Considering a Jet Boat as Second Boat

[THJeff]

Hello everyone. I am considering buying a jet boat as a second boat. I've done a fair amount of research and I'm leaning toward a 2020 Yamaha 212S. To give some background on myself, I have been a boater for about 10 years. My wife grew up boating but I had very little experience even though we both grew up in Michigan. We purchased our first boat in 2012, a 2000 Sea Ray 410 Sundancer. We love the boat and have made several updates to it through the years. Moreover, this is the only boat I have ever driven so I have zero experience with smaller boats which is why I came to this forum looking for some advice. We primarily stay on Lake St. Clair but occasionally venture up to Lake Huron or down to Lake Erie. We hope to do some longer range cruising in the next couple years. Anyway, back to the jet boat. We are looking for something smaller to tool around in and as our son gets older (he'll be 9 this summer), we believe the jet boat will be a good for recreation on the water for he and his friends. The 212S seems to be a perfect size for us in that we'd like to be able to trailer it easily as we may also take it to some inland lakes such as Houghton Lake. I've listed some questions below that I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback on. Also, if there are other boat models you suggest may be better suited to us, I'm all ears.

• Tips on driving the boat. What things should I be mindful of compared to my only experience of driving a large express cruiser?
• Care and Maintenance. Any special considerations with respect to fuel and annual maintenance?
  • Weekly checklist for engines besides oil, coolant (do they even have coolant or are they 100% watercooled?), etc.
  • Polishing/Waxing?
  • Bottom paint?
  • Fuel additives?
  • Battery maintenance - Do I need a battery tender?
• Towing. I've never towed a boat. I have a Ford Explorer Sport that I will use to tow. The boat will be kept in the water in a slip at our marina most of the summer but I'd appreciate any tips for launching and haul outs as I do anticipate doing it a few times a year.
• I've heard about the nightmare of sucking a rope into the engines. Are there any other jet boat specific pitfalls to be mindful of?

I'm sure I will have several more questions that come up based on the responses I receive. I really appreciate any feedback that you can provide.

I look forward to chatting with everyone!

Jeff

 

[jcyamaharider]

Hello Jeff and welcome to the forum. You should get a lot of different views here and this is only my point of view.

I assume you have twin engines on your boat so driving the yamaha will be similar but will take a little to get used to. There are products out there that will help you. Just practice and remember only go as fast as you would want to hit the dock when coming in....lol

As far as maintenance on these boats, super simple. Check oil from time to time and grease the shaft bearing at the beginning of the year along with an oil change. Spark plugs every other year for myself. That is about it.

We wash our boat after every outing and apply hot sauce but only wax at the beginning of the year.

Bottom paint isn't necessary if you pull it out and acid wash the hull once a year.

Yamaha recommends ring free...... I use startron

Battery tenders are nice and if you keep it in the water a must because the bilge will cycle to "look" for water every timed interval. I forget what that is but it can run your battery dead. Others have installed float switches to get around this.

Towing: Practice makes perfect, no real pointers I can think of

Do you think that your son will do any watersports other then tubing? If so I would suggest bumping up to a 212X. Towers help resale value and are important for watersports down the road. The boat will also have ballast and would be really easy to try surfing if you get into that. Sucking up the rope isnt a huge deal just be mindful of the rope at all times.

 

[THJeff]

Do you think that your son will do any watersports other then tubing? If so I would suggest bumping up to a 212X. Towers help resale value and are important for watersports down the road. The boat will also have ballast and would be really easy to try surfing if you get into that. Sucking up the rope isnt a huge deal just be mindful of the rope at all times.

Thanks so much for your thoughts! I believe the 212S has the same tower as the 212X but I could be mistaken: 212S . So I think the only difference is the ballast and the decals. Our prime use for the boat will be more traveling short distances and my preference was for a more subdued look so I figured why pay extra for the 212X.

 

[jcyamaharider]

Thanks so much for your thoughts! I believe the 212S has the same tower as the 212X but I could be mistaken: 212S . So I think the only difference is the ballast and the decals. Our prime use for the boat will be more traveling short distances and my preference was for a more subdued look so I figured why pay extra for the 212X.

