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Expected speeds for a 2020 SX 190

Blwalters

Active Member
Messages
21
Reaction score
1
Points
30
Boat Make
Yamaha
Year
2020
Boat Model
SX
Boat Length
19
Hi All. This is our second summer with our SX 190. The boat was advertised by the dealer as a mid 40's mph top end easy cruiser mid to high 30's mph. We're not seeing anything near that. 2 adults, two kids (7 and 12) cooler and gear top end WOT 32 at best on the speedo. Engine is the 1.8 liter. Never owned a jet drive before, is that all she's got or am I missing something? I see several posts on performance mods, will those kill your factory warranty? BTW, we boat at about 780' elevation. Thanks' for any advice.
 
Hi All. This is our second summer with our SX 190. The boat was advertised by the dealer as a mid 40's mph top end easy cruiser mid to high 30's mph. We're not seeing anything near that. 2 adults, two kids (7 and 12) cooler and gear top end WOT 32 at best on the speedo. Engine is the 1.8 liter. Never owned a jet drive before, is that all she's got or am I missing something? I see several posts on performance mods, will those kill your factory warranty? BTW, we boat at about 780' elevation. Thanks' for any advice.
New hull change in 2019 caused TOP speed drop off with the 19ft boats. Previous years would hit low 40s. I have a 2019 SX190, and my top speed with 2 people in boat and usually 3/4-1/2 tank of gas has been 37 WOT. All depends on where passengers/gear are placed in the boat. Weight in the bow really affects top speed. Not a whole lot you can do performance wise. Can do ribbon delete, which should give you a few extra RPMS, that might get you some more speed. I was first a little disappointed with the top speed, but have grown to except it. Mainly cruise around 28-30 MPH.
 
We have a 2019 SX190, boating at 1K elevation, we get 40-42mph on the display with 2 people, 80-100% fuel and my 10yr old daughter on a good calm day. The speed is probably like 36-37mph gps measure is what my simrad shows. I feel better when I look at the 40-42mph on the connext though haha...

Is your boat pretty steady at idle or does it creep backwards?? I ask because my reverse bucket was not adjusted very well out of the gate and was causing some drag and also it was hard to dock as the rear end would always shift since the boat was pulling in reverse when I put at idle position. I even had to cut a few threads on the rod for the bucket to adjust within specs... the repair manual has the specs, if needed i can post a picture here later and you can see.
 
We have a '19 AR190 and it's a dog. Frankly I was quite surprised how underpowered it is. It takes at least 6,000 RPM to plane comfortably (20mph) with just myself on the boat. I don't mind the top speed being in the mid 30's, but cruising on plane at 5,000 RPM would be greatly preferred. It just feels like the engine is running so hard at 6,000 RPM...I have to adjust my thinking and remember these engines are built for extended high RPM running. Otherwise, love the boat.
 
We have a '19 AR190 and it's a dog. Frankly I was quite surprised how underpowered it is. It takes at least 6,000 RPM to plane comfortably (20mph) with just myself on the boat. I don't mind the top speed being in the mid 30's, but cruising on plane at 5,000 RPM would be greatly preferred. It just feels like the engine is running so hard at 6,000 RPM...I have to adjust my thinking and remember these engines are built for extended high RPM running. Otherwise, love the boat.
I've run mine for over an hour straight at 6,500rpm. Not going to hurt a thing. It's a definite shift from owning an I/O that had a 5,200rpm redline.

My '17 AR190 cruises around 32-35mph around 6,200-6,500rpm. Will hit 42-43mph in perfect conditions, but that's more the exception than the rule. It's still as fast to 40 than a good number of other boats, and will pull a wakeskate from a deep water start with a full load of teenagers with ease. I wouldn't call it a dog or underpowered. It's acceptably powered.

If you want top speed, an AR195/192, 212 X/S, or new twin supercharged 25' is your go to Yamaha. The little 190's are cheap to own and operate, and get you on the water, but aren't going to win many drag races.
 
Highest logged speed on mine, 39.6 mph. WOT with 2-4 aboard and full gas, smooth water/little wind - about 36.
This at sea level on the E. FL intracoastal. Dealer said to expect mid-30s, so he was spot on. I admit I showed a skeptical look when he said that. ;)

Once the engine warranty expires I plan to do at least the ribbon delete. A couple more mph would be welcome. My previous boat, an '04 Sea-Doo Sportster 4-TEC once did 51 mph GPS on a smooth lake. Other than the "aw it's slower!" at first, I really don't miss the difference.

