Considering 2020 Yamaha 242 SE

[4michael]

Help please!

In considering purchasing a 2020 Yamaha 242 SE. Live on a Texas lake and been saving for a boat. Have a family of four. Plan to keep boat on a lift. Looking for the perfect mix of fun, safety, and comfort. Am I on the right track, or do you have other boat recommendations? Pros vs. Cons?

 

[J-RAD]

We're all a bit bias here, but we LOVE our Yamaha boat. I bought my AR240 new in 2016 and I feel like I bought the right boat for me and my family. There's boats out there can can do certain things better but, this boat does about everything as well as we'd like. We're into watersports and do some of everything behind our boat. It takes some modifications and investment to do things like surfing well but it does the job.

I guess to answer the question more thoroughly we should ask question, what type of boaters are you? Cruise and float, mainly watersports, go fast?

 

[WildCatFan54]

J- Rad , in my opinion, just gave you some real sound advice. I think you’re headed in the right direction with a 24 foot Yamaha boat. Is the tower that important to you? If not maybe consider the SX 240. If the tower is mandatory but maybe not some of the E series control functions, go with the AR 240. I decided that the 242 Limited SE was perfect for me and my family. And then there is the flag ship, 242XE, if water sports are going to be a big part of your life? Good luck, and enjoy the process.

 

[captras]

242SE is the way to Go unless you are big into wake surfing. We ski and wakeboard so the SE is perfect. We love the big bimini and the other extras over the 240. Throttle sink, fly by wire technology, and DRIVE control is awesome. Believe it or not, I was shopping for the 240, to keep the cost down. Wife saw the 242 SE and said that was what she wanted! I "reluctantly" gave into her wishes. Our last boat was a 1987, 21' Four Winns we bought in 1997. Kept it for 20 years, and when we sold it, was still running great. When I bought our 2016, I violated my 2 basic rules regarding buying a boat....... Never buy new..... and NEVER spend over $65,000! Well I have not had any regrets! Good luck... go for the 242SE!

 

[tabbibus]

Owner of a 242 LSE here, I'll walk you through my story. Family of 5 here.

1. Saw a 212X on sale, peaked my interest. Was working the wifey. But then things happened, we got preggo and the boat took a back seat.
2. Boat show time comes around, baby is in belly. We go and see what is out there. We see the AR 240 right next to the 212X. Huh. That extra space sure looks nice. Will come in handy when we have friends with kids over. We are not surfers. We just want to chill and simple tow sports.
3. Dealer says he has a 242 LSE demo unit with 8 hours on it, for a poop ton less money. We go see it. Holy sweet large bimini batman! All the shade! This is key for the upcoming baby. Just on that alone, we got that boat.

Get the boat in the water, and oh my goodness the e-throttles are amazing. Smooth, precise. You can sync the throttles with a button and while cruising you can adjust them with just one finger! I have not regretted this decision at all.

 

[4michael]

Thank you all for the input.n the shade is a must for my wife, I like to go fast, and my kids will be into watersports such as tubing and wakeboarding. Not really considering wakesurfing. Sounds like the perfect boat for us!

 

[Tahoeboyd]

Hi, I'm on the fence on two vessels. Yamaha 252xe and a Chaparral 23' surf boat. It will be in Lake Tahoe only. 70-75% pleasure cruising around and 25%-30% wake surf for the youngsters.
I was told you need more modifications to make Yamaha "runs straight and cutting the waves". How does your boat track in the water? Straight?