Advice on buying an AR190

[Juggsauce]

I fiddled with the search but the keywords didn't seem to help much.

Ive decided on an AR190. The problem is that every dealer in Florida doesn't seem to have one in stock. With covid shortages lingering I'm having some anciety. Before I start talking to salesmen who will lie their ass off about delivery, the question is what I should be prepared for in ordering one. My fear is placing an order and getting strung along all summer and getting it in December or something. If that's the case, I'll have to forego financing incentives and figure something else out.

Also, is there any other model similar to an ar190? Closest thing I can find is maybe a Scarab 165, but it's too small for the same money.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

Welcome!

The Scarab corresponding in size to the 19 foot Yamaha would be the Scarab 195, a single engine boat that comes in several hp options.

Jim

 

[Juggsauce]

Hey Jim,

For sure. The scarab 195 unfortunately costs far more than the AR190. The AR190 seems to occupy void in the market for the size and price that no other seems to match. That is, unless rediculous markups even them up... I suppose I'll find that out tomorrow though.

 

[212s]

Whoa, did the Scarab prices skyrocket? The AR190 lists at $35,899 while the Scarab 195 ID starts at $54,985 for the base. That's $19,000 more although the Scarab has the supercharged engine. The Yamaha SX195 is more comparable at $39,899 at 14 grand less. When we were shopping around before covid, prices were a bit higher for similar models but you could work a deal for similar prices on similar models.

I just did a comparable build for the Scarab 195 with a tower, mats, bow fillers, screen control, and table = $67,455 compared to the Yamaha 195s which has all that at $44,399. That's $23,000 more for the Scarab equipped the same. Now I'm guessing Scarab dealers would normally close a deal much lower, but I can't see them giving $23,000 in discounts. For that kind of pricing, you can step up to the Yamaha 212se compared to the Scarab 195 ID. I did a similar build on the 215 ID and it's a whopping $87,895.

Is Scarab pricing themselves out of the market?

 

[Southernerd]

I fiddled with the search but the keywords didn't seem to help much.

Ive decided on an AR190. The problem is that every dealer in Florida doesn't seem to have one in stock. With covid shortages lingering I'm having some anciety. Before I start talking to salesmen who will lie their ass off about delivery, the question is what I should be prepared for in ordering one. My fear is placing an order and getting strung along all summer and getting it in December or something. If that's the case, I'll have to forego financing incentives and figure something else out.

Also, is there any other model similar to an ar190? Closest thing I can find is maybe a Scarab 165, but it's too small for the same money.

I was on the list this last summer with two dealers, one in South Florida and one in Jacksonville. When the boats came in, the dealer fees, along with taxes, had the price nearly $10k over MSRP so I dipped. I ended up on Facebook Marketplace (as much as I had using FB) and found a 21 with 10 hours for MSRP. If you really want to buy, that may be your best route. Even looking at boattrader, there's hardly anything under $40k unless you go back 7 or 8 years.

 

[MajorBummer210]

Don’t buy a 190. Your wife/gf will regret being on a slow boat bogged down in the water when she tries to invite friends. For real.

I agree with the above comments by Southernerd. Go FB marketplace and get a clean used 195 or 210.

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

If you go used, the price difference is much smaller between the two brands. I’ve been looking at both boats as well, but I’m too cheap to pay the crazy dealer markups on either new boat.

If you are set on a jetboat, there really are not a lot of choices in a 19' boat.

Jim

 

[2kwik4u]

Don’t buy a 190. Your wife/gf will regret being on a slow boat bogged down in the water when she tries to invite friends. For real.

I agree with the above comments by Southernerd. Go FB marketplace and get a clean used 195 or 210.

I disagree. I'm sure it's wife dependent, but mine gives absolutely zero craps about how fast we're going on the low end, and only ever tells me to slow down, never to speed up.

The 190 is cheap to operate, trailer, and store. The big advantage over the 195 is range. If you want to further between fuel stops the 190 is where it's at. If you want to win drag races on the water, then the 195 is for you.

Although if you want to go fast in a boat, a small family bowrider with a wake tower isn't really what you should be looking at anyway.