New to me 2008 Yamaha AR230

[Funtacular]

Good morning,
I just wanted to introduce myself to the forum. My name is Mason and I just purchased a 2008 Yamaha AR230. I have done a lot of reading and ordered a few things to hopefully extend the life of this boat (Diagnostics, Oil extractor, flush hose, etc). I am very much interested in a operators manual and/or a service manual for this boat if anyone is able to share. My email is masonsnyder@verizon.net. I just want to learn as much as I can so that I can make some intelligent decisions going forward. I appreciate the wealth of knowledge that I have already gained browsing this forum.

Thanks!
Mason

 

[Julian]

Welcome to the forum! The operators manual is on Yamaha's website. You have to create an account and they give you access. The Service manual is around as well, but that is sold by Yamaha (you can probably get a cheap one on ebay - or see who replies).

 

[Rushfan67]

Welcome @Funtacular and Congratulations on your new boat. You will find the most awesome group here on this forum always willing to help whenever we can.

 

[Beachbummer]

Welcome, I have a very similar boat (The SX230) The forum is an excellent resource, be sure to use it if you have any questions!

 

[Funtacular]

Thank you all for the very warm welcome. It is calming my nerves a bit to see such a strong community around to discuss things with. I will check out the yamaha site for operators manual. I am just over 24 hours into this purchase and terrified that I didn't check "all the things" that I am seeing on here before handing over the cash. Buyers remorse be damned!

 

[buckbuck]

Check out @Scottintexas list of potential issues. However, I would say it is unlikely you will experience any problems if the boat was reasonably maintained. They are very reliable.

 

[Scottintexas]

The link In my signature line

 

[Funtacular]

Thanks guys. Horn does not work and I tried to follow your link Scott but it says it is no good. Not a big deal on that one...Can probably troubleshoot it. I cannot wait to get this thing cleaned up and out on the water. Thanks again to everyone for your help!

 

[PJ73]

 

[Beachbummer]

Welcome! The Original horn is not great, and prone to water damage. The area is accessible from the storage below the front cushion. You can replace with a similar mounted horn, or rig something from inside the boat. It's a reach, but I was not happy with the surface mounted horn.

 

[merlinjet]

Welcome aboard! Don't sweat the small suff, lots of folks here to help you get through any issues should they arise...get out there and enjoy!

 

[Funtacular]

Thanks gents. Will look into a good horn replacement.

 

[J-RAD]

Welcome and congratulations!

 

[Beachbummer]

This is a terrible horn in my opinion..lasted about a week.
Amazon.com : Aqua Signal Dual Tone Electronic Hidden Horn (White) : Boat Horns : Sports & Outdoors

This was a little painful to mount, and if you mount it with the horn facing down and it ingests some water, it will get damaged quickly, but if you install with the horn pointing down, it seems to last..and at least it's loud.
Amazon.com: Stebel 11690019 - Nautilus Compact Mini Air Horn Black: Automotive

I bet others have a good horn recommendation too.

 

[Funtacular]

So I took a deeper dive inspection of the cleanouts area, etc. One cleanout does not have a release push-button and neither are coming out. Here are some pics after I drained the water out of them. Tried setting up a little jack/rope system to pull one out but cannot get them to budge. I sprayed a bunch of seafoam down in there hoping they break loose. I am really concerned about the condition of this area. Both batteries are charging now and I cannot wait to get the YDS running to find out what the engines have to say!

 

[Scottintexas]

put some ice/water in the hole and let it sit, then use the jack, I was able to free one of mine that way,

does it look like they could have used any adhesive in there? every once in awhile someone will "glue" their plugs in,

You could unscrew the tops and dissemble the plug,

If yours are just "stuck" maybe try a little vibration with impact wrench from the bottom while applying pulling pressure to break it free,
or pull your cleanout hatch off to give you more room to work around the bottom of the tubes to maybe tap with a hammer,

You need to watch Cobra Jeff's video in our FAQ about how the locks / dogs work and make sure yours have released,


.

 

[Funtacular]

Thanks Scott. I appreciate it. I will try the ice/water trick this weekend. Started downpouring while I was working away on it today LOL

It does almost look like they might have put some silicon or glue around the sides...Either that or there is a rubber gasket or seal that is squeezing out around the sides. I will check out Cobra's vids.

Thanks again!

 

[Funtacular]

So I got time to get the batteries back into the boat and get my laptop hooked up for a little YDS love. Hours seems really low...any way to tell if the ECU's were swapped? At any rate, curious your thoughts on the hour meters and the diagnostic codes?

 

[Beachbummer]

It's not that unusual to see low hours on these. Many use them little. Looks great!!

 

[Beachbummer]

The oil low code is common if you underfill the oil. No overheat codes either.