Talk me into this

[IndySmittyYammi]

Just be sure you understand that you won't be wake surfing behind a 242X without adding more ballast.....like the swim platform bag.

I already have the custom transom bag, so my hope was that the built in ballast + transom bag + WakeBooster would be all I’d need to have some fun.

I’m gathering that will still not be enough?

Shallow water is only a concern once a year when we do a week in Northern Michigan. The rest of the year, we have fairly deep water. We definitely aren’t using our boat for primarily surfing. We criss-cross the lake to various marinas, we float and all the kids from varying types of boats gravitate to our transom, we tube, and occassionally we hang out on the sandbar. We’d really like to add surfing to this list as something we do every trip for at least a bit.

I’m surprised to hear how inadequate everyone believes the 242X to be.

 

[IndySmittyYammi]

Lots of info, but I’m just going to throw out that my 242X is on the way, and I’m going to love every minute of it when it gets here!!

Like everyone said, though, wake surfing is just one of our activities, not necessarily the primary.

So, we sound similiar. What made you choose and feel confident with the 242x to at least get out and surf for fun?

 

[BigAbe75]

I already have the custom transom bag, so my hope was that the built in ballast + transom bag + WakeBooster would be all I’d need to have some fun.

I’m gathering that will still not be enough?

Shallow water is only a concern once a year when we do a week in Northern Michigan. The rest of the year, we have fairly deep water. We definitely aren’t using our boat for primarily surfing. We criss-cross the lake to various marinas, we float and all the kids from varying types of boats gravitate to our transom, we tube, and occassionally we hang out on the sandbar. We’d really like to add surfing to this list as something we do every trip for at least a bit.

I’m surprised to hear how inadequate everyone believes the 242X to be.

If you already have the transom bag, all you need is the wake wedge (cheaper than the wake booster kit - which nobody has actually seen yet).

Really, just have your dealer plumb in a ski locker ballast bag (if you don’t want to tackle it) and you will have reached the optimum ride from what it sounds like, for well under $2k.

Without putting words in his mouth, I believe @jcyamaharider recommends 800lbs or so in ski locker and the transom bag, plus the Gantlin Wake Wedge (@swatski isnt that what you ended up with)

Way cheaper than any change in boats, and similar push button compared to the X.

We chose the X for the following reasons:
- larger bimini
- upholstery with color
- simplicity of ballast and radio already upgraded
- I like the new large Connext (at least I think I do)

If all you’re looking for is the ballast, I’d say just add that to the AR and be happy.

 

[BigAbe75]

Also, I’m upgrading from a 2011 SX210 with the MR1 engines. We surfed behind it this year. We have also surfed behind a ‘14 AR240 and a ‘17 242X. The difference in available power between my boat and those was amazing. So, I’m upgrading to gain 3’ larger boat plus the larger engines.

The other reasons that the wife and I agreed on, I posted above. The wife really wanted the bimini and the upholstery with better colors. I could have probably been content with a 242 Ltd S, as it had most everything I needed and added in the ballast on my own or at the dealer.

We still want to keep the jet. And, we also decided that rather than making smaller (more affordable) upgrade steps every couple years, we’re just going to jump to the head of the line on this one and get what we really want and hope we can hold off the upgrade urge a little longer this time. Lol

 

[haknslash]

I already have the custom transom bag, so my hope was that the built in ballast + transom bag + WakeBooster would be all I’d need to have some fun.

I’m gathering that will still not be enough?

Shallow water is only a concern once a year when we do a week in Northern Michigan. The rest of the year, we have fairly deep water. We definitely aren’t using our boat for primarily surfing. We criss-cross the lake to various marinas, we float and all the kids from varying types of boats gravitate to our transom, we tube, and occassionally we hang out on the sandbar. We’d really like to add surfing to this list as something we do every trip for at least a bit.

I’m surprised to hear how inadequate everyone believes the 242X to be.

