Placed a deposit on my first boat...

[King]

Hello Everyone!

Very excited to announce that, as of earlier today, I have placed a deposit on a 2022 Yamaha 195S, Black with Cool Interior at Park Marine Boating Centers just north of Atlanta, GA!

A ton of what I've found here while lurking around for info and research on the subject is what cemented my choice on a Yamaha. Choosing a specific model, that's what turned out to be tricky. But, the 195S won and I'm looking forward to getting it out on the water when it arrives. Also looking forward to putting some of the tips and suggestions I've found here to use. I believe that it will be a wonderful fit for my family.

As the title indicates, this is my first boat. Though I spent most of my youth operating them. However, this will be the first with jet propulsion.

If anyone has any suggestions, hints, tips, modifications, or simply mistakes to avoid... I'd appreciate the help.

Already considering...

A Blow Off Valve
Cone Spacer
Ribbon Delete & Filter Replacement

Thank you for reading my excited noob post.

King

 

[Sean R]

Your in my neck of the woods, will you be boating on Allatoona or Lanier? I also purchased a boat from Park Marine, no complaints they made it real easy. I wouldn't mess with the ribben or air filter until you break it in and after that you may decide the SHVO eng is more than enough. My advice would be take the maiden voyage on a weekday with just you and your co pilot, no kids, pets, drunk neighbors etc...the first day with a new boat is awsome but can be stressful, you don't need distractions.

 

[King]

Your in my neck of the woods, will you be boating on Allatoona or Lanier? I also purchased a boat from Park Marine, no complaints they made it real easy. I wouldn't mess with the ribben or air filter until you break it in and after that you may decide the SHVO eng is more than enough. My advice would be take the maiden voyage on a weekday with just you and your co pilot, no kids, pets, drunk neighbors etc...the first day with a new boat is awsome but can be stressful, you don't need distractions.

@Sean R,

Good to hear about Park Marine. It took a bit of time trying to hunt down a place that still had incoming inventory that wasn't spoken for already. Originally they only had a 212SD up for deposit but, unfortunately, the 212 series are over my towing capacity. Not sure what changed but, after about a week of searching other dealerships, Park called me up and said that a 195S became available. So far they've been very nice.

When it comes to the lakes, I haven't picked one yet. Figured I would give each a shot. What's your favorite? One thing I can say is that my wife is anxious to rent a cabin once it comes in so that we can get it out of Lake Blue Ridge.

Thank you for the advice on the upgrades. Getting it past the break in period before changes is an excellent idea.

 

[Sean R]

We keep the boat on Allatoona been on that lake for 11 years, alot of good memories on Allatoona. Been to Lanier a few times definitely bigger and more to do. South end of Lanier gets pretty rough some big boats out there, North end not so bad. Both great lakes but Lanier is the winner. I would say go the lake that is closest to home and that is why we are at Allatoona a 19ft boat is perfect for exploring the local lakes.

 

[DiggerPA]

Congratulations, I too placed a deposit on a 2022 195s, Blue, about 4 weeks ago. Just curious if your dealer gave you any idea as to when you might receive your boat? We were told any time between November and June, and we are the second on the list for a 195s. That just seems crazy to me that they cannot narrow it down any smaller than 8 months.

 

[FlyFish88]

Congratulations, I too placed a deposit on a 2022 195s, Blue, about 4 weeks ago. Just curious if your dealer gave you any idea as to when you might receive your boat? We were told any time between November and June, and we are the second on the list for a 195s. That just seems crazy to me that they cannot narrow it down any smaller than 8 months.

I placed a deposit in TN, 2 weeks ago for a 195S in blue also. My dealer told me the exact same delivery window “October through July”.
One dealer that sold their last slot two days earlier than When I placed my deposit, told me they were hoping to be getting a good chunk of their inventory by the Nashville boat show in January.

 

[2kwik4u]

Congrats on the new boat @King

Is this your first boat ever? What kind of experience do you have around boats? What made you decide boating is for you?

Lots of great people here that can help with everything from minor maintenance and questions you might think are silly, all the way up to master mechanics that can tear and engine down and repair it in a weekend. Don't be afraid to ask, or join in the discussion, we're a pretty open group here.

My advice would be take the maiden voyage on a weekday with just you and your co pilot, no kids, pets, drunk neighbors etc...the first day with a new boat is awsome but can be stressful, you don't need distractions.

I 120% concur on taking the first day on a weekday without distractions. Practice getting it on/off the trailer. Practice docking. Practice general use and figure out how the boat reacts to throttle/turning/etc. It's worth a vacation burnt to get some practice in without anyone except you and the admiral aboard. The more time you spend practicing without anyone watching, the better off it will go when the pressure is turned up on a busy weekend day with friends/family aboard and 101 other people waiting on you so they can get in.

