Supercharger Melt Down - Your opinion wanted

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Remember the days when shops had actual trained mechanics? Today they have "Service Techs". Not even close to being the same. I can't tell you how many times I have seen these service techs not have a clue because the manual doesn't list it or the diagnostic tool can't give them a code.
 
:oops: No wonder why the bearing failed. Never, ever put grease on those bearings, it will burn them up. That tech should know this.

Chester
Hey Chester - remember when I took your advice to get the SC rebuilds done early vs late? It took the largest jet boat dealer in the DFW area over 4 months to complete my maintenance schedule and I lost a supercharger less than 1 hour into my first run. I'm betting that SC #2 was rebuilt the same way and it is only a matter of time before it burns up. The dealer said he would have the boat back to me on Tuesday. It is now Friday and they aren't answering my texts. Going to go there in person today as I am about to loose yet another holiday on the water to their inability to service the boat that they sold to me.
 
You can bet your wallet on it that the other supercharger is a ticking time bomb.

I would take a witness with you to the shop because you are going to need their testimony in court I am afraid.
 
You're absolutely welcome. And grease isn't SOP. In fact, if the tech thought that was good to go on a bearing assembly rotating at 40,000 RPM, the rest of the supercharger likely isn't right either. Again, if they dont respond, time to get a lawyer. Document EVERYTHING. This isn't a little $3,000 ski. You might have 2 bad superchargers, and possible now 1 bad engine.
 
Wow. I wouldn’t trust that dealer with anything they say. What a bunch of dirt bags.

I hate to say it but you should have done your homework first and checked it over before buying it. You’re $40K into a boat that only has a blue book value of $24-$28K.

Hopefully you can get it running and sell it quickly as I wouldn’t trust that engine. If the bearings went the impeller went and the engine ate the metal.
I'm just curious, but you're telling him to sell a defective boat to an unsuspecting buyer?
 
I'm just curious, but you're telling him to sell a defective boat to an unsuspecting buyer?
I am not telling the dealer anything about how to represent the boat. I'm telling him that I want to recover the $34k that I purchased the boat for 1 year ago. My purpose for buying the boat was to have something to use with my family before my teen-age kids left home. If they have to replace the SCs....replace the motors....that is on their dime. The boat is otherwise perfect. In fact, besides the issues that I fixed at my expense (boat now has a brand new receiver, amps, several new speakers....light bar, transom light, transom cushions, $1000 Humminbird GPS/Sonar/Fish Finder)...the only issue is the SC that blew up immediately after they overhauled it.

In a perfect world, they would disclose the history of the boat. What you may not see is that the unsuspecting buyer was ME. I certainly am not recommending HOW they sell it again, and would hope that they not repeat the cycle with someone else. In 14 months of ownership, the boat has now spent 50% of the time in the dealer's lot waiting to be fixed...inspected...resolved...etc. Right now I am sitting at my home in Dallas instead of spending time on my dock and my boat with my family on two 75-80 degree, crystal clear days.
 
You're absolutely welcome. And grease isn't SOP. In fact, if the tech thought that was good to go on a bearing assembly rotating at 40,000 RPM, the rest of the supercharger likely isn't right either. Again, if they dont respond, time to get a lawyer. Document EVERYTHING. This isn't a little $3,000 ski. You might have 2 bad superchargers, and possible now 1 bad engine.

Joe - Mikidymac - Chester - DooGuy - all kind members responding:

I visited the dealer yesterday. Here is what has changed since my initial post: the sales end of the dealer's business came forward and is now willing to buy back my $34k boat for $28k. As Joe pointed out earlier, in 12 short months (with half of that time being on the dealers repair lot) I have $40k+ in the boat after the recent repairs, pump maintenance and supercharger overhauls. I do credit the sales person who I believe is trying to resolve my issue, but at $28k they are still making a profit on the boat for a second time, while also making money on the boat I would buy. So....they make profit on selling me the boat the first time, profit on selling the boat the second time, profit on the boat I buy and profit on me paying them $5400 to repair/maintain the boat with their shop. In trade, I made 14 payments on a boat I had access to for seven months, wrote two big checks, and did a lot of driving between the lake and the repair shop (three-hour round trip). Granted the current trade-in deal is much better, but the value gap is still too large.

