2021 AR190 vs AR210

[poordealguy]

We thought we were sure...then we weren’t. We are a family of three looking to upgrade from our Seadoo Sportster. We love our little 15 ft seadoo - its easy to tow, store in the garage, and just plain, fun. However, we would like more space for the following reasons:

1) The ability to invite the spawn’s friends without wanting to throw the whole lot of them overboard for getting under our feet within the first hour - We could have two adults and three or four 8-10 year olds OR four adults and three 8-10 year olds on the boat in the future. 80% of the day is spent tubing, swimming etc i.e. all passengers will be on the boat only when heading out from the dock, eating, or heading back to the dock.
2) The wife would appreciate being able to retreat more than one foot from our fishing lines of death that are armed with cruel hooks and lures.

We mostly boat on smaller lakes but may occasionally take the boat out on Lake Erie or Lake Michigan. We would like to store the boat in the garage (22’ deep and 93” high entrance). We do not want to upgrade our Toyota Highlander so are limited to 4000lbs boat+trailer. The 2021 AR190 seem(ed) like it is roomy enough for all of our needs for the next few years but now we are debating between that or a 210. Any pearls of wisdom from the group would be much appreciated...

 

[Betik]

Going from a speedster the new 190 will feel great. Judging from your description you need a 210. But I am not sure your highlander is up for the job Unless it is a short towInt distance.

 

[SCP1]

Get the 210.

 

[white2kstang]

We've had 5 adults and 2 tween/teens on our 195. Weve also had 3 adults and 5 kids. We usually have 2-3 in the tube most of the day except when the Zup or surfboard is out. It wasn't bad even with a large cooler and gear, tube, surfboard,ect.

All being said, we would have a 212x if it would have fit under our 7ft door. Our tow vehicle was not a concern though.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I boat in all the local lakes here in Southeastern Michigan, I also do Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, etc. If you go 19' you would need to pick your days and how far offshore you want to go in the big lakes. For the inland lakes the 19' is fine. I do see 19' Yamaha's out on the big lakes, so if you need to go in that direction, should be ok. You will get more cushion out of the 21' foot. In the AR210 I handle just about anything so far, but haven't had to come in because of a freak storm 10+ miles off shore yet. Plus the chop on LSC, and Lake Erie and Lake Michigan from other boaters is what gets a bit dicey once in a while.

FYI the worst is at times the Detroit River, along certain stretches the waves are just like a bath tub. One day, we went down to the Detroit/Windsor Bridge to check it out, was pretty rough. Huge rollers, made me and the admiral nervous, took our time to get back up to the calm water near Belle Isle. The were rolling up higher than the boat, 4-6 feet, but were not breaking. Not a lot of fun. Multiple tankers were coming through at the same time.

You will definitely enjoy the extra space and I believe taller freeboard in the 21'. If you have the dough, go for a 212, but you will have no problem with the AR210. I put 80+ hours on mine and more than half was in the great lakes.

We find the 21' very large and get 8-10 max out in without issue. When it is just the two of us if feels palacial.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Your tow vehicle looks light for a 21

 

[14SX190]

Coming from a 2014 190SX I can tell you that fitting in garage and not having to upgrade tow vehicle were the tw0 top reasons for it.
Also, I prefer the 1800cc HO motor that has 4cyl Vs 3cyl in 210. As mentioned if not breaking bank the 212x is or would be my go to boat.

You will have concerns about it being underpowered when pulling tubers due to single engine in the turns as it scrubs speed but very doable.
I look at weight vs number of people. 4 kids @ 100 lbs each is about 2 Adults. Give and take weight but you get idea. You seating is different and may fit your needs until your kids friends come along during summers. Bring everyone along to sit in one if you haven't.

I have yet to have more than 2 Adults and 2 kids and have no problem running on plane cursing at 35 to and from dock to sandbar. How many people did you usually have to leave behind in the smaller Sportster? Was the seating for 5 or 6? you pick up 2 spots in the 19.

The 21 looks better for your needs then.
Good big or go home as they say. You will not be disappointed with extra room in 21 as long as it fits in garage as your Highlander should be capable towing as you said short distance. May be ask dealer to let you tow one around and see and that will make or break 21?

 

[SCP1]

One other thought is compromise and get a 195, this way you still have the power you want with a boat full.