Wife and I did this, and once we got the process and boat figured out we no longer shy away from busy (or holiday) weekends on the water. We know we can handle the boat around all the other people that DON'T practice and only show up on the water 2-3 times a year.

 

[King]

Congratulations, I too placed a deposit on a 2022 195s, Blue, about 4 weeks ago. Just curious if your dealer gave you any idea as to when you might receive your boat? We were told any time between November and June, and we are the second on the list for a 195s. That just seems crazy to me that they cannot narrow it down any smaller than 8 months.

@DiggerPA,

Congratulations on the 195S Blue!

We were told pretty much the same thing. We had them dancing all around with that question. We finally got; most likely not before the first of the year, perhaps March, could be as late as June. So, now I'm having to balance between seeing it from their point of view, knowing they're one of many dealers at the mercy of the production facility and completely being overcome with excitement like a kid constantly asking from the back seat "are we there yet, are we there yet".

King

 

[King]

We keep the boat on Allatoona been on that lake for 11 years, alot of good memories on Allatoona. Been to Lanier a few times definitely bigger and more to do. South end of Lanier gets pretty rough some big boats out there, North end not so bad. Both great lakes but Lanier is the winner. I would say go the lake that is closest to home and that is why we are at Allatoona a 19ft boat is perfect for exploring the local lakes.

@Sean R,

Did a little research, and unless we make a trip somewhere, looks like Allatoona is the winner for us. I like the smaller, less crowded aspect, that and it's the closest to the house.

Are you using one of the storage facilities associated with Park Marine? I'm debating storage closer to the house that's less of an expense vs. having things right there at the lake.

King

 

[King]

Congrats on the new boat @King

Is this your first boat ever? What kind of experience do you have around boats? What made you decide boating is for you?

Lots of great people here that can help with everything from minor maintenance and questions you might think are silly, all the way up to master mechanics that can tear and engine down and repair it in a weekend. Don't be afraid to ask, or join in the discussion, we're a pretty open group here.

Sean R said:
My advice would be take the maiden voyage on a weekday with just you and your co pilot, no kids, pets, drunk neighbors etc...the first day with a new boat is awsome but can be stressful, you don't need distractions.

I 120% concur on taking the first day on a weekday without distractions. Practice getting it on/off the trailer. Practice docking. Practice general use and figure out how the boat reacts to throttle/turning/etc. It's worth a vacation burnt to get some practice in without anyone except you and the admiral aboard. The more time you spend practicing without anyone watching, the better off it will go when the pressure is turned up on a busy weekend day with friends/family aboard and 101 other people waiting on you so they can get in.

Wife and I did this, and once we got the process and boat figured out we no longer shy away from busy (or holiday) weekends on the water. We know we can handle the boat around all the other people that DON'T practice and only show up on the water 2-3 times a year.

@2kwik4u,

This will be the first one that I've ever owned, and the first time ever with jet propulsion. In the late 1970's my father and his wife were huge SCUBA divers and I was brought along on all of their trips. With things being much more relaxed 40-45 years ago, once underway, they're put me at the helm of the double decker pontoon dive boat on Lake Ouachita just outside of Hot Springs Arkansas. That soon turned in to putting me at the helm when my dad and a group of friends went skiing on Lake Bistineau. They realized that not having to worry with piloting the boat allowed for more beer consumption. In my teenage years, my father and I would regularly take his Jon Boat out to various lakes on fishing trips every other week or so. Not sure I would qualify this as boating experience but, for a summer I worked as restaurant/bar help aboard a paddle wheeler that was moored on the riverfront in Shreveport, LA called the River Rose. It's long since been replaced with casino river boats. Though, it was fun. From my early 20's on, it died down to a rental every once in a while. Fast forward a few decades to last May... I went to the doctor for what I thought was going to be a respiratory issue only to find out that I was about to be the proud recipient of a brand new mechanical aortic valve as the deformed one that I was born with was finally playing out. Because of the returned cardiac throughput and efficiency, post surgery I've got energy like I'm in my late 20's... But, unlike my actual late 20's, I can now afford a boat.

I appreciate the advice from @Sean R and you on getting comfortable with things. Back in the day, I was proficient with every aspect that involved water, though I'll need some heavy refreshers. The Jet aspect and trailering will be a challenge. I've been on a Jet Ski a time or two and am looking forward to picking that up. Trailering on the other hand, with very limited experience, that one's got me a bit nervous. Was thinking of getting some safety cones, finding a nice quiet (and large) parking lot, and having a day or two of just moving the boat around in various ways. Once comfortable with that, transition to an actual boat ramp somewhere quiet.

All in all, my family and I are excited about having a new avenue of fun on the way.

