Is my new Yamaha outboard the wrong size

[JScott]

I just got my new Lund Explorer 17 Sport w/Yamaha 115. When I took it out for the first couple of times and started speeding up, I noticed water rolling into the splash well at various trim levels and a huge rooster tail on each side of the motor parallel with the transom. The rooster tail forms a "V" about 5 feet into the air right off the back of the boat on each side. I do not feel this is from the transducer.

I've never seen this on any boats I've owned or been on before so I looked more closely at the motor in the garage. I found that with the motor all the way down, the cavitation plate is 6 inches below the level of the lowest part of the hull such that the wider part of the neck of the shaft is fully in contact with oncoming water under the boat. It seems to me it is pushing too much water and maybe they put a 25" motor on my boat when Lund says it has a 20" transom.

Can I tell by the serial number or something which motor I've got? I called the dealer and he said its right, but I don't have a lot of confidence in him after the fiasco trying to buy the boat, and he's not exactly the best listener I've ever met. (that's another story).

[boatfixer]

Based on what you are saying, it sure sounds to me like they may have put a 25 on a 20 inch transom. Measure from the top inside part of the transom bracket (the part that would sit on the transom) down to the Anti-Ventilation Plate. Can you post a picture of it or email me one?

The model number will also have the shaft length in it as well.

[311Hemi]

Cavitation plate 6" below the bottom of the boat does not sound right. Post some pics here or the model number of the engine.

Oh, maybe the dealer name also so I don't go there for anything!!

[TimR]

Trimmed fully down, the anti-cavitation plate should be about an inch below the keel - and you can move it up to about even.

If it is 6 inches below now, that should be switched out for a shorter shaft motor.

Tim

[marine_man]

I agree.. sounds like a 25" shaft engine on a 20" transom.

marine_man

[Surface Tension]

I concur, 25" shaft on a 20" transom.

A pretty good goof up if that is the case.

Good Luck.

[shamrock7]

Have to agree with everyone else. Saw this once before from a famous dealer from Grand Rapids. Not the one that starts with a G or the one that starts with an R but the other one. Put a 25" motor on a 20" transom then proceeded to deny they did anything wrong even after the customer took it back for them to see. Unfortunately, people have to learn the hard way sometimes. The small town dealer may charge you a couple bucks more than the big mega wanna-be dealer but he will be there when you need him.

If you take this up to full power, you have the possibility of experience an condition called chine walking. Will scare the crapp out of you if you do. Basically,the motor lifts to much of the boat out of the water and it gets very hard to control and can be unmanageable under certain conditions.

I would recommend taking the boat back and let them see it and see what they are going to do about it. I would not operate it until it is remedied.

If the selling dealer will not deal with it, it is a great opportunity to let a new dealer prove themselves. If they jump right on it to try to help you take care of the situation, you got your self a winner. Good luck

[Whoaru99]

If it's true that a 25" engine got put on a 20" transom, I'd certainly give the selling dealer a chance to make it right.

If I detected any hassle at all in that process I'd be on the phone to Lund and Yamaha with a dealer complaint so fast it would make his head spin.

[311Hemi]

Any update? You get this resolved?

[JScott]

It was the wrong size, and they admitted the error and replaced the motor with a 20", and gave me a $200 in-store credit after I made my case for compensation of my time spent breaking in the first motor and driving back and forth (I didn't yell, honest). Fair enough, and I drove home with the boat satisfied that we had this resolved.

Here's where it really turns bad in a hurry...

Unfortunately the replacement motor leaked hydraulic fluid when I got it home. So -after I almost got sick out in back of my garage, back to the dealer.

I called Yamaha in Georgia before I brought it back in. They checked the ID# and informed me the second motor was built in Sept.07 and started out in Florida with Genmar Corp. It has never been registered to a retail buyer. Yamaha and the dealer both consider this a "current" motor, and I think that is causing everyone a lot of problems because I certainly do not consider a two year old motor to be new. Plus, I'm thinking Florida possibly means salt water. I was told when I brought it in that it was on a boat when it arrived so red flags everywhere. Obviously, I thought I was paying for an '09.

Current status: the dealer is going to order a new motor that I get to witness being unpacked and installed. It sounds like my new motor should be in next week. In the meantime, he said go ahead and run this one it until the new one comes in. I'm not going to do that since I don't want to complicate things in case I have an accident and damage the motor.

3rd time lucky? I should know more after the weekend. I'll let you know the end result. Everyone involved is frustrated and its been a real mess. My insurance agent is starting to wonder what's going on with me calling in all these new ID#s for my policy.

Thanks again for all the input. I've found it to be a valuable resource.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Good to hear that they seem to be taking care of you. Sounds like you should be on the water before too long.