 

[14SX190]

I would go twin NA vs SC.
I feel extra load of towing would cause stress to SC let alone extra fuel consumption.
Also, would be hard to get premium while on water.

 

[2kwik4u]

We went after a 240, came home with a 190. It fit in the garage and eliminated an extra storage cost for us. I skipped on the 195 under the guise of saving fuel. Wife didn't like the colors/trim on the 195's. I'm in the fence on if I would have wanted the extra power with reduced range. I've only ever run the boat to the low fuel light once, and have often wanted a bit more speed when running from a storm, or racing my buddy to a new party spot.

If I was looking to store in a garage, or tow with a small SUV, then the 190/195 boats are perfect for that. As soon as you break the 5k lb barrier, or the 84in height on trailer barrier (to fit inside a standard garage door).......IMO.....the best bet is to get as large as you can comfortably afford.

• Once you cross over the 5k lbs barrier, you're into larger tow vehicles. Most midsize SUV's cap out around that 5k-5.2k capacity range. The next steps up are usually in the 7k+ range and will handle any boat Yamaha makes. Might as well get the most space you can once you've committed to a larger tow vehicle.
• Same for the height requirement. As soon as you don't fit in a standard garage, you're paying for offsite storage (or storing outside on premise), and have that cost to contend with. The difference in cost to store a 21ft vs a 25ft is going to be tiny small. Might as well get the most space you can.
• Total cost of ownership between a 210 and a 240 is very similar. Fuel usage on twin 1.8's will be VERY similar at a given rev range, you'll just go a little faster in the smaller boat.

In terms of space on the 190. We regularly have our neighbors out with us. Total crew ends up being 4 adults and 4 kids under 10. It's cozy, but not absurdly tight. Only really an issue when the neighbors bring a cooler that doesn't fit under a seat and they want to store it on deck. I've since bought them a "spare" to bring along just on boat days. I've also had 6 adults and 3 coolers. One of the coolers was the absurdly large Yeti and it lived on the swim platform for the duration of the day. No issues planeing or maintaining high 30mph with that load. Weight in the bow is was really kills the speed on these boats. The total weight seems to be less of an issue. The most crowded I've had it was with 2 adults and 6 teenagers learning to wakeboard. Took a bit longer for the boat to plane with 4 teenage girls sitting in the bow, but ultimately it was doable.

The 190 is, again IMO, one of the best boating values out there. It's cheap to own, cheap to operate, easy to tow, and easy to store. We got ours for $30k out the door, and it's been an excellent vessel for us for the last 4 seasons. We've tossed around the idea of trading in for a bigger one, but this one covers something like 90% of our use case, we'll probably keep it a few more years.

 

[14SX190]

Took a bit longer for the boat to plane with 4 teenage girls sitting in the bow, but ultimately it was doable.

The 190 is, again IMO, one of the best boating values out there. It's cheap to own, cheap to operate, easy to tow, and easy to store.

I noticed that too the other day when I was in some rollers. Moved kids to the back, and bow raised up. Took on less waves over the bow as it got on plane easier. Works more like ski where I had control of trim up/down to get bow to cut through waves easier.

Plus all those videos of boats going through Haulover with people in the front is making me think twice. Just have them in the back all the time.

Have friend who has made crossing to Bimini on 2015 Sx190 with no problems. Looking forward to his next crossing next year.

 

[2kwik4u]

Have friend who has made crossing to Bimini on 2015 Sx190 with no problems. Looking forward to his next crossing next year.

The bimini crossing is on my list of "cool stuff to do with the boat", but I've got to get some more experience in heavier seas before I embark on something like that. Hoping to take the 190 down to Destin this summer for some socially distant vacation time in the ocean.

 

[14SX190]

The bimini crossing is on my list of "cool stuff to do with the boat", but I've got to get some more experience in heavier seas before I embark on something like that. Hoping to take the 190 down to Destin this summer for some socially distant vacation time in the ocean.

Thats pretty much any outing in South Florida. Even IC gets white caps from yachts/powerboats/ski all coming from every direction

I'm practicing all my hard work in getting boat running I can run open water for 4-6 hours continuously over and over.
Did a 60mile run last week with 4hrs run time.
I think crossing is under 3hrs as its 60 miles from Miami.

 

[anmut]

You need a 21' boat.

 

[212s]

I recommend you buy your second boat first (that should be trademarked here!)

