2020 212s mini review

[212s]

Hi everyone, just posting a mini review of our new 2020 212s.

First off, the boat is great and so far performs perfectly. Coming from an old 210hp Mercruiser and alpha drive in a 19.5' to the twin jets, this thing just launches like a bazooka! Midrange punch is stunning going from 25mph cruise to near WOT. Heck even going from 5000 to 6000rpm she rockets away. Only hitting 9.5 hours now and haven't had good water conditions to go WOT yet, maybe this weekend if we're lucky. Certainly not disappointed in the performance of these engines, wow. And she's no louder than our old boat at cruising speeds. Really like the non-supercharged sound too, no whine from the turbine like in another's Vortex. Regular fuel is a bonus too. No stern drive is awesome - drop it in the water, start engines and go. Doesn't get any easier.

We noticed that the 2020 seems to have better fit and finish over previous model years. I think the 2019 was about the same, but we like the 2020 black color scheme better. So far no loose screws, nuts or hose clamps, engine room is clean, tidy, and completely dry. Surprised to find Yamaha Hi-Tech marine batteries in the boat. Down the road I'll swap out the house battery for a deep cycle and already have a 3amp charger to top up the house battery during the week. No issues with battery connections House and Start work as expected, and Connext alarm goes off if one is low or off. Found the usual shavings and bits of fiberglass in a few areas and at the drain plug, but that's not a big deal. Jetpump intakes seem to have decent sealant so no cavitation. Cleanout plugs are easy to twist out and replace. Lubed them and the drain plugs with silicone spray to keep them supple. Tower is rock solid for the easy to deploy bimini, seating comfortable, lots of room, totally happy with the layout. Marine mats are comfy and we will be ordering the engine step over pads from JetBoatPilot shortly.

Ride is nice with the 20 degree deadrise, she plows through heavy chop very nicely. Our old boat was a nightmare to get back home in heavy chop with an 8 degree deadrise and lots of hull slap and packing. Handling is smooth and crisp with short wheel turns, and she carves nicely in the turns, with very little chine walk and doesn't spin out under aggressive turns, unless you really push hard with heavy throttle input during the turn. Trailer is decent and adjustable, had to put the tower back 1.5 inches to get the transom just inside the bunks for spec, no big deal. Aluminum wheels are nice and light, and look great with the black boat and cover. No scratches from the stock bow roller, but we don't power load. Still looking for a way to get the Stoltz roller shipped to Canada. Mooring cover fits like a glove and no chaffing. Not sure if the '19's had disc brakes on all wheels or not, but our 2020 does which is nice. Joystick took some getting used to, but works great. No wake and cruise modes are nice...wife thinks it's funny a boat has cruise control. Filler cushions are comfy, and the table has a marine mat already on it (publicity shots have a bare table) which is nice and helps prevent sliding of bowls and tupperware from the waves.

Connext screen is bright and crisp, and after updating the maps, no need for a chartplotter now as it shows all details needed for safe navigation. While there are no depth numbers for fishing fans (a finder would likely be used anyway), the colours and contour lines match up exactly with Navionics on a Garmin in a side by side check, and is easy to navigate to avoid shoals, rocks, and shallows. All channel markers, obstructions, marinas, and shorelines are spot on. The dark blue contour seems to be at about 8 feet depth so makes navigating safe. The screen update speed is a bit slow, but works well enough for our needs. Heads up would be nice rather than a scrolling screen.

Fuel consumption is right were we expected, 10gph while cruising at 30 mph which compares favorably with our old v6 carb Mercruiser which cruised at 25.

Only factory issue we have is the port bucket seat has a bad slide-lock and it won't lock into place properly. It'll be going back to the dealer for fix or replace soon for the first 10 hr service. Only other issue is the dealer scratched the gel coat under the port seat - looks like a battery was dragged over the lip when installing the batteries. They've already agreed to buff that out for us.

