Prop boat vs jet boat and price difference on a 19ft

[Jgorm]

I would not be surfing behind an outboard unless of course you just like to live on the edge of dying

Haha, yeah. Kind of like pushing ice into a blender with your hand. You'll probably be fine, but ...
I much prefer wakeboarding if the water is calm, and it's always call at the river.

 

[viper15]

Two articles done by boating magazine on the comparison of a jet vs a stern or outboard. One of the articles is nice in that they use the same version of the boat for all three powertrains (Glastron) in the comparison.
https://www.boatingmag.com/boats/jet-drive-vs-sterndrive
https://www.boatingmag.com/boat-engine-comparison

 

[kyle]

Space on our jet compared to the same size inboard/outboard is huge. Biggest thing for me is not wanting a prop. When my kid kicked the thrust vector this weekend climbing in the boat when he slipped off the ladder he had a sore shin, kick the prop and you are bleeding.

 

[ClemsonTiger]

On the prop side there are some entry level offers that cannot be matched by jet boats. You can have a new Bayliner element for under $25k.

An outboard has important benefits, such as ability to fully trim/tilt out of water, and the safety of zero/ minimal underwater holes. Also its easy to work on, familiar to many mechanics.

I find low draft and simplicity a great benefit to Jets. I am a used buyer, and the old seadoo two cycle boats depreciated very quickly so I was atracted to it based on price also, when we purchased. Bought it for 10k or so, probably spent another 5 over the 14 years we owned it, and sold it for 6k. We did pretty good.

But....4 stroke is awesome.

I thought foul language was banned on this forum...."Bayliner" or "Wellcraft" should never be mentioned nor considered boats....

Seriously!

 

[Jameson Clark]

I just came from an i/o to the Yamaha and the jet drives were not a main reason. I absolutely fell in love with the layout in the boat. Incredibly roomy for it's size and very well thought out storage. I did also look at other i/o's but like others have said, the value with the Yamaha is what pushed us that way. I do miss the stern drive in certain situations but that is mostly because that's all I ever had and I am still getting used to the jet drives. I will say this boat is much quicker out of the hole than I thought it would be but I am disappointed in the top speed.

 

[Beachbummer]

I thought foul language was banned on this forum...."Bayliner" or "Wellcraft" should never be mentioned nor considered boats....

Seriously!

The number of boats they manufacturer still show there is a market. It's all about freedom to choose.

 

[SCP1]

Honestly if I was never going to surf the NXT20 with an outboard is a sweet option.

 

[Whisky]

As others have said there is no doubt we are a bit biased here....

But, here’s my $0.02:

We were looking to buy our first boat last year, we went to so many boat show’s and dealers that I’m pretty sure it almost ended our marriage. Priceline, there were defnitely cheaper and more expensive options on both sides, we thought about the every fibreglass, inboard, outboard, pontoon, alluminum and other boat there was and the Yamaha was the boat that fit within our price range and when we walked aboard we felt comfortable.

For the wife she loved the layout, the big bow, the wrap around bench (AR190) and the lounge on the back. For me I loved the jet (no prop) the engine (low maintainance, reliable, self draining and compact). We wanted a boat that we could use late into the fall with lots of space and the ability to cruise and tow tubes wakeboards.

Size, reliability, layout, quality and ease of use is what sold us. No doubt it was more than a bayliner element (which was what we had initially started shopping for) but we knew that we would outgrow the capabilities of the bayliner way too fast so it wasn’t going to be cheaper in the end anyways. When we found other boats we liked though, the price wasn’t much different, We really narrowed it down to 5 boats in a similar price range and here is how we decided on the Yamaha. (All 19 ft except the pontoon)

Regal - We loved this boat, the layout was great and it had the larger Volvo Penta, Price was similar. This was the closest competitor. We liked the fit and finish, as well as the colour more, the layout was almost as good for us also, large swim platform made up for the space the engine took up and the lack of the lounge. We liked the lounge more but it was more or less a wash. In the end the Yamaha won, in m any ways due to the low maintainance self draining engine and Jet Drive.

Fourwinns with Mercury outboard - I liked the easy maintainance of the outboard and the look of the boat, but the interior was very small, bow seating was small, layout wasn’t wrap around, and the lack of the lounge was disappointing, this one lost out in a hurry.

Glastron with Evinrude outboard - Absolutely love the Evinrude outboards, and the interior was fantastic but same disadvantages as above.

Premier Pontoon Evinrude Outboard - Loved the space of a pontoon, loved the engine, but in the end we wanted something more like a traditional boat for wakeboarding and tubing. Liked being closer tot he water and also felt the traditional boat would be easier to load store and manage in our space.

Scarab Jet - interior was fantastic, this boat looked AMAZING, price for features was great (upgraded interior, stereo, dashboard, engine control features), but it really lost out for two reasons. The local dealer was a few hours away, and I was really cautious of the Rotax jet, the Yamaha engine had a lot of benefits (reliability, no supercharger, better fuel efficiency, and clean out ports). Over all, the Yamaha won because it seemed like the smart reliable choice over the risky fun scarab.


Hope that this helps out, no doubt there are lots of options, but in the end we felt the Yamaha was the right one for us, and haven’t regretted it for a second!

 

[ClemsonTiger]

The number of boats they manufacturer still show there is a market. It's all about freedom to choose.