So now to focus on the repair: the shop manager said he received my request for pictures - and will take care of that next Tues when he has his BRP tech in the shop scheduled to do the SC rebuild. He assured me that everything was accounted for when the SC was inspected...all parts...no shavings...but the impeller would be replaced as it was bent. He said that before returning the boat, he will personally and extensively field-test the boat on the nearby lake. If the boat is then returned to me, I will be looking for a written commitment regarding the SC repairs and the condition of my motors.

When asked about the SOP for grease, he stated that no actual grease was used.... but after mounting the impeller, he didn't feel that the rotation was as smooth as it needed to be. He consulted the other tech in the shop who told him to add a little oil to the bearing ….which he did.... and then sealed the case and remounted the SC. The boat tested ok prior to me taking it back to my lake, but in less than 1 hour at about 5000 rpm the port side SC made some horrific noises, clanked to a stop and jerked the engine into a stall.

This appears to be the boat I will be driving once the rebuild is done unless I want to pony up for a much more expensive ride. Stepping up to more expense seems unnecessary - as I truly enjoyed the boat when it was running well.... and fun to be the fastest 23-24' boat on the water. I literally have fixed everything on this boat and want to experience how it feels to have the sound system, lights...everything working properly.

I will continue to update. In the meantime, what do we know about the use of oil on bearings vs. grease? I expect that still could have created an issue although the viscosity is different for oil and perhaps created less heat that would grease. Interested in your comments....and I am not done ensuring I have accountability before taking the boat back.

Last Comment: I went to my local dealer because I was looking for convenience....there were a series of things I wanted done and having the SC's overhauled was just another item on my list. Do yourself a favor and look at JOE Z's website at PWCMuscle.com! Even if you have the dealer spend 1-2 hours removing and replacing your SC's, send them to Joe for the actual service. Compare the PWCM numbers to what I paid: I was quoted at $1400 for both, and the final bill was $789.7 for parts and $1032 for labor ($119 per hour) for a total of $1821 for both. Additionally, I had to wait 4 months in queue to get the boat back!
 
I will continue to update. In the meantime, what do we know about the use of oil on bearings vs. grease? I expect that still could have created an issue although the viscosity is different for oil and perhaps created less heat that would grease. Interested in your comments....
Not saying they could be lying but sounds like someone is trying to correct their expensive mistake by replacing the word grease with oil.
 
PWCMuscle.com I would have them send the supercharges to Joe or I would accept new superchargers I would not trust them. They have proven themselves unable and to do the job right. I would also get a warrantee they can get one for you just to be safe
 
I wouldn't trust anything they say without seeing proof. Have you seen the damaged supercharger yet? If they say everything was contained, then they should have no problem showing you the condition of the impeller and housing. I find it hard to believe there's not substantial damage to each and that shavings were ingested.
 
I would also ask them to pay for a 12 month aftermarket warranty on both engines. That would at least give you a little piece of mind.
 
Thanks for the kind words. Speaking of words, I would no longer trust the dealer's. The first said old bearings were used, then changed that. Then they said grease was used, then changed that.

How did they add oil to the bearings? That makes no real sense as the oil would just free-flow out as they turned it horizontal (like flowing out of a cup turned on its side). Furthermore, you can only access the rear bearing unless you disassemble the assembly. Also, sealing the case has zero to do with being able to add oil...you can't access the bearings by just opening the case. If the impeller needed to be replaced, how much damage was done to the housing? Need pics of both halves of the case.

@mikidymac is right on offering a 12 month extended warranty on the supercharger and which ever engine had the failure. This is fair and can give you some reassurance and confidence in running your boat.

