AR192 or AR195

[AdamB]

When I was growing up, my parents always had either an outboard or I/O boat. I now have a family of my own and am looking to purchase a 19 foot bowrider. I am planning to use the boat to wakeboard, ski, tube and cruise with my wife and son. The largest skier I would be pulling would be around 250 lbs.

We attended a local boat show this winter and decided to pursue a Yamaha AR model based on interior layout, Yamaha reliability and the price point in the 19 foot class. My biggest concern in the idea of a jet boat and also understanding the options I need to consider valuable when purchasing a jet boat. I have done a ton of research on the differences in the AR 192 and the AR195 but having a hard time wrapping my head around how much these differences will matter without driving each boat. How big of a difference did the articulating keel make from 2015 to 2016? If I install an aftermarket Cobra on a 2015 AR192 will that get me similar performance to the articulating keel? Would it be worth buying the bottom plate and keel rudder and installing on a 2015 (Looks to be about $600 in parts)? How does the jet system do with the tow sports? obviously these thing get up and go, but how is that performance affected under load?

I have read almost every forum on the "heat soak" issue of the AR 192 but not sure that will affect me or not in northeastern Wisconsin, being the water temps will not be over 80F for the most part. Most of the people I see posting about the issue are in much warmer climates and see water temps above 85 degrees.

I am looking at a 2015 AR 192 with 75 hours. The guy said he has never had an issue with the heat soak issue. This boat includes a snap on cover, wakeboard, kneeboard, 2 person tube, ropes, bumpers, anchor and board rack. The guy has it listed for $30K.

I am also looking at a 2018 AR195 off the showroom floor. Out the door I would be around $37K.

I have only seen a couple used AR195s in the area and they are not much less than a brand new model.

I would value some insight from jet boaters who have used both these models.

 

[Banditgrrr]

I purchased a 2015 AR192 with 36 hours about 6 weeks ago. I took it out for a test spin a few weeks ago and ended up doing the following mods shortly after.

1. Replaced the plugs with new ones ($20)
2. Replaced the impeller because the previous owner must have sucked up some rocks and it was pretty beat up ($200)
3. Installed the SHVO intercooler ($180)
4. Ribbon delete ($20)
5. Rebuilt cleanout port plug ($40)
6. Installed Cobra Jet Steering Viper ($150)

I also purchased the new bow roller, installed all SeaDek flooring, various stereo upgrades, resealed all thru-hull connections, installed VeVe guides and a few more things. Not that you'd have to do all these things but items 1-4 above got me from 35mph/6500rpm's to 50mph/7500rpms. I haven't had a chance to pull anyone yet as the water is still too cold but I don't think I'll have any problem getting someone out of the water. I picked mine up for much less than the one you're looking at so I didn't mind spending the extra money to get it to where I wanted.

 

[AdamB]

How much is much less? Is 30k a bad price for that boat ?

 

[Banditgrrr]

I found mine on eBay and worked out a deal with the seller. He was in a position where he had to get rid of it quickly. The boat was 2200 miles away and I flew out to see it first. It was extremely dirty and one of the seats needed to be reupholstered. All in with having it delivered via Uship it was $22,700. I think those deals are very few and far between. With everything I've put in over the past several weeks I'm into it for about $26,500. I was looking for several months and seen the prices you're looking at. I still had a Seadoo Speedster so I was in no hurry. I think I was extremely lucky.

 

[swatski]

If I install an aftermarket Cobra on a 2015 AR192 will that get me similar performance to the articulating keel?

I don't know how much the Articulating Keel does, to be honest but I think the Cobras outperform it by far, having had Ultimates and fangs (in a 2012 190 - before AK) - towing skiers/wakeboarders becomes non-issue and is fun.
I don't know pricing especially in your area and up on the worst part of year from a buyer's perspective does not help. But I would think 25-28k would be a good range for a nice 2015 AR192. The intercooler would be a must I would think, if you do a lot of pulling - skiers or tubers - going WOT you will get heat soak, no question about it.

