The Yamaha Exciter 270 is one of the most powerful jetboats on the market today with twin 130-hp engines.

The 270 is a very ergonomical boat, with padded seating designed to keep you in place when carving hard tight turns. There are also plenty of grabrails so passengers can keep a secure grip during quick maneuvering. Two side mirrors on the helm allow the driver to keep an eye on the waterskier or wakeboarder behind. On the dash the instruments are easy to read and there are also tachs for each engine. There’s an abundance of storage space, including a cooler and large ski locker. There is also a hatch in the swim platform that allows you to clean out debris from the jet pumps without getting into the water.

Water jets are what make jetboats so unique; giving them the ability to slide through tight turns or make 360 degree turns very easily. The Exciter 270 makes a great runabout, bowrider or ski boat. The jet pump adds safety, since there are no propellers, and this gives the boat an extremely shallow draft. You can take the 270 most places a traditional boat wouldn’t be able to go.

Its patented hull design really grips the water and a special keel lets her carve sharp, steep turns. We clocked her at a top speed of 57 mph and she even has a matching trailer as standard equipment.



To see other jet-powered boats like this, check out our SEA-DOO line of sportboat tests.

Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions