unrealistic brand loyalty

[vetplus40]

Been a Yamaha guy for years now. First with motocross bikes (both 2 and 4 strokes) then on to Waverunners (both 2 and 4 strokes). Been very happy with all of those purchases.

That said, I am having thoughts that carrying that over to Yamaha jetboats may be a bit unrealistic given some of the issues that I have read on this forum.

Thoughts?

 

[Neutron]

I am a Yamaha loyalist and have been quite happy with every purchase.
Besides numerous stereo equipment and speakers indoor and outdoor.
I still own a FZ1 bike, FZS svho waverunner, and my AR240.
Wouldnt change a thing and not one regret.
And i see many more Yamaha's in my future

 

[itsdgm]

If you're buying new, With something as costly and physically as big as a boat your satisfaction in the first few years will depend on how much support your dealer can provide. In general, Yamaha boats are very reliable, but when it comes to boats over all of the other toys, some dealers don't have the understanding of how to resolve some issues and it can be a PITA to pull a boat out of storage, tow it to a dealer to have them look at it and say "yep, we'll order that part and call you when it's in" meaning, "take your boat back home because we don't have room to store it for the month it'll take". So if the dealer is hours away, even a simple repair can cost you days of frustration. Anyway, good luck with your decision.

 

[elcue]

What issues have people been having?

 

[vetplus40]

Thanks for the info. When in TN, there is a dealer about an hour away. When in Ky, the dealer is about 5 hours away.

 

[Neutron]

What issues have people been having?

No real issues for me. Over 65 hours in my first year of owning my AR and i wouldnt consider sealing anchor locker drain and other minor issues anything to fuss about

 

[robert843]

This depends on which boat your looking at. The 24ft boats are one of the cheapest in class unless your getting one of the E serries boats if you keep that in perspective you will be satisfied if you are expecting Sea Ray or Cobalt quality out of boat that costs 20K less you will not be satisfied and if looking at an E serries boat unless your are picking it up fro under 60K I would take a good look at other brands. I bought my 2017 AR240 with every intent of upgrading to a Sea Ray 270SD in a few year as it cost almost double of the Yamaha so my expectation of that boat will be much higher. The 24ft Sea Ray I was not satisfied with the lay out on it and it was 65K versus the 50K I paid for mine. You will see lots of small issues on the Yamaha's usually easily fixed I have seen few major issues that would effect overall satisfaction with the boat the are some small QC issues I wish they would fix but I'm not willing to pay 15K more for them to do so. The 19ft and 21ft boats are already in the price range of other in class and hate to say this but I would probably look hard at others models if that was the size range I was looking in. One thing to remember is if you like Yamaha there are a lot of boats you can get the will still have Yamaha outboards and those things last forever now.

 

[bronze_10]

This is why I love my 2008 230... I know i know, it doesn't have all those pretty bells and whistles that the new boats have but I have had zero repairs only upgrades... well except when I hit something and had to have the fiberglass fixed but that was the head Mf'er in charges fault. I love our. because of how reliable it has been but if i had 50 plus to drop on a boat it would be a used cruiser that we could stay on for a weekend trip... that will be in 5 years or so in our future...

 

[jcyamahariders wife]

We are totally yamaha freaks . . .
2 warrior atvs 87 & 99
95 banshee
97 banshee - still own
2007 YfZ450
2006 R6
2004 Rhino UTV - still own
2000 XR1800 jet boat
2008 AR230 jet boat
2017 242X - just purchased
Blaster atv - still own

Husband has a yamaha tattoo he got back in 2006 when we were just atv junkies !

 

[Ismael Breton]

Thanks for the info. When in TN, there is a dealer about an hour away. When in Ky, the dealer is about 5 hours away.

If buying in TN, I recommend Anderson Marine in Old Hickory. I've always had good experiences with them and they sold my 2013 AR192. Good place to buy or sell in my opinion.

