New boat purchase need advice AR190 vs 195 vs 220

[dblock55]

Hey all, new to the forum and new to boating!
My wife and I recently moved to a small lake (50 acres) and were looking to get a boat. Initially I wanted a wakesurfing boat but thats way out of the budget for me and im really the only one that surfs and shes not one to drive the boat..... Annnnnnnyways.... ive narrowed it down to the AR series as you can still wakeboard behind them and pull the kids on various devices. My question is for the size lake im working with will the AR190 do? 90-95% of the time it will be just us 4 as all of our family is out of state and we tend to keep to ourselves. For sure there will be random occasions when a friend comes over with their kids and will want to go out (8 total), but is that worth upgrading to the 220?
1) Do I need/want the extra power that the 195 offers over the 190?
2) Do i need/want the extra 3 feet that the 220 offers?

Not trying to upgrade the boat anytime soon, just want to buy something for the family to have and use for a long time. I know the answer will be "buy the best you can afford", but we have 2 young kids and a lot of expenses so if i dont absolutely need to spend more money I rather not. Can anyone help me out?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Acard7]

If you have the means, 220 hands down. You’ll yearn for more space and power as you pack the 190 with gear and family. I assume you have the tow vehicle to pull either?

If you don’t go with the 220, I’d definitely get the 195, although you have to use premium fuel due to the supercharger.

 

[dblock55]

If you have the means, 220 hands down. You’ll yearn for more space and power as you pack the 190 with gear and family. I assume you have the tow vehicle to pull either?

If you don’t go with the 220, I’d definitely get the 195, although you have to use premium fuel due to the supercharger.

Figured that would be the consensus... I have a 1/2ton full-size truck. 99% of the time boat will be in the lake right behind my house so I dont plan on towing it anywhere but from the dealer, at least until my kids get older and want to go out on bigger lakes.
I also read somewhere that the bilge and engine bay fill up and stay wet with water if the boat is left in the water, which causes mold.... any thoughts on that?

 

[Acard7]

I’ve never wet slipped for an entire season, been wet slipped a week at a time. Our old AR230 never had mold, some compartments may get water in them, but anything that could soak up the water was always taken out and dried. I think the hardest compartment to keep dry was the ski locker, but again no issues with mold! Even if wet slipped it shouldn’t be taking on water if that’s what you’re asking?

Honestly I’m not sure any boat on the market will always be 100% dry in the bilge area when wet slipping all season long.

 

[dblock55]

I’ve never wet slipped for an entire season, been wet slipped a week at a time. Our old AR230 never had mold, some compartments may get water in them, but anything that could soak up the water was always taken out and dried. I think the hardest compartment to keep dry was the ski locker, but again no issues with mold! Even if wet slipped it shouldn’t be taking on water if that’s what you’re asking?

Honestly I’m not sure any boat on the market will always be 100% dry in the bilge area when wet slipping all season long.

Yea i have 0 experience with this and Im not saying the water takes on water when wet slipped. I just read from a AR190 owner that some compartments take on water when in use and have no way to shed that water which leads to mold.... again not my experience so this dude may be on one

 

[Acard7]

Yea i have 0 experience with this and Im not saying the water takes on water when wet slipped. I just read from a AR190 owner that some compartments take on water when in use and have no way to shed that water which leads to mold.... again not my experience so this dude may be on one

I wouldn’t worry about the water issue too much! I barely use damp-rid and still have no mold issues!

 

[dwakeman]

Figured that would be the consensus... I have a 1/2ton full-size truck. 99% of the time boat will be in the lake right behind my house so I dont plan on towing it anywhere but from the dealer, at least until my kids get older and want to go out on bigger lakes.
I also read somewhere that the bilge and engine bay fill up and stay wet with water if the boat is left in the water, which causes mold.... any thoughts on that?

I leave mine in the water all summer, and the only time I have water is when it rains, and I forget (or am too lazy) to put on the cover. The bilge pump does a great job keeping the boat dry (I did add a second bilge pump for emergencies, but I don't think it has ever run). Be sure nothing is plugging the ski locker drain so it drains into the bilge. Also, and this is not related to sitting, many complain about getting water in the boat while underway from the anchor locker. See this thread on how to address that Replaced my anchor locker drain fitting due to leaks

I'm with the others. If you can swing it, get the AR 220. It's a great boat. Yamaha sells a Wakebooster for that boat that will help if you want to surf. They always say to buy your second boat first .

 

[mtudb24]

AR220 hands down. Twin engine means easy docking / slow speed control. Big hull for deep water operation. Easy to tow with 1/2 ton or smaller pickup truck. Good water sports performance. Its not a blistering top end but if your ok with 36-40mph, its a solid platorm vs a 190 or 195

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Get the 220…. Your kids will have friends and they will have parents and so on. You can have the extra space and not use it but not the other way around. There’s also the storage aspect, that’s pretty important. The two TR-1 engines will burn less fuel than a single SVHO engine and use regular unleaded gasoline.

