Practical Suggestions for Yamaha

[Bruce]

I thought it would be good to have a thread listing ideas that Yamaha could easily implement to improve their products. I will start with three. What would you guys suggest?

1. Add an aluminum I-Beam trailer with torsion suspension option or replace the galvanized trailer with it. The galvanized trailers are much better than painted for salt water use but still rust over time. An aluminum trailer would be better for salt water use and for towing regardless of where you boat. It would also provide an upmarket appearance. The torsion axles would remove the unprotected springs as a common point of failure.

2. Make carpeted flooring a dealer installed option. Some love it, some hate it. Many buyers will replace it over time. Most of us would prefer the option to install whatever flooring we would like.

3. Build the tachometers in Connext boats into a removable panel to allow the installation of a 7" chart plotter or remove the tachometers entirely and simply have a blanking panel. Tachometer values on the connext screen are sufficient. We really need plotting and it would be nice if it did not block the forward view.

 

[billyb]

I would improve on number three Bruce by just having a screen, allowing you to determine the position and what to display where on the screen. A simple LCD screen can emulate tacs or whatever.

 

[bobbie]

@Bruce.....i'm assumming when you asked what the "guys suggest" you're saying that a very broad term...literally a "broad" term (just kidding bruce..) but i will add my two cents worth.

surf tabs, surf tabs, surf tabs.

 

[buckbuck]

Don't be too quick to put the captains chair on the passenger side. With ballast bags consuming a lot of underseat real estate we need as much storage as possible.

Perhaps design the ballast to sit under the seat and then have a removable floor to go over it. That way we have some storage above the ballast.

 

[Billtex2000]

Bring back a $36/$38k SX/AR210 with sound deadening . No computers! I like tachs and a speedo! Please bring back the affordable low maintenance sport boat that a working guy like me can afford. I don't need the HO motors! I don't need to go 55mph! Don't force me to choose between a 19' single engine boat that's too small and a 21' boat that's 8 to 10 thousand dollars more than I can afford. And NO RUDDER please! If I wanted a skeg I'd buy a sterndrive.

 

[Freezer41]

Unless this has already been done for the 2016s. For the 24fters, replace the piano hinge on the stern wet storage with something less likely to rip out. Captain's chair, larger flip-up bolster.

 

[elcue]

I agree with the built in chart plotter. I currently use my phone with the navionics app. Regal boats have the chart plotter built into their Regalvue system.

 

[Christian Rodriguez]

Trimable jet

 

[Bruce]

Trimable jet

I really like the idea of an electronically controlled thrust vectoring jet. It would combine steering and trimming as well as making joystick controlled docking possible. But that is a major feature instead of something easily implemented.

 

[Christian Rodriguez]

Just really want to make my ride more comfortable so trim tabs are an idea floating around, but then I got to thinking about my friends FZR which can be trimmed up and down. That damn thing is so easy to get out of the water and even easier to keep it down with the trim. No idea how it works but would really like it over drilling holes

 

[octavio3311]

How about under floor hard ballast tanks. There's definitely enough room. The bags take up too much valuable space.

 

[DBamaC]

Bring back a $36/$38k SX/AR210 with sound deadening . No computers! I like tachs and a speedo! Please bring back the affordable low maintenance sport boat that a working guy like me can afford. I don't need the HO motors! I don't need to go 55mph! Don't force me to choose between a 19' single engine boat that's too small and a 21' boat that's 8 to 10 thousand dollars more than I can afford. And NO RUDDER please! If I wanted a skeg I'd buy a sterndrive.

I would be willing to wager that the SX210 and AR210 will be back next year with twin TR-1 engines. Should be the same performance with marginally better fuel consumption. They really need to find something to fill the price hole in their range. They will probably be $40K and $42K. If they would put some small OEM ballast in the AR and keep their pencils sharp on the pricing, they would have a definite winner since with the TR-1 engines they would have the best power to consumption ratio on the water.

 

[fraserjr]

I don't know if I would consider this a practical suggestion, but I would really like to see a bigger boat from Yamaha. I know I mentioned it in other threads, but something in the 28' range would be nice. I'm sure that Yamaha targets mostly the lake boaters but something more capable of big water I think would really open up a new market for Yamaha. They may have a challenge with engine power/fuel consumption from the current power-plants but I am sure they could come up with something to balance performance and fuel burn that would be comparable to other boats in that class. I think Yamaha could offer it in a couple different layouts, one with u-shaped seating and another with an l-shape with a sink/grill/fridge area. I would love to see a decent sized head and even a small berth in the consoles, similar to the Four Winns H290. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Billtex2000]

I would be willing to wager that the SX210 and AR210 will be back next year with twin TR-1 engines. Should be the same performance with marginally better fuel consumption. They really need to find something to fill the price hole in their range. They will probably be $40K and $42K. If they would put some small OEM ballast in the AR and keep their pencils sharp on the pricing, they would have a definite winner since with the TR-1 engines they would have the best power to consumption ratio on the water.