If they get you running right, with the warranty, I think you can have a boat you are happy with and you can focus being on the water vs in the shop. Oh, and find another shop!
 
I would want a warranty on both engines since they touched both superchargers. Typically with an aftermarket warranty like I was suggesting it would be for the entire boat and cover things like, "all internally lubricated parts".
 
I remember being offered a limited warranty at the time of sale....for like $4500 which I thought was crazy. I forget what the term was. I agree with the concept of what you guys are saying. I also know that the dealer's amount of resistance to doing this will be in direct correlation to the cost. What do we think a 1-yr policy will cost for two jet engines?

Thanks guys -
 
I am not telling the dealer anything about how to represent the boat. I'm telling him that I want to recover the $34k that I purchased the boat for 1 year ago. My purpose for buying the boat was to have something to use with my family before my teen-age kids left home. If they have to replace the SCs....replace the motors....that is on their dime. The boat is otherwise perfect. In fact, besides the issues that I fixed at my expense (boat now has a brand new receiver, amps, several new speakers....light bar, transom light, transom cushions, $1000 Humminbird GPS/Sonar/Fish Finder)...the only issue is the SC that blew up immediately after they overhauled it.

In a perfect world, they would disclose the history of the boat. What you may not see is that the unsuspecting buyer was ME. I certainly am not recommending HOW they sell it again, and would hope that they not repeat the cycle with someone else. In 14 months of ownership, the boat has now spent 50% of the time in the dealer's lot waiting to be fixed...inspected...resolved...etc. Right now I am sitting at my home in Dallas instead of spending time on my dock and my boat with my family on two 75-80 degree, crystal clear days.
Gothca!
 
New to the thread and trying to catch up, but I would NOT have the dealership do anything. I didn't have a SC failure, but I had an issue with a port engine ECM not powering down when the key was out. When I used the battery cut off switch, and turned it back on the next time I was out, hour meter was rest for that engine. The boat was at the dealership for 11 months, during which the starboard ECM malfunctioned, and any replacement ECM was getting fried. They ended up blaming my amp turn on wire somehow back feeding massive amounts of power into the ignition circuit (which is essentially impossible as I had it inspected later). My boat had such an issue that a special BRP tech had to fly out to work on it and "fixed" it in 2 days, and was the one that ultimately blamed my amp. Besides failing to see a low oil pressure warning, breaking my dashboard switch, busting out my trailer light, blower fan not working, the first day I took it out, smelled something burnin behind the dashboard. After checking behind the dashboard, nothing. Even called the dealership to let them know and told me it was fine as "wires were settling".

5hrs put on the engine at this point, since picking it up. Blower fan goes out again and after leaving the dock and cruising for 5min, I try to find the source of this smell. Open up my engine hatch and get greeted with the throttle body of my starboard engine on fire. 11 months they had my boat, going through every bit of my engine and wiring harnesses, irrelevantly blaming my sound system and costing me thousands in repairs after an "Expert" worked on it. It took 5 hours for my engine to catch fire and the only reason I stopped to check my engine hatch was because a friend insisted on trying to find it, otherwise I wouldn't have stopped and quite possibly have killed me.

In all seriousness, find a new dealership or tech, because I would never want to have any repairs done by someone who is clearly inept, making blatant mistakes, and thinks a profit is more important than someone's life. I took my boat to another dealership and had them go through every inch of that boat to make sure all the wiring was correct, who understandably was kind enough and take their time to double check.

One issue can lead to another and at a certain point, it isn't a cost issue, its a safety issue. Whatever anyone at that dealership said, I would be confident to say they're wrong and lying to you. The "expert" that worked on mine didn't realize I have an engineering degree and although I don't work on boats, I still know enough when they're lying to me. And whenever I asked him specific questions, I got vague questions that answered nothing. I would rather drive hours and go out of my to a dealership I trust to have peace of mind when on my boat. And thanks to the current dealership I go to, my paranoia of constantly checking my engines and ALWAYS having a fire extinguisher next to me has been calmed down a bit.

