Looking to buy my first jet boat *Update*

[Wrecked Rooster]

Please share when you forget to put the clean out plugs in, place the boat sideways on the trailer, forget to install the drain plug, can't start the boat because the lanyard is pulled out.....This will give us a laugh and share some of the things we have done.
Oh, I forgot, in order to belong here you must suck up a rope.

lol I’ve done the forget to install the drain plug before on another bot. Couldn’t get it to plane and then checked what the sloshing sound was in the ski storage to find a ton of water. Lol. That was fun. Taking her out to do the break in today. Might have some stories this weekend. Hope not, but you know how it goes. Super windy too, so that should be fun.

 

[Betik]

Congratulations. I cannot quite tell from the picture but your trailer might not be level. You will to make sure that if you are towing long distance it is level.
Until you get comfy with how it goes i will be a bit careful with your track as it seems to have a couple of inches over stock .....

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Congratulations. I cannot quite tell from the picture but your trailer might not be level. You will to make sure that if you are towing long distance it is level.
Until you get comfy with how it goes i will be a bit careful with your track as it seems to have a couple of inches over stock .....

Thanks. It’s level (barely) on my truck. Tried it on my wife’s SUV and it’s dipping down too much. Would have to add weight distribution hitch to fix it. What are you referring to on track? Thanks again.

 

[Betik]

Sorry Track=truck.
Your taco seems lifted and that typically does not play well while towing in highway speeds.

What is your your wife’s SUV ? Most Unibody SUVs don’t make good tow vehicles.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@Wrecked Rooster Check your tongue weight and get it dialed in first.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Sorry Track=truck.
Your taco seems lifted and that typically does not play well while towing in highway speeds.

What is your your wife’s SUV ? Most Unibody SUVs don’t make good tow vehicles.

Lexus GX460. It’s lifted as well but has a softer variable spring in the rear. I have a stiffer, medium duty spring in the rear of mine but has an extra leaf to make it a HD leaf pack if necessary. I towed it 40 miles from the dealership.

 

[Betik]

Lexus GX460. It’s lifted as well but has a softer variable spring in the rear. I have a stiffer, medium duty spring in the rear of mine but has an extra leaf to make it a HD leaf pack if necessary. I towed it 40 miles from the dealership.

sounds like you will be okay... Happy Boating

 

[BRosen]

Went and picked her up today. Got a smoking deal on it (from the sound of it) and vas very fortunate to even find one in stock. Thank y’all again for the advice and steering me the right. Definitely helped me make the right decision. Look forward to learning some things here and hopefully contribute some experiences of my own as I learn the ins and outs of this new boat.

View attachment 149347

Great looking boat! Congrats! That’s the one I had a deposit on late last year and was going to buy, when I found my ’16 242 Limited S ?

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

It is a great boat. Not sure what the bigger engines would really benefit for us. Yes I could go 7-8 mph faster and it would jump out the hole a bit quicker but those are things that aren't important to the family. The Admiral loves the J seating. Although the chair would be better when I am launching off 3+ footers and a bit more comfortable. I am 6' and can lay down easily flat. It works awesome for when we bring younger kids. As I have indicated before, I wish the Connext screen was bigger.

Everything else can me modded to your taste and what you want. @Maineiac is correct, there are not many mods I haven't done, except Stereo. Which is not a big thing for us right now.

If I had to buy it again, depending on the price difference I would either buy the AR210 or the 212S. I paid 42k OTD 1 month pre Covid, so for that price I did really well, they gave me one hell of a deal. I looked at a 212s but the price difference was almost $17,000 OTD, so that was not in the budget.

The boat has been great, EXCEPT, for the steering cable issue I am having right now, but it looks like it is an isolated event on these models. But I will get to the bottom of it.

You can search on here for how I did the dual battery. Follow it exactly and it will fit nicely. I recommend that on your list for some of the first mods you do. My other favorites include Vapor Alarm, Bilge Alarm, Cobra Fins and Trim Tabs. 2nd Bilge is slated for June.

If you are not going on big water or extremely choppy water, you won't need the Tabs, but it was a must for us in the Great Lakes.

I also put a 9" Chart/Plotter in, nice digital USB Ports, helm and passenger side and I have a trolling motor ready to try and get mounted. My version of a Jet Fish n Ski

I know what the cobra fins are, but what are the trim tabs?

 

[HangOutdoors]

To raise and lower the bow. Our jets boats can't do that like a boat with trim. So basically when there is chop and you start to skip over it or porpoise and smack the water there isn't much you can do but slow down. With the tabs you lower your bow a bit and cut through them. They are game changers in 2-3 footers. 1 footers, not so much and anything bigger you just need to slow down. There are lots of threads on here regarding them with much better explanations.

I have only been out once with them this year and the Admiral was able to handle going through the 2-3 footers with me driving in the high 20's to just over 30 mph most of the time. Without them we would have been being launched from wave to wave and probably have to meander in the mid to high teens so as not to have a super rough ride. You never forget the feeling when in you are in big water and cruising along and a rogue wave(s) come through and you didn't see them and you feel the whole boat leave the water, and knowing you are going to come down pretty hard.

For smaller water or inland lakes that don't get big chop I wouldn't think you would need them. Ocean, Great Lakes and bodies of water that can get turned up pretty good they will definitely help in comforting the ride.

Also, it would matter how you actually use and drive the boat as well. If you are only going short distance is rougher water, spend the money on something else for the boat. When we go out into LSC we are running straight into the wind or close to it for 7-10 miles to cross the bay and it is never smooth and always tore up. It will help that alot.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

To raise and lower the bow. Our jets boats can't do that like a boat with trim. So basically when there is chop and you start to skip over it or porpoise and smack the water there isn't much you can do but slow down. With the tabs you lower your bow a bit and cut through them. They are game changers in 2-3 footers. 1 footers, not so much and anything bigger you just need to slow down. There are lots of threads on here regarding them with much better explanations.

I have only been out once with them this year and the Admiral was able to handle going through the 2-3 footers with me driving in the high 20's to just over 30 mph most of the time. Without them we would have been being launched from wave to wave and probably have to meander in the mid to high teens so as not to have a super rough ride. You never forget the feeling when in you are in big water and cruising along and a rogue wave(s) come through and you didn't see them and you feel the whole boat leave the water, and knowing you are going to come down pretty hard.

For smaller water or inland lakes that don't get big chop I wouldn't think you would need them. Ocean, Great Lakes and bodies of water that can get turned up pretty good they will definitely help in comforting the ride.

Also, it would matter how you actually use and drive the boat as well. If you are only going short distance is rougher water, spend the money on something else for the boat. When we go out into LSC we are running straight into the wind or close to it for 7-10 miles to cross the bay and it is never smooth and always tore up. It will help that alot.

Perfect. We are not in big water. Relatively small waves/wakes. Appreciate the detailed information as always.

 

[Wrecked Rooster]

Got a board rack in and my first wakeboard installed. First “modification”. Monster rack and a H/L board.