Yamaha 222XD Bowrider Reviewed in 2025

Rating

Boat & Sail Magazine Score 4.8/5
Technology and Versatility 5/5
Entertainment and Accommodations 5/5
Wake Making Fun 5/5
Performance and Handling 5/5
Construction and Innovation 5/5
Price/Quality 4/5

Technology and Versatility

Step aboard the 222XD, and you can be forgiven for believing you’ve stepped onto a boat from the future. Let’s face it, small boats don’t often carry the latest in cutting-edge technology. When’s the last time something on a 22-foot runabout wowed you and made you ask why we’ve been doing it wrong for decades?

Yamaha poured all of its new tech into the 222XD. Some shiny and really useful features will be standard for anyone looking for a ski boat in this class and size. That includes navigational and informational features especially.

Connext Touchscreen

First, let’s look at Yamaha’s Connext touchscreen control system. Sure, the ability to make a system like this has been around, but how many other boat makers are actually doing it? The 222XD has an enormous 12.3-inch touchscreen mounted to the driver’s right-hand side. Additional joystick and buttons for the display lie conveniently at the driver’s left-hand fingertips.

The Connext screen combines the boat’s systems into one place. Here are just a few things it can do.

• • Speed and trip meters
  • Monitor engine systems and RPM
  • Fuel gauge and distance to empty calculations
  • GPS chartplotter
  • Depth sounder
  • Set up the DRiVE low-speed handling system
  • Controls the stereo
  • Control the elements of the SurfPointe system (more on that later)
  • Set programs for individual rider’s preferences, including target speed, acceleration, ballast, and surf gate settings

DRiVE Technology

DRiVE is Yahama’s name for their drive-by-wire throttle controls. It all starts with Yahama’s push-button start, but there’s so much more.

The number one complaint from experienced boaters about jet boats is that they’re difficult to control at low speeds. Like jet skis and waverunners, jet boats require small power boosts to maintain directional control. They have no rudder, so they rely on the jet pump’s vectored or directional thrust to move the bow port and starboard.

With traditional throttle levers, this can be a bit of a balancing act. First, the low profile helms of these boats make it difficult for the operator to stand and manipulate the throttles. Secondly, the motion of the throttles isn’t fine enough to allow for the quick bursts of power needed to make docking smooth. In other words, it takes practice.

But Yamaha has risen to the challenge of making it easier. With DRiVE, the operator selects one of three modes from the Connext display: twin throttles, single lever throttle, or paddle controls on the wheel. Those paddles are where the magic happens.

When in this mode, paddles at your fingertips apply just the right amount of power. Your right hand is forward, and the left-hand paddle is reverse. Both can be applied while both hands are on the wheel and are limited to low-speed control. In other words, squeezing the throttle will only get you 3,000 RPM in forward and 3,500 in reverse–just enough for close-quarters maneuvering and docking.

Entertainment and Accommodations

This boat is comfortable to cruise on, thanks to Yamaha’s low-profile jet engines mounted low in the hull. This opens up more space on deck compared to other 22-foot sport boats.

Passengers will step into a spacious cockpit with high free boards that create security when speeding over the water as well as intimacy when the dining table is set up. There’s comfortable seating for ten people.

You’ll find storage everywhere you look on the 222XD. There’s a large ski locker under the floor–big enough for a couple of wakeboards–plus storage under most seats. Large storage lockers are accessed in each console. A large wet locker is accessed from the swim platform.

No matter where you are, a frosty beverage is always within reach–Yahama has put cup holders everywhere. Literally everywhere. They even have wireless chargers at the companion seats and helm if you need to charge your device. And, of course, there are USB and 12-volt charging ports, too.

The upgraded upholstery on the 222XD gives the boat a high-quality feel, and everything is well thought out. On the bow, two forward-facing lounges convert to a large bench or sun pad by rearranging the cushions. Recessed courtesy lights and an underwater light come standard, as well. The floor is fitted with custom-cut EVA foam flooring, which is pleasant for bare feet.

An aluminum tower comes standard on the 222XD. Beyond providing a high, central tow point, it has two speakers, two board racks, and a sunshade.

Yahama’s tech isn’t limited to the operator’s experience. The boat also has a great sound system, including seven Wet Sounds speakers. The system can be controlled by the Connext screen or a remote on the swim platform. In addition, it has AUX audio and Bluetooth inputs.

Wake-Making Fun

If there’s one thing the 222XD is built for, it’s making a beautiful wake upon which to ride and play. Yamaha has targeted a very specific market here, but plenty of wake surfers out there will give this boat high marks.

Wake surfing is distinct from wakeboarding or skiing. In wakeboarding, the rider is towed with a rope, usually mounted high to the tower. The higher rope allows the rider to perform more aerial trickery.

In wake surfing, on the other hand, the rider drops the rope and rides the wake wave as a traditional surfer would. For the best ride, the boat needs to make a ripping curl in its wake, something that’s only possible with an aft-heavy vessel that’s really plowing.