Overall very satisfied with the boat. So glad we went ahead with the purchase this year. Wife calls it our water Ferrari...possible name...? LOL

 

[Revo]

Our 2019 212X had some damage from the stock roller upon delivery. I buffed it out myself and swapped to the Stoltz roller on the first outing (brought my tools with me and took me 5 minutes to swap in the parking lot while the boat was tied to the dock). We did our maiden voyage in December so launch ramp was a ghost town.

Experience with our boat has been very positive and in many ways right in line with yours. I just finished doing the 10 hour service myself a couple weeks ago. I can confirm my 2019 had discs on one axle on the trailer.

I put on the step-over pads for the small spot above the engines as well as the larger one that goes under the removable cushion and the front anchor locker after the first outing. Since then we've also added mats for the trailer tongue, the front of the boat on either side of the anchor locker and the little step at the front where the cup holders are. I would really suggest adding the front mats. They give the boat a much more premium feel and make it a lot safer when stepping on and off from the front - I'm super happy with all of them.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@212s I live in Southeastern Lower Michigan and I near Lake St. Clair, Detroit River and Lake Erie. I can grab a Stolz Bow roller and any thing else you can't get shipped and meet you on the water and throw it over the Border Line if you need me to Not sure in Canada where you are at.

 

[212s]

@212s I live in Southeastern Lower Michigan and I near Lake St. Clair, Detroit River and Lake Erie. I can grab a Stolz Bow roller and any thing else you can't get shipped and meet you on the water and throw it over the Border Line if you need me to Not sure in Canada where you are at.

LOL thanks for the offer...a bit too far to drive (5+ hours). We might try shipping to a USA address or a dealer over the border, and pick it up there after the borders open up, hopefully next month. So far I have no scratches on the bow from the stock roller, but I splash water on it to ensure there's no dirt before I winch up the boat.

 

[212s]

Update - hit 12.6 hours on Sunday and going in for first service/oil change and fix up this week. Will post the results of how that goes. Below is a pic back at the ramp tunes playing after finally doing a WOT high speed run, bimini closed, fuel about 18%, 2 people, typical gear. Water was fairly smooth, winds light, and if we had a bit more room and time to open her up, she felt like she had a couple more MPH's in her - will see about that next time. We hit 51.8 easily but had to slow down. Revs both hit just over 7500 at this speed and she was quite stable and capable. Once again not disappointed at all. Looking forward to the rest of the summer!

 

[212s]

Another Update - forgot to follow up with the results of the gelcoat repair - they did a great job fixing that, fixed the seat so it works fine now, and oil change done. They forgot to reset the maintenance hour meter, but no biggie. Installed the JL amp the same weekend and the speakers pump nicely now. Last upgrade this weekend is an onboard Promariner 12a charger to keep the batteries in good shape all summer and winter. Down the road will switch to a deep cycle battery for the house and that's it I think.

 

[Mrbrown6]

I have the same boat, also in black and just hit 12 hours too. This is my first jet boat, but long time boater. I haven't had too many issues adjusting to the jet but having now docked and loaded the boat a handful of times, I think I may invest in one of the aftermarket options to improve reverse and slow speed control. I had the Stoltz roller put on at delivery, well worth it so far.

The hole shot power and response is impressive, it gets a 225 lb. guy out of the water on skis instantly. It does throw a lot of spray on tubers, I extended rope with a 10' extension that dramatically improved it. I see you hit almost 52 mph which is great. I've only been able to hit 44 mph so far but limited opportunities to get WOT for extended stretch of water. I didn't feel like it had a lot left though, so I'll have to check that out.

Couple of the early issues I've had, mostly minor.
-Both captain chairs had the underneath mounting bolts spin out while on the water. I'll probably use some loctite on them when I get a chance.
-2 of the side rear sound dampening foam sheets have peeled off the sidewall (way in back where it is really hard to reach). I'll probably try to get the dealer to climb in there, my body doesn't twist like that anymore.
-House battery doesn't charge from engine in standalone mode, only starting battery charges. I had to put in the emergency parallel mode to get both batteries charging from the engine. If I am understanding the user manual correctly, this isn't how it should be. It's going in for the 10hr oil change so I'll have that checked. Mine came with Interstate batteries.
-I had the Yamaha Slampak tower speakers/amp installed by dealer at pickup. They sound great, but I'm not thrilled with zone control between boat speakers and tower. The boat speakers are barely putting out anything at the point the tower gets overwhelming. Also have had a few hiccups between Connext screen and rear fusion deck becoming unresponsive communicating with eachother on volume control. Also realized I will need a sub. I'm not the guy blaring music for the whole sandbar, but definitely lacks low end with the tower.

