1995-1998 Yamaha Exciter 220 Specs and Review [Video]

The Exciter 220 was the first 2-stroke Yamaha jet boat ever built. It featured two 2-stroke 110hp WaveRunner engines and a very nimble hull that only measured 16.6 feet in length. Yamaha marketed this model from 1995 through 1998 but it was phased out by the more powerful Exciter 270.

In this post, we’ll review this vintage Yamaha boat and list its main factory specifications.

Yamaha Exciter 220 Review

Hull and Top Deck

Until the mid ‘90s, you could only find WaveRunner personal watercraft in Yamaha’s marine fleet.

But everything changed in 1995 when the Japanese manufacturer entered the boat market with the introduction of its Exciter 220 (EXT1100).

This tiny boat was built on Yamaha’s smallest jet boat platform, measuring 16.6 feet in length and 7.6 inches in width. Its patended hull design featured a unique keel that glued the boat to the water and ensured very tight turns.

Just like its hull, the top deck was also made of traditional fiberglass. The latter enjoyed a very low design that made the boat look smaller than it actually was.

Thanks to its small dimensions, its dry weight was only 1690 pounds while it weighed about 2100-2300 pounds with a trailer.

The side console arrangement offered plenty of space and featured a bench seat with three ergonomically-desiged seats.

You could also find two additional seats and a tiny unpadded bench in the bowrider-style bow area.

Despite its small dimensions, the deck housed a lot of storage spaces including under-seat storage, glovebox, underfloor ski locker, and a storage tray under the sunbed.

This tray also functioned as a soundproof cover over the engine bay.

You could expect the weight capacity of the boat to be 930 pounds and it could carry five people.

Engine and Propulsion

The engines of vintage 2-stroke Yamaha jet boats were borrowed from early Yamaha PWCs, which is why the Exeter 220 shared its power sources with the WaveRaider 1100 and WaveVenture 1100.

As the name suggests, the heart of the Exciter 220 was two 110hp 2-stroke Yamaha marine engines. These 1051cc triples enjoyed many advanced technologies, which were as follows:

·         2-stroke, inline-3 arrangement

·         Displacement: 1051cc

·         Bore x stroke: 81 x 68 mm

·         Compression ratio: 5.8:1

·         Lubrication: oil injection

·         Reed valve intake system

·         Loop chard induction system

·         Electric start

·         Open-loop cooling system

·         38mm Mikuni carbs

·         BR8HS spark plugs

Unlike Yamaha’s larger twin-engine jet boats that came with 44mm carburetors, the 220 engine was designed with 38mm Mikunis.

Just like its engine, the propulsion system was also derived from Yamaha’s PWC division.

These high-performance, axial flow, single-stage 155mm jet pumps utilized stainless steel impellers and had a 24-degree steering angle. They also featured manual reverse buckets, which made maneuvering much easier.

This dual jet propulsion system was completed with Yamaha-exclusive clean out ports, which allowed operators to easily remove debris. These screw-in style plugs were hidden inside the swim platform under the rear hatch.

These were a game changer when it came to cleaning debris out of the pumps!

The Exciter was available in a single-engine version under the model name of Exciter 135.

Features

The Yamaha Exciter 220 was designed with many innovative features, such as:

·         Navigation lights

·         Bow and stern eyelets

·         Ski hook

·         Grab handles

·         Cleats

·         Fuel cocks

·         Stern light storage

·         Stern light socket

·         Jet pump cleanout access panel

·         Windshield

·         Rear reboarding step

·         Deck drains

·         Drain plug

·         Trailer strap eyes

·         Insulated 32-quart cooler

·         Bilge pump

·         Engine compartment blower

·         Horn

The dashboard of the boat enclosed a lot of useful gauges and control lights, including:

·         Speedometer

·         Tachometers

·         Low oil warning light

·         Fuel gauge

·         Ignition switch

·         Safety lanyard

·         Dual mirrors

·         Steering wheel

·         Chokes

Storage compartments:

·         Bow storage (with fire extinguisher holder)

·         Under-floor ski locker

·         Windshield storage

·         Port side storage (behind the front seat)

·         Center storage tray (under the sunbed)

·         Cup holders

Top Speed and Performance

Early 2-stroke jet boats were known for their unbeatable performance, and the 220 was no exception.

