Noise concern

[Msham]

I’m looking to buy a 2021 Yamaha 252s. I’ve always had an I/O so I was wondering about how much louder a jet boat will be. I don’t really want a loud boat but I like the layout of the Yamaha boats. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[anmut]

It'll be louder. But your smile gets so wide that it muffles your ears enough to make up the difference.

 

[AZMark]

I’m looking to buy a 2021 Yamaha 252s. I’ve always had an I/O so I was wondering about how much louder a jet boat will be. I don’t really want a loud boat but I like the layout of the Yamaha boats. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Take a test drive for sure. The noise is the only thing I really don’t like about my boat.

 

[Msham]

It'll be louder. But your smile gets so wide that it muffles your ears enough to make up the difference.

It'll be louder. But your smile gets so wide that it muffles your ears enough to make up the difference.

Thanks for the feedback. The closest dealer to me is 5 hours so it’s hard to try one on the water

 

[Msham]

Take a test drive for sure. The noise is the only thing I really don’t like about my boat.

Ok thanks. Do you know if the 2021 boats are quieter or about the same as previous years. I’m quite a ways from the closest dealer so it’s been hard to do a test drive.

 

[Ronnie]

I think boat test has a review on YouTube of the 252. If so they usually include dB level readings throughout the throttle range. You may be able to compare their reviews of the 252 against that of your boat.

 

[Msham]

I think boat test has a review on YouTube of the 252. If so they usually include dB level readings throughout the throttle range. You may be able to compare their reviews of the 252 against that of your boat.

Thanks. I’ll look into that.

 

[mrcleanr6]

here is what i found going from a 08 232 with the mr1 engines vs a 2021 with the 1.8 supercharged engines. both boats are louder than your typical i/o. i have found the older mr1 boats to be loud with a high pitch whine. you would think they had open twin turbos on them. this makes them quite annoying if your sitting all the way in the back. i never found it annoying in the driver seat though. now my new boat, while loud its not as loud as the older boat plus the engines are just a deeper tone so far less annoying and much easier to talk over.

 

[Msham]

here is what i found going from a 08 232 with the mr1 engines vs a 2021 with the 1.8 supercharged engines. both boats are louder than your typical i/o. i have found the older mr1 boats to be loud with a high pitch whine. you would think they had open twin turbos on them. this makes them quite annoying if your sitting all the way in the back. i never found it annoying in the driver seat though. now my new boat, while loud its not as loud as the older boat plus the engines are just a deeper tone so far less annoying and much easier to talk over.

Thanks. That helps a lot because sometimes we just cruise at 20 mph and talk and I didn’t want to have to yell over the motor noise.

 

[mrcleanr6]

well you wont have to yell all the time but you'll definitely have to speak very loudly and it depends on where your sitting in the boat as well. if you find it too loud you can go and dynamat the engine compartment really well.

 

[ripler]

Until I bought my new boat I really didn't realize how obnoxiously loud my Yamaha was, I had a 2010 SX210 though, the new boats are supposed to be quieter.

 

[Msham]

Until I bought my new boat I really didn't realize how obnoxiously loud my Yamaha was, I had a 2010 SX210 though, the new boats are supposed to be quieter.

Just curious but did you get another jet boat or go to a prop?

 

[AZMark]

Thanks for the feedback. The closest dealer to me is 5 hours so it’s hard to try one on the water

It’s $75k. I’d go pretty far out of my way to make sure I knew what I was getting for that!

I’d at least make any purchase contingent on a test drive when you go to pick it up.

 

[lgparra]

For what its worth, I came from a 4.3L I/O I owned for 11 years before buying an AR195 and I will say it is probably a little bit louder decibels wise compared to my old boat but I think the loudness is a little over-exaggerated on the forums. It does have a slightly higher pitch but honestly I don't even notice it unless I'm consciously thinking about it and comparing it to my old I/O. I can still hold a conversation with the radio going throughout the RPM range just fine. When you start comparing the space and layout of Yamaha's compared to most prop boats you won't even notice the sound of the engine

 

[JimmyB]

I love my ‘18 242. The layout is fantastic and we enjoy the aft deck a lot since most of what we do is anchoring in a cove and swimming. The open layout and swim platform sold us on the boat. I do wish it was quieter. I find that we do not talk while underway which works for us because we generally are underway less than 30 minutes at a time and can enjoy the view / ride. My BIL has a new Bennington with a 250 OB and that thing is so quiet even at speed conversation is easy and they will take longer cruises. Everything is a trade off so find what suits your needs. Just sharing our experience. Good luck finding the right boat.

 

[Brad460]

To me it wasn’t so much the outright noise of the engine that was irritating....it was the sound of two engines running at the same rpm that create an irritating pulsating noise..

 

[ripler]

I have the

Just curious but did you get another jet boat or go to a prop?

Didn't even consider another jetboat, I bought a Mastercraft NXT20, which is a V-drive.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Msham, they are definitely loud wide open and louder than an I/O. Test drive to see if you are ok with it.

 

[swatski]

My Yamaha is pretty quiet, she is definitely on par with your average i/o. But it was not like that stock and bringing the noise and vibration level down took a significant amount of planning and effort. For example, my engine bay and engine hatch are insulated, the gunnels are filled in with various types of foam, all the way up to the bow, seadek all over etc. It was a significant undertaking but - it can be done.

In general, newer hulls, like my 2016 240 are not actually bad from factory and Yamaha was very smart to design and incorporate various built-in storage compartments that break up large, cavernous spaces inside the "pseudo double hull" (2-piece construction) - which is like a resonating box that amplifies noise of the drivetrain sitting above the water level on plane - it's a jet boat! So, the new boats are less loud, stock, as compared to the older ones; my 2012 190 was impossible to quiet down to any comfortable level, the only thing I hated about it.

Sea trial is advisable. These boats are different and they are not for everyone.
That said, we like our 2016 AR240 (with a ton of mods) enough I wouldn't sell it.
In fact, we are now buying another boat just to fish offshore, my current Yamaha does pretty much everything else better.
In the crowded category of trailerable, open bow sport boats these new Yamahas are very hard to beat. For one, I could not figure out what to replace mine with, lol, and I tried. Love the damn thing!

--

 

[tdonoughue]

2nd (or 3rd or whatever number we are up to) on the sea trial. Also, if you post here or reach out to someone on the map near you with a similar year/model, you may find someone willing to take you out for a bit on their boat. Many dealers don't do sea trials (or not until you show up with the purchase check, etc.). But many members do...