 

[druppert]

Sloppy assembly has long been an issue with Yamaha with the most obvious symptoms being water leaks. Powertrain reliability is going to be top notch but something we've all learned recently is that the Yamaha slogan that they "stand behind every component" is pure marketing bull. Know that if you have issues it's a roll of the dice as to whether they're going to honor the warranty policy.

If you have decided on a jet boat all other brands have BRP powerplants which have an extensive history of an impeller shaft bushing failure which leads to catastrophic flooding of the boat. The scarab guys can weigh in with more expertise.

If I had to make the decision over again I'd buy the same boat but I'm betting on reliability rather than customer service. I'm really glad I didn't pay for the extended warranty. Best of luck in your boat shopping!

 

[J-RAD]

2016 AR240 now had 50 hrs on it. Had a leak due to a hose clamp falling off the drain line from the clean-out port hatch. Nothing threatening and an easily fixed. Also a miss aligned latch on the swim deck.

Despite those few things I REALLY love the boat. I got the right boat for me!

 

[Matt Phillips]

My first Yamaha was a YZ80...in the 70s. My first new Yamaha was a 125cc in 79, an another 350cc in 86. My first Yamaha Boat was an 09 that I purchased new in 2012. My second is a 2017 242x. Nearing the end of the first season on the 242, I can say that it has fewer "issues" than the 09 did. I attribute this to the fact that the 09 sat on dealer lots for three years before being used. Most of these things are a normal 'punch list type of thing' like retighten the bow rales, fix the connector on the leaky center ballast bag, port-side rub-rail fit is off, and there's an off-arrow on the ballast fill bags. As you can see, mostly minor things...

As others have said, you're buying a Yamaha which is a lot like buying a Ford (no offense to anyone that has one). They are good, but are they a Porsche, no. Will they have their quirks but overall for the dollar paid, you get a descent product. For the 4.5 months of the year that is my boating season, I decided on the Yamaha because it's a bit of a Swiss army knife of boats: it can handle the chop of Lake Tahoe (big water), is great for a lazy day swimming, can pull any boarder/surfer out there with ease, and can cruise for over 60 miles in a day (did that last weekend). Is it the best in any one category, no. But overall, it's a good overall do most anything you'd like boat.

One advantage of Jet Boats is their simplicity. They don't have transmissions so that removes a lot. Additionally, on the Yamaha's they are their own water pumps. Again, something less to worry about. You may hear a lot on this forum about "issues" but you also have to realize that this is a place where people come to discuss their toys...and we tend to pay particular attention to said toys. These issues may be common, or they may be rare but over-emphasized based on the overall sample-size of the forum members. However, the good thing with this is that you ALREADY know what to look for when it comes to potential issue and you can stop them before the become a show-stopper.

At the end of the day, if you want a good all purpose boat that will tackle most things it's designed for, the Yamaha's will give you a good return on your investment. You can also take a little bit of pride in that we are not like all of the other boats on the lake. Case in point: up here on Lake Tahoe, you can't throw a Type IV without hitting a blue & white Cobalt (doesn't matter the size). Two weeks ago when pulling up to an on the lake restaurant (where they provide water taxi service) the boat-boy (yes, that's what they're called) said, "Thanks for being in a Yamaha and not a Cobalt...I needed a little variety in my day."

So there you have it, we're not a luxury line, but we're different.

 

[fireflymedic]

I did not like the way they handled the 2015 timing chain thay changed the design for 16 but did no recall. Even replaced some engines under warenty but did not upgrade The other engine on a twin. Never publicly said what the problem was bad batch of chains or flaw in design. Now I'm sitting with a boat I really don't trust. That put me on the fence now add swatski tower and seat problem I'm probably one and done hopefully it'll last till it's paid for which is years from now.

 

[bronze_10]

We are totally yamaha freaks . . .
2 warrior atvs 87 & 99
95 banshee
97 banshee - still own
2007 YfZ450
2006 R6
2004 Rhino UTV - still own
2000 XR1800 jet boat
2008 AR230 jet boat
2017 242X - just purchased
Blaster atv - still own

Husband has a yamaha tattoo he got back in 2006 when we were just atv junkies !