I believe you are correct on the tower. 12k gets you upgraded stereo, ballast system, board racks, PTM mirror. But like you said if you are just doing short distances and no strong influence on watersports, then the 212S would be perfect.

 

[THJeff]

I believe you are correct on the tower. 12k gets you upgraded stereo, ballast system, board racks, PTM mirror. But like you said if you are just doing short distances and no strong influence on watersports, then the 212S would be perfect.

That was my understanding as well. In speaking with my sales rep at the dealer, he indicated that I can upgrade to the 212X stereo which I plan to do. One thing I can't find online is whether it provides sourcing for satellite radio...do you know if it does?

 

[jcyamaharider]

That was my understanding as well. In speaking with my sales rep at the dealer, he indicated that I can upgrade to the 212X stereo which I plan to do. One thing I can't find online is whether it provides sourcing for satellite radio...do you know if it does?

I think it will accept the module but you do have to buy that. I would just bluetooth your phone and use that if you have unlimited data.

 

[bigwaves]

Hi Jeff, I was in a similar situation. I have a Formula 41 PC and just bought a 2020 AR190 as a second boat. The AR190 is plenty of boat for me and my wife to bebop around the Chesapeake Bay especially around the crowded Annapolis area. I have the Formula for longer cruises and rough water. I had a blast on the sea trial with the AR190. You’ll easily get the hang of operating the Yamaha but it certainly was different than my twin diesel Formula.

 

[swatski]

Is that what @PEARCE rides?
He might be able to have some useful suggestions having had both types of boats for a while.

--

 

[OCMD]

Why burn excess money a a new one, when these things are maintenance free and run forever? Take a trip to FL and buy Will's! Great price; you know it was cared for; and look at all the extras!

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2018-yamaha-212x-for-sale-in-panama-city-florida.23655/

 

[PEARCE]

We have a SR 400 Express Cruiser, a 1999 vintage. She's actually currently for sale. Simply too busy to devote the time to be able to enjoy it. We drive the boats in very much the same way. Slow speed, like in the marina, you steer the Express with the shifters, with the Yamaha you simply use the throttles with a light touch. However, with inputs in the Yamaha your results happen much faster then in the big boat. You'll get the hang of it in no time if you're used to handling your big Express. You're going to be way more in touch with the water conditions in the lightweight Yamaha too. If it's windy and rough then it's going to be a bumpy and maybe wet boat ride.

You're going to want to have a battery tender/charger of some form. I'd recommend a second battery and a bilge pump with a float switch if you plan to leave it in the water for long periods of time. I'd recommend a lift to keep the bottom and pumps as clean as possible too. No bottom paint!

As far as towing, all I can say is practice. Take it to a large, open parking lot and practice turning and backing. If your Explorer has that max tow package then you have that knob that you use to back a trailer. You have it made if you have that because it takes out the guesswork.

Good luck with whatever you find and enjoy your new adventures!

 

[zipper]

Welcome to the Forum. Nice boat(s). I was going to post @PEARCE has a similar boat, but he beat me to it. Sad it is for sail sale. The 212x is a nice boat. You may find the addition of trim tabs benificial to the ride comfort out on the Great Lakes. I use them every time we go out on Lake Champlain as it is rarely calm out there. Good luck on your purchase. We love being out on the water, our Yamaha is good from glass conditions up to about 2' chop, with trim tabs. The sailboat is great in 1' - 4' waves and 8-20kt. winds where my Yamaha becomes uncomfortable, to us, at speed.

 

[gwrace1]

Speaking from past experience I'd never want to go back to owning two boats. In our case we always ended up using the smaller pleasure boat while the other one sat in storage. Of course we never ran the great lakes and rarely hit the ocean so your mileage may vary. Anymore were limited to weekend use and just want to have a few hours of fun time.

 

[THJeff]

We have a SR 400 Express Cruiser, a 1999 vintage. She's actually currently for sale. Simply too busy to devote the time to be able to enjoy it. We drive the boats in very much the same way. Slow speed, like in the marina, you steer the Express with the shifters, with the Yamaha you simply use the throttles with a light touch. However, with inputs in the Yamaha your results happen much faster then in the big boat. You'll get the hang of it in no time if you're used to handling your big Express. You're going to be way more in touch with the water conditions in the lightweight Yamaha too. If it's windy and rough then it's going to be a bumpy and maybe wet boat ride.