Love the layout, space/storage, and performance so far. Lots of compliments on the water. Feels awesome to have one of the nicest boats on the water vs. The same old bow rider that everyone else is running.

 

[212s]

I have the same boat, also in black and just hit 12 hours too. This is my first jet boat, but long time boater. I haven't had too many issues adjusting to the jet but having now docked and loaded the boat a handful of times, I think I may invest in one of the aftermarket options to improve reverse and slow speed control. I had the Stoltz roller put on at delivery, well worth it so far.

Still have the factory original roller - no marks on the gelcoat. But we hand load on the trailer.

The hole shot power and response is impressive, it gets a 225 lb. guy out of the water on skis instantly. It does throw a lot of spray on tubers, I extended rope with a 10' extension that dramatically improved it. I see you hit almost 52 mph which is great. I've only been able to hit 44 mph so far but limited opportunities to get WOT for extended stretch of water. I didn't feel like it had a lot left though, so I'll have to check that out.

What elevation? We're on the great lakes around 240ft above sea level and have now hit 53mph without trying too hard - might hit 54+ under ideal conditions.

Couple of the early issues I've had, mostly minor.
-Both captain chairs had the underneath mounting bolts spin out while on the water. I'll probably use some loctite on them when I get a chance.

We've found a few screws and bolts a bit loose, but that's par for the course with boats. Remember these are not cars on smooth highways, they're bouncing across liquid concrete all day so things shaking loose is normal.

-2 of the side rear sound dampening foam sheets have peeled off the sidewall (way in back where it is really hard to reach). I'll probably try to get the dealer to climb in there, my body doesn't twist like that anymore.

The damping material in my stbd area is a bit loose - will need to apply some contact cement for that too.

-House battery doesn't charge from engine in standalone mode, only starting battery charges. I had to put in the emergency parallel mode to get both batteries charging from the engine. If I am understanding the user manual correctly, this isn't how it should be. It's going in for the 10hr oil change so I'll have that checked. Mine came with Interstate batteries.

That's probably just a wiring issue where the dealer didn't put the right wire in the right place. Hopefully that's an easy fix.

-I had the Yamaha Slampak tower speakers/amp installed by dealer at pickup. They sound great, but I'm not thrilled with zone control between boat speakers and tower. The boat speakers are barely putting out anything at the point the tower gets overwhelming. Also have had a few hiccups between Connext screen and rear fusion deck becoming unresponsive communicating with eachother on volume control. Also realized I will need a sub. I'm not the guy blaring music for the whole sandbar, but definitely lacks low end with the tower.

The stock system has the stern and cockpit speakers run in series, which really cuts the output in half. Listen to the bow speakers, and then the cockpit, and you'll probably find a huge difference in performance. I put in an amp and wired everything properly and now the cockpit and bow thump very well. I've never been the guy with subs in a vehicle, just on my home theater. My music system at home is just tower speakers and they rock with a good amp. Same for the Polks in our boats...a good amp will wake them up big time.

Love the layout, space/storage, and performance so far. Lots of compliments on the water. Feels awesome to have one of the nicest boats on the water vs. The same old bow rider that everyone else is running.

Yup, she's a sweet ride for sure. Possible boat name?

 

[EricE]

Another data point I n top speed. We hit 49 with 2.5 (2 adults, 1 kid) people and about 40% fuel. They was a little bit of wind and the temp was 82. Not bad for a 1st speed run.


We were at about 7500 rpms on both engines with about 7 hours on them.

We love the layout also. We like it . more and more every time we're out!

Interesting comment on the speaker wiring ... Would simply wiring everything in parallel improve the sound. I am here happy with the sound, but at speed it can be a little low in the helm area.