Sure, it'd be nice if it was faster - but where I boat 90+% of the time, the speed limit is max 25-30 mph. It cruises nicely at 5900-6300 rpm depending on load/wind. I also appreciate the (newer) hull design and spaciousness. Last - gas: on several long days, at most I've used about a half of the 40 gal tank. Any faster options - twins, supercharged... all use more gas and/or premium.
 
Hi All. This is our second summer with our SX 190. The boat was advertised by the dealer as a mid 40's mph top end easy cruiser mid to high 30's mph. We're not seeing anything near that. 2 adults, two kids (7 and 12) cooler and gear top end WOT 32 at best on the speedo. Engine is the 1.8 liter. Never owned a jet drive before, is that all she's got or am I missing something? I see several posts on performance mods, will those kill your factory warranty? BTW, we boat at about 780' elevation. Thanks' for any advice.

What rpm are you at when running WOT?
 
2020 SX 190 and we hit 36-37 WOT at 900' elevation. Comfortable cruising speed is around 27. We came from a Seadoo Sportster 155 Rotax that would do 46mph and we are very happy with the Yamaha considering the price, space/layout, and ease of trailering.
 
2021 AR190 and my best so far was 39mph, calm water, 0 elevation, with 4 people all weighing under 155lbs and 90% full tank. No mods yet either!
 
my old 2012 SX190 ran 48mph... granted i was alone and had ribbon delete mod done(measured with GPS)
 
2020 sx190 in SWFL, WOT hits about 37-38 mph with great conditions, 2 adults, 1 kid, full tank of gas. Speed doesn’t bother me as much as chop.
 
...Speed doesn’t bother me as much as chop.

Installing the Cobra jets *with the horizontal plate* made a quite noticeable difference in my boat handling chop at speed. It's still not fun when there are whitecaps on the ICW, yet now is at least manageable. It used to bounce around a bit in even light chop, and now is a pretty smooth ride in the same conditions. Nothing miraculous, just a welcome and very much needed improvement. I'm not sure how it works. My guess that its position below the nozzle and perhaps with water passing over/under, it's like a fixed trim tab affecting only pitch.
 
Installing the Cobra jets *with the horizontal plate* made a quite noticeable difference in my boat handling chop at speed. It's still not fun when there are whitecaps on the ICW, yet now is at least manageable. It used to bounce around a bit in even light chop, and now is a pretty smooth ride in the same conditions. Nothing miraculous, just a welcome and very much needed improvement. I'm not sure how it works. My guess that its position below the nozzle and perhaps with water passing over/under, it's like a fixed trim tab affecting only pitch.
I’ve thought about trim tabs, but I think eventually I’ll just get a bigger boat! ?
 
With the mods in my sig I can hit 42mph (gps) with the bimini down and just me in it. With a full load and bimini up I can hit 36-38mph (gps). I imagine the cobrajet fins and lucky13 cone are costing me 1-2mph top end but they are well worth it. FYI I've noticed the speedo always reads about 2mph LESS than GPS which was surprising.

Definitely recommend the ribbon delete it's really easy and gives you just a touch higher rpm to get a couple extra mph. Although in my area the chop makes this tiny hull difficult to comfortably go any faster than 30mph so it never bothers me. Going to Egmont Key and back and only using a half tank of gas is what makes sx190.
 
New hull change in 2019 caused TOP speed drop off with the 19ft boats. Previous years would hit low 40s. I have a 2019 SX190, and my top speed with 2 people in boat and usually 3/4-1/2 tank of gas has been 37 WOT. All depends on where passengers/gear are placed in the boat. Weight in the bow really affects top speed. Not a whole lot you can do performance wise. Can do ribbon delete, which should give you a few extra RPMS, that might get you some more speed. I was first a little disappointed with the top speed, but have grown to except it. Mainly cruise around 28-30 MPH.
I have the same issue in Ontario Canada on my 2020 SX190. Frist season at 11 hour mark (after break in) I got 40.9MPH. Later in the year could barely get to 32MPH. Went back to dealer prior to winter storage and a bunch of adjustments made. Getting 35 and sometimes 36MPH (one person/full tank of gas). Get's to 30 quickly. Tops out at 7300RPMs. I have the Cobra fins installed. I have to say this is the way to go for this boat. Handling overall improved (love them). Doubt it is taking any top end way from boat based on the design.