Ultimately, do what the others have said. Words mean nothing coming form someone who doesn't know the difference between a new and old bearing or oil and grease. You NEED to see it for yourself or have that boat THOROUGHLY inspected by someone who you trust. Because even if your boat works after their repairs, the constant thought of something potentially going wrong will drive you crazy and you'll start hating the boat. And again, thanks to going to a new dealership, i've finally been able to enjoy my boat and relax when I take it out without worrying about dying. Sorry for the long message, issues and interactions like this just infuriate me and the lengths dealerships or people will go for a quick buck.
 
New to the thread and trying to catch up, but I would NOT have the dealership do anything. I didn't have a SC failure, but I had an issue with a port engine ECM not powering down when the key was out. When I used the battery cut off switch, and turned it back on the next time I was out, hour meter was rest for that engine. The boat was at the dealership for 11 months, during which the starboard ECM malfunctioned, and any replacement ECM was getting fried. They ended up blaming my amp turn on wire somehow back feeding massive amounts of power into the ignition circuit (which is essentially impossible as I had it inspected later). My boat had such an issue that a special BRP tech had to fly out to work on it and "fixed" it in 2 days, and was the one that ultimately blamed my amp. Besides failing to see a low oil pressure warning, breaking my dashboard switch, busting out my trailer light, blower fan not working, the first day I took it out, smelled something burnin behind the dashboard. After checking behind the dashboard, nothing. Even called the dealership to let them know and told me it was fine as "wires were settling".

5hrs put on the engine at this point, since picking it up. Blower fan goes out again and after leaving the dock and cruising for 5min, I try to find the source of this smell. Open up my engine hatch and get greeted with the throttle body of my starboard engine on fire. 11 months they had my boat, going through every bit of my engine and wiring harnesses, irrelevantly blaming my sound system and costing me thousands in repairs after an "Expert" worked on it. It took 5 hours for my engine to catch fire and the only reason I stopped to check my engine hatch was because a friend insisted on trying to find it, otherwise I wouldn't have stopped and quite possibly have killed me.

In all seriousness, find a new dealership or tech, because I would never want to have any repairs done by someone who is clearly inept, making blatant mistakes, and thinks a profit is more important than someone's life. I took my boat to another dealership and had them go through every inch of that boat to make sure all the wiring was correct, who understandably was kind enough and take their time to double check.

One issue can lead to another and at a certain point, it isn't a cost issue, its a safety issue. Whatever anyone at that dealership said, I would be confident to say they're wrong and lying to you. The "expert" that worked on mine didn't realize I have an engineering degree and although I don't work on boats, I still know enough when they're lying to me. And whenever I asked him specific questions, I got vague questions that answered nothing. I would rather drive hours and go out of my to a dealership I trust to have peace of mind when on my boat. And thanks to the current dealership I go to, my paranoia of constantly checking my engines and ALWAYS having a fire extinguisher next to me has been calmed down a bit.

Ultimately, do what the others have said. Words mean nothing coming form someone who doesn't know the difference between a new and old bearing or oil and grease. You NEED to see it for yourself or have that boat THOROUGHLY inspected by someone who you trust. Because even if your boat works after their repairs, the constant thought of something potentially going wrong will drive you crazy and you'll start hating the boat. And again, thanks to going to a new dealership, i've finally been able to enjoy my boat and relax when I take it out without worrying about dying. Sorry for the long message, issues and interactions like this just infuriate me and the lengths dealerships or people will go for a quick buck.

Anthony - I truly appreciate what you are saying - and thanks for the advice. The key for me at this point is extracting my boat from this dealership with the maximum value remaining. Here is my update: I was contacted by the dealer two weeks ago and told by the shop manager that the casing was found to have been damaged (after I suggested that it HAD to be damaged if the impellor was ruined). He said that he was ordering a new supercharger as a replacement from BMP, but it was taking him some time to get it because the "guy who was selling it to him" had to go get it from his factory source. This resulted in another two week delay....so the DEALER COULD SAVE $300 vs. buying a readily available one through the same market sources that we all see online.