With just a little bit of effort these boats can have a totally dry bilge. Unlike other bow riders brands these boats have a self bailing deck so the water that lands on the deck goes out a drain in the back by the engine hatch so water doesn’t go into the bilge to get pumped out by the bilge pump. The anchor locker drain might be an issue but is easily fixed as illustrated by the link posted by @dwakeman. Adding some seal and peal around the clean out tray to make sure it’s sealed up and maybe a mechanical hatch riser. I rarely get any water out of my boat at the end of the day and I use the raw water wash down regularly to clean up the detritus of fishing. If you’re going to wet slip your boat and you do get some water in the bilge, a big sponge will make short work of removing it, it’s also pretty easy to make a bilge pump set up that removes that last little bit of water. You may also find that with a little practice launching and retrieving the boat is easy peasey so you may choose to not keep it in the water. You’re going to want to have an onboard charger to keep the batteries topped off, is there power at the slips where you want to keep the boat?

 

[Jim_in_Delaware]

99 out of 100 times I, too, would also say the 220. Is your lake really only 50 acres? Is this the only lake that you will be using the boat? If so, this is the 1 out of 100 times, I would opt for the smaller boat. Also, due to your lake size make sure there are no horsepower limits.

 

[YoDaddy292]

Get the 220…. Your kids will have friends and they will have parents and so on. You can have the extra space and not use it but not the other way around. There’s also the storage aspect, that’s pretty important. The two TR-1 engines will burn less fuel than a single SVHO engine and use regular unleaded gasoline.

This! I always reply the same on these posts. We almost bought the 190, ended up with the 210, and STILL wish I'd gone 250. It's never just the family but since you are on the lake you probably won't have to pack as much stuff as we do. The 220 would be your best bet IMO (for what THAT's worth).

 

[biffdotorg]

99 out of 100 times I, too, would also say the 220. Is your lake really only 50 acres? Is this the only lake that you will be using the boat? If so, this is the 1 out of 100 times, I would opt for the smaller boat. Also, due to your lake size make sure there are no horsepower limits.

I'm in agreement 100% 50 acres would not allow many boats to get up on plane, let alone do any water sports. A wakeboat owner would make no friends whatsoever as well. I would have a hard time justifying any runabout boat and may settle on a pontoon.

Our lake is small at 1100 acres and I get the looks at the landing in spring at fall with a 24ft boat. (when most pontoons are just as large)

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

This looks like a nice low hour (50) boat that has been well taken care of.

N

Boat Thread 'For sale:YAMAHA AR210 2022. Mahwah, NJ'

Mar 20, 2025

Price is 46,500. One owner VERY CLEAN boat that has been well maintained. This Yamaha AR210 HO (High Output) jet boat has lived most of its life on a trailer in NJ. Used in fresh water only.
It's a twin TR-1 engine jetboat with 115hp each (230 total hp which is the HO model). Both engines have about 50 hours on them.
Included with the boat:
Galvanized Trailer, bow filler and rear seat filler cushions.
Custom canvas enclosure
bed cushions
Spare tire for trailer
Mooring cover is like new.
Carpet
Bimini top, like new.

• Nana
• jet boat sell
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Classified Ads

 

[dblock55]

Get the 220…. Your kids will have friends and they will have parents and so on. You can have the extra space and not use it but not the other way around. There’s also the storage aspect, that’s pretty important. The two TR-1 engines will burn less fuel than a single SVHO engine and use regular unleaded gasoline.

With just a little bit of effort these boats can have a totally dry bilge. Unlike other bow riders brands these boats have a self bailing deck so the water that lands on the deck goes out a drain in the back by the engine hatch so water doesn’t go into the bilge to get pumped out by the bilge pump. The anchor locker drain might be an issue but is easily fixed as illustrated by the link posted by @dwakeman. Adding some seal and peal around the clean out tray to make sure it’s sealed up and maybe a mechanical hatch riser. I rarely get any water out of my boat at the end of the day and I use the raw water wash down regularly to clean up the detritus of fishing. If you’re going to wet slip your boat and you do get some water in the bilge, a big sponge will make short work of removing it, it’s also pretty easy to make a bilge pump set up that removes that last little bit of water. You may also find that with a little practice launching and retrieving the boat is easy peasey so you may choose to not keep it in the water. You’re going to want to have an onboard charger to keep the batteries topped off, is there power at the slips where you want to keep the boat?

