Looking at jumping headfirst down the rabbit hole...

[MrWizard]

the "kids" grow-up (literally) real fast and want to bring friends with them (also good) out onto the water which requires room and horsepower.

I feel like I'm light-years ahead of my friends thoughts on this and agree with you! They're all like, why do you need a boat that big? And I TRY to explain it to them... But they are not boaters so I think I am talking to a wall (err banging my head against).

My 2nd boat was the SeaRay... Excellent choice for a small group of us to go out and cruise and spend the night on. Now, load it up with more people and gear... Suddenly it's taking a LOT to get the boat moving.

I won't make that mistake again.

 

[J-RAD]

I feel like I'm light-years ahead of my friends thoughts on this and agree with you! They're all like, why do you need a boat that big? And I TRY to explain it to them... But they are not boaters so I think I am talking to a wall (err banging my head against).

My 2nd boat was the SeaRay... Excellent choice for a small group of us to go out and cruise and spend the night on. Now, load it up with more people and gear... Suddenly it's taking a LOT to get the boat moving.

I won't make that mistake again.

I certainly won't argue @Canuckjetboater due to the fact I've been lusting after the twin SVHO package since their release. My N/A 1.8L twins suffer a fair amount of power loss at the higher 4,500ft to 7,000ft elevation lakes we boat at. With ribbon delete and elevation pitched impeller swap I top out at 44mph-46mph. Even still the boat will get up past surf speed pushing 2,250lbs off ballast. I don't think it's under powered. Where you're much closer to sea level, I think you'll have near peak performance. The one exception would be the additional weight of the 250 or 255 versus my AR240.

 

[Stang7tl]

where you located? I have allways been a fan of Yamaha from dirt bikes to jet skis but I really like my Scarab with the Rotax 300. I went this route b/c I live in south Florida and I ride in saltwater. Rotax uses close loop cooling, I did the open model so I could fish with out messing up my interior and they made the open with a t-top that can tow also. Wife likes she can layout in front or in the back also. I can do all the waterspouts from tubing to surfing. Now the 25' would be awesome and was going that bought but then I couldn't find one and we bought a 19'. But both boats have come a long way.

 

[drewkaree]

I feel like I'm light-years ahead of my friends thoughts on this and agree with you! They're all like, why do you need a boat that big?

Tell them they will be the first to be cut from the invite list if you go smaller, so they can experience the reason firsthand. LOL

 

[drewkaree]

I agree with the heresy. My wife and I are seriously considering putting our boat up for sale at the end of next month because of the premium we can get for it. Then we'll watch the market and buy again when it comes crashing down, since it won't be able to sustain these prices after people return to a pre-Covid lifestyle.

You and I should just trade boats

 

[F.M.]

You and I should just trade boats

Then I'd just have to sell it too.

My plan is to sell while the markets high, use the boat payment to last off my wife's car, then buy another boat next year.

 

[MrWizard]

first to be cut

You ARE the weakest link, GOODBYE

 

[bmares0120]

So fast forward, here we are in October and most dealers are almost completely sold out of 2022 allocations for next year. I'm considering jumping on either the AR250, or just going big (no regrets!) and going with the 255XD. My questions is really depreciation and overall cost of ownership between the two boats. If purchased at MSRP, what is a normal depreciation schedule on these boats? Also, does a more base model like the AR250 hold it's value better than higher end model like the 252 or the 255? Thanks in advance!

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

This issue isn't just MSRP, it is MSRP + the dealer Covid markup. These boats seem to hold their value pretty well, although I haven't see a depreciation schedule. I know there were very small changes in MSRP from 2019 to 2020, and 2020 to 2021, with about an 8% change, on average for all Yamaha boats, in MSRP for 2022. Others may disagree, but I think the dealer Covid markup will be hard to recover, especially after next Summer.

Jim

 

[MrWizard]

Waiting, it seems - was not beneficial. The wife really wants a boat this summer but now - boat values AND fuel prices are through the roof.

Aarghhh!