Really? Your joking right? Bayliner in the 80s and 90s produced a fair amount of boats...but they burned a lot of buyers and word got out...

Look at their site now...they barely exist and the boats they make are barely floating piles of shyt.

But your correct...everyone is free to make poor decisions.

 

[Beachbummer]

Really? Your joking right? Bayliner in the 80s and 90s produced a fair amount of boats...but they burned a lot of buyers and word got out...

Look at their site now...they barely exist and the boats they make are barely floating piles of shyt.

But your correct...everyone if free to make poor decisions.

It seems to me they are still going and selling quite a few boats. Supposedly brand #4 or #5 in the US depending on how you count
http://www.boatsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/YW-2017-Q1-MarketIndex-1.pdf
I could care less, but my point stands, they are made and sold, and some people (seems quite a few, actually) still buy their boats.

 

[SCP1]

Really? Your joking right? Bayliner in the 80s and 90s produced a fair amount of boats...but they burned a lot of buyers and word got out...

Look at their site now...they barely exist and the boats they make are barely floating piles of shyt.

But your correct...everyone if free to make poor decisions.

Just to clarify I’m not sure about the quality today but back in the late 80’s and 90’s I remember they were filled with problems.

 

[haknslash]

My dad bought a Bayliner fish and ski new back in the mid 80's and still has it today lol (it's just sitting outside rotting away in the elements). It served its purpose but over time it began to have structural problems. Had to fix some transom / outboard support issues, rebuild the deck twice and a few other things. He had it repainted about 15 years ago as the metallic gelcoat was pretty much shot. The boat itself handled great and we used it all the time when I was a kid. I think it has a Force 185 outboard and no idea if it would crank today if we put a new battery on it. Last time my father used the boat was probably 8 years ago but now it just sits in his backyard because he has neglected to keep it out off the elements and it needs so much new interior to make it water worthy. We kneeboarded and slalom ski behind it and also many years of fishing from it. I wouldn't buy a Bayliner today just because there are better boats out there but back then our 18' Fish n Ski served the purpose for many years without major issue.

Looked like this one. Lots of memories from that thing.

 

[ClemsonTiger]

It seems to me they are still going and selling quite a few boats. Supposedly brand #4 or #5 in the US depending on how you count
http://www.boatsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/YW-2017-Q1-MarketIndex-1.pdf
I could care less, but my point stands, they are made and sold, and some people (seems quite a few, actually) still buy their boats.

Numbers are not what they seem. That report is NOT new boat sales. It is all boat sales.....median year sold for Bayliner....1999 (why anyone would by a Bayliner from that period is beyond belief).

Either way doesn't matter to me one way or another. I was only illustrating that I would never use Bayliner or Wellcraft as a frame of reference.

 

[Beachbummer]

I understand.

The question i tried to comment on was, how do they compare to others in price? Thinking in Terms of food, for example, you can have a value meal or Costco hotdog for $1-$2 or a plate at a very fancy place $300+ or eat something somewhere in between. I'm not saying you want the $1 meal, I'm saying it exists. If you want the cheapest new plate of boat food... There is a store with the cheapest meal. Some eat it. Some don't like it.

 

[biffdotorg]

I had no idea MC made an ob! May have to add a boat to the must see list.

What's even funnier, we may all know MasterCraft for their tow boats. But what they are really known for are their large cuddy's and yachts. All of us inland surfers lust after the tow boats except for the mortgage sized payments. But I have a feeling their offshore business is as big.

 

[Betik]

Please don't let the statement trigger anyone. Just be realistic on how many prop injuries you have actually heard of. Other than the drunk falling off the back while anchored or walking into the lower unit while stumbling around the back of the boat.

here my unnecessary addition to this thread.

1. you don't hear about pro injuries because you hung around with people who have jet boats, so not an issue
2. I really do not understand how someone can get injured on a prop. It is just common sense I think but that is besides the point. We bought the Yamaha thinking that it is safer than props, but I have noticed that actually it has turned out to be a peace of mind. Our kids jump from the swim area and around the stern of the boat. Anytime we have new friends on-board, they all get stressed out about the kids getting hurt on the prop. So we have come to realize that being propless is more about a psychological well being than physical well being.

 

[Jgorm]

Agreed. I've been around prop boats all my life. I've never even known someone that knew someone that got hurt more than a cut from kicking it while getting into a boat. I've known way more jetski accidents. I busted off my front teeth. Friends collided multiple times (don't let teenage girls drive without lots of instruction!). One was a broken knee (teen girl, maybe 16 or 18), the other a handlebar to the nuts. I saw a teenage girl speed straight to the beach, let off, "turn" and launch 15' over the handlebars when she got the beach. So at least half the accidents I've seen we're due to the jet, and inexperienced users not knowing when they need to apply throttle. Being around a prop is like being around a chainsaw. Everyone knows what it will do if it gets you, so they are very careful.

 

[2kwik4u]

............ So we have come to realize that being propless is more about a psychological well being than physical well being.

.................. Being around a prop is like being around a chainsaw. Everyone knows what it will do if it gets you, so they are very careful.

This.....all of this.....so much agreement here......I've been trying to articulate these thoughts here for awhile and have not been able to do so quite as clearly as these two statements. Well done!