Yahama’s sport boat platform is perfect for the application thanks to its safe impeller jet drives. As a result, riders can stick close to the boat for the best shred while not risking life and limb to the knife-like propellers on sterndrive or outboard boats.

But Yamaha doesn’t stop there. The 222XD features a whole suite of features they call the SurfPointe wake surf system. It’s a set of three features that make the boat a wake-making Kahuna on the water: the custom hull design, internal ballast tanks, and the electric Wakeboosters.

Using the customizable touchscreen control, set the surf point to the starboard or port side and change the profile for the needs and level of the wake surfer. This adjustment of the boat’s wake can be saved as a program for a specific boarder’s needs.

Surfers have been adding ballast to their boats to weigh them down to get a bigger wake–it’s not a new idea. Yamaha lets you leave the cinder blocks at home by giving you two fillable water bladders, one mounted on each side of the engine bay.

Filling them up adds 1,100 pounds to the boat’s load in exactly the right place. The bladders are filled using bleed water pressure from the jets, so the engines must be running. Of course, you might bring extra friends or more ballast tanks to play around even more.

Finally, there are the electric Wakeboosters. These are settable flaps under the boat that, when deployed, force the water out and away from the hull. They are controlled with the Connext touchscreen, and how much or how little effect you want to apply can be set in each rider’s program.  These Wakeboosters set the Yahama boats apart since they’re the final flourish that makes the wave curl.

At the end of the ride, you’ll be looking for a place to store your board. The integrated board holders on the tower will each accommodate three boards of different styles, and they swing in three positions for better access or to get out of the way. This allows you to load them from the dock and swing them inboard to access them while on the water.

Performance and Handling

The 222XD isn’t made to be a speed machine–throwing a massive wake requires more wetted surface, meaning more drag. Plus, watersports are best enjoyed at slower speeds, anyway. Still, everyone likes to cruise fast occasionally, and sometimes it’s nice to get out and back as quickly as possible.

Yet again, Yamaha surprises with their use of technology to solve these problems. With the Wakeboosters retracted and the ballast tanks empty, this boat moves. We’ve seen the boat do nearly 50 mph flat-out, with an economy cruise just around 30 mph. It’s not winning any races, but it’s respectable and fun.

Much more remarkable than the numbers, however, is the driving experience. The boat consistently gets high marks for being fun to drive, with excellent handling on the water. The hull shape handles s-turns easily with no slip and excellent responsiveness.

At the boat’s core are its twin Yamaha 1.8-liter, four-cylinder, four-stroke High Output engines. They drive three-bladed stainless steel impellers. Fuel capacity is 70 gallons, and the boat burns around 26 GPH at 7,770 RPM. At a comfortable cruise setting of 6,000 RPM, or around 25-30 mph, you can plan on a fuel burn of 13.7 GPH, which gives you a range of more than 100 miles.

Construction and Innovation

Yahama boats have many unique qualities. One of the most noteworthy, however, is that the company’s production seems to be run more like a modern manufacturer than other boat makers. What does that mean?

For one thing, Yahama has innovated the boat manufacturing processes used at their Vonore, Tennessee facility. Why human hands put the on final touches and ensure quality, there’s much automization to keep costs down and the production sharp.

Robots spray gel coat with precision that is almost unheard of in the industry. The company claims the weight variance is 0.02 pounds of gel coat used from one boat to another. After the hull is complete, robots are even used to make cuts and drill holes in the upper deck for later hardware installation. The reduction in man-hours needed and human error potential is astounding, and it shows in both the boat’s sticker price and final quality.

The next thing that makes these boats unique is that Yahama manufactures both the engine and the hull. This is a rare feat in the boating world, where nearly all manufacturers make their hulls suit readily-available engines from the big power companies. Yamaha capitalizes on this strength in a big way.

Their small engines fit neatly in the hull, giving their owners more space than any other vessel of the size. As a result, you get more seating, more storage, and a wide-open swim platform with no obstructions.

Price/Quality

Yahama provides a fully kitted-out boat that’s ready to hit the water. You get a trailer, tower, and bimini standard–all things that are optional from most boat makers. The price of the boat is competitive with others, all while offering great value when you consider the benefits of the Yahama jet drive and the technology packages included.

Some owners have commented that some of these boats have sub-par fit and finish, with various quality issues found after ownership. However, for the most part, these issues are expected with most production boats, which are easily dealt with through your dealer.

Do We Recommend the Yahama 222XD?

There are plenty of other wake boats on the market, but none are also Yahama jet boats. The result is a bowrider for everyone that happens to excel at water play. It makes a fun wave for beginners out of the box and can be fine-tuned with extra ballast to rip for all skill levels.

For families and for fun, entertainment and sports, this 22-footer has hit most benchmarks for a bowrider that can excel on lakes and easily cope with ocean swells.

The technology packages included make the boat impressive, and the quality of the boat is good. Overall, the Yamaha 222XD is a winner for wake surfers or anyone who just wants to get on the water for a fun day.