IMO I'd stop thinking about the wake booster until someone on here has used it at length and documents what it can really do (or not do) Let's hope it's not surf pointe 2.0. I don't think it will be but I also hope people temper their expectations on it until something other than slick (and sometimes tricky) Yamaha marketing is put to the test. The Gantlin wake wedge is proven countless times on here and I'd go that route until I see something of significance in the wake booster. Right now it's all Yamaha hype that was supposed to be in dealerships earlier this year now looking like Q2 or later IIRC.

When I said if surfing is your primary I didn't mean that's all you can do on a wake boat. I just meant it's a much better tool for water sports than the jets. You can still criss cross on the lake, marina or island hop, chill in the cove, pull tubes, whatever behind a wake boat. Most get equal or better fuel efficiency than the jets. The 6.2l engine in my Moomba sips gas by comparison to my 1.8l Yamaha. If you don't boat in shallow waters and want to take surfing or any water sports to the next level I see no reason not to at least consider the v drives for your next purchase.

 

[BigAbe75]

Plus I’m in love with the new blue.

Also, love that ‘19 blue 242X, so with you there!!! Lol

Come over to Shelbyville IL gathering at the end of July and several folks will be available to help you get your boat dialed in, or let you check out the others. There’s usually at least 2 Tige boats and a Mastercraft as well as any number of Yamaha owners to visit with.

 

[OrangeTJ]

To be clear, I don't have anything against the 242X. Beautiful boat. Rather, I think if watersports are a significant part of the equation, you owe it to yourself to give real consideration to a v-drive. IMO, about the only downside most have relative to something like a 240 or 242 is top speed and of course the possibility of striking the prop, tracking fins and rudder on bottom in shallow water. When looking at prices and comparing to the Yamaha, keep in mind that 15-20% off MSRP is usually quite achievable on the vast majority of boats other than Yamaha. So if you see an MSRP of 95 - 100K, totally possible that the actual selling price might be right in line with (or even less than) a 242X.

 

[Travp]

Just be sure you understand that you won't be wake surfing behind a 242X without adding more ballast.....like the swim platform bag.

What if you have like 8 people in the boat, you will still need an extra ballast for weight for the wave to be surfable?

Thanks

 

[OrangeTJ]

Define "surfable". Possible to let go of the rope and keep going while focusing on keeping the board in the sweet spot? That's one thing. Actively surfing the wave is another.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Even with all of the customization I have done and anticipation of having a ropeless wave this season I am seriously considering going the @haknslash route with a max next season. This season is the make it or break it for wether I keep my yami. If one has yet to sink a ton of time and money into customizing and wants a ropeless wave my advice is to cut bait and go to the prop side.

Come to think of it a new section in the forums called The Prop Side may be a good idea.

Love the idea of a "The Prop Side" section! Of course, I guess that kind of goes against the concept of this being a jetboat centered forum. I love this place - one of the best boating forums on the web. I do feel a bit bad constantly being here as a v-drive evangelical, though! I swear I really do appreciate the jets and really enjoyed mine while I had it.

 

[Travp]

Define "surfable". Possible to let go of the rope and keep going while focusing on keeping the board in the sweet spot? That's one thing. Actively surfing the wave is another.

Keeping the board in the sweet spot

 

[I_squared_r]

I'm not an expert of surfing, wakeboarding, or boats etc. because i'm very new. But I have had tons of hobbies and my opinion: Make due with the boat you have! I've been down this path with jet skis and made the big upgrade and then regret it. What if you spend $1000 on economical upgrades and then sell those accessories when you outgrow the boat? It won't be a big deal if you lose some cash on it.

via Imgflip Meme Generator

 

[OrangeTJ]

Keeping the board in the sweet spot

Then, yes, I bet you could make that work!