Your husband is branded with yamaha? How's his quality control? Does he has any leaks?... check the tower and the seat cusions!

 

[Lake_Spray]

I'm brand new to boating this summer and I feel like it's only because of Yamaha that I was even able to become a boater. Was able to get a decent 19 footer that I can tow with my minivan all-in for about $30K. I spent almost two years researching this and almost no one else can touch that. That said, that's what I think they are focused on.

So everything's a trade off. I love my boat but it has lots of quality issues. The throttle is sloppy, there are overglued points, there are underglued points, screws loose from factory, two completely stripped out screws and one carpet section doesn't line up quite right. And I have the forward swept tower that definitely concerns me because the base doesn't line up well at all. (There's a giant thread on this forum discussing this.)

This isn't the boat that I really want. This is my starter boat. It's like buying my first car. I'm personally ok with all of it in a "starter" boat (except maybe the tower issue). But in the next year or two (now that my evil plan to addict my family to boating has succeeded) when I buy the boat I really want, Yamaha won't be the only brand I'll be considering. All the quality issues will give me pause when considering a higher end model. I'd rather pay more and spend my weekends boating than working on my boat or being annoyed when I board and seeing that carpet section snap that's off. Every. Single. Time.

 

[captras]

I am overall very happy with our 2016 242! Our only issue is with the CONNEXT system. ..and that only involves the DRIVE control. All companies have issues but overall features, performance, reliability, and cost still makes the Yamaha the best bang for the buck!

 

[ScarabMike]

Brand loyalty is more of a "knowledge/experience" than anything else. All manufacturers have their issues, all customers take care of their boats differently, and not all dealers are created equal.

Communities like ours can help find and diagnose issues occurring with any brand or model, at the same time, it can sometimes amplify problems that are not so common. I have personally owned a Yamaha that had major issues (timing belt snapped SVHO engine), and BRP products (Seadoo RXT-300, and GTI 130) which have been stellar, and have never given me one bit of issues. Now with that being said, I own a BRP powered Scarab that for the most part has been very reliable until the most recent issues that are not BRP's.

Now given a point that I upgrade my Scarab, I will still look at all manufacturers including Scarab. Id buy a 24ft Yamaha in a heartbeat, but I would also look into a Scarab 255 because I love the styling, and I am familiar with the brand, and any issues that may present themselves to a point. I think all of the brands are pushing each other, and you can clearly see improvements with their products like the new Yamaha Connext, and the Scarab Medallion screens.

 

[Hannibal]

Aside from not receiving the boat we agreed on when I bought our boat, the boat itself has been great and we've enjoyed it for over a year now. I'll reseal the minor leaks when the weather gets a little cooler. I'd like to get some stainless scupper drains anyhow. My only complaint is that it's noisy but, I think everything is noisy. No one else even notices the "purr" from the engine. Other than that, I like everything about the 190FSH Sport. If I have a next boat, I might go look at a Robalo r180. I like the deep freeboard and quiet outboard Yamaha. If I do that, there's a good chance I might miss everything else about the FSH.

 

[ScarabMike]

Aside from not receiving the boat we agreed on when I bought our boat, the boat itself has been great and we've enjoyed it for over a year now. I'll reseal the minor leaks when the weather gets a little cooler. I'd like to get some stainless scupper drains anyhow. My only complaint is that it's noisy but, I think everything is noisy. No one else even notices the "purr" from the engine. Other than that, I like everything about the 190FSH Sport. If I have a next boat, I might go look at a Robalo r180. I like the deep freeboard and quiet outboard Yamaha. If I do that, there's a good chance I might miss everything else about the FSH.

My neighbor has a Robalo with a Yamaha. Its incredible how silent that engine is, and the hull will take a beating and still keep you dry.