If you think you will need the 21' you should consider it now rather than taking a hit with a trade or sale. We considered the 195s but after looking at the size difference, seating, freeboard, and extra power of twin engines, it was a no-brainer for us. The 19' would have been large enough, but the bigger boat with twins performs and cuts through chop better and I prefer more room than not enough. The AR210 with a full tank of fuel on the trailer should be in the 4500+lbs range. I pull a 212s at 4900lbs with my SUV rated at 5000lbs towing capacity.

 

[poordealguy]

Somehow did not get any notifications of thread activity, logged in today to just check and...wow, you guys are awesome!
The Highlander is rated at 5000 lbs. We are looking forward to visiting Summersville in West Virginia and other lakes down south in 2021 so need to be able to navigate hills/ranges while towing. I believe the ideal tow weight should be 20% less than what a car is rated for...that puts the 210 about 500lbs over ‘ideal’ for the Highlander. After watching one too many videos of cars being pulled into the water by the big boats they are offloading or fishtailing as they try to pull the boat out, I am leaning towards the 190.
We have done three adults, and three kids (all under 10) on the sportster. Even on the 7-humans-on-a-15-footer weekend, we managed to pack all food, drinks, fishing gear, towels, spare clothes etc into the Sportster’s storage areas. Your feedback has me less worried about space.
It’s all about tubing and zup-ing and swimming. We went out on Lake Erie and up the Cuyahoga river once and 8 declared it the most boring day on the boat...EVER. We won’t be cruising long distances or going miles offshore - maybe a trip to Kelley’s island on a nice day (put in at a ramp in Sandusky/Catawba etc).
On our Lake Erie day, breakwater and entrance to the river was a mess of barges, jet skis and bigger boats creating a ton of chop (but not close to @HangOutdoors experience on the Detroit river). The sportster handled it great - we got some spray but no waves breaking over the bow. Hoping that the experience will be even better in a 190.
Now if only we could hit fast forward on winter...

 

[SCP1]

You still have time to upgrade your tow vehicle and get the 210. You maybe shocked how much your Highlander brings as used car prices are up. If nothing else check it out just to make 100% sure you are good with your decision. As you don't want to be upgrading in a year or wishing you got the 210.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@poordealguy It is much easier to swap out the tow vehicle then upgrade your boat. We are considering going up to the 250/252 since we do the great lakes a lot. If you plan on running Lake Erie and/or Lake Michigan, I would recommend considering at least the 21'. Its funny how once in a while turns into a lot more. We said the same thing. Nice days turn nasty quick on Lake Erie. Lake Michigan is not do be underestimated either and can be worse fast. Also two engines is nice if one sucks something up you can get back to shore, especially if you are miles from shore.

 

[mwalker4]

If your modern vehicle says 5000 lbs, it can tow 5000lbs even in WVa. They test and rate for that situation. As for ramps, tow rating doesn't help slipping and sliding, its about the 4x4 and tires. You can get in real trouble with a 2WD Truck with a high tow rating on a steep slippery ramp. The AR21 might actually tow easier because of the dual axle trailer should provide more stability front to back and safety in case of a blow out. I agree with @HangOutdoors , I have the 190 and like it, but I do have dual engine envy and need to be more careful because the freeboard is very low upfront.

With all that said, if your family is all loaded up in the Highlander with provisions for the trip then that must be considered and your tow rating will be reduced from 5000 lbs.

 

[2kwik4u]

With all that said, if your family is all loaded up in the Highlander with provisions for the trip then that must be considered and your tow rating will be reduced from 5000 lbs.

This is the key detail. The tow ratings are standardized on SAE J2807 as of the 2015 model year. If you're rated at 5,200lbs you can tow 5,200lbs, but you have to remove any additional cargo, persons, or other gear from that number.

I ran through the math on my 9,200lb rated truck during my vacation trip last year. Even with my 190, I was within 2,500lbs of the max load. Still plenty of head room, and it showed in how the vehicle handled the load. That same boat behind my wifes old Traverse with a 5,200lb rating was a struggle with 4 adults, 3 kids, 3 coolers, a dog, and the AR190 in tow. I'm 99% certain I was over the GVWR of the Traverse at that load case. I haven't weighed mine to be certain, but I estimate it is around 4k lbs fully loaded with trailer, spare tire, anchor, floaty toys, fuel, batteries, stereo upgrades, etc. Leaving 1,200lbs for "cargo" in the vehicle.