So Undecided what to do ?

[Mike Carter]

Hey Everyone… So, I’m in a tough dilemma. Wondering what direction to go.

We currently have a 2007 AR230. It has been a great, solid, reliable boat for the entire family. As now our boat is almost 13 y/o, it is starting to face some pretty costly repairs. I am facing a total re-upholstery job at $3K - $4K, Need a new Bimini. All the plastic on old Bimini is starting to deteriorate from the sun. And last but not least, it has been 13 years. I have not had a major maintenance problem yet. What are going to be my future repairs? What are the thigs that will most likely go out on me from normal use, wear & tear ?

We do want to buy a newer boat, but really want to wait two years.
So, I’m arguing with myself… Sell boat and use the money I have to repair old boat as a down payment? Or continue having NO BOAT PAYMENT for a couple more years and stick the $5K in the old boat ?

Pic For Attention

 

[AboveTheBest]

Typically I enlist others on decisions like this when I’m trying to get talked out of something.

So to me it sounds like you’d rather get a new one, and I think I’d agree.

Whatever you do, don’t even entertain the no-boat scenario.

 

[Julian]

My biggest concern on the older yamahas are the ECUs. Seen a few of them with failures....but very hard to say what the overall failure rate is. One thing some have done is to make sure they cover the tops of them to prevent water getting on them (thick duct tape or flashing of some kind).

That said....new boats are fun.....

 

[Dave burke]

Why not just stick with the status quo for 2 more years? Let the future buyer do the repairs you mentioned. Might make your boat a bit harder to sell but you could always do a trade-in for the new boat.

Biggest risk is that you have more significant issues in the next couple of years but that seems unlikely If the boat been maintained properly. I have a Chaparral I’ve owned since 1995 and a 2009 Sea-Doo Speedster and neither has had any major mechanical issues. Small sample size but hopefully this gives you a bit of comfort.

Good luck.

 

[Beachbummer]

Your boat is likely more mechanically sound than anything else you could buy today. Your boat is the pinnacle of quality boat building by Yamaha. And the styling is fantastic. (I have an 08 SX230) The ECUs tend to fail if they get water in them. our boat design tends to help in that regard (along with the hose directing the water flow away from the ECU.

I would hold on to it if I were you. You can spend $3K on the upholstery and another 500 on the bimini and have a brand new looking boat. That's like 8 payments at $400. then, free boat again!!!

(No hard feelings if you sell, but to me it's not worth it)

 

[buckbuck]

My opinion is to keep that old boat until you truly wear it out. You are not even close yet.

 

[mrmeaniemeateaterman]

I would not spend $5K in cosmetic repairs if you are wanting to get rid of it in 2 years. Just keep using it as is and try your best to keep the fabric from deteriorating further. In 2 more years you will have a 15 year old boat. No one is going to pay you $5K extra because you re-did the upholstery and bimini. Save the $5K and put it towards new boat. My $0.02

My experience has been that when you start thinking about new boats, your old boat is on borrowed time.

 

[Ronnie]

I upgraded from an 06 six 230 to. 2010 242 LS, in retrospect it was not worth it. Cost and time wise. I had a 15 year loan on the 242 that I refied into a 10 year loan after selling my 230 and I paid the 10 year loan off a year after I got it. One thing that never changed is the bad feeling I got whenever I made a payment in the off season. Nothing like paying for something I wasn’t using or planning to use for months, the boat being a little worse since when I do use it in the spring and summer I only use it on the weekends and mostly on saturdays, not the entire weekend.

 

[biglar155]

Your boat is likely more mechanically sound than anything else you could buy today. Your boat is the pinnacle of quality boat building by Yamaha. And the styling is fantastic. (I have an 08 SX230) The ECUs tend to fail if they get water in them. our boat design tends to help in that regard (along with the hose directing the water flow away from the ECU.

I would hold on to it if I were you. You can spend $3K on the upholstery and another 500 on the bimini and have a brand new looking boat. That's like 8 payments at $400. then, free boat again!!!

(No hard feelings if you sell, but to me it's not worth it)

I'll second this. I've said repeatedly that I feel like Yamaha jumped the shark shortly after moving to the new models.

I dunno - I LIKE my boat. At the end of the day it's a big fiberglass tub. The on-board systems are simple - and isolated from each other. I could rip out and replace any one of them with a few hours and some basic tools. If I WANTED touch-screen controls on everything I could add it. (I don't because automation is my day-job and when I'm recreating I like to get back to the more tactile world of rocker switches and push buttons.)

Let me ask you this: What is the draw to a new model for you? Is there some particular feature? How much would you have to spend on your existing boat to get the same thing?

Remember, you don't have to go to a Yamaha dealer or purchase OEM stuff. There are some really good fabric shops out there that will make you ANYTHING you want for both your upholstery and your top. It'll might cost a little more but it will be better than OEM stuff on a new boat and last a LONG time if you take care of it. (@Julian had a friggin' awesome custom enclosure on his 230.)

It's just my 2 cents of course. This will be my last open bow "runabout." If I ever part with it (a day that will see me huddled in a corner in tears for an hour or two) it will be to move on to something completely different.

Good luck with your decision! Keep us posted whatever you decide to do.