Its a small private lake that has an improvised boat launch so getting boat in an out is not really an option, or not one im willing ot entertain tbh. The lake has no slips... everyone has their own little roll in aluminum dock. Sounds like ideally I get one with a lift? A solar panel at the end of the dock would be enough to run a trickle charger during the day.

Thanks for your input!

 

[dblock55]

99 out of 100 times I, too, would also say the 220. Is your lake really only 50 acres? Is this the only lake that you will be using the boat? If so, this is the 1 out of 100 times, I would opt for the smaller boat. Also, due to your lake size make sure there are no horsepower limits.

No horsepower limits on the lake. Id say most of the time it will be in this lake... I have no plans to take it elsewhere, but you know how life goes... Sh!ts always changing.

 

[dblock55]

I'm in agreement 100% 50 acres would not allow many boats to get up on plane, let alone do any water sports. A wakeboat owner would make no friends whatsoever as well. I would have a hard time justifying any runabout boat and may settle on a pontoon.

Our lake is small at 1100 acres and I get the looks at the landing in spring at fall with a 24ft boat. (when most pontoons are just as large)

There are only 14 properties on the lake. 3 of which own full blown wakesurfing boats and I see them surfing all the time. Theyre all Mastercrafts which are prop driven, does that change the amount of space required to get up on plane? I know nothing about boats so please explain to me as you would to an idiot

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Its a small private lake that has an improvised boat launch so getting boat in an out is not really an option, or not one im willing ot entertain tbh. The lake has no slips... everyone has their own little roll in aluminum dock. Sounds like ideally I get one with a lift? A solar panel at the end of the dock would be enough to run a trickle charger during the day.

Thanks for your input!

Several folks have had good success with solar chargers…. @Judge and @lazergeek come to mind.

You can always set up your batteries with quick connect plugs so that pulling them out and taking them to the house occasionally to be properly charged is easy.

There are no trickle chargers anymore, even the smallest chargers these days are smart chargers. The difference between a smart charger and a trickle charger is that a trickle charger keeps on charging no matter what, this leads to over charging and electrolyte boil off and the death of your battery. A smart charger only charges until the battery is charged and then sits in a maintenance mode, and when the battery needs topping off it will automatically charge again then return to maintenance mode.

 

[dblock55]

This looks like a nice low hour (50) boat that has been well taken care of.

N

Boat Thread 'For sale:YAMAHA AR210 2022. Mahwah, NJ'

Mar 20, 2025

Price is 46,500. One owner VERY CLEAN boat that has been well maintained. This Yamaha AR210 HO (High Output) jet boat has lived most of its life on a trailer in NJ. Used in fresh water only.
It's a twin TR-1 engine jetboat with 115hp each (230 total hp which is the HO model). Both engines have about 50 hours on them.
Included with the boat:
Galvanized Trailer, bow filler and rear seat filler cushions.
Custom canvas enclosure
bed cushions
Spare tire for trailer
Mooring cover is like new.
Carpet
Bimini top, like new.

• Nana
• jet boat sell
• Replies: 0
• Forum: Classified Ads

That is nice! NJ is not too far either.

 

[biffdotorg]

There are only 14 properties on the lake. 3 of which own full blown wakesurfing boats and I see them surfing all the time. Theyre all Mastercrafts which are prop driven, does that change the amount of space required to get up on plane? I know nothing about boats so please explain to me as you would to an idiot

Not really, I am just trying to wrap my head around a 50 acre lake. As 50 acres in farm terms is quite small.

To give you a sense of scale, 50 acres is roughly equivalent to about 38 football fields. This is based on the standard American football field, which is about 1.32 acres in size (including the end zones). So maybe not as small as I was imagining.

500 acres is less than half the size of our lake, and I have no idea how I could even tow a tube. Especially if there is other boat traffic. As 3 surf boats on our 1100 acre lake at a time creates enough traffic that I will sit it out if possible.

It sounds like this is a purpose built lake, so good on you.

 

[dblock55]

Not really, I am just trying to wrap my head around a 50 acre lake. As 50 acres in farm terms is quite small.

To give you a sense of scale, 50 acres is roughly equivalent to about 38 football fields. This is based on the standard American football field, which is about 1.32 acres in size (including the end zones). So maybe not as small as I was imagining.

500 acres is less than half the size of our lake, and I have no idea how I could even tow a tube. Especially if there is other boat traffic. As 3 surf boats on our 1100 acre lake at a time creates enough traffic that I will sit it out if possible.

It sounds like this is a purpose built lake, so good on you.

Yea its definitely not big..... but others seem to make it work. Its actually suprising how rarely people that have boats are out there.... my wife/kids and I would be out there daily if we had a boat. We're always commenting how theres never anyone out on the lake. I dont think id be surfing with someone else surfing.

You're spoiled with a big lake and as it always goes in life, downgrading always makes you question how people do it