TommyMcK
Jetboaters Lieutenant
- Messages
- 148
- Reaction score
- 327
- Points
- 162
- Location
- SW Florida / Middle Chesapeake
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2023
- Boat Model
- Wake
- Boat Length
- 22
So, the conundrum...
I've had my AR230 since 2003. I originally purchased it because I had a place on the lower Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake (Crisfield, MD) and at the end of my 300' pier I had a grand total of 2' at low tide. The jet boat with its shallow draft seemed like a good idea. The boat served me faithfully for nearly 15 years with countless hours of wake board sessions, but trips across the bay seemed brutal at the times. I always attributed it to the hull shape of the jet boat, which I figured wasn't really designed for rough waters.
More recently I purchased a place on the Magothy river farther up the bay on the Western shore of the bay. The AR230 was still down in Crisfield at the time so I got a 21' Key West dual console. The Key West hull design was in theory designed for rougher waters, and in any case, the upper bay wasn't as rough anyway.
After a year or so with the Key West I was happy enough with it. The Yamaha 150 outboard seems bullet proof, and in general it's a great boat. Problem is, I recently sold the place in Crisfield, so I brought the AR230 back up. After sitting for a couple of years, the reverse gate cables locked up, but thanks to this site, I got fixed that right up. Now that the AR230 is back in action pretty much everybody I take out likes it better than the Key West. The back swim platform is great, the overall layout is great, and in general it's a great party barge. And the thing is damn fast. It clocks 55 easy peasy. And more than that, I swear that it handles chop significantly better than the Key West. And the way it gets up on a plane is just better for a variety of applications.
So, the question is...... Do I ditch both the AR230 and the new Key West and get a new AR240? I love the overall layout of Yamaha jet boats, but I also like the idea of being able to take a smallish boat out in less than optimal conditions. Does anybody have a sense of the relative handling of older Yamaha hull designs to newer ones? I see posts here with folks making runs to Bimini, so I figure there must have been some improvements.
I could keep the old AR230, but I'm in a financial position where I can afford new (or new-ish). Is there a real advantage to the newer designs? I don't really care about automatically synchronizing engines or other modern conveniences. But close-quarters handling or improvements in hull design would be significant for me.
Any advice appreciated.....
I've had my AR230 since 2003. I originally purchased it because I had a place on the lower Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake (Crisfield, MD) and at the end of my 300' pier I had a grand total of 2' at low tide. The jet boat with its shallow draft seemed like a good idea. The boat served me faithfully for nearly 15 years with countless hours of wake board sessions, but trips across the bay seemed brutal at the times. I always attributed it to the hull shape of the jet boat, which I figured wasn't really designed for rough waters.
More recently I purchased a place on the Magothy river farther up the bay on the Western shore of the bay. The AR230 was still down in Crisfield at the time so I got a 21' Key West dual console. The Key West hull design was in theory designed for rougher waters, and in any case, the upper bay wasn't as rough anyway.
After a year or so with the Key West I was happy enough with it. The Yamaha 150 outboard seems bullet proof, and in general it's a great boat. Problem is, I recently sold the place in Crisfield, so I brought the AR230 back up. After sitting for a couple of years, the reverse gate cables locked up, but thanks to this site, I got fixed that right up. Now that the AR230 is back in action pretty much everybody I take out likes it better than the Key West. The back swim platform is great, the overall layout is great, and in general it's a great party barge. And the thing is damn fast. It clocks 55 easy peasy. And more than that, I swear that it handles chop significantly better than the Key West. And the way it gets up on a plane is just better for a variety of applications.
So, the question is...... Do I ditch both the AR230 and the new Key West and get a new AR240? I love the overall layout of Yamaha jet boats, but I also like the idea of being able to take a smallish boat out in less than optimal conditions. Does anybody have a sense of the relative handling of older Yamaha hull designs to newer ones? I see posts here with folks making runs to Bimini, so I figure there must have been some improvements.
I could keep the old AR230, but I'm in a financial position where I can afford new (or new-ish). Is there a real advantage to the newer designs? I don't really care about automatically synchronizing engines or other modern conveniences. But close-quarters handling or improvements in hull design would be significant for me.
Any advice appreciated.....
