On my way to the last Bassmaster Elite Series event on Toledo Bend, I realized that I didn’t pack my back-up prop. I like to carry two props at all times, just in case I hit something and ding the prop on my boat, I can easily change it out right on the water. It can be the difference between just getting home or making the weigh-in in time, so it’s a standard practice for me.
When you’re on the road, you can’t just swing back by the house and get whatever you need, which is one of the reasons I have the free Yamaha Outboards Mobile App on my cell phone. One of the features of the App is that you can quickly access the location and hours of the nearest Yamaha dealer, which is what I did. I ran over to the dealer and picked up one of the props from their inventory and replaced it later. As a boat owner, the Dealer Locater feature is really nice, particularly when you’re on the road or travel to other towns to fish. It gives you a map from your location to the dealership, along with all their contact information and the products and services they provide. It can save you time and effort by keeping you from going somewhere that isn’t open or doesn’t handle your motor issue.
The Dealer Locator is a really practical feature for all boat owners that are on the road, and if you drive to fish certain lakes on a regular basis, you can save the information so you have quick access to the dealers if you need it. Before the season ever starts, I go through the Dealer Locater and save the contact information for all Yamaha Dealers in scheduled tournament areas. I’ll also use it to find a dealer anywhere else on the road.
The Yamaha Outboards Mobile App is free and works on Apple® or Android™ devices. You can visit iTunes® or Google Play to download.
When you open the App, it takes you to four options: My Yamaha, Dealers, Performance and Stay Hooked. Each of these buttons has a unique feature for Yamaha owners. You can go into the My Yamaha option and register your outboard motor using your PID Number. From there, it will access the information on the motor and give you the start and end dates of your current warranty along with a countdown clock on how much longer you have to get an extended warranty before that option runs out. If it’s a new motor, you can log and track the break-in period along with scheduled maintenance.
Because the App stores information such as the Hull ID# and Yamaha Outboard PID, I’ll use it when I’m filling out information for my boat insurance or registration. It’s just a quick access system to everything about your boat.
As I said before, the Dealers option will help you find the nearest dealer if you’re ever in a jam and need parts or service, or provide you with contact information if you’re just looking to call and order something.
The Performance option allows you to access all the Yamaha Performance Bulletins, which are records of boat and motor combinations that Yamaha Application Engineers test and evaluate, like speed and fuel burn at different rpms, along with other pertinent data, such as the prop they were using. It’s great to be able to quickly access the criteria the Yamaha Technicians utilized to help get maximum performance from the boat and motor combination they tested.
I know a lot of guys who look at Performance Bulletins regularly just to know what prop they should buy. You can bookmark any of the Bulletins for future reference or share them with friends who may want to utilize that information as well.
The last button on the Yamaha Outboards Mobile App is the Stay Hooked option, which basically provides quick access to all the Yamaha Social Media sites, which I check on a regular basis, because people are always sharing information about their boats and motors. I’ve gotten some really great tips from Yamaha Outboard owners on those sites.
There’s also a list of Frequently Asked Questions and the Answers to those questions, so you can keep track of any news related to your Yamaha Outboard. This feature is really cool because if there’s an issue with an outboard model or new way to troubleshoot a problem, you’ll hear about it first in this section.
It’s kind of funny, but when I first downloaded the Yamaha Outboards Mobile App I figured I’d never use it, but it’s something I refer to on a regular basis and use to track my maintenance on my motor. When I sold my last boat and motor (I get a new one every year), I could show anyone who was interested all the information about the break-in and maintenance, so I had a great source of information about my personal outboard motor. When I’m at a tournament and filling out the paperwork, I’ll refer to the App for my boat and motor numbers.
The Yamaha Outboards Mobile App is super simple and easy to use, and if you get in the habit of playing with it on a regular basis, you’ll find inputting the information really takes only a few minutes of your time. But when you need information, the answers are right there in your pocket. Check it out. It’s free and really does have some great features.
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