Questions for Julian about the 242X

[buckbuck]

Julian,
I have a number of questions about that 242X. Obviously my "old" 212X is feeling vulnerable to a trade right now.

Specs say 94" tall on the trailer. Obviously this is with tower folded. Can you explain the procedure for folding the tower? Can you provide pictures of it in down position?

Can the bimini be removed? Do you have any pictures of the tower without the bimini? How cumbersome are the parts of the bimini and can they be stowed onboard?

Can you switch between 2 "leever" control and single "leever" control while on the fly or is this only able to switch while stationary?

How much of the center floor locker is consumed by the ballast bag?

Does the sound system have any ability to talk over the speakers to the boarder out in the water? (microphone?)

Will a set of water skis fit under the front seats?

Some of the video shows pulling a tube from the tower. Is this no longer a problem with the Yamaha lawyers?

Would my family look more cool in the black or the blue?

#242X
<edited by admin to add tag>

 

[Freezer41]

Can't answer your questions about the boat but just from what I see on the website, I have a feeling that 94" is a typo because of the heights listed for the 242 LS E-series which are
Height on Trailer: 127"
Height on Trailer with Tower Folded: 102" trailer level.

Now, the 242 LS E and non-E have the same heights listed so I would like to see it with the bimini/tower down.

I think they copy pasted over from the 242 Limited. no tower. makes sense.

 

[RiverRat]

Would my family look more cool in the black or the blue?

Probably blue!

 

[MikeyL]

Definitely BLUE, Baby !

Simply TOO KEWL !

 

[Julian]

Julian,
I have a number of questions about that 242X. Obviously my "old" 212X is feeling vulnerable to a trade right now.

Specs say 94" tall on the trailer. Obviously this is with tower folded. Can you explain the procedure for folding the tower? Can you provide pictures of it in down position?

Can the bimini be removed? Do you have any pictures of the tower without the bimini? How cumbersome are the parts of the bimini and can they be stowed onboard?

Can you switch between 2 "leever" control and single "leever" control while on the fly or is this only able to switch while stationary?

How much of the center floor locker is consumed by the ballast bag?

Does the sound system have any ability to talk over the speakers to the boarder out in the water? (microphone?)

Will a set of water skis fit under the front seats?

Some of the video shows pulling a tube from the tower. Is this no longer a problem with the Yamaha lawyers?

Would my family look more cool in the black or the blue?

We ran out of time to mess with lowering the tower and bimini. I will see if I can get some photos or video of the process.
Not sure if you can switch between Single Lever ON/OFF while on the fly....my guess is not.
There is no PA as part of the sound system.
80% of the "ski locker" is consumed by a full ballast bag. The Yamaha guys thought a board would fit in with it full.
I think a set of skiis would fit under the starboard side bow seat as the storage extends into the helm storage area.
Pulling a tube from the tower....guess Yamaha photographers are ok with it! LOL
I like the blue!

 

[buckbuck]

Thanks for responding and taking the time to do the video. It carries a great deal of credibility coming from a guy we know and who owns a jetboat. I look forward to seeing more about the tower and bimini.

 

[Julian]

I crawled over a 242 Limited S E-Series boat today at the boat show, and took a little more time to look at how the bimini cover is attached. It has bungee cord through much of it, and also has 2 straps/buckles at the front:


Then is has velcro elsewhere that helps to hold it down (this was a big wide section of it!):


Really nice boat!!!!

 

[SCP1]

How long do you think it takes to put on and take off? As I'm assuming you wouldn't want to leave the canvas on when towing on the interstate (as it would reduce the life of the canvas).

 

[Bruce]

The most important question for @Julian is did that 242x follow you home?

 

[Julian]

How long do you think it takes to put on and take off? As I'm assuming you wouldn't want to leave the canvas on when towing on the interstate (as it would reduce the life of the canvas).

I'm guessing it would take 2 people to do it quickly and wouldn't take more than a few minutes.

@Bruce They didn't have a 242X there, but I spent a while talking to a Yamaha Corp sales guy and he said that on Friday someone bought one sight unseen (although he said it was clear the guy had done a lot of research..on our forum too). I gave him some of our business cards as he said he always tells people to go to our site if they want owners opinions on the boats-he said he'd be happy to give them a card!

 

[SCSTWG]

Good work @Julian. I don't like the canvas on this model and think it would be a major PITA to be taking it on/off all of the time. That said, one of the biggest complaints that I have heard regarding Yamaha boats through the years is that the bimini is too small (although I live in the north and don't feel this way). It appears Yamaha is in a no-win situation on this topic.

 

[JetBoatPilot]

I have installed the bimini top on the new 242X and I can tell you that it is a bit tricky at first, but after you've done it a few times it is not hard. That does not mean that it is fun to put it on and take it off, because it is not. It is not simple like most of their bimini tops have been in years past.

To address the other question about height. I don't think that you're going to be able to pull the structure that holds the bimini top in place, down very easily. The tower folds easily enough. You simply pull two pins and the tower will lower a bit. But we did not have a chance to measure the height of the tower in the folded position. If we get our hands on one here at the shop we will make sure to make a video for you.