 

[OrangeTJ]

I'm not an expert of surfing, wakeboarding, or boats etc. because i'm very new. But I have had tons of hobbies and my opinion: Make due with the boat you have! I've been down this path with jet skis and made the big upgrade and then regret it. What if you spend $1000 on economical upgrades and then sell those accessories when you outgrow the boat? It won't be a big deal if you lose some cash on it.

via Imgflip Meme Generator

I'd agree with this to the extent that I can't see upgrading from one jet boat to another on the basis of having a better watersports/surfing boat. If you're just wanting to casually be able to surf (i.e. let go of the rope and keep going), I can't see it making sense to buy a whole new boat. If you're into it enough to warrant boat shopping, like I've said before I'd highly recommend just taking the step to a boat built for that purpose.

 

[swatski]

If you already have the transom bag, all you need is the wake wedge (cheaper than the wake booster kit - which nobody has actually seen yet).

Really, just have your dealer plumb in a ski locker ballast bag (if you don’t want to tackle it) and you will have reached the optimum ride from what it sounds like, for well under $2k.

Without putting words in his mouth, I believe @jcyamaharider recommends 800lbs or so in ski locker and the transom bag, plus the Gantlin Wake Wedge (@swatski isnt that what you ended up with)

Way cheaper than any change in boats, and similar push button compared to the X.

We chose the X for the following reasons:
- larger bimini
- upholstery with color
- simplicity of ballast and radio already upgraded
- I like the new large Connext (at least I think I do)

If all you’re looking for is the ballast, I’d say just add that to the AR and be happy.

Absolutely!

I would (and have) seriously consider upgrading from an AR240 to a 242X for the big tower/bimini and E-throttles, along with premium vinyl, and I hear the stereo system is finally great there in 2019. But would not upgrade to an X for the ballast alone (which is underwhelming design), and there are still some issues with cruise/drive control. Not when you can get boats like a MasterCraft (NXT) for less money!

I worked my butt off to mod the AR to make it work as I want it to work, including integrated ballast, etc. etc., but it was A LOT of work.

@IndySmittyYammi I would probably wait a year, they are supposed to release a real "wake" model, and who knows, it could be a hit. Keep in mind the current 240/242 goes back to 2015 and is up for a major overhaul (new MY) in the next year or two. In the meantime, @BigAbe75 is right, if you already have that custom transom bag, you could just throw another (any) large bag into the ski locker and go surfing, see how you like it. The Wedge is great and permits surfing in strait line but you will get a sense of what the yami can do even without, going in large circle.

I know, @IndySmittyYammi, I'm probably not helping you here, lolol.

--

 

[IndySmittyYammi]

You hit the main points of why the 242 is so appealing to me. I’m about to spend the following on upgrades to the ar240 (rough estimates)

• Tower sound system ($2,500)
• Ski locker ballast ($170)
• WakeBooster or Wake Wedge ($1,000)
• 2 solid bags ($130)
• 2 swivel racks ($550)

The 242x seemed like a worthy upgrade based on the time saved to auto fill some ballast while we get the transom bag set up PLUS I get a pretty decent sound system already installed, the massive bimini, fly by wire, better vinyl, and that sweet blue. I thought I could save the cash and just get a better equipped boat with a little higher payment.

Despite my true hope to stay in a Yamaha (we seriously love our ar240), I think my takeaway from this thread is this:

1. I need to consider V-drives
2. After a couple days of research I’m going to demo the Axis T23 and A24, Moomba Mojo and Makai, Mastercraft NXT
3. I’m need to ask for a surf demo of the 242x WITH WakeBooster whenever it’s actually in hand

I think the on water demos and real world surf test just has to happen at these costs. You guys are all amazing. Thank you for the help! This was actually a great help. I’ll cool my jets (pun intended) and wait for warm weather demos. In the mean time we have a boat we love for everything except surfing. As the great Capt Ron said, “if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen out there.”

 

[BigAbe75]

Sounds like you’re on the right track! It’s definitely hard to slow down. I’m not very good at it, once I have something like this gnawing at me. Lol

One other thing... tradeup through your existing dealer will likely be an extremely smooth process. Switching to a vdrive may present more challenges as that dealer may not know how or what to do with a jet drive boat. You will likely get a better deal selling outright and then purchasing.... which brings along its own set of complications.