 

[212s]

Another data point I n top speed. We hit 49 with 2.5 (2 adults, 1 kid) people and about 40% fuel. They was a little bit of cool and the temp was 82. Not bad

Make sure you close the bimini as it's rated to 45mph but acts like a sail when trying to max out the speed. A lot of people drive with the bimini open at full speed without issue, but I prefer not to risk it with a shiny new boat.

We were at about 7500 rpms on both engines with about 7 hours on them.

Once you hit over 10 hours I think the engines have freed up a bit and you might see 51-52 after the 10 hour service.

Interesting comment on the speaker wiring ... Would simply wiring everything in parallel improve the sound. I am here happy with the sound, but at speed it can be a little low in the helm area.

No you can't wire it in parallel with the stock head unit, it won't handle a 2 ohm speaker load and will blow the output circuits in the radio. You need an amp and re-wire it properly, then it will work much better. Even a small amp like the JL Audio MX280/4 will drive all six speakers (cockpit & bow 60w in parallel, and stern on their own channel as they're smaller and rated 50w) and get them pumping.

 

[EricE]

Make sure you close the bimini as it's rated to 45mph but acts like a sail when trying to max out the speed. A lot of people drive with the bimini open at full speed without issue, but I prefer not to risk it with a shiny new boat.

Once you hit over 10 hours I think the engines have freed up a bit and you might see 51-52 after the 10 hour service.

No you can't wire it in parallel with the stock head unit, it won't handle a 2 ohm speaker load and will blow the output circuits in the radio. You need an amp and re-wire it properly, then it will work much better. Even a small amp like the JL Audio MX280/4 will drive all six speakers (cockpit & bow 60w in parallel, and stern on their own channel as they're smaller and rated 50w) and get them pumping.

Thanks for the info on the on the speakers...
I've been happy with the speaker performance so far.

I had the Bimini closed. I also think the wind had the biggest effect on my to speed.

 

[Sean R]

Thanks for the write up, iam picking up my 2020 212S on Thursday. You got me really fired up

 

[212s]

Thanks for the write up, iam picking up my 2020 212S on Thursday. You got me really fired up

Good to hear! Don't forget to break her in gently and let us know how you like it.

 

[212s]

Update on the Connext maps...did a side by side of the same area and here's 2 images to compare. Aside from the depth numbers and some extra details in submarine cables and non-critical markers, the maps are essentially the same for navigational purposes:

 

[Sean R]

Got my 212S out on the water this weekend and we are loving it, "212S" your mini review was right on the mark. Went from a 2017 Ar190 great boat but the twin eng on my 212 launch your ass out of the water. My only complaint is the weather in GA this weekend is going to suck.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Sean R Hopefully you did a two hour break-in and limited your RPM's?

 

[Sean R]

I didn't, bought the boat used with 12 hrs on hit, the seller said he did the break-in. Thats the down side of buying used, not sure if they are honest. Still didn't go WOT but I wanted to.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Great, cool. How about that oil/filter change at 10 hrs? Did you look at the oil yourself? Personally I would change it if you haven't and probably look at and/or change the plugs, check all hose clamps and screws on the boat and lubricate with silicone hinges and such. Also lubricate the keel drain plug O-ring and all the other O-ring plugs as well. Lubricate the Clean out Port Plugs. Good to get on a great start and a routine. Just some advice.

Edit: For that matter, I would check the trailer bearings for proper grease, all the tire pressures on trailer and lubricate winch and coupler as well.

 

[Sean R]

Oil looked brand new and he gave me the receipt for oil and filter. One thing that was different, on my 17 190 the 10hr maintenance required greasing the intermediate bearing at 10hrs. The 212S has me doing that at 100hrs. What was it on your 210?

 

[HangOutdoors]

That topic is highly debated on this forum of when it should and shouldn't be done. Some do it at 10 some do it 100. Some dealers do it and some don't at 10. I did not at 10. But I just changed my oil a second time at 70 hrs., since I will go over 100 probably this summer season as fall fishing comes into play. I greased during this oil change.