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  1. jsimanskey

    2018 Chicago Air & Water Show

    Those are great pictures. How was the launch from Diversey? What did you do about parking? I live in the city but keep my boat in WI - I’ve been tempted to bring it down for the show or even a cruise down the river. My problem is I doubt I could back it in behind my house from the alley and I...
  2. jsimanskey

    Request for AR195 advice

    Good questions - I bought an AR190 about this time last year, here’s my experience: I was coming from an old Speedster with the 240 Merc, probably similar to yours. I don’t regret choosing the 190 over the 195, which I primarily did for fuel reasons since I boat on a lot of lakes without...
  3. jsimanskey

    What do you tow your 190 with?

    Nice! I lobbied for an SQ5 when we traded in our Q5 in the spring - ultimately the Q7 won out for the 3rd row and cargo space. Tows nice though! Now I’m hoping to get my S when it’s time to replace my A3 in a couple years...
  4. jsimanskey

    New to Yamaha boat ownership

    Completely normal - throttle controls RPMs directly, there is no transmission to “shift”
  5. jsimanskey

    When to take delivery of 1st boat

    Get it as soon as you can and enjoy! My boat is in Wisconsin and the season already feels like it's running short. Looking at my calendar, I'm kind of bummed to think this weekend may be my last one out for this year ...
  6. jsimanskey

    First Boat

    Another vote here in favor of the AR190. So far we're loving ours, it's a very nice boat for the money. I personally don't miss the small upgrades (such as speakers, which I'll replace myself anyway, or the bow cushion, which we made the dealer throw in). I would enjoy, and take advantage of...
  7. jsimanskey

    165 Owners: Can You Do a 180 at Max Speed?

    Go for it! It's one of the things I miss most about my Speedster - I don't know your boat, but with that old hull I could power through and throw a good spray too.
  8. jsimanskey

    Saving for college questions

    We use a 529 in Illinois, I'm not in finance but from a consumer's perspective it seems to be run a lot like our 401k and IRA plans. My plan administrator gave investment options based on risk level (on a scale of risk adverse to aggressive) and also offers a target plan that adjusts every year...
  9. jsimanskey

    2015 Sx190 top speed

    I too had some initial concern after my first couple times out in my 2017 AR190, but now can comfortably hit low 40's even in some warmer temps, seems like right where it should be based on tests and reviews. Biggest *completely unscientific* factors for me were loading (I do better with my wife...
  10. jsimanskey

    Chicago air show august 19, 20

    It was such a nice day yesterday... I wish I could have been out on the lake too. I'll definately try and plan for it next year!
  11. jsimanskey

    ***WARNING*** 2015-18 YAMAHA “AR” BOAT OWNERS WITH FORWARD SWEPT WAKEBOARD TOWERS

    I've had a similar thought - rigging it up like a sailboat until a better solution is found. I was thinking simpler though - tied off to the mooring points at the stern. In the case of catastrophic failure, it's the moving tower that has the potential to do damage - witness the damage to the...
  12. jsimanskey

    ***WARNING*** 2015-18 YAMAHA “AR” BOAT OWNERS WITH FORWARD SWEPT WAKEBOARD TOWERS

    The system needs to be able to withstand impacts of all kinds. The conditions in that video are rough, but if the canopy can be deployed and jet skis can cross that's hardly gale conditions. I've been on rougher lakes; hell, I'm sure I've already had harder hits while trailering down county...
  13. jsimanskey

    ***WARNING*** 2015-18 YAMAHA “AR” BOAT OWNERS WITH FORWARD SWEPT WAKEBOARD TOWERS

    I agree this seems dangerous. They do know there will be load imposed opposite of the towing stresses - anyone who deploys a bimini top will be stressing the connections forward in the right conditions (though the fabric should hopefully give way first). I had a pretty thorough delivery...
  14. jsimanskey

    ***WARNING*** 2015-18 YAMAHA “AR” BOAT OWNERS WITH FORWARD SWEPT WAKEBOARD TOWERS

    I just took delivery of a '17 AR two weeks ago. Did they tell you how you could have avoided this? I don't recall seeing it in the manual. Most of the time my 7-year old son will be in the boat. How often has this been an issue? I'm still within the 30-day return period offered by my dealer -...
  15. jsimanskey

    AR or SX

    Our dealer offered to install one, never got an exact quote but they said it would be somewhere under $1k. My sense from talking to dealers is that most people prefer the bench. My wife did prefer it, and we both agreed the boat feels slightly more spacious and easier to move around in...
  16. jsimanskey

    AR or SX

    In addition to the tower, AR models include the J-shaped passenger bench, in lieu of a passenger's captain's chair.
  17. jsimanskey

    Storage Space Use

    I too was told 42-43, and test reports back that up. Which is why I was worried at 3/4 of that, lightly loaded. However, yesterday I did get to 40mph pretty consistently in 1-2ft choppy waters. That was with a little less than half the weight in the bow - when my wife and son moved to the back...
  18. jsimanskey

    New AR190 owner

    2nd weekend update: - Flushed the engine prior to launching, checked the intake and cleared a couple weeds. I couldn't see any signs of damage on the impeller, and all surfaces in the jet drive seemed sealed and relatively smooth. - Filled up (87 octane) and added the recommended fuel...
  19. jsimanskey

    Storage Space Use

    Overall, I felt the boat handled well. No major issues at slow speeds, which I was expecting, given reports. I don't want to make you more nervous, as from what I've seen it looks like experience can vary wildly, but I've got 2 issues that I suspect are related to the pump/intake. First, low top...
  20. jsimanskey

    Storage Space Use

    Congratulations! I picked my AR190 up last weekend and really enjoyed the amount of space - my last boat was tight (and that's being generous, essentially just a small ski locker). All good tips above, but to that I'd add to keep some sunscreen on board. My son is always forgetting to put it on...
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