Hello jet boaters!

[somedude]

Howdy,

Boatless newbie here, never owned one but looked for a while.
I am glad I stumbled upon this forum, seems like a cool place to be.

Maybe I shouldn’t ask this question, but I feel that a smal(lest) used jet might be what I want.
Does that seem unreasonable for someone that never owned a watercraft?
Used because of the price and in case I don’t like something and jet because I always liked them.

Thoughts?

Thank you

 

[Gap22]

I got a new AR190 in December. Never owned a boat before. Love it.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Howdy,

Boatless newbie here, never owned one but looked for a while.
I am glad I stumbled upon this forum, seems like a cool place to be.

Maybe I shouldn’t ask this question, but I feel that a smal(lest) used jet might be what I want.
Does that seem unreasonable for someone that never owned a watercraft?
Used because of the price and in case I don’t like something and jet because I always liked them.

Thoughts?

Thank you

How do you plan on using your boat? For what activities? What type of water? Inland, River, Great Lakes, Ocean, ICW? How many people will you be bringing? What type of storage do you have? Garage, barn, driveway covered, slip? Are you a capable Mechanic? Can you fix your own boat and do you plan on possibly doing any modifications / or upgrades, such as Stereo? What type of Tow Vehicle do you have and what type of tow rating?

Provide us with some context with some of questions, and members will give you some solid opinions and advice.

If you purchase a boat that won't do the things you want to do with it you will be unhappy and may regret it. Purchase a boat that fits what you want from it.

 

[mark_m]

Howdy,

Boatless newbie here, never owned one but looked for a while.
I am glad I stumbled upon this forum, seems like a cool place to be.

Maybe I shouldn’t ask this question, but I feel that a smal(lest) used jet might be what I want.
Does that seem unreasonable for someone that never owned a watercraft?
Used because of the price and in case I don’t like something and jet because I always liked them.

Thoughts?

Thank you

Welcome aboard. This site is a great resource to ask questions, get information, ask for leads on potential sales , and more.

I started on a similar path as you with a “boat wanted” with size, year range etc and went from there.

Good luck!

 

[Acard7]

All I will say is get at least a 21ft or bigger if you have the means, you won’t regret it!

 

[somedude]

Thank you all that replied, this place truly is awesome.

Admiral, thank you for the direct question, very to the point and reasonable.
The missus and I, including the dog, would be using it for fun, rides and maybe a dip, either on the Atlantic or the canals along the coast. No rivers and I haven’t thought about lakes.
I would store it in the garage or maybe the back yard.
I can do anything, from engine to electrical an electronics, maybe even hull work if needed.
Towing with a compact SUV, I think it can do 3500lbs.

 

[Farny]

Thank you all that replied, this place truly is awesome.

Admiral, thank you for the direct question, very to the point and reasonable.
The missus and I, including the dog, would be using it for fun, rides and maybe a dip, either on the Atlantic or the canals along the coast. No rivers and I haven’t thought about lakes.
I would store it in the garage or maybe the back yard.
I can do anything, from engine to electrical an electronics, maybe even hull work if needed.
Towing with a compact SUV, I think it can do 3500lbs.

If your thinking ocean use mostly…bigger is better. But that means big garage or outside storage. 23” + if I was spending most of my boating time in the ocean..

 

[somedude]

Thank you, a 23 footer might be a challenge, too big for my garage, more expensive and may exceed my towing capacity.
But it’s clear why it would be better for the ocean. As a compromise, a 21 footer possibly?

Maybe as a second question, is there a brand that is more newbie-friendly, also in terms of budget?

 

[Babin Farms]

Welcome!!

I would think about how many people that you would be taking out on the water at any one time(consider any friends or extended family) and find the boat that fits.
The brand is all in what you want seeing you've never owned a boat so everything is going to be new. What drew our attention to the Yamaha was the jet drive, swim deck and twin engines. I would go to boat shows, showrooms and marinas to look at different boats and see what you may like.
Depending on where you are located there is a thread here where some of us offer to take others out on a test run to check out our boats to see if they may like a certain model.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/considering-a-jet-boat-perhaps-need-a-test-drive-ride-look-here-volunteers-needed.34434/

 

[bubbasuwannee]

Thank you, a 23 footer might be a challenge, too big for my garage, more expensive and may exceed my towing capacity.
But it’s clear why it would be better for the ocean. As a compromise, a 21 footer possibly?

Maybe as a second question, is there a brand that is more newbie-friendly, also in terms of budget?