After checking out the new Waverunner for 2015 I was thinking along the same lines. The TR-1 supposedly is lighter and puts out about 125hp which would give a 21 footer a little kick in the pants. Hopefully they will keep it a "RUDDERless", mechanical boat. I'd prefer $38 and $40 even if they needed to skrimp and save on a few things.

 

[Morrowcat]

I agree on a lot of these suggestions already posted. Implementing the electronic throttle throughout every boat without being an e series would be a huge score. Seeing the trend I'd be willing to bet the next round of 21 ft will see the rudders as well and I think they should leave these rudderless, leaving the option to add fins. As I'm currently in the market I'd love nothing more then to see a new 212x...foward swept tower, sound deadening, NO RUDDER, more ballast with better placement so storage can be somewhat retained, leave out the connext and leave the analog guages and add surf tabs. Leave more option for dealer add ons and the price point of 50k would be achievable. Stereo I can upgrade myself, perfect pass I can add myself, touch screen navigation I can add myself....they have a dealer network and these dealers can up sell these add ons for someone that can't live without but leaves the options open to really "customize your boat order".

 

[Bruce]

@Bruce.....i'm assumming when you asked what the "guys suggest" you're saying that a very broad term...literally a "broad" term (just kidding bruce..) but i will add my two cents worth.

surf tabs, surf tabs, surf tabs.

@bobbie, Initially I marked your post as funny. But as I thought about it, I decided I should be more clear. When I write our forum, I mean "our forum" that belongs to all of us. Likewise when I write "guys" I mean all of us. I use male terminology because we have more male participation in the forum. I would be excited to have more females active and would appreciate any suggestions on how to make that happen.

 

[bobbie]

@Bruce my response was supposed to be funny!! i always like to give a little crap to those who give the shout-outs to "the guys" and "the fellas"! please don't ever think i get offended at those posts.

 

[craigm]

A couple of comments. Basing this on my 2013 Ar240. Not sure if some have been changed in 2015.

1) Agree with the "don't be too quick to add the captains chair to passenger side" as said above. This is the key reason we do not upgrade.
We have small kids and many times they lay on Mom's lap in our AR240 facing backwards. The setup in the 10-14 models that gives an option is really nice.
2) The drive by wire function is great with syncing the throttles to one lever.
3) Like the idea of a hard top bimini however make it a cargo rack as well, with all these watermats and big tubes storing them on it would be really nice while out on the lake.
4) Add an air pump outlet on the platform to fill up above mentioned big tubes.
5) Make the captains seat swivel controls easy to reach.
6) Create a small storage area with a thin padded lining for jewelry like earrings, rings, watches, prescription glasses etc. when people go in the water.
I am sure I will think of more.

 

[Speedling]

Trimable jet

No.
I have an extra 3 degrees on my pump using wedges. More jet wash. Your boat won't really nose up from it, just spray higher. You would need a lot more horsepower for it to nose you up. I can tell a little difference up to maybe 40 mph but then the hull design overcomes pump orientation and the nose comes back down slightly. No idea how to document this other than some sort of gyro. I do believe it helps very slightly on mpg and keeping up in rougher waves but also makesit harder to plane out on said waves.
As far as my seat of the pants level, I look at masonry or precast walls all day and am usually pretty accurate.

I think they did a great job with the flagship boat as I consider it much more of a famiky cruiser than anything else. Making a wake version is cool and all but giving it the keel and all the extra stuff is all for the "luxury" crowd.
I am looking for either a faster more youth oriented hull made more for speed than smoothness, or the exciter. Just someone give me an exciter please? I miss my boat.

 

[Britboater]

@bobbie, Initially I marked your post as funny. But as I thought about it, I decided I should be more clear. When I write our forum, I mean "our forum" that belongs to all of us. Likewise when I write "guys" I mean all of us. I use male terminology because we have more male participation in the forum. I would be active to have more females excited and would appreciate any suggestions on how to make that happen.

Me too @Bruce .