New boat purchase need advice AR190 vs 195 vs 220

[Acard7]

What 50 acre lake is this? I want to google map it

 

[Btsnhos]

I love my 195, 5 adults and 3 kids we can hit around 40mph WOT, but it does use ALOT of gas. So 6000rpms is the sweet spot, two engines is great for redundancy but does double the cost of maintenance.

 

[blacksapphirez]

i'll be the odd ball and say go with the 190...esp for that small lake.

the layout on the 19 is extremely functional and feels larger than a normal 19ft'ers. I've owned the 240 before and I don't miss the extra space(all up front anyway!)

Also non-supercharged engine is probably more efficient on fuel as well and would run on regular unleaded.

 

[Ribs77]

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 wet-slipped last season. There would sometimes be a little bit of water at the bottom of the engine bay, but the bilge pump would activate the moment it was more than a tiny amount. The bilge probably had some water in it? But I don't think it ever got moldy. The hull will have some growth of barnacles/fuzz/whatever if you leave it in all season. It can be cleaned off.

 

[Thermobrett]

I think it comes to personal preference and cost. Do you need the higher freeboard and twin engines? I agree the twins make docking significantly easier. I had an SX195 and finding gas at a gas dock was impossible due to the need for premium fuel, but I trailered mine to and from the ramp each time so fuel wasn't the issue as I always topped off at the gas station on my way home. I'm not familiar with surfing or wake boarding, but I don't think you need wide open throttle or a higher speed? I personally went with the supercharged 1.8 as I wanted the high HP if I had a full boat. When we sourced ours, the dealer said if its just a couple people you will run mid to upper 30s wide open, but with the super charger its was more mid to upper 40s and we did see 51.3 with my wife and I and a good tail wind. I honestly would only push the throttle down when leaving the mouth of the river to pass the slower pontoons but the ideal cruising speed was 26-30mph. That provided the best fuel economy 2.5mpg opposed to 1mp WOT, and a smoother ride, but I was also using mine in Tampa Bay and in the gulf, so I had significantly deeper water and larger chop. if I went for another, I would go for the 210 as its higher out of the water. As for space, the 190 models have ample storage for tubes, life jackets and wake boards, so we never had clutter on the deck, even with 5 people. If you haven't already, or get the chance, walk through each model your interested in and compare the layout and options. The 190s feel much larger than they are based on how Yamaha designed them. Just my $0.02 on the subject.

 

[kgower]

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 .

Keep in mind that you can't use the wakebooster with the seat brackets installed. The swim up seats are a nice feature, it's a shame that Yamaha didn't think this through, and that you have to make a choice, surf or use swim up seats.

If anyone has a solution that doesn't require the modification, I would be interested in knowing.