Looking to Purchase My First Boat! Complete Newbie Open to Feedback.

[Jason Talley]

This is my first post on this forum so let me first say thank you for the add and (in advance) for any advice opinions you throw my way!

I've never owned a boat but spent a large portion of my childhood on Waverunners and boats. I have a wife and two daughters (5 & 20 months). We are done having (planned) children and are looking for activities to do as a family. I live in the Houston area which is close to many bodies of water (both salt and fresh). Last summer we spent a week with friends at Lake LBJ near Austin and didn't want to leave. Since then I have not been able to get the idea of getting a boat out of my mind.

I'm usually pretty hasty in my decisions to make new "toy" purchases but I really want to do my research before this one. I have heard many people mention the stereotypical comments about boat ownership such as "The best day of owning my boat was the day I bought it and the day I sold it", "they are much cheaper to rent", and "it is better to have a friend with a boat". While I'm sure those statements are mostly true, everything I have read about Yamaha boats in recent years seems to give the impression that some of those stereotypes are a thing of the past.

I am a huge motorcycle guy and have owned many Yamaha dirt bikes and street bikes but with my family getting older, I just don't ride as much anymore and find myself wanting to spend more time with them. I have the old "Clark Griswold" syndrome.

Looking for:
- Fun boat to drive
- Ease of access to water
- Ability to do watersports with young children
- Safety
- Room to take a second family from time to time
- No surprise in additional ownership costs

I started the bulk of my research focused on a new 19' Yamaha AR/SX192 mainly because I have always had great experience with Yamaha and have not heard a lot of negatives about them.

Reasons for my focus on a Yamaha 19" Jetboat:
- Clean Out Port
- Access to water
- Suggested low cost of maintenance
- Safety (no prop)
- Brand reputation
- Small size (limited experience in recent years with boating)(potentially lower storage cost)
- Waterhose hookup for easy flushing
- Ability to do watersports
- Towing capacity of our vehicle (5000lbs)

I went to the Houston Boat Show last night to put eyes on them for a second time and it appeared that Yamaha is pretty stern/confident in their pricing, only offering an extra year on their warranty and a boating kit (4 life vests, anchor, noisemaker) with their boat show (deposits no sale) as incentives.

I am the kind of individual who does a lot of research and tend to make up my mind early but I don't know my head from my @$$ in this realm so I may be extremely naïve.

Sorry for the long post but I guess my question is more of a request for feedback on my point of view and any insight/recommendations any of you could give. Thank you all for your time in reading this!

 

[bronze_10]

Welcome aboard jason... last spring I was a new boat owner and I came to the site for answers and boy did I get them... ANY question u have about a yamaha can be found here.... there are people here that are far more qualified than I but most often the wisest advice is buy your 2nd boat first. The first boat always gets too small or too slow pretty quick. I bought a used 23 foot yamaha and we have not regretted it one time.... these boats are very low maintenance. .. most of it can be done yourself... they are same with yamaha reliability and no external prop... that also makes them lite...

Welcome aboard and happy hunting... all the old timers will be here any second to answer all of your questions....

 

[Bruce]

It is rare for Yamaha to offer discounts on new boats with the exception of leftover stock from the year before. There should be plenty of 2015s still in dealer inventories.

I would steer you away from the 192 for two reasons. Many advise to buy your second boat first. First, it is likely that you will want a larger boat in a few years and take a hit when you sell the 192. Second, the 192 eats a disproportiate amount of fuel. It uses more fuel than a 242 by a wide margin. I would prefer a 190 to a 192. Ignoring the cost of fuel the limited range of the 192 would be a huge factor for me.

The new Yamahas are very enticing to me but slightly less so than the value proposition and ability to pay cash for a used example. In 2013 we purchased a 2007 SX230 with 32 hours on the engines for $24,000. Then we invested perhaps another $8,000 in upgrades for her. We have hydroteak flooring throughout the boat, a refrigerator, RayMarine chart plotting and fish finder, a fixed VHF radio, trim tabs, an upgraded Fusion and Infinity stereo system, LED navigation lighting, a stainless scupper and drain plug, a second bilge pump, dual group 31 AGM batteries, on board battery charging, a Magma grill with a bow mount, underwater LEDs and Cupholder LEDs that react to the music.

 

[bronze_10]

It is rare for Yamaha to offer discounts on new boats with the exception of leftover stock from the year before. There should be plenty of 2015s still in dealer inventories.

I would steer you away from the 192 for two reasons. Many advise to buy your second boat first. First, it is likely that you will want a larger boat in a few years and take a hit when you sell the 192. Second, the 192 eats a disproportiate amount of fuel. It uses more fuel than a 242 by a wide margin. I would prefer a 190 to a 192. Ignoring the cost of fuel the limited range of the 192 would be a huge factor for me.

