[Minichunks]

I will be picking up my new 09 fx sho in a few months. i have never owned a new ski before and was wondering if there are any do's or don'ts i should know about.

 

[Ernest T]

Congratulations on a very nice new ski!:appl:
Would you mind sharing your final OTD price for this ski?

As far as dos and don'ts. I'd recommend breaking in the engine carefully. Don't overfill the oil, which is easy to do (check the manual for how to properly check it). This seems to be a common mistake with the Yamaha 4 strokes. If you have to dock against piers like I do, you may want to invest in some fenders to protect the finish. The black Nanocel hull on the newer Yamahas seems to be much more scratch prone, and I think it shows scratch marks more since there is white under the black paint. Invest in an anchor so you can park it off shore and keep the bottom off the sand.

Prepare to have fun.

 

[Minichunks]

Thanks for the info. glad to know about the white under the paint. my family owns a house on the water and i would have beached it until i saw what it was doing. as far as the oil, do you know if the dealer fills it when they prep or is that something i should do in the spring? my price out the door minus sales tax and reg was $9864. Thanks for the help.

 

[Ernest T]

Thanks for the info. glad to know about the white under the paint. my family owns a house on the water and i would have beached it until i saw what it was doing. as far as the oil, do you know if the dealer fills it when they prep or is that something i should do in the spring? my price out the door minus sales tax and reg was $9864. Thanks for the help.

Wow! You got a good deal. My local dealers are asking at least $1000 more than that.

The dealer should have it ready to ride when you pick it up. I think what happens is that people check the oil cold without following the directions (must let the ski warm up first), then add oil causing an overfill. If the oil overflows it ruins the air filter (over $100) and can cause other more serious problems. I don't know if this is a problem with the newer SHOs since they have the new 1800cc motors, and may not have this problem. In fact, I think that I read someplace that the oil check procedure was different for this model, but you will have to check your manual to be sure. Yamaha usually recommends an oil change at 10 hours. It is not too hard to do yourself, but you may want to let the dealership do the first one.

I think the other key to avoid problems is to always have the engine running before you turn on the water to flush it, and turn the water off again before turning off the engine, so as not to flood the engine with water.

I have a 2008 FX HO Cruiser, and my only complaint is with the Nanocel hull, which seems to get a new scratch every time I ride it.

 

[JUST-IN-TIME]

read over the owners manual at least 3 times

 

[DrWeaseL]

I will be picking up my new 09 fx sho in a few months. i have never owned a new ski before and was wondering if there are any do's or don'ts i should know about.

Just one thing i didnt know, and neither does the dealer... My 2009 Fx Cruiser SHO is my new favorite toy! however they are GAS-HOGS!!!! i will empty my tank while my other jet ski still has a half or better tank of gas... with 2 of us riding them the same and same times the gas consumption is HUGE on the supercharged yamaha's.
Cheers! your still bought the best and fasted boat out there... :appl:

 

[locdb]

I have a 2008 FX HO Cruiser, and my only complaint is with the Nanocel hull, which seems to get a new scratch every time I ride it.

Hey Ernest,
I have two quick questions for you:

1. Is there a paint you can buy to touch up scratches done to the hull?

2. Any anchor recommendations? I see that there's quite a few different types that Yamaha makes, and I'm sure there's plenty of other brands as well. Is one better than the other? I kind of liked the soft bag one that you could fill with sand as well as the mushroom anchor. The beach stake ones don't look appealing to me because I can close my eyes and see the waves bashing my Waverunner into the rocks since it doesn't secure it in place and only ties it to land.

 

[Ernest T]

1. Color Rite makes touch up paint to match: Paint Search :: Step 1 - ColorRite Use the wizard to find your ski. Auto touch-up paint might work, but I'm afraid to try it. The Color Rite stuff is not cheap, but supposed to be marine grade.

2. I initially tried a bag type of anchor. Essentially you have a bag that you fill with rocks or sand as the anchor: Amazon.com: Kwik Tek A-1 PWC Sand Anchor: Sports & Outdoors This works well if you are in an area with no current, plus very light weight to carry in the ski. However, I've tried using it in a river and even full of rocks it let my ski drift. I had to do some serious swimming once to catch it. My brother carries a heavy mushroom type of boat anchor that is supposed to work well for muddy bottoms, and it works even worse than the bag anchor. Now I would recommend one like this: Amazon.com: Kwik Tek A-3 Screw Anchor System: Kai Winding: Sports & Outdoors It is almost as light, and holds better with a current. I don't know how well it would work in sand, but works well in lake and river bottoms.

 

[locdb]

Ernest, Thanks! Good news to know, will help me pick out the right anchor and not waste any money on something that won't work well.