Over the years Yamaha has tried to keep the bimini installation simple and that has led to smaller and smaller tops with less sun protection. This year on the 242X they opted for much more sun protection. With that said the extra material has to have more support while the boat is underway. I guess it is hard to have both ease of install and tons of coverage.

One last thing. I believe that this new bimini top can endure high winds so you may not need to take it off when trailering down the road unless you plan on doing 70 for 2 hours straight. If you're towing at 50-55 mph, I would think that the top would hold up as long as the straps were tight. Time will tell if the fabric can withstand the wind.

 

[Julian]

The original 230s have a bimini that covers the entire cockpit. This new bimini returns the lineup to having the same coverage, but that superstructure is huge. Pity they couldn't come up with a simple standard large bimini, or two sections that expand...one forward and one backwards.....

 

[jcyamaharider]

I was in a Limited S e-series boat this weekend measuring for a Wake Wedge fit and I like the boat! I like how big the Bimini is but I do not like how bulky it looks when no canvas is on.

 

[Julian]

I was in a Limited S e-series boat this weekend measuring for a Wake Wedge fit and I like the boat! I like how big the Bimini is but I do not like how bulky it looks when no canvas is on.

Which down south wouldn't be an issue....we went out ONCE this year with the bimini not-deployed. But up north, we rarely, if ever, took our bimini! So will be interesting to see if they sell better down south than up north....

 

[jcyamaharider]

Wouldn't be an issue for us either. We boat with our bimini up 95% of the time.

 

[stever40]

When my wife and I were looking at the 242X we folded the tower. IMO, I think it is cumbersome. There are two ways you can fold the tower. One is the original way like the non e-series tower by just pulling the two pins. The tower will fold however the bimini structure stays like it does and when folding the back of the structure goes up in the air and the front is down in the seats.

The other method is the same with pins for the tower but the bimini structure has two additional knobs that can be un-screwed. When this is done the tower will fold and the bimini structure will pivot allowing it to lay in a flat position when the tower is completely folded. When you do this, you better have two people folding the entire assembly. When folding, the natural thing to do is grab the front of the bimini structure to lower. If the knobs are un-screwed you lose the ability to control the assembly when folding and the entire thing could come down rather fast. Damage might occur. One positive with this is Yamaha attached cables to the knobs so you can't drop/lose them.

Also, I would be against trailering this in the folded position. One - the bimini structure does not have a locking mechanism when completely folded thus allowing it to pivot around in the wind. The other is the cables that attach to the tower seem rather small to support all that weight going over bumps in the road. A person would have to devise a pole or some assembly to take the stress off of the cables/tower when folded

For the bimini canvas, I did not like that the structure stays in place and the canvas is just removed from the boat. Big hassle (to me) when I don't want it out and a bit difficult to install when the entire assembly is up and locked in place.

My wife and I purchased a 242 LS e-series however we changed the tower to the standard 242 LS tower because of these reasons. The only thing we will not have from an e-series standpoint is the solar panels and the extended bimini canvas. I do however have ease of folding and easy storage into the bimini boot which stays on the tower.

Again, these are just my opinions. Hope this helps.

 

[stever40]

I did forget to add that when the tower and bimini are completely folded flat a person needs to keep in mind that it sits about 16"-18" higher due to the structure, solar panels and light.

 

[MattFX4]

When my wife and I were looking at the 242X we folded the tower. IMO, I think it is cumbersome. There are two ways you can fold the tower. One is the original way like the non e-series tower by just pulling the two pins. The tower will fold however the bimini structure stays like it does and when folding the back of the structure goes up in the air and the front is down in the seats.

The other method is the same with pins for the tower but the bimini structure has two additional knobs that can be un-screwed. When this is done the tower will fold and the bimini structure will pivot allowing it to lay in a flat position when the tower is completely folded. When you do this, you better have two people folding the entire assembly. When folding, the natural thing to do is grab the front of the bimini structure to lower. If the knobs are un-screwed you lose the ability to control the assembly when folding and the entire thing could come down rather fast. Damage might occur. One positive with this is Yamaha attached cables to the knows so you can drop lose them.

Also, I would be against trailering this in the folded position. One - the bimini structure does not have a locking mechanism when completely folded thus allowing it to pivot around in the wind. The other is the cables that attach to the tower seem rather small to support all that weight going over bumps in the road. A person would have to devise a pole or some assembly to take the stress off of the cables/tower when folded

For the bimini canvas, I did not like that the structure stays in place and the canvas is just removed from the boat. Big hassle (to me) when I don't want it out and a bit difficult to install when the entire assembly up and locked in place.

My wife and I purchased a 242 LS e-series however we changed the tower to the standard 242 LS tower because of these reasons. The only thing we will not have from an e-series standpoint is the solar panels and the extended bimini canvas. I do however have ease of folding and easy storage into the bimini boot which stays on the tower.

Again, these are just my opinions. Hope this helps.

How much did swapping the towers out run you?

 

[Glen]

How long do you think it takes to put on and take off? As I'm assuming you wouldn't want to leave the canvas on when towing on the interstate (as it would reduce the life of the canvas).

Have done it twice now. Took off for snow, but then got a 70+ degree day between Christmas and New Years, so went boating-
<10 min, on/off. (First time, 15)
Easy