The new Yamahas are very enticing to me but slightly less so than the value proposition and ability to pay cash for a used example. In 2013 we purchased a 2007 SX230 with 32 hours on the engines for $24,000. Then we invested perhaps another $8,000 in upgrades for her. We have hydroteak flooring throughout the boat, a refrigerator, RayMarine chart plotting and fish finder, a fixed VHF radio, trim tabs, an upgraded Fusion and Infinity stereo system, LED navigation lighting, a stainless scupper and drain plug, a second bilge pump, dual group 31 AGM batteries, on board battery charging, a Magma grill with a bow mount, underwater LEDs and Cupholder LEDs that react to the music.

Show off!

 

[Bruce]

Show off!

Bring your family to Bimini this year, it will be the perfect reason to make most of those upgrades!

 

[bronze_10]

Bring your family to Bimini this year, it will be the perfect reason to make most of those upgrades!

I want to do it sometime but this year's big trip will be disney with all three kids.... but we plan on hauling to boat around here some this summer and go to some new places..

 

[Bruce]

I want to do it sometime but this year's bug trip will be disney with all three kids....

Disney is so close to Fort Lauderdale!!!

Upperdeck took his kids to Disney on the way to Bimini last year. But I certainly understand how financially and mentally draining those lines at Disney are.

Bimini is changing rapidly. Resorts World and other planned developments are bringing more and more people to the area. My guess is that within a few years Bimini will not be much different than Florida.

 

[RiverRat]

@Bruce definitely has some good points regarding the 192. For me personally, the fuel range is only an issue on one outing a year. The Illinois River run. I went through 50 gallons during the 150 mile run while the twin engine boats used significantly less. Most of my outings fuel consumption is not a concern. It depends on how you plan on using it.

A big part of going with the 192 over the 190 for me were the other upgrades beside the supercharger. Pop up cleats, better stereo, better carpet, more stainless accents, and biggest for me was the surge brakes on the trailer.

I do like that my boat fits in my garage, and that my tow vehicle(09 GMC Envoy ) has no problem dragging it across Wisconsin several times a month. I'm pretty lucky that when there's a large group of people that want to go out, I have family and friends with boats as well, so I rarely have to turn people away.

That being said, I too have dreams of a 242 LS one day. But that would be after a tow vehicle upgrade.

 

[itsdgm]

Welcome @Jason Talley im glad that you found us on the web and decided to join. I agree with the statements above. If you look hard enough there's usually like new bigger (21-24') boats out there at the same price as a newer but smaller one. We love our 21' boat, it does everything that we need it to. Love the reliability of Yamaha and the safety of having a second pump/engine in case something happens out on the water. As far as saving $ on storage with a smaller boat. Check around and see what the actual costs involved are. Sometimes and in some areas it's a standard fee for a general sized boat (18-21 or 22-26, etc). So it might not be a factor at all.

Anyway, you came to the right place to find advice, demo/test rides, etc. good luck with your search.

 

[robert843]

Welcome aboard! As Bruce mentioned buy your second boat first if you plan to at times haul up to 8 people around look at he 21ft and 24ft boats. I have a friend who is looking at new 19ft boats as well if you dig you can find some deals out there (we have found new left over Sx190's in the 23,000's) but I have mentioned the same to him he may want to explore the bigger options as well. If you have two kids there will be a point where they will want to bring friends out with you guys as well and in a few years the hauling of 8 maybe more common for you then you think.

 

[Jason Talley]

Thanks for all the helpful info! I think at this price and size, the 19' IS my second boat. My first would be a used (smaller) fish boat. The 24' would be ideal in the "want" category but the additional costs just don't seem justifiable given I have no experience with them. If the 21' held more than 9 ppl, that may be a choice.

While I like the larger boats, I just don't want to push the towing capacity of my vehicle to the limit and buying a larger car isn't an option. We JUST bought the Highlander (partly for the boat) and don't see us upgrading it anytime soon as my wife LOVES it.

As far as the used ones go, I cannot find ANY in a reasonable distance. I would prefer a newer year model (not necessarily brand new) but I've only seen a few within reasonable driving distance. The dealer here in Houston said they have no more 15 year models in inventory. I plan on calling OKC to see what their inventory looks like today.

What are the typical maintenance costs for these boats per engine? Any additional costs I may be unaware of?

 

[Bruce]

I believe that dealers typically charge around $400 for annual maintenance on a twin engined Yamaha so I would expect perhaps a little more than half of that for a single.

I typically spend around $80 a year on new oil and spark plugs for our twin engined SX230 and change it myself.

The official Yamaha Oil Change Kit is around $46 https://jetboatpilot.com/index.php?id_product=229&controller=product . All that you need is that kit, spark plugs and a few squirts from a grease gun with marine grease in it.

