Yamaha 255 FSH SPORT H (2024-)

Overview

The Yamaha 222 FSH (Family Sport Hybrid) is a jet-powered center console configured first for the avid angler, with every major area converting easily to family and social space. She brings the premium fishing features of the 25-foot FSH series to a mid-size package. BoatTEST’s Captain tested the 222 FSH Sport E with twin Yamaha 1.8-liter high-output engines.

“This family sport hybrid truly lives up to the name.”

Mission And Intended Owner

• Built To Do: Fishing first, plus family and social days on the water
• Designed For: Anglers and families, with an emphasis on safety for the whole family
• Locus Of Operation: Open water and the extreme shallows

“With so much versatility packed into the Yamaha FSH center consoles, the hardest decision an owner will have to make is how to spend their day on the water.”

Design Overview

• Improvements Over The 21-Foot Models: 9 more inches of length overall, higher freeboard and a deeper hull for more stability in open water
• Propulsion: Twin jets, with no spinning props near swimmers and a drive system virtually flush with the bottom for shallow water
• Keel: Articulating keel, now on all Yamaha jet boats, for stability crossing wakes and waves and less sliding in turns
• Hardtop: Standard, integrated into a beefy console, with squared supports for a modern look and a raised aft section for easier entry
• Windshield: Full acrylic, in powder-coated aluminum supports
• Decking: Marine mat, removable in some places for easy cleaning
• Hatches: Finished undersides

Specifications

• Length Overall: 22 feet
• Beam: 8 feet, 6 inches
• Draft: 19 inches
• Fuel Capacity: 75 gallons
• Cockpit Depth: 31 inches
• Livewell: 26 gallons, aerated

Test Conditions And Test Weight

• Sea State: Some slight chop
• Weather: A hot, muggy Florida afternoon, when performance is at its poorest for most boats
• Load: Three people aboard
• Test Weight: 4,802 pounds

Performance

• Tested Power: Twin Yamaha 1.8-liter four-cylinder four-stroke high-output engines
• Top Speed: 47 mph at 7,400 rpm
• Best Cruise: 34.9 mph at 6,500 rpm
• Fuel Economy At Best Cruise: 2.2 mpg
• Range At Best Cruise: 140 statute miles, holding a 10% reserve

Acceleration:

1. 0–30 mph: 5 seconds flat

“Hole shot time was lightning fast.”

Sea Trial And Handling

• Stability: The articulating keel gives a more planted feeling over wakes and waves
• Turns: Less tendency to slide
• Maneuverability: Independent twin engines let her maneuver in the tightest spaces
• Security: The deeper cockpit felt secure even when moving around underway

“With this deeper cockpit, moving around the boat, even when underway, felt secure.”

Engine Room Or Mechanical Compartment

• Engine Access: Filters and dipsticks are easy to reach
• Through-Hulls: Reachable, though the space is cramped
• Jet Cleanout: A hatch in the stern patio gives access to the jet pump cleanout ports, so debris can be cleared without getting in the water; a safety switch activates when the hatch is raised
• Wet Storage: The cleanout compartment doubles as wet storage
• Cockpit Depth: 31 inches

“The downside is that the water pumps are susceptible to sucking up grass and lines that can gum up the impellers.”

Features Inspection

The Helm

• Charging: Phone mount with inductive charging in the center
• Display: Simrad display with fishfinder and depth finder
• Audio: New Hertz audio center
• Switches: Illuminated accessory switches
• Throttles: Dual fly-by-wire
• Wheel: Stainless steel on a tilt base, with an integrated knob
• Cup Holders: Dual, for captain and mate
• Storage: Matted surfaces above and below, plus open and protected storage under the helm
• Footrest: Angled
• Grab Handles: On both sides of the helm
• Kill Switch: Lanyard at the helm
• Hardtop: Standard, with aft-facing integrated speakers

Anchor Locker And Ground Tackle

• Hatch: Topped with marine mat for safer bow boarding
• Locker: Large, with clips for a lightweight Danforth-style anchor and a notch for the line so the hatch closes with the anchor deployed
• Cleat: Pop-up, on centerline forward of the hatch

Boarding Amenities

• Stern Lounge: Yamaha’s signature stern lounge for easy access to and from the water
• Boarding Ladder: Slide-out three-step ladder on centerline
• Handholds: Two on the transom
• Table Or Grill: Receptacle on the stern
• Stereo Remote: At the stern on the Sport E

“Yamaha’s signature stern lounge is one of my favorite areas.”

Cockpit Arrangement And Equipment

• Rocket Launchers: Aft-facing, on all FSH models
• Vertical Rod Storage: Both sides of the console, with padded cutouts in the hardtop for longer rods
• Leaning Post: Double wide, with cooler storage underneath; the backrest flips forward to make a seat for watching baits or swimmers
• Gunwale Rod Racks: Four-rod racks on both sides, thanks to the higher freeboard, with reel padding
• Washdown: Jet wash raw-water washdown
• Livewell: 26-gallon aerated, set high for easy access
• Jump Seats: Two, folding down to open an aft casting space with no outboards in the way
• Rod Holders: Four more in the gunwales, plus four cup and rod holder combinations

Bow Arrangement

• Casting Platform: With the platform in the lower position, a wide casting platform
• Seating: Remove the center platform and add cushions to seat four upright, or two in forward-facing lounges
• Table Mount: At the bow
• Rod And Cup Holders: In the gunwales
• Grab Handles: Stainless steel, port and starboard
• Storage: Under both seats, one insulated as a cooler or fish box
• Floor Hatch: Finished molded storage with a dedicated 5-gallon bucket spot
• Double Doors: Two large storage spaces aft of the forward seating, with a trash bin on the port door and shelves to starboard
• Console Seat: Forward-facing, lifting to reveal a changing room or optional head

Interior Spaces

Console:

• Use: Changing room, or an optional head

Advantages And Disadvantages

Advantages

• No spinning props near swimmers
• Shallow-water capability with a nearly flush drive system
• Larger, deeper and more stable than the previous 21-foot models
• Lightning-fast hole shot: 30 mph in 5 seconds
• Articulating keel for a planted feel and less sliding in turns
• Independent twin engines for tight-quarters maneuvering
• 31-inch cockpit depth for family safety
• Four-rod gunwale racks and plenty of rod storage
• Jet cleanout ports reachable from inside the boat
• Signature stern lounge
• Standard hardtop

Disadvantages

• Jet pumps can suck up grass and lines that gum up the impellers
• Cramped engine space
• 2.2 mpg at best cruise, with a 140-mile range
• Head is optional