New boat owner....

[BeepBeep]

Hello, I just purchased my first boat, a 2025 252SE.

I was long time Jet Ski owner but was ready to jump into a boat. This is my first boat so I'll have a lot of questions. There are a few fit and finish issues that I brought to the dealer's attention, things QC at the factory should've caught. The boat came with the 1.8L engines, apparently California thinks the 1.9L is evil. Anyone else have a 25' with the 1.8? How does it perform?

I will mostly be in lakes but would like to occasionally cruise the harbors along the SoCal coast. Bad idea? I like to keep my things in the best shape and condition, am I asking for trouble by taking it in salt water. I understand the importance of flushing the engine with salt away or similar products but how about the rest of the boat, and I mean every nook and cranny. I'm certain salt water will make it's way everywhere, even just the mist would cause issues. For those of you who take it in saltwater, how do you ensure you rinse everything off?

Also, by design, it looks like water would make it's way into the storage areas under the seats. They are carpeted but I assume they have drain holes. However, won't the carpets start to get funky with mildew? Do I leave the seats up until the carpet dries?

I love the look of the tan upholstery but I understand Yamaha just started using it. I'm concerned about their longevity with fading.

I'm sure I'll have lots more questions

Looking forward to participating in the forum. I can't wait to take it out on the water.

 

[sgust]

Congrats on the new boat! I'm sure you'll love it. We have a 2024 252s with the 1.8s and it hauls. Ours will consistently do 45 MPH regardless of elevation. we had 7 people with coolers and a full tank on board last weekend and it still did 43 MPH. Ours also had some annoying QC issues as well but the dealer was backed up for weeks so I ended up just fixing a lot of the issues in the driveway.
As far as the carpet in the storage areas, it dries rather quickly. We have put wet towels and water shoes in them and they've dried really quickly.
Can't speak about being in saltwater because i've never launched my boats in saltwater but most definitely flush and rinse the inside and outside of the boat to prevent any saltwater corrosion.

 

[VitaminSea]

Congratulations! Love that color combo - so rich! For the upholstery, I believe that has the Chil Cool (or whatever they call it), and there are approved clears/protectants listed in the manual.

As for use in salt water, the key in my opinion is preventative maintenance in the form of using an anti corrosive spray (Yamashield, CorrosionX, White Lithium) on your hose clamps in the engine and the lower bilge (access via the clean out port tray). You can use Yamashield on the backside of the dash as well. Keeping the exposed portions of the pump either lubricated with grease or bees wax (eg a toilet o-ring), will assist there.

When rinsing, you can spray down the interior w/ salt away if you’re overly concerned. Rinse down the captain/co-captain chairs if you’ve sat in them with wet swimwear, as they have springs that I have seen rust on the older models.

When dunking your trailer, if you’re able to rinse off the leaf springs/hubs/bunk mounting points immediately with fresh water (or a spray bottle with salt-away) that will help with slowing down the corrosion there.

The forward cup holders have drain lines, however at least on mine I noticed that the starboard side ended under the helm, so might want to look to extend the line there. The port side drains into the ski locker about mid way, so if you were hoping to keep things dry in the locker, might want to extend that line further back. Also the aft cup holders on the side of the engine compartment actually drain onto of the batteries!!

So while using your vessel is salt equates to more work, its not significant, you just have to ensure your rinsing if off, unlike a day on the lake/river where you can get away with a quick wipe down.

Oh, if you haven’t already get yourself some nice fenders, and if going with the inflatable type, add fender socks to avoid marring/scuffing up that beautiful blue!

 

[BeepBeep]

Congratulations! Love that color combo - so rich! For the upholstery, I believe that has the Chil Cool (or whatever they call it), and there are approved clears/protectants listed in the manual.

As for use in salt water, the key in my opinion is preventative maintenance in the form of using an anti corrosive spray (Yamashield, CorrosionX, White Lithium) on your hose clamps in the engine and the lower bilge (access via the clean out port tray). You can use Yamashield on the backside of the dash as well. Keeping the exposed portions of the pump either lubricated with grease or bees wax (eg a toilet o-ring), will assist there.

When rinsing, you can spray down the interior w/ salt away if you’re overly concerned. Rinse down the captain/co-captain chairs if you’ve sat in them with wet swimwear, as they have springs that I have seen rust on the older models.

When dunking your trailer, if you’re able to rinse off the leaf springs/hubs/bunk mounting points immediately with fresh water (or a spray bottle with salt-away) that will help with slowing down the corrosion there.

The forward cup holders have drain lines, however at least on mine I noticed that the starboard side ended under the helm, so might want to look to extend the line there. The port side drains into the ski locker about mid way, so if you were hoping to keep things dry in the locker, might want to extend that line further back. Also the aft cup holders on the side of the engine compartment actually drain onto of the batteries!!

So while using your vessel is salt equates to more work, its not significant, you just have to ensure your rinsing if off, unlike a day on the lake/river where you can get away with a quick wipe down.

