Hey Guys......Like you all know im still lookin for the perfect boat.

Ive never bought a new boat before so warrantees and service plans are new to me.

Im looking at getting a boat package with a Yamaha 4stroke or Vmax(if i can afford it) and Yamaha is having a new promotion till the end of October where you get a free 3 year service plan (somthing like a $2000 value) for free.  

Now this sounds like it would be right up my alley......except im not sure what the service plan covers........what do service plans usually give you when you buy them......do they ensure that if your engine isnt working right, within the service plans life, theyll fix it for no additional charge?  Do they give you free tune ups?

Im just curious.

Yamaha was running the same deal a year ago when I bought my Skeeter with the 200 VMAX/HPDI. That is 3 years of additional protection on all the major components plus it has a feature called TRIP (travel and recreation interruption protection) that will pay up to $250 for lodging, meal expenses if it breaks down. I don't know of an extended warranty that includes normal tune ups or maintenance. Yamaha's deal is also transferrable if you sell your rig. It can be used at any Yamaha Dealer. You can get more info at Yamaha's web site at

http://www.yanaha-motor.com/outboard/yes/yeshome/home.aspx. In my opinion its a good deal especially since its a Freebie.

Shortbasser

Hey Guys......Like you all know im still lookin for the perfect boat.

Ive never bought a new boat before so warrantees and service plans are new to me.

Im looking at getting a boat package with a Yamaha 4stroke or Vmax(if i can afford it) and Yamaha is having a new promotion till the end of October where you get a free 3 year service plan (somthing like a $2000 value) for free.  

Now this sounds like it would be right up my alley......except im not sure what the service plan covers........what do service plans usually give you when you buy them......do they ensure that if your engine isnt working right, within the service plans life, theyll fix it for no additional charge?  Do they give you free tune ups?

Im just curious.

I can't give you the specifics on Yamaha's plan but normally, most vehicle or boat motor service plans don't give you any sort of free normal maintenance coverage unless you buy the upgraded plan which is often major $$'s.  Something to think about if you're considering a 4 stroke since those require "factory trained" mechanics to perform the maintenance for your warranty and/or service plan to be valid.

I've bought Ext. plans for several vehicles over the years and some home electronics.  If I added up all the dollars I saved using those plans they would come up waaaay short of what I initially spent of the plan. The manufacturers sell those for one reason, they make big money on them since the odds of them having to pay off are slim.  If you've got the money to afford that "piece of mind" I say go for it. If not, my experience over the years is they're a waste of money,  most vehicles and boat engines are being made good enough these days to outlast their factory warranty by a long shot before any sort of major failure occurs.  

By the way, I've worked in the consumer electronics repair field for 30 years and about the only thing I'd buy a plan on these days is a Plasma, LCD or DLP big screen TV.  It's one of the few things that your odds are good that you'll actually get your money back on the plan.

Any extended warrenty is like insurance, it's Piece of Mind. You pay through the nose for it while the whole time your hopeing you never need it. For the mass majority, it's money spent with no solid return, but for those unfortunate few that do have to make a claim, it's the difference between having to make a major financial outlay or just being without a boat a few weeks.

Power heads seldom break but when they do, you could be looking at $3,000 - $5,000 if you had to do a replacement.

Lower units break less than powerheads but you are still looking at up to $3,500 if you have to buy another.

Personnaly, I'm like cart7, I never buy any extended warrenties and have never regretted not buying one, but with my electronics and mechanical backgournd I can fix just about anything man made.

As a rule I don't buy extended service plans either.  The Yamaha deal is an incentive to buy their product.  It's a FREE three year additional coverage. They offered the same deal last year and that is why I have it.  Hope I never have to use it but the peace of mind is there should a major problem come up.

Shortbasser