New guy from MI

[Overspray]

Hey guys, new to the forum but not completely to boating or jet drives. I've had a few Seadoos and stand ups in the past. last year I bought my first boat so the whole family can ride. She's a 1993 Checkmate Persuader 219, 502 Mercruiser. Plenty of fun and speed, but a very unpredictable ride for the most part, only seats 6 (crammed in there), and frankly not the most family friendly boat. This season I'm selling and searching for a jetboat.

Here's the current boat.

Checkmate Persuader 219

• Overspray
• Feb 20, 2017

 

[captras]

Welcome......you have come to the right place for info to help you decide on what you might want.

 

[Drift Away]

Any thing in the Yamaha line up is a good boat. As long as you do regular maintenance on it, flush it out it should last a long time. Just depends on what you and and your family want to do with the boat and what fits your budget. The 19 footers are very nice simple to operate and reasonably affordable, the 21's are rocket ships with some nice bells and whistles for hanging out at a sand bar or doing water sports and the 24 footers have the room to take a big group and the power to still yank a tube all over those lakes up there but obviously will be the most expensive of the three choices.

 

[buckbuck]

Welcome, we are here to answer your questions.

 

[Overspray]

95% of the time I'm boating on inland lakes, don't do much watersports as my daughter is 2 and the next one is still in the oven. Although we would go out in Lake St clair more often if our boat could handle the busy weekend chop. Seating is whatever is maximum, 10-12 would be ideal. I'm concerned about reliability so Yamahas look nice from that aspect. As always, there must be a budget as well.

I have a good friend who bought a Scarab 195 HOI brand new and has nothing but problems with it (mainly fiberglass/gel coat). So much so that Scarab basically told him to take a hike. From that experience, and everything else I've read, I'm avoiding them.

On the flip side, I love the looks of the Glastron GT207 and price point. The interior looks luxurious for what it is, but they're made in the same factory as the Scarabs... which scares me.

I've been looking at the sx240/ 242limited, used 2015 after the most current update. My goal is to buy next winter for the best deal.

 

[Drift Away]

95% of the time I'm boating on inland lakes, don't do much watersports as my daughter is 2 and the next one is still in the oven. Although we would go out in Lake St clair more often if our boat could handle the busy weekend chop. Seating is whatever is maximum, 10-12 would be ideal. I'm concerned about reliability so Yamahas look nice from that aspect. As always, there must be a budget as well.

I have a good friend who bought a Scarab 195 HOI brand new and has nothing but problems with it (mainly fiberglass/gel coat). So much so that Scarab basically told him to take a hike. From that experience, and everything else I've read, I'm avoiding them.

On the flip side, I love the looks of the Glastron GT207 and price point. The interior looks luxurious for what it is, but they're made in the same factory as the Scarabs... which scares me.

I've been looking at the sx240/ 242limited, used 2015 after the most current update. My goal is to buy next winter for the best deal.

I have the SX240. I did not want to spend the money on a 242 and could not justify spending the extra on the wake board tower. But i have done everything a guy can do to make mine look like them. I had speakers cut into the swim deck and now looking at OEM wake board towers. We live here in FL so we are out in the gulf every weekend and the Bimini top that comes with the SX240 is kinda weak for what i paid for the boat. We almost never have flat water here in the gulf. A good day for us is 1-2 foot waves. So in hindsight i should have went with the AR240 and i could have still did the swim deck speakers and had a better top. I have a post somewhere on here with all the stero upgrades i did. The stock stuff on the SX and AR are ok but it will take about 2 weeks and you might to upgrade to the JL Audio slam pack. I tell everyone if its in your budget got ahead and get it when you buy your boat you seem to always get better prices that way.

 

[Julian]

Welcome! If you think you are going to keep the boat for 8+ years...then get the tower or you'll be kicking yourself.....as your kids, or your kids friends will want to be boarding of one sort or another....not to mention lots of other families will be looking for a boat with a tower, so it helps resale speed.

 

[Overspray]

Very good point, thanks for the heads up @Julian. I wouldn't mind having the tower. I went to the boat show twice last week to drool and look around. A large Bimini is a must have with the kids, but I don't like the e series caged Bimini. I'd like to be able to fold it up.

Does anyone have pictures of the E series towers folded down?

 

[captras]

Hey guys, new to the forum but not completely to boating or jet drives. I've had a few Seadoos and stand ups in the past. last year I bought my first boat so the whole family can ride. She's a 1993 Checkmate Persuader 219, 502 Mercruiser. Plenty of fun and speed, but a very unpredictable ride for the most part, only seats 6 (crammed in there), and frankly not the most family friendly boat. This season I'm selling and searching for a jetboat.

Here's the current boat.

Checkmate Persuader 219

• Overspray
• Feb 20, 2017

That's a beautiful boat, but I see what you mean about limited space! I bet it does haul ass though

 

[buckbuck]

I think you will find that, like most northern boaters, you will use the bimini very little once the kids become a little more sun hardened. We use ours once a year when we go to Lake Shelbyville unless we have infants onboard. Have fun with the process of finding a boat. I think you are wise to pursue a used boat.

 

[captras]

Mine is a 242 Limted SE. I never intended to spend that kind of money. Believe it or not, the wife pushed for the 242 over the AR240....mostly because of the upgraded interior and the H UGE Bimini. I have not regretted it for a minute. Great for family....8 people on this thing has room for everybody with no cramping at all. Havnt had 12 on it yet, but there is a seat for everybody. The new 21 footers are really great too...and significantly less money. I second a comment made earlier here....dont buy the boat that fits you today....if you plan on long term, buy the biggest boat you can afford that will fit you in 5-10 years. You will be better off in the long run. Also, the used boat thought is a good way to go. Never thought about a new boat until got too looking. It was the first year for the 242 Limited SE, so used was not an option for me. Just my opinion!

 

[gsbrown]

Hey guys, new to the forum but not completely to boating or jet drives. I've had a few Seadoos and stand ups in the past. last year I bought my first boat so the whole family can ride. She's a 1993 Checkmate Persuader 219, 502 Mercruiser. Plenty of fun and speed, but a very unpredictable ride for the most part, only seats 6 (crammed in there), and frankly not the most family friendly boat. This season I'm selling and searching for a jetboat.

Here's the current boat.

Checkmate Persuader 219

• Overspray
• Feb 20, 2017

Welcome and I agree with the fun and speed of the Checkmate... Iv'e been on my friends 24ft Checkmate with a 400hp outboard. That thing was a 80mph rocket! But I prefer the ride, feel and comfort of my Yamaha. Good luck with your search.

 

[itsdgm]

Welcome aboard @Overspray and good luck with your boat search &purchase.

 

[Bennie]

Welcome aboard @Overspray. We have quite a few other members near you - use our user map to get a good idea of who is in your local area.

As for pricing I know you mentioned waiting till winter but you may want to look into the deals at your local boat shows. @Julian can provide more info on that but I am quite sure you would be able to get a very comparable deal (compared to winter sales) during those shows.