I put a post up a week or two ago about my buddy that has the FX 21 skeeter with the 250 sho. So he ordered his hydrofoil after I told him about the responses we got from that post. He went Wednesday to pick his boat up from the dealer ( he had his second console installed along with some lights and a issue with the Lowrance fixed) I guess he got to talking to them about the hydro foil and they told him if he installed it it would void the motors warranty.... Anyone know why or had this happen to them??? Thanks in advance!

It voids the warranty because it is not an OEM product and those hydrofoils put a lot of pressure on the cavitation plates causing some to break.
My question is why does your buddy need a hydrofoil with boat powered with a 250 SHO?

"does your buddy need a hydrofoil with boat powered with a 250 SHO?"...good point, that 250 should do the job with no assist

Warranty is defined as. manufacture defect. Should not effect warranty unless it breaks something. On the other hand, a fx21 should not need or have a hydrofoil if it is set up correctly. Invest in a hydraulic jack plate if it does not have one.

Putting a whale tale on a 250 SHO is not necessary.

No offense but I would urge anyone here to take the advice of Mr. Yetts. He is one of the best and makes his living dealing with boats and motors. If he says it voids the warranty breakage or not I would bank on it.

Get off his case. His decision.

A hydrofoil will allow a boat to plane faster and go slower without porpoising. There are reasons to have one.


I wonder why nobody tells people they don't need two power poles or underwater lighting.

Sorry about the wait. Just got off the phone with Kevin at Yamaha Outboard rigging / warranty. Adding a hydrofoil WILL NOT VOID WARRANTY. However if it is installed improperly or breaks something it will not be warrantied. Just like if you hit a rock and broke the cavitation plate ect.

My thought is this... Kind of like what Tommy said...
A properly rigged boat with a 250 SHO, shouldn't need one. I don't care what brand of boat it is... Unless it's a tug boat...

That is absolutely correct and should be the case with not just an outboard.

By some of the reasoning above, new tires (that aren't original make / model) would void the warranty. Simply not so.

On the other hand, I agree, the Hydrofoil shouldn't be needed, but if he feels it's needed, help him put it on. His boat, he's the one making the payments, more power to him.

They do have merit however. They serve their purpose great.

correct on the tires to a certain degree. With investigation you can prove manufacture defect versus wear and tear. Broken axles, wheel bearings, blown up gear cases and belt issues are effected by the tires. If you have a gear case actuator fail because of manufacture defect it would be covered. unless your big tires made you submarine the unit. Give and Take on both cases. and Depends on the Yamaha rep and your shop. My advise on that is leave it stock unless you are willing to take a gamble with warranty.

The onus is on the manufacturer / repair facility to say that the hydrofoil caused the failure. I'm sorry, but unless the cavitation plate broke or something else retarded like that happened with the lower unit, I don't see it being at fault.

My theory behind the tire comment was if I take the Bridgestone's off and put Firestone's on, size being equal, the by some statements above, that alone would void the warranty on the whole thing.

Now if said tire came apart and damaged the truck, then the truck MFG is off the hook, but if the window motor fails, there's no relation. If the trans fails, I don't see it being at fault of the tire.