[311Hemi]

Cool, thanks for the update. Sound like they are taking care of you now...but it sounds like it's been a real mess.

[CJH]

At least they are making it right. Shame on them for making an obvious mistake and then not resolving it properly.

[SkunkedAgain]

It sounds like the dealer tried to pull the wool over your eyes. I'd never return to that place. Honesty means a ton to me and they seem to lack it.

[Northlander]

It sounds like the dealer tried to pull the wool over your eyes. I'd never return to that place. Honesty means a ton to me and they seem to lack it.

I would have to agree here. Taking a motor off a used boat and putting it on a new boat and trying to sell as new is shady in my eyes.

At least they are helping you out now. Keep a good eye on all the small details with them.

[crothmeier]

i know someone else that had that happen to them, purchesed a 2002 boat and motoer and got a '00 motor. took it back and demanded a 2002 motor. pretty shady. you'd think in the economic times like this people would be striving for excellence to retain customers and hope the word of mouth gets them new customers.

[311Hemi]

The more I think about it the more this would #$&% me off. They first mess up the original engine and deny it, then they replace it and give you an almost two year old engine without telling you? Had there not been an issue with that engine and you never really looked to closely you could have had an engine two years older than your boat.....I wonder what that would do to the resale value when you were to try and sell.

Do you care to share the name of the dealer?

[Wish-I-Were-Fishn]

It sounds like the dealer tried to pull the wool over your eyes. I'd never return to that place. Honesty means a ton to me and they seem to lack it.

Gee, we are truly sorry... that we got caught.

With all of the good dealers that went under last year, how is it that this guy is still in business? No excuse for this except greed.

[broken_line]

cant really trust anyone today..sucks you had to find this the hard way! can you post pic of the new motor thats comming in when you get it?

[MuleShack]

I bought my 150 yamaha brand new in march 07. the Mfg date on the plate of the motor said 11/05. I questioned it but the dealer and on the Yamaha site doesn't go by model year. Sounds like a scam due to their over abundance of motors made. But for you it was a previously mounted motor and they tried to unload it on you.

[Whoaru99]

Buying a new, "last year's model" or even older engine by choice is one thing.

But, if I buy an 09 model boat package I fully expect it to have an 09 model engine unless it it fully disclosed otherwise.

When I bought my package, the dealer told me flat out it was a new, carry-over '95 boat, a new '96 engine, and a new, carry over '93 trailer.

[MuleShack]

Mine wasn't by choice. Dealer told me it was both a new 07' package.

Problem was I didn't see the mfg plate on the motor until the next year.

But that is Yamaha's business philosophy...they dont go by model year anymore, they give you a new motor even though it was built 2 years ago...the warranty starts the day you buy it. It didn't sit well with me, but nothing I could do about it.

[collegepaul]

Any one interested in a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro?

[Note from admin, edited. Please read forum policy before posting again, thank you.]

Does this mean the "new" Camaro is a 2009 model because it was assembled (manufacture date) in 2008 or 2009....no, it doesn't.

The manufacture date and the model year are two different things. Manufacturers build, assemble, and produce their products ahead of schedule because they cannot produce thousands of units on January 1st for that years supply. Plus, a lot of manufacturers like to get their new products out in the market early so they can start selling them.

So just remember the manufacturing date you see on your outboard doesn't mean that's your model year.

[Black_Bay]

Actually some if not all of the outboard companies have gotten away from model years and just have a date of manufacture. Your warranty starts the day you register it with the company.

[311Hemi]

I have read that they did away with the year/model number back in 2007.

So my question is, how do you now determine the year and used value of say a used Yamaha F115TLR that was built in June 2007? NADA has a different price for 2007 and 2008 models, both have same model number. I would assume either some sort of paperwork of original purchase or a call to the manufacturer with S/N will be required?

[collegepaul]

Quote:

So my question is, how do you now determine the year and used value of say a used Yamaha F115TLR that was built in June 2007? NADA has a different price for 2007 and 2008 models, both have same model number. - 311HEMI

They did get rid of the model year... yamaha's HSOforum sums it up best.

IMO, judge it on how many hours are on it not the year. Yamaha's have a digital read-out that will tell how many hours the motor has been run for.

If it was assembled in June 2007 and it has less than 5 hrs on it; I'd still consider it a brand new motor ('09) that's been sitting in the dealer's inventory waiting to be sold. It's not like it has an expiration date like dairy products do at the grocery store anyway.

Now if the motor has something like 20 - 100 hrs or more on it, it should be pretty easy to see that it's been used for a season or two which means I'd use the value of a '07, '08, or something in between.