstream down a waterfall etc.. disappointing!!!! How I wish for just 45 mph! That 5mph makes all the difference on the water.

 

[Inthrustwetrust]

@Seadeals No doubt.

Boy if they would go pure lease, say $500 ish a month for a nice $70,000 circa boat, I would be leasing a new one every two years.

The funny thing is, understanding how leasing works, it could be done with boats. Cars lose much more value than some boats. The residual value could make it very attractive.

That would be interesting. I would think you would need some pricey insurance though. Seems boats are much more susceptible to being broke/breaking.

Other thing would be modifications. A lot of boat accessories requiring drilling/cutting. It’s not like a car where you can swap those stock rims back on and peel off the window tint. I would think this would probably work the best on high end boats you aren’t adding speakers/electronics because it’s already fully loaded.

 

[DaveShip55]

I agree with most of the rant... seems to me they missed it with the 2021’s (25 footers)... especially that contraption behind the captains chair.... now THAT person should be fired..... hahahaha... (Not literally, cuz I don’t wish the firing of anyone).
Seemed like the change from the 24’s to the 25’s was massive!.... I really liked the looks of the 242X.. beautiful boat!!!! kinda wish they would have kept it mostly the same as the 24, but a little bigger.. 24.5’ to be exact... LoL!....
But if I’m gonna plunk down $100K, I want something I ‘REALLY’ like!... kinda of a bummer, cuz I’m a LOYAL Yamaha guy!.... still trying to like the 255XD or XE.... Must admit though, starting to stray and look at the Scarab... that 255 looks pretty nice... with the twin 300’s... and maybe their new 2021’s might even be nicer?... still trying to gather some info on the Scarabs.... not too sure about the Rotax motors, and not having clean out ports is a bummer!... (why don’t they have them, does Yamaha have some sort of patent?)
Okay.... my mini rant over.... hahaha

 

[I_squared_r]

Im disappointed that the 25ft doesn't look more like the 27ft. The 2020 model page for the 27ft said "A look into whats to come" or something along those lines. It literally foreshadowed a overhaul of the 24ft line to look like the 27ft. And all we got is a 24ft with a few more inches and different swim platform. Bummer. But what's my opinion worth? I'm not spending $60k+ on a new boat at this point of my life..

But that 2021 Superjet tho.. That is tempting.

 

[Stan M]

So now don't I feel like a putz!!!! I had a deposit down for a 2021 242S - have been looking for years. When I heard the "rumors" of a change from the 242 to a 25, I was really upset, and thinking I may just drop down to the 212S (especially since they came out as early release boats). Anyway, after going back and forth, I took the plunge on the 252S, now the rants just crapped all over my choice! LOL...anyway, I'm really excited and can't wait to pick it up. Regarding the rants...I really have to agree about the triangular storage/serving unit...wtf!

 

[Billtex2000]

May sound petty considering everything else, but does the SX250 NOT come with a bimini top? ?

 

[agannole93]

May sound petty considering everything else, but does the SX250 NOT come with a bimini top? ?

It does, it just doesn't show a bimini on the stock photos.