Its twin engines not only produced a whopping 220hp but they were also controlled with twin throttle levers.

Combined with its short hull, this unique propulsion system gave the boat the ability to perform extreme tricks and spins ensuring a “PWC-like” riding experience.

In an experienced hand, this boat could do extremely sharp turns or even 360-degree spins!

With an overall length of 16.6 feet, this model was arguably the most maneuverable Yamaha boat ever built.

Along with its agile attitude, the 220 was also known for its great speed and fast acceleration. According to BoatSales, the top speed of this boat exceeded 56 mph (90 km/h) under ideal conditions.

At that speed, its claimed fuel consumption was a combined 24.4 gph. Its smaller-displacement engines and 38mm Mikuni carburetors made the 220 the most fuel-efficient twin-engine model in the fleet.

Considering its fuel capacity of 34 gallons, its estimated crusisng range at WOT was 1.3 hours.

Yes, this fabulous boat was used for playing around rather than going long distances. Its well-contoured seats and grab handles proved useful for keeping the operator and the passengers in place in tight turns.

What’s more, the engines delivered more than enough power to even tow two skiers or wakeboarders without utilizing exposed propellers.

These features gave this boat its appeal to watersport lovers.

Drawbacks?

Let’s face it, the Exciter 220’s lightweight construction and low-profile top deck offered very poor rough water performance.

Therefore, this boat was mainly recommended for use in smaller water bodies like rivers and lakes.

Problems

Besides its inadequate rough water capabilities, the Exciter 220 also had some other minor design flaws, such as:

Poorly positioned CDI boxes

One of the biggest design flaws of the Exciter 220 was where its capacitor discharge ignition (CDI) boxes were positioned; mounted on the front of its engines.

Due to this unfortunate placement, the CDI boxes could only be serviced by entirely removing the engines from the hull. This meant that only a simple starter relay replacement required you to pull the engines, which was a big hassle.

This design flaw was fixed on the Exciter 270.

Dual batteries

Unlike its successors, the 220 featured dual batteries, which meant more cost and maintenance.

Tachometer issues

The tachometer of this boat was also prone to producing various errors. Since this gauge was a sealed unit, repairing it was impossible.

Oil lines malfunctioning

Just like the majority of 2-stroke jet boats, the Exciter 220 also featured an oil system that could go wrong in many ways.

The oil lines especially had a tendency to crack, clog, or fall causing the engine to seize. Due to this risk, its oil system required periodic inspections and maintenance.

Non-variable oil pumps

The 220 was also designed with non-variable oil pumps, which consumed more oil and generated a lot of smoke, especially when ideling.

Installing variable ratio oil pumps somewhat helped reduce this problem.

Yamaha Exciter 220 For Sale

Even though this model was discontinued after 1998, you can still find many of them on the used market.

If you are looking for one of these vintage boats, you should start your research at the best online classifieds sites and boating forums.

You may find a lot of Exciter 220s for sale at Craigslist, eBay, or Boats.com for an asking prices of $4,000- $6,000.

If you are open to other brands, the main competitor of the 220 was the ’98 Sea-Doo Speedster, which was also available with twin 110hp engines.

Yamaha Exciter 220 Specs Charts

As a last word, we’ve listed the factory specifications of the 1995 Yamaha Exciter 220 in these charts:

Dimensions

Engine Specs

Propulsion

Performance

Fuel and Oil

These specifications are for informational purposes only. For further information, please refer to the operator’s manual. (Please note that these specs may vary by model year.)

References

Boatsales.com

Yamahaboats.com