Looking to buy our first jet boat...

[PopPop]

Looking to buy a boat... Saw and fell in love with a 2014 Yamaha AR192. Know nothing about these jet boats and the 1.8L causes me great concerns. Again, I know nothing about these jet boats, but I have been in traditional boats with 4.3L and even a 5.0L or two that seemed very sluggish. Again, I have located a brand new 2014 AR192 and love the overall looks, the layout and everything about it as it is a very good looking boat, but a 1.8L supercharged engine? What am I missing? I have also located a brand new 2012 Sea-Doo challenger twin 1.5L supercharged, but they are asking $7K more for it than the AR192 and in my opinion the AR192 is by far preferred due to size and looks. This boat is going to be used by my wife and I (both pushing 50) and our five year old son 90/95% of the time. Yes, it's a long and interesting story, but in short the good Lord blessed us with a beautiful little three year old boy two years ago... However, there will be times when it is three of us and a couple to four other adults. Our primary use will be crusing the lake, floating and etc., but as the boy gets a little older... I see tubing, boarding and etc. in our future. My wife and I are not small people. I am 6' 3" and bumping 300 lbs. I would appreciate any and all thoughts on the AR192, the 1.8L and so on. I would very much appreciate the cons as well as the pros, probably prefer to hear the cons. What is the engine life expectancy? How do these boats handle in wide open and sometimes wavy waters. The majority of our boating will be on smaller lakes here in East Texa, but we will frequent Lake Texoma from time to time. Any and all thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciate!

Thanks,
PopPop

 

[Rob9550]

You have nothing to worry about with the 1.8L Supercharged engine. I will do almost 50 MPH with 4 adults and 4 kids, it also gets there quick. They are also very reliable and easy to maintain. Plugs and oil changes are just about the only things you will need to do each year depending on use.

 

[BakedZiti]

Don't be afraid of the 1.8l, she has plenty of power. Only downside I can tell you about is the noise, they are loud boats. I'm assuming you will be test driving said boat?

 

[subysti]

Have someone bring you for a ride or test drive that boat. The 1.8 engine is super reliable and has plenty of power. I came from a 5.7l V8 I/O and my new boat would blow that away. Don't forget with a jet boat you get all the power sent directly to the pump and don't lose half the power in the outdrive gearset.

 

[veedubtek]

I'm probably biased, but I'm gonna say take that Seadoo all day long. Bigger, way more power, quieter, more fuel efficient, and maybe not as flashy with the exterior, but the interior refinement is worlds better. You really don't have anything to worry about with either though.

 

[d_coyne1984]

The 192 weighs in at 800+ lbs lighter than most comparable sterndrives due largly impart to the elimination of the out dri e and a big heavy engine block so you have a great power to weight ratio.

 

[Higgy]

I have the SX version, and I like it a lot. There are some cons though... It is loud, for sure. I am roughly your size and when I sit down at the helm I find it very frustrating to look through the windshield. The top crossbar of the windshield always seems to be obstructing my vision. So I ALWAYS sit up on the bolster, which can become uncomfortable after a little while. Not to mention the wind blasting me in the face. I've never driven an AR but I would think the vision issue might be worse with the tower design. There is not enough room in front of the seat to drive standing up in front of the helm, so if you wanna do that you have to stand off to the left side. My biggest frustration is with the supercharged engine. It does run good and has plenty of power BUT once it heats up it seems to derate the power and it will only turn 7200rpm and top out around 42mph. This is a known problem and there is a fix. Topic covered here

https://jetboaters.net/threads/sx-192-mods.6550/

These are lightweight boats so when it's windy and choppy it can get a little rough out there in these boats, but I think that would be the same for just about any boat this size.

There are other things I find a little frustrating as well but I wouldn't trade it for any I/O in the same size/price category.

Also I THINK there is some kind of issue with those BRP supercharged engines in the SeaDoo that need supercharger rebuilds every so often. I don't know enough about it to give advice but you may want to look into that.

Personally I wouldn't buy a BRP powered jet boat simply because they have no cleanout ports.

Good luck! If you get the Yamaha I think you'll be happy with it, even with it's quirks.

 

[PopPop]

Man, what great and appreciated feedback, seriously this is an awesome forum and I can't thank you all enough! I hope this is also g too much, but I am looking at, for the brand new 2014 AR192 in the space blue, $31K out the door. That's is supposed to cover the boat, taxes, title and licensee... What do you all think, good deal, or should I keep shopping? Also, I have heard these boats are hard to manure at lower/ideal speeds like when docking, trailers get and etc. I have also heard there have been major improvements with added directional assistance. Do you know if the 2014 is in the year models with the

 

[PopPop]

Improvements and/or have the improvements been implemented since 2014?

Sorry, I accidentally hit the"post reply" buttons prior to finishing and/or prof reading. Working on my new iPad mini and not exactly use to it just yet...

 

[Joe Hellaby]

They started adding the articulating keels in 2016 on 190/192s. But you can always add Fins or Thrust Vectors to help improve handling. I just got my first boat (2016 SX192) a month ago, and I don't think the low speed handling is that bad at all, granted I don't have a lot to compare to.