Question: how is speed measured on a 2020 SX190? GPS or is their a wheel at the back?
Dealer stated the ECM is further breaking the motor in and as my hours increase it will increase top end. True? The computer is holding me back? I am now at 18.5 hours. I will say during hours 16-18 the boat increased in speed by 5MPH during the month of May, as I was running it.
I have not tested GPS, but thanks for that tip. I will test it out this weekend.
Also dealer stated no other SX190 has this top speed issue I am reporting. All are going over 40MPH?
Perplexed, but still love this boat for what it offers. Thanks for any help....
 
I have the same issue in Ontario Canada on my 2020 SX190. Frist season at 11 hour mark (after break in) I got 40.9MPH. Later in the year could barely get to 32MPH. Went back to dealer prior to winter storage and a bunch of adjustments made. Getting 35 and sometimes 36MPH (one person/full tank of gas). Get's to 30 quickly. Tops out at 7300RPMs. I have the Cobra fins installed. I have to say this is the way to go for this boat. Handling overall improved (love them). Doubt it is taking any top end way from boat based on the design.

Question: how is speed measured on a 2020 SX190? GPS or is their a wheel at the back?
Dealer stated the ECM is further breaking the motor in and as my hours increase it will increase top end. True? The computer is holding me back? I am now at 18.5 hours. I will say during hours 16-18 the boat increased in speed by 5MPH during the month of May, as I was running it.
I have not tested GPS, but thanks for that tip. I will test it out this weekend.
Also dealer stated no other SX190 has this top speed issue I am reporting. All are going over 40MPH?
Perplexed, but still love this boat for what it offers. Thanks for any help....

I have 32 hours on my boat, still my max speed is 35-36. I think the connext gets the MPG from the paddle wheel at the back of the boat. My Simrad G05 will also read 35-36 MPH which is GPS based. Only time I ever saw 40 mph was when I was in the Niagara river going with current. I also have the Lucky 13 cone and cobra jet fins on my boat. I know the Lucky 13 cone can cause a 1-2 mph loss, since I don't hit max RPM with it. I have been debating on doing the ribbon delete, know it's easy to do, but some times laziness prevails! lol. What part of Ontario Canada are you from. We usually do a yearly trip to Lake Nipissing and camp the first week of July, but COVID ruined those plans last year and this year.
 
I have 32 hours on my boat, still my max speed is 35-36. I think the connext gets the MPG from the paddle wheel at the back of the boat. My Simrad G05 will also read 35-36 MPH which is GPS based. Only time I ever saw 40 mph was when I was in the Niagara river going with current. I also have the Lucky 13 cone and cobra jet fins on my boat. I know the Lucky 13 cone can cause a 1-2 mph loss, since I don't hit max RPM with it. I have been debating on doing the ribbon delete, know it's easy to do, but some times laziness prevails! lol. What part of Ontario Canada are you from. We usually do a yearly trip to Lake Nipissing and camp the first week of July, but COVID ruined those plans last year and this year.
Interesting, thanks. The boat did almost 41 at 11 hours and could of done more just thought that was enough so I stopped. I got over 40 pretty quick too. As the summer went on in 2020 the speed dropped to 30mph. Near the end of the season struggled to get to 30.
Ontario - Prince Edward Country Area. 2Hours East of Toronto. Yes Covid did a lot of bad, but it also did a bunch of good. A lot of boating for us all! :cool:
I will check the paddle wheel for speed and use GPS when I go up next (weekend) and do another test. If I only get 35 on GPS then I am taking it out of the water and sending it back to the dealer to check out again (they called me today and stated should do 40 no issue). The boat did well over 40 and then dropped like a rocket during 2020. Not going to touch the ribbon at this point, but good point for the future. Thanks for the note and feedback....
Do you know what your top RPM is by chance?
 
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How high does the 190 rev, is 7300 rpm the max?
 
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