Oh, if you haven’t already get yourself some nice fenders, and if going with the inflatable type, add fender socks to avoid marring/scuffing up that beautiful blue!

Thank you very much for the details. I am very ok with the extra work it'll take to maintain it in salt water, I just need to know what to do.

I absolutely love the color combination, adds a lot of "richness" like you mentioned.

You mentioned spraying clamps and such in the lower bilge accessed through the clean out port tray. Are you referring to removing the actual cover that surrounds the clean out ports?

You also mentioned spraying the backside of the dash. You're referring to all the electric connections, correct?

Keeping the exposed portions of the pump either lubricated with grease or bees wax... is it simply rubbing in bees wax with a soft cloth over the metal or is there another way I should do it?

I will look at the cup holder drains, thanks for the info. Why would they just let the aft ones drain onto the batteries?

What fenders work best with the boat's lines? Are the inflatable cylinder type good? Some posts say they roll around or don't sit flat because of the location of the cleats and rub rail.

I have been looking at boats for nearly 20 years, can't believe I finally have one. These Yamahas sure are very good looking with great features. I'm looking forward to a great time...

 

[VitaminSea]

You mentioned spraying clamps and such in the lower bilge accessed through the clean out port tray. Are you referring to removing the actual cover that surrounds the clean out ports?

You'll get the best access by removing the 10-12 screws, and working the cover lose. I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet on my current boat, but did on my prior boat. There I used CorrosionX HD (Green Can), as that will not wash off easily and will most likely last a few seasons. If you just use the access port, you'll see a few of the clamps and treat those. If you try to remove the entire cover, there is a hose clamp at the top of each of the clean out ports that you will need to loosen. Some might feel this is over kill, but you mentioned you wanted to know what to look for/address.

You also mentioned spraying the backside of the dash. You're referring to all the electric connections, correct?

Correct, just make sure that whatever you are using is electronic friendly.

Keeping the exposed portions of the pump either lubricated with grease or bees wax... is it simply rubbing in bees wax with a soft cloth over the metal or is there another way I should do it?

Sorry, I should have been more specific. Its really the exposed portion of the cables (steering and bucket), and then keeping the pivot points (top and side of pump) greased.

As for the fenders, everyone has their own opinion about that, so it might be trial and error to find what works for you. I just recently picked up my 252, and haven't tried the new fenders I picked up yet (8" cylinders w/ socks). I also installed Phendor Pro Quick release mounts for the fenders, as I had that on my prior boat. Makes it a breeze to deploy and retrieve the fenders. Currently I installed 2 receivers on each side, but considering a third closer to the forward cleats.

Looking forward to hearing how your maiden voyage treats you!

Some advise that has been shared on the forum and elsehwere is....
Have your initial outing be mid week, not on the weekend. Practice at the ramp load and unloading a few times. Get your check list down... eg. drain plug in, cleanouts installed, dock lines handy, batteries switched on, verifying the motors turn over prior to launching, etc...

Find a calm area, throw a life vest in and the practice approaching it and seeing how the boat responds to different inputs. - fwd, reverse, neutral, how no wake mode works and if its beneficial for you to use while docking- some like it, some don't.

 

[BeepBeep]

You'll get the best access by removing the 10-12 screws, and working the cover lose. I haven't had the opportunity to do that yet on my current boat, but did on my prior boat. There I used CorrosionX HD (Green Can), as that will not wash off easily and will most likely last a few seasons. If you just use the access port, you'll see a few of the clamps and treat those. If you try to remove the entire cover, there is a hose clamp at the top of each of the clean out ports that you will need to loosen. Some might feel this is over kill, but you mentioned you wanted to know what to look for/address.


Correct, just make sure that whatever you are using is electronic friendly.


Sorry, I should have been more specific. Its really the exposed portion of the cables (steering and bucket), and then keeping the pivot points (top and side of pump) greased.

As for the fenders, everyone has their own opinion about that, so it might be trial and error to find what works for you. I just recently picked up my 252, and haven't tried the new fenders I picked up yet (8" cylinders w/ socks). I also installed Phendor Pro Quick release mounts for the fenders, as I had that on my prior boat. Makes it a breeze to deploy and retrieve the fenders. Currently I installed 2 receivers on each side, but considering a third closer to the forward cleats.

Looking forward to hearing how your maiden voyage treats you!

Some advise that has been shared on the forum and elsehwere is....
Have your initial outing be mid week, not on the weekend. Practice at the ramp load and unloading a few times. Get your check list down... eg. drain plug in, cleanouts installed, dock lines handy, batteries switched on, verifying the motors turn over prior to launching, etc...

Find a calm area, throw a life vest in and the practice approaching it and seeing how the boat responds to different inputs. - fwd, reverse, neutral, how no wake mode works and if its beneficial for you to use while docking- some like it, some don't.

thank you very much for the info. I'll keep you posted on the maiden voyage...