In the market for a boat and I believe I have it narrowed down between the AR190, AR195s, and AR220. I had a few general questions that I hope someone might be able to shed some light on. Boat would be used for hitting the lake to cruise around, do some tubing, wake board (maybe), drink at the sandbar, little bit of fishing but not much, typically would never have more than 4-5 people total on the boat...
- The AR220 would be nice due to the extra space/size, dual motors in case one fails, in the long run is it worth the extra $7,600 - $16,700?
- I understand the supercharged motors are creating more horsepower, however does the super charged motors come with more maintenance/headaches or less reliable compared to a non-supercharged motor?
- I have a 2024 Grand Cherokee L that has a towing capacity of 6,200 lbs. Is anyone else towing a AR195s or AR220 with a similar sized SUV... any issues?
- What is the tongue weight on these boats?
- Is there a better boat option in the same price ranges of these boats $40k-$56k? I'm open to other manufactures....
Ideally wanting to make sure I make the right choice so I'm early on in the planning stages...
1. Both the SVHO and the TR-1 are very reliable engines. The 220 is going to have more torque which will be better for sports and from what i have seen on the water they get up to plane faster and create alot more wake, but the 195 is going to be a faster boat. My boat does not really create wake like the 220 does so we can surf behind it but its nothing like the 220 gets you. I own a AR195 and with 5 adults and 3 kids hit 43 mph last saturday. With myself and my wife we hit 50 all day. The 220 is going to be double the money for everything so cost of ownership is...doubled. If you aren't regularly taking it out to the ocean this might overkill.
2. There is no different on the maintenance between the 190 and 195. The supercharger just adds more compressed air at high rpms. Maintenance is the same (spark plugs, air filter, oil etc). But, if you are going to buy a used 195 make sure you check those upper RPMs to ensure the clutch is not destroyed on the supercharger. (usually happens from people always running at wide open throttle or neglect) there are multiple threads on here on what to look for. There are 500+ hours on some of these boats as long as you actually do the maintenance there is no difference. You can always add a blow off valve on the supercharger to relieve back pressure when throttling down, but if you don't drive it like a F-18 you shouldnt have that problem.
3. 190 & 195 yes, 220 no. 195+trailer is 3000lbs but the boat is wide. People pull them with SUVs just be careful
4. no clue, i would guess around 400lbs but thats a real swag.
5. Depends on what you want, scarabs are really nice but i have seen cost more money. I went with the AR195 due to the reliability of the engine, the amount of room it has onboard, and the affordability. Mine was $33k from a private seller (recently), they are all over facebook marketplace in my area (jacksonville) but the cheaper ones tend to be north of atlanta and around nashville. 2022's for $35k.
Final thoughts. I like the 220 but I did not want dual engines due to the maintenance costs and fuel costs and its a larger boat which is not something i need. I also know the sounds system on the 220 sucks. Turns out the 195 isnt much better so plan to upgrade that upon purchase. I also wanted a boat that as fast and easy to trailer. I went with the AR195 instead of the SX195 because i liked the bench seat on the port side, my kids love to lay there and nap but I would go to a dealer and sit in each one, the 195 has alot of room. As far as the 190, they are great boats but i like passing them on the water.