My gut feeling is - if I were to spend over 30k on a single - it better be a 195. Those new ones are very nicely appointed from factory, the only needed mod would be a pair of Cobras.

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[swatski]

Just saw @Banditgrrr post - very useful info!

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[AboveTheBest]

My boat is a 190 and it has no problem pulling a 200lb slalom skier (me) out of the water with 4 adults in the boat. It doesn’t have the hole shot of a nautique, but sucking water for 5-10 seconds isn’t bad, just like any I/O I’ve ever skied behind.

If you’re pulling a wakeboarder or someone on combos you’ll have no problem at all.

From what I’ve heard, the extra power from a 192/195 will be noticeable at the top end, so you’ll have similar results with your hole shot.

 

[AboveTheBest]

Its probably worth mentioning the spray too, as this comes up when you search “skiing behind a jet”.

I ski 15’ off and don’t find this to be a problem at all, but some of the people on my boat prefer to ski 0’ off as there is no spray at all that far back.
The only time I’m in the wake is when crossing it, and the little spray I get doesn’t bother me at all.

 

[d_coyne1984]

Either way you go, I think you will be very happy with the Yamaha for a family boat. As far as performance concerns go, you really shouldn't have any. The AR192 pulls fantastically. The only time I have ever had an issue pulling someone up was actually two 200lb guys on wake baords (which you really aren't supposed to do with this boat anyway). If there is not much weight in the boat, it will rip the rope right out of your hands if the driver is not genital on the throttle. I will typically load up with 6 adults and have never felt like the boat is under powered. One thing to be aware of is that these boats are very light an nimble, which doesn't equate to a large wake naturally, but adding either human or water ballast makes an enjoyable wake for most entry level to intermediate riders. I did upgrade my intercooler because at the cost of $150-200 I thought what the hell. I REALLY don't think it is something you'll even need to worry about (I am in MN FYI). One great benefit of the 192 over the 195 is you only need to use regular unleaded where the 195 requires premium. I have never been on a 195 so I cannot say what kind of performance boost you get for the added expense, but like most well powered boats, they are thirsty. Still, I can typically go for a solid afternoon of boating on half a tank. Personally, I would choose the 192 because of all the extra included accessories/toys. You are looking at a couple grand to add that all yourself and 75 hours on the engine is barely broken in. I cannot comment on the effectiveness of the keel/rudder of the new boats, but I have the Thrust Vectors on my boat and would much rather maneuver my boat than any I/O. The thing that a lot new jet owners don't think about is that you can shift from forward to reverse as much as you would like which gives you a tone of control and ease of maneuver correction. There is no need to worry about wearing out a transmission. I am embarrassed to say that I think my wife is actually better than I am now at landing the boat on the trailer. If this is your first boat you will probably pick up the handling characteristics even faster than those coming from I/O's.

 

[KyleP]

I just gotta point out that you said driver “genital” on the throttle

 

[d_coyne1984]

I just gotta point out that you said driver “genital” on the throttle

Yeah, so. How do you work the throttle? Lol!

 

[KyleP]

Yeah, so. How do you work the throttle? Lol!

I’ve been doing it wrong this whole time lol!!

 

[AdamB]

I really appreciate all of the feedback! I am going to look at the used AR192 tonight. If i do go that route, I am sure I will eventually upgrade the intercooler since it is only a few hundred dollars.

I definitely like the idea of only having to run 87 octane fuel, but not a huge deal if I had to run 91 since fuel savings was not a thought when looking at a boat.

This will be my first boat I personally own, but I have been driving boats and PWC for 10 years, so not really concerned about the handling characteristic. Just excited to have one of my own!!

I see the picture above of the younger kids on the back of the boat, how do they like the low swim platform? It has to make getting in and out of the boat much easier.

 

[AdamB]

Its probably worth mentioning the spray too, as this comes up when you search “skiing behind a jet”.

I ski 15’ off and don’t find this to be a problem at all, but some of the people on my boat prefer to ski 0’ off as there is no spray at all that far back.
The only time I’m in the wake is when crossing it, and the little spray I get doesn’t bother me at all.