 

[2kwik4u]

While I was first on the "get a dedicated boat for surfing" bandwagon......There are a LOT of other sports that will do just fine behind your existing boat that AREN'T surfing. Wakefoils are somewhat low impact and you can ride those behind damn near anything. I ride a wakeskate and love it, also significantly less impact than wakeboarding, though not the slow speed of surfing. We bought a giant inflatable disc this year, and hope to ride it with a rope behind the boat. No idea if that will be great or terrible, but I intend to find out.

Before dumping a pretty much new boat for another new boat, I would give a few more sports a try. We are having an increasing number of meetups each year, and I'm sure you can find one you can attend. Offer to buy some owners a drink, and I'm sure you can get a couple pulls on a number of different toys to try them out. Plus you get to meet some cool new people in the process.

What landed you on a jet boat to begin with? Value? Shallow Draft? Simplicity of driveline? Yamaha's seating layout/swim platform? For me, unless my boys really excel at watersports, I'll stay in a jet drive. The simplicity of driveline, and ease of maintenance are big draws for me. I have ZERO use for the shallow draft as I usually boat in 40+ft of water on inland lakes. The maneuverability and low maintenance are unparalleled IMO.

 

[2kwik4u]

.......... demo the Axis T23 and A24, Moomba Mojo and Makai, Mastercraft NXT..........

I personally would avoid Axis. I've spent some time on one that ended up being bought back for quality problems. It rode like a hay wagon in all but the smoothest water, and there was so much plastic it really didn't feel like it was worth the money that was spent on it. Our Yamaha's don't have the best build quality, but they show well. The Axis has neither.

Add Supreme/Centurion to the list though. Those are good boats.

 

[Mainah]

You hit the main points of why the 242 is so appealing to me. I’m about to spend the following on upgrades to the ar240 (rough estimates)

• Tower sound system ($2,500)
• Ski locker ballast ($170)
• WakeBooster or Wake Wedge ($1,000)
• 2 solid bags ($130)
• 2 swivel racks ($550)

The 242x seemed like a worthy upgrade based on the time saved to auto fill some ballast while we get the transom bag set up PLUS I get a pretty decent sound system already installed, the massive bimini, fly by wire, better vinyl, and that sweet blue. I thought I could save the cash and just get a better equipped boat with a little higher payment.

Despite my true hope to stay in a Yamaha (we seriously love our ar240), I think my takeaway from this thread is this:

1. I need to consider V-drives
2. After a couple days of research I’m going to demo the Axis T23 and A24, Moomba Mojo and Makai, Mastercraft NXT
3. I’m need to ask for a surf demo of the 242x WITH WakeBooster whenever it’s actually in hand

I think the on water demos and real world surf test just has to happen at these costs. You guys are all amazing. Thank you for the help! This was actually a great help. I’ll cool my jets (pun intended) and wait for warm weather demos. In the mean time we have a boat we love for everything except surfing. As the great Capt Ron said, “if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen out there.”

I have been where you are. My first mistake was buying a 242 ls instead of an x because we did not want the giant bimini at the time and my wife liked the ls color better. I figured I could add everything I wanted and do it better than Yamaha for less money than the difference. Fast forward a few years, thousands of dollars, an insane amount of time and plenty of fiberglass splinters I basically have a 242x without the big bimini but a great audio system, ridesteady, and fast built in ballast system. I would never, repeat never do this again. Don't get me wrong I love my boat but in hindsight I could have made better decisions. The 2019 242x is much better than their first 2016 model. If you are going to be into a lot of tow sports it is hard to ignore the OTD pricing of a Moomba Max or the like. I am not slamming Yamaha far from it in fact as they have a great spot in the market as a jack of all trades. I like to compare the wake of a Yamaha to the scissors of a swiss army knife. Will it get the job done, sure just much smaller.


I did not see ridesteady or perfect pass on your list and that is an absolute requirement for surfing if you don't already have it.