King

 

[King]

I placed a deposit in TN, 2 weeks ago for a 195S in blue also. My dealer told me the exact same delivery window “October through July”.
One dealer that sold their last slot two days earlier than When I placed my deposit, told me they were hoping to be getting a good chunk of their inventory by the Nashville boat show in January.

@FlyFish88

Forgot to mention this earlier... When I was hunting around dealerships that might have inventory... One in South Carolina said their yet to be delivered inventory was all spoken for and that I could joint the waiting list for 2023. The other odd occurrence was a dealer in Jacksonville, FL telling me that the 19 foot series were so popular they'd put a $5000 premium on them, as in what they could get their hands on would be going for 5k over MSRP.

It was in the middle of all of that chaos that the dealer closest to my house called back with one available. Not sure if someone backed out, or if they miscounted, or what... Didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth so to speak. Only thing that was a miss was that I'd have preferred the 1965S in blue. Though it's good as I like the interior of the black one better.

King

 

[Sean R]

@Sean R,

Did a little research, and unless we make a trip somewhere, looks like Allatoona is the winner for us. I like the smaller, less crowded aspect, that and it's the closest to the house.

Are you using one of the storage facilities associated with Park Marine? I'm debating storage closer to the house that's less of an expense vs. having things right there at the lake.

King

I agree, and I am not going to drive over Allatoona to go to Lanier for the day, Laniers nice but not a two hour round trip nice.

The one down side of keeping your boat at a storage facility are the public launches, on a busy weekend they can be stressful to say the least but cheaper.

We keep our boat at Glade Marina (dry slip covered) been there for 11 years, Nothing but positive things to say about Glade. We pay $160.00 approx a month on a one year contract but I bet the price goes up in the spring. I think dry slip uncoverd is around $120 not 100% sure. If it was me I would get quotes from storage facilities and marinas and compare prices. I can tell you from experience a private launch on a Saturday vs public launch is well worth an additional $25 dollars a month but if it's more than that maybe not.

Regarding other marinas I Have friends at Park, Little river and Harbor town they all love there marinas. The big challenge is finding a empty slip, last I heard all the marinas on Allatoona have waiting lists but that was a few months ago things might have changed. You'll love Allatoona.

 

[jschulz900]

Hello Everyone!

Very excited to announce that, as of earlier today, I have placed a deposit on a 2022 Yamaha 195S, Black with Cool Interior at Park Marine Boating Centers just north of Atlanta, GA!

A ton of what I've found here while lurking around for info and research on the subject is what cemented my choice on a Yamaha. Choosing a specific model, that's what turned out to be tricky. But, the 195S won and I'm looking forward to getting it out on the water when it arrives. Also looking forward to putting some of the tips and suggestions I've found here to use. I believe that it will be a wonderful fit for my family.

As the title indicates, this is my first boat. Though I spent most of my youth operating them. However, this will be the first with jet propulsion.

If anyone has any suggestions, hints, tips, modifications, or simply mistakes to avoid... I'd appreciate the help.

Already considering...

A Blow Off Valve
Cone Spacer
Ribbon Delete & Filter Replacement

Thank you for reading my excited noob post.

King

congratulations on the boat i put a deposit down on a green ar195 back in august what location did you use, mine is in Kennesaw GA

 

[King]

congratulations on the boat i put a deposit down on a green ar195 back in august what location did you use, mine is in Kennesaw GA

@jschulz900,

Thank you. Congratulations on your AR!

It was the Kennesaw location. Though it was all over the phone and emails. Paul is the person that's been handling things. Is the Kennesaw location the closest one to you, or was it the closest one that had a line on what you were looking for? Oddly enough, it's both for me.

King

 

[jschulz900]

@jschulz900,

Thank you. Congratulations on your AR!

It was the Kennesaw location. Though it was all over the phone and emails. Paul is the person that's been handling things. Is the Kennesaw location the closest one to you, or was it the closest one that had a line on what you were looking for? Oddly enough, it's both for me.

King

thank you And yes its the closest and i did it all over the phone as well. I just wanted to get on a list so i wouldn't miss any of next years boating season which could start any time in GA. i must say i cant wait to get the call.

 

[King]

thank you And yes its the closest and i did it all over the phone as well. I just wanted to get on a list so i wouldn't miss any of next years boating season which could start any time in GA. i must say i cant wait to get the call.

@jschulz900,

I can't wait either. My wife and son have never really experienced a good day on the lake in the way having a boat offers. I'm not quite sure if I'm more excited about the boat, or getting to see their reaction. Something like that happened when my son, who's 20 now, was much younger and we booked a trip to Disney World. I'd been once as a teenager but, my wife had never been... Honestly I think she may have had a better time than our son who was completely ecstatic. I think this will be pretty much the same way.

King