 

[swatski]

My 0.02 cents here

I like my SX190 more than I thought I would, but I did put a lot of effort into modifying it to my liking. I find this boat to be an absolutely great platform for mods. 1.8l engines are about as robust marine engines as you can find, generate great power for their displacement, and are practically bulletproof from the reliability standpoint. These have been in service in large jet skis for years with excellent reliability record even under the harshest operating conditions.
Just ask @Cobra Jet Steering LLC.

The only major issue for me is the loudness. I was aware of it at purchase but thought I can turn it into a Bentley... well..., no such luck. So, if you are looking for a nice quiet relaxing cruise, or are averse to harsh sound, I would have to say: keep looking. This is not your boat. Maybe a post 2015 240s equipped with "quiet ride" features, but even that is not exactly whisper quiet. Definitely take a ride, you maybe surprised, either way actually. Perception of sound and what is loud can be so subjective. And let us know what you find!

One potential issue to consider with 192 SHOs is fuel consumption, just to cover it here. These are pretty phenomenal boats for power to weight ratio, and if you are boating within close range to gas access, that is the way to go for sure in that Yamaha size. If you plan on longer cruises/excursions etc., fuel could become a limiting factor with SHOs, while the HO 1.8s get a similar or better range than your average sterndrive. For me it was a deal breaker, as I like to venture out sometimes, and the difference in fuel usage and range between SC and NA models is not subtle.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Hey swatski I'm old and worn out how on earth could I drive these hard???? haaa this weekend I was pulling a super Mable 3 seater with a similar two seater attached in tandem with it and a total of 5 people in the tubes while I was standing up driving with no hands as usual, when I was younger I would have been jumping boat waves while doing that so you see I calmed down. Oh and their screams was a lot louder than the engine!

 

[MrMoose]

Welcome to the forum @PopPop ! You've gotten great advice so far. If I were in your situation, I would give serious consideration to looking for a 2015 24 foot Yamaha. They did a major redesign on the boat in 2015 and, although there are a few minor nuisance issues with them, I'd say that Yamaha achieved their goals. You'll get quiet riding twin 1.8 HO engines, and phenomenal performance and control. I came from the prop world, and my 2015 AR240 is my first jet boat, and I have to say that it's the best boat that I've ever owned in terms of practicality and performance... once I got most of the leaks fixed. Maybe @1948Isaac can spare a few minutes to give you a complete perspective because he owned an AR192, until he saw my space blue AR240 in Bimini.

 

[pete4180]

I got my 2016 AR190 last month, at great price of 29k with galvanized trailer and 2.99% financing. It has a Forward Swept tower which looks great and articulating keel which improves handling, but still, it took me couple of tries to learn how to dock it and put it on the trailer, so without it's probably more difficult. It's way different compering to the Outboard or I/O. Fuel consumption for 1.8NA is great, and as for the noise level, you can compere it to the old two stroke outboard.

 

[cabbie]

Welcome PopPop,

You really must want to have a JET drive to put up with some of the negatives with this boat. The negatives I have found are: Thumpy ride. The chines are wide to grip in turns, but will thump your butt in waves. I boat in Long Island sound in two to three footers on plane and launching completely airborne. My friend said the ride was much harsher than his Baha outdrive, 23 foot boat.; loose steering on plane. I've had my steering full lock while crossing a boat wake at an angle and still went the wrong way. Additionally, I've headed into a quartering headwind and have to hold about 45 degrees of steering to maintain my heading; The boat is loud - it's not the exhaust but more engine noise and vibration. There is no neutral, the drive impeller is always turning, so you must be cautious when ever the motor is running. Don't grab the hanging debris when flushing your motor at the end of the day because that impeller is spinning at 1000 RPM! Lastly, I did have to learn some new slow driving techniques like "fiddling" with the "Thrust Directional Enhancement" controls.

None of these issues has dampen my "like" of this boat:

Last year an eight year boy near me got his leg caught in a Bravo3 drive and drowned in his father arms. This year we had another fatality by prop strike in my county. My boy is 14 and I would like for him to eventually take out his friends tubing and not worry about a prop strike.

This boat handles around the marina and docks like a Boss. The maneuverability is impressive. You can drive down a lane in the marina and just throw the wheel over and the boat will turn in half it's boat length -- actually backing slightly when completing the pivot. Straighten the wheel when you have completed the turn and you are heading out the way you came -- No jockeying the shifter required. I've actually have had other boaters stop and comment how good a skipper I am when docking. LOL. Additionally, at full speed the boat will "360" in less than two boat lengths. Everybody better be hanging on to the grab handles!

The boat was the "right" price as it balanced cost and quality. You should also ask for the Yamaha extended warranty for that price.

Shallow draft. While the manual says not to operate in less than 3 feet of water you can still power towards a beach and shut off the motor I don't worry about tilting drives or other protrusions.

The boat is light weight and greatly reduces the effort required while fending off, or pushing the boat off a bar that you beached on to lunch. That was a sandbar!

The swim platform and rear seating has proved popular and convenient. I store my rear anchor rode and tow ropes in the wet locker. I plan on installing a Barbecue mount on the platform for convenient grilling.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Cabbie