After the third week, they offered a loaner to me, but when I showed up to receive it, it was a well-worn, dirty Yamaha 240 …mud and bird crap all over it....a pile of dead beetles in two of the cup holders.... with cushions that weren't fastened down and were sure to blow off in traffic as I drove onto the street. Looking at how much time I would have to spend to clean it up, I simply told them to keep it...and get my boat ready by the next weekend. The following Friday....nothing...as the part was delayed yet another week and the tech needed to do the work only worked on Tuesdays. Then another week later I get a call (yesterday). The supercharger had been installed, and the boat was tested on the local lake. However, the shop mechanics had pulled the oil filter after running it and found a ton of metal in the oil. They told me that they will have to replace the motor for me...or if I wanted to purchase another boat, that they would sell the new boat to me at cost while keeping my Seadoo. Keep in mind, I paid $34k for the boat in January of 2018, it has been in their shop for 8 of the 17 months, I just put another $5400 into their shop repairs of things that should have been right with the boat when they sold it to me...over $1k in stereo parts so they wouldn't mark them up during the repairs, and was making payments through that entire period that I didn't actually have the boat. At a minimum I have $40k in this boat. They are offering me $28k as a trade.

I am headed over today to talk to them once again. I can wait for ...who knows....another 4-6 months for my boat (and essentially LOSE the entire season), take a loaner that isn't half as nice as the one I have, or take a loss on the boat, collect my $28k ...eat the loss, and try to find another boat.

I agree with Anthony, I need to go somewhere else. However, the motor is now fried and pulling the boat away now before they replace it would be catastrophic to the value. With an offer of $28k and the loss of my boat for a year, I am thinking that it is time to get the lawyers involved.
 
Thanks for asking....!
The truth is I have been so busy enjoying my rebuilt 230SP, I haven't taken the time to update the forum.

My last update talked about how the dealer recognized that the supercharger disintegration was responsible for the metal throughout the motor. At first, they wanted to press pause on my boat and use it as an opportunity me into a new(er) one. When I made it clear that I was not ready to throw in the towel on my boat with only 80 hours on it (and accept $10k less than I had into the boat since I bought it last year), they got the message and quickly worked to get my boat repaired.
The dealer is owned by a dealership group - including a dealer in GA that is an authorized through BRP. Through them, they obtained a new 215hp Rotax for my boat. After dealing with this nightmare for almost 6 months, the dealer had the new motor running in the boat with a new supercharger in less than 10 business days. The general manager of the dealership simply put forth the effort to take care of me and things began to change...quickly.

They also loaned me a 2016 Yamaha 242 for the two weeks, although I only drove it for about 1 hour total. Frankly, I wouldn't trade my 230SP for the Yamaha.... too much noise and vibration, less power, no more seating than I already have and WAY less control in reverse and while docking/trailering at slow speeds. I thought I would like the electronics, but found the screen driven menus to be a distraction when driving the boat.

So.... I retrieved my boat with one brand new engine...one brand new supercharger....one rebuilt supercharger and a freshly serviced motor with 70 hours on it. Here are my likes/dislikes and lessons -

Likes -
1. The new motor has a 1-year warranty from BRP.

2. Together, the two motors are hitting sync nearly ALL THE TIME. The RPM's come up together and stay at the same level....and likewise, sound harmonically in tune. Maybe it is the luck of the draw regarding the pairing of the motors, but the new combination of motors are working together from 1000 rpm to 8000 rpm. The green SYNC light is almost always ON. Never had that before....

3. Experience with another boat that I "thought" might have been a better choice. For me...I now know I do NOT want a 2016 Yamaha 242 to replace my 2012 Sea Doo 230SP. My boat is more controllable, quieter, less vibration, easier to use and is just as comfortable for the same number of people. I also think my Wetsounds stereo system spanks what was in the Yamaha. The upgrade would have cost me twice what I paid for my Sea Doo..... simply not worth it.

