Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H: Stick it to the Fish
The Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H is the world’s first center console jet boat with Helm Master EX joystick control.
Running boats with joystick controls has utterly revolutionized boating for countless new captains. Most people who don’t have a long history of experience at the helm report that the number-one most stressful thing is learning how to dock a boat, and a joystick makes the task almost as easy as playing a video game. But up to now people who opted for jet boats have been denied such relief. That all changes in 2024 with the introduction of the Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H.
Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H and Helm Master EX
Up to now joysticks didn’t mesh well with twin engine jet boats because one shifting and steering cable controlled both jet nozzles and deflectors together. That made it impossible to oppose the engines or vary the thrust level between them, both functions that are necessary to gain joystick advantages like spinning the boat 360-degrees while remaining in place, or crabbing it sideways. To address the issue Yamaha replaces the control system with a pair of actuators and fly-by-wire controls.
The Helm Master EX joystick itself remains more or less unchanged from the one you’ll find on outboard-powered boats. The top portion spins to control positioning without moving the boat out of place, and pushing the stick fore, aft, sideways, or on the diagonal moves the boat as directed. The base of the joystick has buttons to engage/disengage, and to increase or decrease thrust for full power or low-speed maneuvering.
We tested the system in a cramped, high traffic marina and in Biscayne Bay, and found that the Helm Master EX delivers precise and easy control as promised on the 255 FSH Sport H. Spinning in the boat’s length, pushing sideways to the dock, and making minute positional adjustments were a piece of cake. We can confidently and honestly report that it made handling the boat dockside easier and less stressful, period.
Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H Design
The 255 FSH Sport H is a center console jet boat designed for a mix of fishing and general pleasure boating. But it deviates from the normal stock-and-trade center console quite a bit. In the stern the transom arrangement is more similar to other jet boats, with aft-facing seating built into the transom and an integrated swim platform.
Forward-facing stern bench seating, the leaning post and console, helm, and forward console seat are as expected. Then in the bow Yamaha again moves away from the traditional by incorporating a pair of relatively large consoles, one on either side. These act as seat backs for the forward bow seats and on the port side, integrates a livewell/cooler. To starboard the console is used for stowage and as a tackle station. As with many center consoles, a removable bow cockpit table can do double duty as a filler platform to convert into a casting deck or sunpad.
Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H Comfort Features
Most jet boat buyers are family boaters and will want to be able to enjoy basic watersports plus some cruising amenities, and although this is a center console fishing boat, Yamaha excels in this regard. There’s a head compartment inside the console, an inductive charging phone holder at the helm, coaming bolsters all around, a six-speaker Wet Sounds stereo system, and an eight-gallon freshwater system. The kids will love that there’s a tow hook to go along with that swim platform, and like all of Yamaha’s jet boats the 255 FSH Sport H offers zippy performance and jet boat handling. A pair of supercharged SVHO 1812 cc Yamaha engines blast water through 160 mm high-pressure pumps to speeds of around 55 mph. Cruise checks in around the mid-30s.
Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H Fishing Features
For a jet boat the 255 FSH Sport H is surprisingly well equipped to fish. The transom livewell holds 30 gallons, and the one in the bow seatback console holds 18 gallons. This one’s an aquarium-style, too, with an acrylic face that will keep the kids glued in place while they watch “bait TV.” There are horizontal racks under the gunwales, with padding added to the inwale to prevent reels from banging against fiberglass. The gunwales hold four flush-mount rodholders, the T-top is lined with five rocket launchers, and the transom seating arrangement switches between cruising and fishing via folding down the side jump seats and pulling the cushions, turning it into an aft casting platform.
One downside to having those jet powerplants inside the boat as opposed to hanging on the transom is a loss of under-deck stowage, so the fishbox is located up in the bow under the seat. The upside to this, however, is significant: you don’t have to fish around an outboard engine and you will never, ever have to worry about cutting a fish off on the prop. Ever. Additional under-deck stowage is created forward in the bow, where there’s a dedicated five-gallon bucket compartment under the hatch between the seatback consoles.
Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H Specifications
- Length Overall: 24’6”
- Beam: 8’6”
- Weight: 4835 lbs.
- Draft (minimum): 1’10”
- Transom Deadrise: 20 degrees
- Fuel Capacity: 111 gal.
For jet boaters who want to enjoy joystick control, the Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H is a hands-down win. We also need to point out that this is a package boat, sold without a long list of standard or optional items. Everything we’ve talked about is included on the boat at its sale price without any upgrades or add-ons necessary. Along with it, Yamaha includes a tandem-axel trailer with disk brakes and a swing-away tongue. The bottom line? If you played video games as a kid, now that you're all grown up and ready for a boat you’re going to love the 255 FSH Sport H with Helm Master EX.
See Yamaha 255 FSH Sport H boats for sale on boats.com.