You're going to want to have a battery tender/charger of some form. I'd recommend a second battery and a bilge pump with a float switch if you plan to leave it in the water for long periods of time. I'd recommend a lift to keep the bottom and pumps as clean as possible too. No bottom paint!

As far as towing, all I can say is practice. Take it to a large, open parking lot and practice turning and backing. If your Explorer has that max tow package then you have that knob that you use to back a trailer. You have it made if you have that because it takes out the guesswork.

Good luck with whatever you find and enjoy your new adventures!

Thanks very much for the input. Yes, I'm hoping it'll be an easy adjustment to steering with throttles as opposed to gear shifters. I've read that moving in reverse is a different experience as well with a jet boat. Do you have any thoughts on that?

 

[THJeff]

Welcome to the Forum. Nice boat(s). I was going to post @PEARCE has a similar boat, but he beat me to it. Sad it is for sail sale. The 212x is a nice boat. You may find the addition of trim tabs benificial to the ride comfort out on the Great Lakes. I use them every time we go out on Lake Champlain as it is rarely calm out there. Good luck on your purchase. We love being out on the water, our Yamaha is good from glass conditions up to about 2' chop, with trim tabs. The sailboat is great in 1' - 4' waves and 8-20kt. winds where my Yamaha becomes uncomfortable, to us, at speed.

Thanks. What kind of trim tabs did you install? I'd like to know what to investigate should I decide to go that route.

 

[zipper]

Thanks. What kind of trim tabs did you install? I'd like to know what to investigate should I decide to go that route.

You are welcome. I used Lectrotab, alot of trim tab info from a search. These are a couple of threads here... https://jetboaters.net/threads/trim-tabs.21064/#post-358935

 

[THJeff]

Speaking from past experience I'd never want to go back to owning two boats. In our case we always ended up using the smaller pleasure boat while the other one sat in storage. Of course we never ran the great lakes and rarely hit the ocean so your mileage may vary. Anymore were limited to weekend use and just want to have a few hours of fun time.

I understand how that could be the case but in our area, we are one of the few people we know who have a 40+ foot boat and no smaller boat. We sleep on our boat every weekend, so there is no risk of it being unused. What's more, we would take out the large boat whenever we have guests for a ride or to anchor just because of the greater creature comforts and more space. The smaller boats are used in our area for shorter trips or quick rides around channels with just the three of us. We also belong to a yacht club that is on an island. So if we are staying there a couple days on our large boat, the smaller boat allows us to leave the island for a period of time without firing up the large boat.

 

[jcyamaharider]

If you plan to tow the boat beside your other one while under way be sure to research the options that you will have to do. You will need to install shut off valves so the motors do not fill up with water.

 

[THJeff]

If you plan to tow the boat beside your other one while under way be sure to research the options that you will have to do. You will need to install shut off valves so the motors do not fill up with water.

Thanks for the tip. I wasn't planning on towing it on the water. If we have both boats at the island, my wife and I will drive each boat separately. But it's good to know that's a possible option if handled correctly.

 

[PEARCE]

Thanks very much for the input. Yes, I'm hoping it'll be an easy adjustment to steering with throttles as opposed to gear shifters. I've read that moving in reverse is a different experience as well with a jet boat. Do you have any thoughts on that?

In reverse with jets you steer the direction that you want the rear end to go. I have no enhancements on the nozzles because I learned without them. This was my first boat so I didn't know any different. A lot of the guys on here have come from the I/O or outboard world and were used to a different feel of control. That's why there are options for steering enhancements on the market. These boats are very maneuverable once you have the feel for it.

 

[THJeff]

In reverse with jets you steer the direction that you want the rear end to go. I have no enhancements on the nozzles because I learned without them. This was my first boat so I didn't know any different. A lot of the guys on here have come from the I/O or outboard world and were used to a different feel of control. That's why there are options for steering enhancements on the market. These boats are very maneuverable once you have the feel for it.

So only use the steering wheel in reverse to steer and not the shifters/throttles as I would on my big boat? I use my shifters for 90% of my slow steering maneuvers on my big boat.