Dislikes -

1. The overall experience with the dealer. So much to learn here: always engage the general manager as soon as something goes sideways with the service or sales group. Go to ownership if you can get there. Could have saved me months of waiting...and lots of angst.

2. Don't pay a dealer to do a supercharger overhaul. Experienced techs that know how to service BRP motors, let alone know how to overhaul a critical part like a supercharger ...they are becoming nearly impossible to find. The dealer wants the work and will tell you they can handle it...but as my experience proves: they simply do not know what they are doing. The dealer charged me $1800 for overhauling both...and then one trashed my engine. For that price, I could have bought two rebuilt superchargers. Instead I had to wait 6 months so get my boat back....and luckily the dealer covered the supercharger failure/toasted motor when they screwed the job up. IF you are going to own a supercharged SEA DOO, Get to know PWC Muscle....and JOE who is a moderator of this forum. Next time I will pay the dealer a few bucks to pull and reinstall superchargers that I personally send to PWC Muscle for the overhaul. If you are concerned about a potential supercharger disintegration, buy the warranty that is offered with the rebuild.

3. The new motor takes about 5-10 seconds to start when being cranked while the old motor fires up almost immediately. To keep from being spun sideways from 1-engine's thrust, I start the new motor first, and then quickly start the old motor. That way I have equal RIGHT/LEFT thrust within 2-3 seconds. I'll have this looked at the next time I pull my boat off of my lift and drive it 1.5 hours back to town. Otherwise, I'll use the above process.

4. After getting my completed boat back two weeks ago and driving it for an hour, I put it on my lift, swam up behind the boat and pulled the drain plug. I detected a little oil, perhaps some coolant but most certainly FUEL coming out of the drain. The first time was probably a cup total. Since the motor had just been replaced, I chalked this up to fluids that may have been inadvertently drained into the boat and not fully cleaned up by the service techs. However, I drained the boat two other times and was still detecting some fuel odor in the water after two weeks..and several hours running the boat. I am careful to vent before I start, and lift the back deck to assist the venting after the boat has been on the lift for several days. However, if I still smell fuel coming out of the drain this weekend, my concern may escalate into thinking the new motor has a fuel leak. That will require a revisit to the dealer...again...

That is my update...and as always I am happy to answer your questions. Also, I truly appreciate all of the advice I received during this process form the Forum participants. Armed with the knowledge you shared, I was able to hold the dealer accountable and drive the outcome that I wanted. In the end, I lost the spring boating season, but am enjoying the summer with an entirely new appreciation for the boat I have.

2018-11-15 Texas Fall.jpg2019-03-19 upgrades 2.jpg2019-03-20 Upgrades 1.jpg2019-05-19 Loaner.jpg2019-06-06 My 230SP.jpg
 
That was an awesome update and review! Pictures just made it better and that is gorgeous boat!

I do have one question regarding starting your engines. I'd expect the older motor to take longer, not the newer one, unless that is part of the engine break-in process, which is I think for the first 10hrs, which you should probably look into just to make sure everything is alright.

As for the fuel you see draining, do you see any pockets of residual fluids in the engine hatch? What I've done to double check for leaks is get a $25 wet/dry shop vac from Costco and suck up any water that hasn't drained. Also, from my experience with extensive dealership work, I would highly recommend getting a good flashlight and inspect all around the engine bay. Make sure clamps and bolts are properly tightened, cables connected, and everything looks orderly. At the same time, check for any debris around or under the engine. When i got my boat back, oil cap was off, 2 bolts for my silencer cover weren't tightened and caused some rattling, and found way too many cut zip ties and metal clips loose around the engines. Spent and hour or so removing all that debris and checking everything. Next time your about to go out on it, even while on your lift, keep the engine hatch opened and fire the engines up one at time. Make sure they sound the same at idle and visually check there aren't any abnormal shaking (How I noticed my silencer bolts were loose).