 

[Bruce]

BoatTrader shows several 2015 190/192s at Phil Dill in Lewisville or H & H in OKC. I believe that @txav8r negotiated quite a deal on an old stock 240 with H&H a few years ago. This link may work for you http://www.boattrader.com/search-results/NewOrUsed-any/Type-any/Category-all/Zip-75023/Radius-200/Length-18,20/Year-,2015/Make-YAMAHA/Sort-Length:DESC

But if I was buying a 190/192 I would have difficulty walking away from that beautiful tower on the 2016s!

@RiverRat is right about the improvements in aesthetics of the 192 over the 190. I wish Yamaha sold a 190 with all of the 192s toys.

 

[txav8r]

Welcome aboard @Jason Talley . As said numerous times, and numerous ways, you may find reason and need for something bigger than a 190/192. I personally wouldn't consider a 192 unless you boated at high elevation lakes...and you host at sea level. And the 190 is underpowered for more than a couple of occupants. Your kids are young and either could perform basic water sports for a few years. But if you add another family on board, you will be beyond the capability of the single engine boat. Not many guy's or gals buy a Yamaha that they don't want to add fun equipment to it. Several reasons for that, first of which, it's a Yamaha jet boat, and that spells fun ownership. Second is the forum. It's is helpful and informative, giving you food for thought on helpful mods to give you and your family an even greater ownership experience. So in harmony with most in the thread, consider a twin Engine boat. Yamahas are reliable and a good preowned can be found if your budget is an issue. Or consider a leftover as mentioned above. Most of the features on a 242LS are nice but the 240 is identical in terms of engines and performance. And kids won't need a tower for performance sports for years to come, and a tower can easily be added if and when it becomes necessary. I have owned two SX boats and a tower presents more travel and storage issues than any other thing. I store my 240 in a 24x24 pole building that I built myself. If the second family consideration is infrequent and only as transportation on the lake, a 190 is certainly capable of getting you from point A to point B...and it is a Yamaha. But like many have, in a short period of time, you will be looking at upgrading. And that generally costs more than if you had just bought your second boat first. Once again, welcome aboard!

 

[Bill D]

Welcome aboard Jason! The typical maintenance costs for these boats are around $50 per year, per engine. There is really not much to it other than changing the oil and checking the spark plugs. For me, the biggest cost that I didn't account for was storage, and all the awesome mods I've seen on this site that I just HAD to have. Lol.

Last year was my first year with our Yamaha and I can't put into words how much we love it. We used it at least one, usually two days per week. To find a good used boat and keep our budget, we drove 11 hours to Ohio to pick her up! It was significantly cheaper and inventory was more available outside of our area.

Everyone's needs are different, but all the Yamahas share the same benefits. The 192's are capable for any water sports you'll want to do, just keep in mind as your kids get older friends may become more common and we all know how much stuff girls like to bring with them. Also, with young children the head compartment on the bigger boats may be something your family would be interested in. The other things on your Looking For list are all met by any of the Yamahas.

Be sure to ask any questions. There is a wealth of experience and information on this site. As the weather warms, don't be afraid to ask for a ride on boats in your area. People here are very friendly.

 

[Julian]

Welcome aboard @Jason Talley! Looks like you have gotten lots of info already! The "buy your 2nd boat first" concept is right on, and if you've already contemplated that and the 19' boat is as big as you can go, then the 190/192 is your best bet. Keep in mind that many of the "bling" items on the 192 can be added later if you are interested or feel the need for them.

 

[Jason Talley]

@Julian, absolutely! Great info. I do believe I will still shop around to see if I can find a decent deal. One thing i notice that is different with the 2016s are the keel and towers. Do you all feel those upgrades are worth the cost of a 2016 vs. a new 2014?

I do find that the 19' would be my main option as of now due to the towing capacity of my vehicle. The 4500+ weights of the 24' boats are not an option.

 

[jawsf16]

@Jason Talley Consider a used 230 or 210. Maybe lean slightly to the 210 for tow capacity considerations, but to the 230 if you don't want to upgrade. The benefit of used anything is if you don't get into it as much as you hoped, no big loss, and if you decide to upgrade later, again no big loss.

I had a 2008 SX210 bought new and upgraded to a used 240 and loved both boats. The 210 is nice because of the extra engine and room. Feels like a much bigger boat then the 190s but the 240 does not feel as huge a change from the 210. We got back into boating when kids were 2 and 4 and now they love it and couldn't imagine our summers without it...

Oh and for everything you described in a boat, I would look no further than Yamaha. We bought it for all of the reasons you listed, even though we had stern drives way back when. I will never own another stern drive...

 

[Jason Talley]

Also, what kind of differences are we talking about for range at cruising speeds in the 190 vs 192?

 

[Bruce]

According to Boattest.com 50.6 vs 43.2.

@swatski has added several mph to his 190. I believe he is currently over 46. https://jetboaters.net/threads/vtech-maptuner-ecu-reflash-first-impressions.7818/#post-135236