Only 15' off the back of the boat? When I slalom, I am probably 50+ feet off the back of the boat.

 

[AboveTheBest]

The swim platform is wonderful, and that’s pretty much where the kids stay if they’re not in the water. I don’t have to worry about them soaking the carpet (although I’ll be installing Seadek this year), and it’s a great place for them to eat snacks and other stuff I don’t want them to make a mess with.

I grew up in I/O’s (with occasional skis behind Nautiques) and remember always being scared to death I was going to slip and cut myself on the prop. I love that this will never be an issue for my kids.

Only 15' off the back of the boat? When I slalom, I am probably 50+ feet off the back of the boat.

15’ off refers to the amount of rope removed from a 75’ rope (which is the standard length). If you buy a rope it will probably have removeable sections, usually 5 or 8, and each of them is usually 10’ or 15’.

I do have a rope that is about 15’ long, but that is for dragging me “porpoise style” behind the boat while trolling at around 8mph. It’s something I used to do as a kid, and it’s pretty much like body surfing behind the boat. Ditch the lifejacket and tie your shorts tight

 

[AdamB]

The swim platform is wonderful, and that’s pretty much where the kids stay if they’re not in the water. I don’t have to worry about them soaking the carpet (although I’ll be installing Seadek this year), and it’s a great place for them to eat snacks and other stuff I don’t want them to make a mess with.

I grew up in I/O’s (with occasional skis behind Nautiques) and remember always being scared to death I was going to slip and cut myself on the prop. I love that this will never be an issue for my kids.



15’ off refers to the amount of rope removed from a 75’ rope (which is the standard length). If you buy a rope it will probably have removeable sections, usually 5 or 8, and each of them is usually 10’ or 15’.

ohh ok, that makes more sense.

I plan to install SeaDek as well if I purchase one of these boats.

Thanks again for the info!

 

[haknslash]

The differences of a 195 is that it has the SVHO intercooler, high performance oil cooler, 160mm pump vs the 155mm on the 192, different supercharger wheel for more boost/power. The interior grab handles are different and the vinyl colors and slightly different. The 195 will be a little faster on the top end. I think most do around 50-52 mph vs the 49-50 mph of a 192 with the SVHO intercooler. These are not GPS numbers but rather from the dash (paddle wheel).

My 192 had no issues pulling ~1400 lbs. I didn't get up to wakeboarding or skiing speeds but the boat certainly would have planed out. I doubt you'd every use quite that much weight towing a tube or wake boarder on these boats but just giving you an idea the single 192 has no issues on loss of power. Heat soak happened to me even in temps below the 80's. The SVHO intercooler can be found relatively cheap and it's a direct bolt in.

 

[AdamB]

Well... bad news, the used AR192 was in rough shape. The keel was almost white in color it was so scuffed up and I am not sure a keel guard would cover it up completely. It also had several gouges and scratches all along the side from slamming into a dock. Back to shopping I guess.

 

[ROGUE111]

I picked up a used 2016 AR192 late last season and found with 4 adults+ kids, I had to plow a loooong time at 6'1", 210lbs on a slalom at 15' off. Granted, we had just finished tubing on a really hot day so I'm hoping heat soak was the issue. Over the winter I performed the ribbon delete, SVHO intercooler swap, had Impros work out some nasty gouges in the impeller, sealed up the pump area, and took some slack out of the throttle cable so I'm really looking forward to seeing if any of it made a difference this year.

 

[AboveTheBest]

@ROGUE111 have you tried a bigger/wider ski?

I didn’t have any luck the first outing with my 190, so we ordered an O’Brien Sequence and had no problems at all after that. It isn’t the piece of plywood that wider skis used to be, in fact it skis as good as any performance ski I’ve ever used (if not better).

It turned out I was out of practice and my starting form just needed some work (it had been close to 10 years), and now I can get up on my regular ski (O’Brien Siege) with minimal effort.

I am waiting on my L13 Cone to get delivered, and I’m hoping for even easier starts this year.