Jet Flier

For those of you who have never driven a jet-powered sportboat, let me express my regrets. There's something totally different and exhilarating about the near-instantaneous planing, crisp acceleration and tight directional response of these water rockets. It's the only class of boats I've sea-trialed that comes close to reproducing the intimate feel of a personal watercraft?sans the occasional dunking.

The new LX2000 is a stylish, blue-and-white model powered by twin 135-hp, three-cylinder, 1131cc Yamaha marine engines coupled with twin 155-mm Hyper-Flow jet pumps. In a wise move, Yamaha has given each engine an independent control, thereby providing greater precision in maneuvering than would be offered by a single throttle.

When I tested the sportboat on coastal Georgia's Savannah River, I was impressed by its spry performance. From a standing start, the LX2000 planed almost faster than the second hand on my watch could count. Bow rise was nonexistent. Twin water intakes ensured good hook-up, and the helm response was fast and accurate.

Though I might normally have been concerned about operating near the shallow banks of the river, the boat's 1'6" draft helped set my mind at ease. In the unlikely event that one of the engines had developed a problem, I could have made it home with the other. To get to the motors, you lift the gas-assisted aft sunpad and remove a few storage bins. There's plenty of work space for maintenance or servicing.

Yamaha's designers have created a capable ski boat in the LX2000. It has an integrated swim platform with a self-retracting boarding ladder. (Also found here is a hatch that provides easy access for intake cleaning.) There's a pop-up stainless steel pylon in the cockpit for towing, and ski and wakeboard storage in the sole. The boat lays down a good towboat wake, thanks in part to its multi-chine, deep-V hull.

From the swim platform, you have to climb over the sunpad to get to the cockpit. There, you find three contoured bench seats with cup holders and grabrails. Two swiveling bucket seats serve the forward consoles. Up front are two shapely bow seats with grabrails.

Yamaha has shoehorned a lot of standard items on this 20-footer: full instrumentation, a stereo/CD player, removable Berber carpeting, a bimini top?even a painted trailer is included. Yet there's still plenty of storage throughout the boat; 165.5 gallons' worth to be exact.

If you enjoy watersports and appreciate the advantages of jet-powered watercraft, this sportboat offers a top-of-the-line alternative in a trailerable package. At only 2,100 pounds, the LX2000 should be easy and economical to tow.

?Brad Kovach

©Motor Boating Magazine, March 2002