Boatless Newbie in Atlanta

[MattFX4]

Hi Everyone, been lurking around for a while and reading various posts. Just wanted to put out a formal introduction post. My name is Matt, I am a CPA, and live about 20 minutes north of Atlanta in Acworth, GA. I grew up boating/jet-skiing and have always wanted a boat of my own. Now that my wife and I are established in our careers, and our first child is 15 months old, we are starting to plan for a boat purchase. I see a ton of the Yamaha jet boats when out on my parents boat, and really like them. We are going to the Atlanta boat show this weekend to look at various brands/models. My goal is to purchase something next fall/winter around this time. I am really interested in the AR240, but would like to take a test ride on one before being sold. Do dealers typically give test rides or drives? I live about 10-15 minutes from Lake Allatoona, but not sure if any local dealers have demo days or anything. Nice to meet everyone!

 

[msavold]

Hi @MattFX4 !
Good luck with your search. We bought our SX240 this time last year and had an absolute blast with it this summer. I spoke to a few dealers and all had test drives available. A couple just wanted a "heads up" so that they could get the boat you're interested in into the water before you get there. Note that there isn't any real difference between SX, AR, or 242 when it comes to handling - as I'm sure you know, they're just trim levels. The hull and engines are the same.

 

[itsdgm]

Welcome aboard @MattFX4 I'm glad that you joined us and decided to post. I'm sure dealers would give you a test ride. You could probably check our members map and find somebody in your neck of the woods who could give you a test ride too. Good luck with your search, hopefully you'll be out on the water soon.

 

[spaz1868]

Welcome @MattFX4 ...check out Park Marine when you go to the Atlanta Boat Show. I will be going this weekend as well. I'm sure they can provide you with a test drive if you are serious about buying. They have a location on Allatoona and Lanier. I know on Lanier, they always have their boats in the water during the season on the docks at Port Royale. Good luck on your search!

 

[Bruce]

Welcome Aboard! If a dealer test drive does not work out I feel certain you will be able to find a member who will take you out.

The 2015 and newer 240s have an added keel and rudder so they handle differently than prior models. Yamaha Jet Boats provide high reliability with low maintenance. I am sure you will be very happy with your new boat.

 

[rkluck]

Welcome aboard! Park Marine is great. They will not only help you with test rides but are great later down the road. We got ours from them. We live in Marietta but have our boat on Hartwell. We boated on Allatoona for 4 years before going to lake Hartwell. I am sure we can get you out on the water if you want to.

 

[Bill D]

Welcome aboard @MattFX4! Last year before purchasing our boat we went to the on-the-water boat show on Lake Lanier and test drove both 21' and 24' models. The sales guy was very knowledgeable and friendly. I forget when exactly it was, but it was sometime around April.

 

[MattFX4]

Thanks for the welcoming guys. I have no doubt that I would like the AR240. I guess I am more worried about power, and longevity of the engines. I have grown up around I/O boats, and outboards and have seen the problems with them, esp the I/O's. Outboards seem pretty reliable. How do the 240 series boats perform with 8-10 people aboard? Do they have the umphh to get up and go when loaded down? I'm not worried about being the fastest guy on the lake, but don't want to feel underpowered if I bring a few friends along. I am interested in the 2015's and newer because of the sound deadening that Yamaha built in. I am very familiar with Park Marine and Marina on Allatoona. I will give them a shout as summer approaches.

 

[biglar155]

Welcome!

 

[Jim Robeson]

Glad you found us and !!

 

[Bruce]

The Yamaha Jet Boats have an impressive ability to throw you back in your seat while accelerating. If you look at 0 to 30 numbers you will see that they accelerate faster than almost anything else out there.

The same engines are used in many high end jet skis. Older MR1 engines have been documented up to 4,000 hours without a rebuild in rental skis and 2,000 hours seems to be quite common. The newer 1.8 liter engines in the 240 you are looking at have been in use in boats since 2010. The only issues were with oil cooler bolts on the 2010 models. They rev lower than MR1s so they should last even longer.

 

[rkluck]

I have 8+ people many times and we can still tube, wakeboard and ski. the boat is also very roomer. We like the way it is kind of sectioned off into three areas. There is a difference but the performance is still very good. I have the 2010 and have had no major problems. I had few little things that the dealer took care off (remote stopped working, etc.). So I am going into six years with her now.

 

[Julian]

@MattFX4 Welcome! Glad you found us, and happy hunting!

 

[MattFX4]

Went to the Atlanta boat show yesterday, and was able to check out a ton of boats. I/O's, wake boats, jets, etc. Wow, the dedicated wake and surf boats are $$. Don't think I could ever bring myself to drop $130k on a ski boat. I would like to get some input or opinions on the Chap's. I felt like the Chap's seemed to have a little better quality and a better finish. Makes sense though since they start out at a higher price point. The Chaparral rep mentioned they made some changes for '16 to help with the noise. That is one of the complaints I have read about them. Also, the supercharged engines burn more fuel correct? I still think I like that Yamaha's better though because of the engines, and the swim platform area. The AR240 on display was nice, tons of room onboard. The 242X was awesome too, but wife really didn't like the fixed top.

