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!