No regrets on our Yamaha FSH 195. We use it in lake, but also out on the intercoastal waterways. Just the wife and I and our dog most of the time. We've had 4 adults a few times and it was comfortable. If we spent more time in really open water or carried more crew, an FSH 210 would be nice, but so far the FSH 195 does everything we want. With any boat, conditions are everything, wind/waves....

 

[mark_m]

Thank you all that replied, this place truly is awesome.

Admiral, thank you for the direct question, very to the point and reasonable.
The missus and I, including the dog, would be using it for fun, rides and maybe a dip, either on the Atlantic or the canals along the coast. No rivers and I haven’t thought about lakes.
I would store it in the garage or maybe the back yard.
I can do anything, from engine to electrical an electronics, maybe even hull work if needed.
Towing with a compact SUV, I think it can do 3500lbs.

Suggest going with a the most equipped 21’ yamaha that’s in your budget.

i helped someone yesterday get into their slip for the first time today… watching him, he decided to back her into to slip then I realized he didn’t have twin engines. Definitely go with 21, you have so much more control than with the single jet.

 

[biffdotorg]

Thank you all that replied, this place truly is awesome.
Towing with a compact SUV, I think it can do 3500lbs.

This will be your biggest issue, unless you choose to have a marina manage the boat when not in use. Either by slipping or dry stacking. As you will want to confirm the tow capacity of that rig.

In the Yamaha line of boats, the 190 series are the only ones that you would consider towing with the vehicle. Anything larger will push the limits of that vehicle. Other brands to consider or brands no longer in production are options, but your support will vary.

Our first 20' boat was a SeaDoo X20, as it fell within the towing capacity of my mid sized truck at the time. We could still get support from our SeaDoo dealer, as he was selling boats when SeaDoo sourced their engines from Mercury. Would I buy one now, probably not. Parts and support for the Merc engine are few and far between. But it was a very capable 20' boat that we enjoyed greatly. We only sold it out of fear of something catastrophic happening. So we sold it in great working condition.

That being said, I think it will be wise to possibly go rent a few boats of varying sizes and styles to see what you may want to get into. And understand the waters that you will be boating in. I'm an inland person only, so I'm no help. But after hearing stories here, I think something either larger in a jet boat, or something with an outboard and higher gunwales is in your future for offshore boating. All of those options will not be under 3500lbs.

Good luck!

 

[biffdotorg]

BTW, where is @swatski when we need him? He has experience in this specifically.

 

[somedude]

Everyone,

Thank you so much for taking the time to educate me, I truly appreciate it.
So much to consider…

I like the independence and also trying to keep costs low, so I tend to sway towards a 19 footer that I can tow. The Tiguan can do 3500 lbs and it’s going to be just the two of us plus the dog, maybe four adults once a year kind of thing.
Maybe the Atlantic, someday after I learn more, but initially it will be likely Matanzas or St Johns Rivers.
Yamahas look cool and I do think that we would enjoy the swim deck.
Sorry, my “lingo” doesn’t yet exist, so I have to search a bunch of stuff mentioned here.

I like closure, so I will keep you posted, but it may be a while until I pull the trigger.

Once again, thanks for all the info.

 

[ShowMeYourJets]

Welcome! I'm a newbie too.

Yesterday was our first time putting our boat in the water. it's was great.

Best of Luck!

 

[HawaiiBreeze]

I was a complete and utter NEWB to owning a real boat till I got the SX190 in 2017. Never looked back. Best Starter Boat package you can get and as you get further along you can increase your fun by adding things to it.

 

[swatski]

BTW, where is @swatski when we need him? He has experience in this specifically.

Sorry, I've been MIA!
If towing is the limiting factor, yes - 190 is the easiest to tow, by a long shot.

Yamaha 190 boats are very large 19fters!

--

 

[PJ73]

 

[somedude]

Howdy, boaters.

I promised closure, but I can’t deliver yet, we didn’t pull the plug.
Soon, I hope.

I do have a “plan” - spend as little as possible, like go used and something small, in case I don’t like it.
Probably a used 16 to 19 ft and likely Scarab or Yamaha, as the others didn’t stand out or were too expensive.

 

[Thermobrett]

Timing is everything personally, professionally and recreationally. Good thing is, boats apear to be sitting in lots now so when you do pull the trigger, it should be relatively quick to take delivery. You won’t go wrong with a 19’ Yamaha. A 19’ doesn’t seam all that big when there are so many other sizes and options, but what you get in the package is worth every bit. Plus it’s easy to launch, recover and tow.