Last question, did you install that underwater transom light? Looks fantastic and really want to do something similar on my boat! But glad you got to enjoy your boat again!!
 
Anthony -

Yes, it is the newer engine that is taking longer to fire. I have a double battery system so I don't worry about draining a battery when cranking, but considering that the old engines both started within 2 seconds, I remain concerned that it takes the newer one is taking so long. Might be a mixture issue - but since the motors sync so well, it would be hard to believe that the new one is running with less HP due to a fuel problem. It will be on my list of things to fix when I go back to the shop...perhaps next year.

You are right, I need to spend more time "under the hood" taking stock of the engine transplant. I honestly have been so happy to have my boat back, I have not taken the time to really dissect the source of the fuel leak. I only know that it is (potentially) a problem if I get fuel every time I un-cork the drain plug.

The underwater transom LED was something I put on my upgrade list when I took the boat in last December. I wanted to knock out any and all wishes before I took the boat back to my dock. The guys at the dealership installed it...and then when they realized my total bill was over $5500...and that I had been waiting for the boat for four months, they didn't charge me for it. I did, however, have my entire stereo system overhauled...rewired...to eliminate the buzzing and snap-crackle-pop. I replaced two overhead speakers with LED-lit Wetsounds speakers, replaced the Fusion receiver and two of the three amps. The shop also re-wired the tower and the subs. For the first time the system sounds like it should.

The two remaining upgrade on my list are replacing my carpet with Hydroturf or Teak SeaDek, and replacing my factory bimini with a black canvas. Neither are in throw-away, bad shape - but if I do these two things, the entire boat will look show-room new. Certainly cheaper than buying a new one, or a used Yamaha for $60k.

Also - in reading through your notes, I was surprised to hear that you were able to pull an intake out of the water simply by being in a turn. Never had that happen in either direction, and when I am in the boat, I am putting 250lbs in the captain's chair. If you want me to send you a video link of my boat in hard turns (to the right) send me your email and I will give you access to the vids via Dropbox.

Many thanks, and lets stay in touch!

Jim
 
WOW I was thinking about getting a Yamaha because of the reliability
I hear you. When they offered me a loaner, I chose the Yamaha thinking that I would be familiar with a Jet boat....and that the handling would be similar. Not the case at all. Driving the Yamaha felt like piloting a 737 vs. driving my Seadoo 230sp which is more like an F-15. Everything on the Yamaha felt deliberate. If you put a Yamaha 242 in reverse and turn the wheel to its stop (any direction), it literally takes 50-100 yards for you to start seeing the arc in your turn. If you put the Seadoo in reverse and crank the wheel sideways, the boat will spin like a top. The 2016 Yamaha lacks lateral thrust (unless you self-install a lateral kit)….and yes, the loaner boat DID have thrust vectors and the new, deeper keel.
 
Pull the plugs on the new engine and make sure they are the same numbers as the old. Maybe even throw new ones in for good measure. While the plugs may be fine, going in there may reveal one is not tightened down or some other bonehead mechanic screwup that can be fixed in 5 minutes.
 
I hear you. When they offered me a loaner, I chose the Yamaha thinking that I would be familiar with a Jet boat....and that the handling would be similar. Not the case at all. Driving the Yamaha felt like piloting a 737 vs. driving my Seadoo 230sp which is more like an F-15. Everything on the Yamaha felt deliberate. If you put a Yamaha 242 in reverse and turn the wheel to its stop (any direction), it literally takes 50-100 yards for you to start seeing the arc in your turn. If you put the Seadoo in reverse and crank the wheel sideways, the boat will spin like a top. The 2016 Yamaha lacks lateral thrust (unless you self-install a lateral kit)….and yes, the loaner boat DID have thrust vectors and the new, deeper keel.
or more like a 767 vrs a 757 lol
 
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