What newer model Yamaha/other is comparable to LS2000?

[Gmmastertech1]

To those who have owned both, is the 212SS really the only one? Quick rundown, I owned a 99 LS2000 that I loved and bought a brand new 2011 AR210 because of the layout. Had a guy on YJB PM me at the time and told me to not waste my time with the AR. He was right. Absolutely hated the performance! Sold it with only 11 hours on it and bought another LS. I understand I'm dealing with raw 2 stroke, lighter weight power with the LS, but is there any other brand even besides Yamaha that compares? Not just speed, but that raw slingshot power to get on plane. Must be a 20-21 foot. Not looking for anything bigger. Thanks guys and gals

 

[treeskier]

@Gmmastertech1 I will be watch the replies on this closely.

This is my third summer I have had my 2002 LS 2000 and we love it. I have just started thinking about "upgrading" to a newer 4 stroke Yamaha for the following reasons: more boat above the water to handle a little more chop, more reliability with the 4 stroke (really? I haven't had any issues) and once or twice a year we would like the ability to carry 8 people (all other times we are 4 and usually just 2).

Here are my concerns: you are not the first to lament the performance differences between the LS and the heavier boats (I have seen this before), I can drive my LS at low speed, high speed what ever speed and now have no issues docking .... I understand the 4 stroke boats with no wake mode have their own issues and a new learning curve, I like the fact that my LS can go (carefully) where the larger 4 stroke boats can't (we have 2 restaurants we like with particularly shallow water) and I have addressed all of the issues with my LS2000 so it seems counter productive to start again with a new / used boat.

I really am thinking this over because if I am going to keep this boat I'd like to upgrade the sound system, possibly add a tower and replace the cover. I'm anxious to hear the feed back.

 

[4x15mph]

Following as well. I love the LS length and 2 engines. I had 7 out comfortably the other weekend for wakeboarding, tubing, and fun. No problem with 7 on board, which included 3 adults averaging 200 pounds and 4 teenagers, of 150 lbs. There was plenty of room ... for a boat.

I struggle with this all of the time. Outside of the 212x/ss, I think you have to jump to a 23 footer which is larger than I want. The other option is an I/O or outboard but you will not read much about that here. Also, you are probably addicted to Yamaha and this board like the rest of us.

 

[smthng]

I recently made the switch from my 2003 LX210, which is an LS2000 with a swim platform. If I had to sum it up, the LX is the fun boat, the 212X is the good boat.

The LS/LX is a screaming wet rocket... you're not going to get that power out of the 4-strokes. If that's your thing, keep the LS/LX until it disintegrates. Don't get me wrong... the Yamaha HO 4-strokes are no slouch... they're still faster than 90% of the boats on our river, but they are bigger and fatter and don't put out the power the same way.

But, it's really nice to have the space, comfort (chop resistance) and fuel range of my 212X. If the LX wasn't such a gas guzzler, I probably wouldn't have changed boats. I just need to run more than a few hours on a tank of fuel and I can't do that with the 2-strokes. Plus, the extra size of the 212X (compared to the LX) has it's advantages and it's nice to actually be able to hear people when the boats' on a plane.

In short, if the LS/LX works for your needs and you like the power, you're probably best served by keeping it. If you need "more" of whatever and are considering the 4-strokes, just be aware that they'll be a little slower and react a little more "sluggishly"... But get an HO boat. I can't imagine making that transition to a boat with the non-HO motors.

 

[Gmmastertech1]

Well, looks like we're all in the same boat! Seriously, the layout and comfort in the newer models will make you guys want one. I still itch for that layout. However, for me and sounds like you others with the LS, a top speed of 43mph is unacceptable as well losing the ability to turn on a dime (while pulling tubers) and the other factors, do not buy a newer one. Another thing, our LS's can turn at no wake speeds with no problem compared to the newer ones. My wife can load the LS on the trailer, she couldn't begin to do that with the AR

 

[Gmmastertech1]

I recently made the switch from my 2003 LX210, which is an LS2000 with a swim platform. If I had to sum it up, the LX is the fun boat, the 212X is the good boat.

The LS/LX is a screaming wet rocket... you're not going to get that power out of the 4-strokes. If that's your thing, keep the LS/LX until it disintegrates. Don't get me wrong... the Yamaha HO 4-strokes are no slouch... they're still faster than 90% of the boats on our river, but they are bigger and fatter and don't put out the power the same way.

But, it's really nice to have the space, comfort (chop resistance) and fuel range of my 212X. If the LX wasn't such a gas guzzler, I probably wouldn't have changed boats. I just need to run more than a few hours on a tank of fuel and I can't do that with the 2-strokes. Plus, the extra size of the 212X (compared to the LX) has it's advantages and it's nice to actually be able to hear people when the boats' on a plane.

In short, if the LS/LX works for your needs and you like the power, you're probably best served by keeping it. If you need "more" of whatever and are considering the 4-strokes, just be aware that they'll be a little slower and react a little more "sluggishly"... But get an HO boat. I can't imagine making that transition to a boat with the non-HO motors.

Thank you for that! Good write up. Bottom line, like you stated, to each his own for their needs. I primarily boat on a small lake that is 45 min. from home. I don't need extra run time, love the power, absolutely problem free as I fix everything, only get to boat twice a month and a somewhat short season. The only reason I would consider a newer with equivalent power is because of the roomy layout. We're a family of 5 and the layout of the newer ones are fantastic. But, as I found out, not worth losing the other factors. Not to mention the LS is far cheaper!

