Yamaha?

What do you all think of this one? I've never heard of it and don't know how jet drives are for wakeboarding... but my brother is thinking of buying a used one.

http://www.yamaha-motor.com/boat/pro...5/0/specs.aspx

I know someone that bought one in the spring. I drove the boat and it was scary to drive at slow speeds. The owner hated driving it so much that they stopped using it in August after putting a hole in it from hitting a dock. They are going to sell it next spring. I'll let others comment on the wake, since I did not wakeboard behind it.

jet drives are definitely different handling boats. If you're not used to driving a jet then you'll probably hate it. I could go into detail but...

A jet drive for what we do is a big mistake. The boat handling, the wake, everything is a problem with them at some point. For $35k you could have any way better boat designed for what we do.

Not good for boarding and a real pain with any weeds in the pond.

Well, you and your brother are asking the wrong crowd!!!

Go to http://yamahajetboaters.com/ and post your questions and see what Yamaha owners think?

If your brother is a hardcore boarder/surfer/etc. I'd be the first to tell him that it it is definitely not his cup of tea. You can add ballast, etc. for a bit more wake but the jet wash area is definitely something a good wakeboarder would not like.

If he is a recretional boater that likes to enjoy spending time with the kids and family like 90% of us and don't want to worry about maintenance or repairs or replacement of props, the Yamaha is definitely something he should consider.

dcooper - The low speed issue can be tame with the addition of Cobra Jet Steering. Mention it to your friend so he could look into it. It's relatively inexpensive and very effective at low speed and even better in reverse.

Jet boats suck for boarding. And that's speaking from having owned or used four different ones.

Kvoman said it perfectly.

It's like a more useful bayliner. Great family boat with no props and a great layout, not a core boarder boat.

Once you get the hang of it, steering is easier than my inboard in reverse IMO. Just a different learning curve.

Less control, less power/torque, less rough water capabilities. I hate them, they're all over the lake here thanks to the marina renting/selling them.

My Sugar Sand is very maneuverable but really small. My sisters Yamaha steers like a pig, the twin engines don't help either. But if you want a boat that's really family friendly and low maintenance, it's the way to go.