Modified AR240 vs Stock 242x

[tdonoughue]

I am next door in The Woodlands. Unfortunately, I don't surf (I drive) and have barely gotten the kids up on the knee board. And I have no ballast at all. Or PerfectPass or anything. I know. Sad.

But if you want to see or poke around or ride a 2012 AR240, it lives right nearby on Lake Conroe...

 

[CDENsomnia]

Like @jcyamaharider I purchased my X because I had taken a AR240 and modified it to make it what I wanted. What I ran in to as I modded was while the aftermarket stuff was good, it wasnt "factory" and I really like having everything integrated and frankly the quality of "factory". Some might disagree with me but there is a certain quality when it came from the manufacturer. For instance many of you know I replaced my tower in the AR for an aerial tower. The quality of my X tower is 10 fold what that tower was. I could have kept the old boat and just continued integrating systems and spending more and more money but I honestly didn't want to put the work in. I will also say as others have said the e throttles are AMAZING and currently there is no substitute for that! Now are they worth the almost double cost between my old AR240 and the new X. No. But if I had to choose between the new AR240 and X again now that I have been through a whole season with the new boat...I would take the X every day of the week,

I have also had just a few small issues but overall am very happy with the purchase. Go big or go home!

 

[grywlfbg]

I've posted this before but IMO it (like many things in life) comes down to time, money, and ability. If you have some time and ability, you can make an AR240 surf the same as a 242X (same hull, engines, etc after all). @swatski and others have done so. But it's going to take time and tinkering ability to do that. I have tinkering ability but no time (small children). So you can take a 242X w/ the Yamaha surf package (wake booster), add the Gantlin transom bag, and you are done (I also dialed out the Surfpointe when installing the CJS). So a lot more money, a lot less time.

I don't find the single ballast intake limiting as you really only need the ski locker ballast and the transom bag to get a good wave. I haven't spent a lot of time yet but from reading here some think that adding the factory underseat actually hurts the boat getting out of the hole.

Also, the drive control, single throttle ability, and smoothness of the ethrottles makes it easier to drive. We demo'd a 240 and then got the 242X and my wife commented on how it was less scary to drive the 242X.

But most of us are just talking our book, justifying why we made the purchase we did. IMO, the time/money tradeoff is what you need to think about.