Wife really liked the Malibu until she saw the price tag! Sorry, these aren't jetboat related, but pretty cool.



This Tige was sweet. It's a special edition wounded warrior project boat.

 

[Bruce]

I like the Chaparrel boats and am glad to have competition in the jet boat market again. I am not a fan of BRP propulsion. The biggest issue is the lack of clean out plugs to access the jets when things get caught in there. From what I read here it seems that the Chaparrel / Scarab / Glassstream manufacturing has issues with using unreliable electrical components and the dealer network has issues with a lack of experience and training.

 

[MattFX4]

Yeah, I'm all for competition in the marketplace. Don't want to start a war here, just looking for some input on the differences between the two. I plan two demo both brands.

 

[Bruce]

Don't worry about starting a war. It is a question that comes up frequently and many of us have opinions. Chaparral has come out with some beautiful jet boats. They also have a wake surfing option that is new to the sector. Personally I like the size of the Scarab 255. I believe that the BRP powered jet boat manufacturers will work their issues out and offer a solid product line. I see the current owners as early adopters. They are exciting boats and exactly what some of us want.

 

[2nazt]

@MattFX4 I feel your pain. I've searched a lot as a new member and I'm torn between a chap 243 vrx and an ar240. I love the use of the medallion unit as a chart plotter and ski mode. I'm unsure with propulsion plant as I have the 1.8 in my jetski and it has been great and easy to maintain this far. I feel like everytime BRP is brought up it sparks an argument lol. I think the only drawback in my mind is the lack of clean out ports. But so far I've heard good things about the.chap on that matter. Hope some chap guys jump in with some updates and insight. Best of luck
Andy

 

[msavold]

@MattFX4 no worries about a war on this forum... We've all asked ourselves the same questions you're asking. When we were debating new vs used I preferred the Chap line but $ aside since we boat in shallow water often three words decided it for us: clean out ports. Had to use them a few times last season (pine cones are a PITA!). OTOH, during the same boating season two friends, one with an outboard, the other with an I/O watched their props go spinning into the distance when they hit something submerged and had to wait for BoatUS...

How do the 240 series boats perform with 8-10 people aboard? Do they have the umphh to get up and go when loaded down?

Well... last summer we had eight adults on board, one of which was my sister-in-law's smartass husband. Made some comment about whether or not this "pig of a boat" can go while we were idling through a no-wake zone... [heading north of 54 from Harpoon Hanna's for the locals]. So I gunned it the second we hit the no-wake limit. Purely by coincidence (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!) he wasn't holding on to anything at that point while standing in the front part of the boat. The transom kept him from bouncing off the swim platform and into the water... My wife wasn't happy with me but I enjoyed every minute.

On a more technical note, when we were looking/trying to decide I did a spreadsheet comparing performance among various boats. In this thread that you might find interesting... http://tinyurl.com/jxqsdt2

 

[MattFX4]

@MattFX4 no worries about a war on this forum... We've all asked ourselves the same questions you're asking. When we were debating new vs used I preferred the Chap line but $ aside since we boat in shallow water often three words decided it for us: clean out ports. Had to use them a few times last season (pine cones are a PITA!). OTOH, during the same boating season two friends, one with an outboard, the other with an I/O watched their props go spinning into the distance when they hit something submerged and had to wait for BoatUS...


Well... last summer we had eight adults on board, one of which was my sister-in-law's smartass husband. Made some comment about whether or not this "pig of a boat" can go while we were idling through a no-wake zone... [heading north of 54 from Harpoon Hanna's for the locals]. So I gunned it the second we hit the no-wake limit. Purely by coincidence (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!) he wasn't holding on to anything at that point while standing in the front part of the boat. The transom kept him from bouncing off the swim platform and into the water... My wife wasn't happy with me but I enjoyed every minute.

On a more technical note, when we were looking/trying to decide I did a spreadsheet comparing performance among various boats. In this thread that you might find interesting... http://tinyurl.com/jxqsdt2

Good stuff here. You're talking my language now with the use of spreadsheets. I am really surpised in the comparison of 2015 AR240 to the Chap 243 vrx. The Chap uses 14 more GPH at full throttle! It's also 15db louder. Fuel usuage is pretty comparable to the sunsetta with a 5.0 V8. I am really digging the 2015- Yamaha 240 series. I'm going to be in a predicament though, because I plan to purchase at the end of this year, or at the 2017 Atlanta boat show. I'm sure I will be able to find a few deals on current '16 models, but the '17's will be out by then. So, grab a 2016 at a little discount, or get the latest and greatest 2017? I guess it depends on what if any changes are made the the '17's.