 

[Bruce]

The 4 strokes do not have the performance of the 2 strokes. But in contrast on Saturday we took 10 people out on the lake. We had an inflatable trampoline, inflatable paddle board, grill, margarita maker, fridge full of drinks, ice chest full of shiskabobs, watermelon, mixers and ice in the built in ice chest, baby supplies, chips, 4 paddle boards, lots of noodles, a portapotty, everything our guests brought and more stored in the compartments.

We loved our LX210. The performance was amazing. We bought our SX230 HO to carry more. Sometimes I miss the performance.

 

[biffdotorg]

Very good topic, as I fall into this category as well. When we bought our X20, I had all intentions of purchasing an AR210/230. I owned a Chevy Colorado at the time and it would have maxed out the towing capacity. I found a mint X20 and realized it was the right sized boat for us, even though my heart was in a Yamaha.

We have come to find it is the perfect size four our family and friends, and performance is much better than the newer boats. That being said, Yamaha may not have addressed this market, but SeaDoo did with it's Speedster 200 (20') with twin supercharged engines. It was a rocket, but had less space than our current boat.

They did come out with a number of models before shutting down their boat division with pairs of supercharged engines. We all know the potential issues those engines had and their thirst for fuel. I will take reliability over performance any day and I think that is what you sign up for with a Yamaha.

I do think about this often, as I fear the day that our Mercury Sportjet bites the dust, as it may be too expensive to fix. I did have the chance to look over a 2015 242LS on the sandbar this weekend, and my lust for one of these was re-kindled!! OMG, what an amazing rig. Do I need it, no. Can I tow it now, yes.

I will cross that bridge when it comes. For now, we will run our 20ft 240hp rocket till it fails us. With good maintenance, we hope that will not be soon.

Good luck!

 

[DCB-270]

We went from a Group K Sleeper Exciter to a LX2000 for more room and a better ride giving up some speed and performance.
We then went from the LX to a 09 212SS for more room and a better ride giving up some speed and performance.

The SS is a great boat for us. The ride is so much better and tons of storage. Still a very fast and fun boat but uses a lot less gas.

 

[treeskier]

What about the 212SS...is this a good "compromise"?

 

[Gmmastertech1]

What about the 212SS...is this a good "compromise"?

That boat is the only one I could think of that would maybe fit the need. Would love to hear other 212SS owner's opinions if they came from the 2 strokes.

 

[treeskier]

We went from a Group K Sleeper Exciter to a LX2000 for more room and a better ride giving up some speed and performance.
We then went from the LX to a 09 212SS for more room and a better ride giving up some speed and performance.

The SS is a great boat for us. The ride is so much better and tons of storage. Still a very fast and fun boat but uses a lot less gas.

@DCB-270 I started my post then got busy and hit send in the mean time yours came in. I am very curious about the 2012ss. My girlfriend thinks the ss "looks" low in the water and the windshield...which she really wants looks very low as well. I told her it weighs the same as the other 4 stroke boats and the ride would be similar...am I correct?

 

[Gmmastertech1]

@DCB-270 I started my post then got busy and hit send in the mean time yours came in. I am very curious about the 2012ss. My girlfriend thinks the ss "looks" low in the water and the windshield...which she really wants looks very low as well. I told her it weighs the same as the other 4 stroke boats and the ride would be similar...am I correct?

You bring up a good point that I forgot when I posted this: We love the open feeling of the LS2000 with it not having a full windshield. It might sound weird, but after having the LS and then buying the new AR, I hated the full windshield! Even bought a seat riser to put me above it, but didn't like it. We only boat when it's really warm and want the open air on us. I know the AR210 was like a sled in the water with very slow reaction times. I don't know if the 212SS has enough power to overcome that.

 

[DCB-270]

We love the low windshield of the 08- 09 212SS boats coming from our other boats that did not have windshields. In my opinion they are some of the best looking Yamahas ever built. The 160hp MR1 motors are very fast, about 52mph. It would be nice to have the bigger 1.8 for a little more power, I guess they go about 55 in a 212 but a full windshield.

 

[Julian]

We loved our LX210, but wanted more room and a full windshield as we'd often be boating for 2 weeks at a time to an island in Lake of the Woods, so the weather didn't always cooperate. Boating in the rain without a windshield sucks....and I had a full camper cover made to improve on that!

If all you want is raw power and the ability to slide the stern around, you won't find that on any of the 4-cycle models. The 212x or SS are the highest performance of the 4 cycle models....so that is as close as you'll get.

We love the bigger, more stable 230 we own. You can still whip the daylights out of a tuber on the back, and I'm sure an X or SS can whip harder. We've not had anyone say...."I wish you could throw it around more!"

 

[treeskier]

What year did Yamaha change to the newer version of their 4 stroke engine? I thought the early 4 strokes ran at very high RPM's and at some point they started using a version that runs at lower RPMs.

 

[GTBRMC]

What year did Yamaha change to the newer version of their 4 stroke engine? I thought the early 4 strokes ran at very high RPM's and at some point they started using a version that runs at lower RPMs.

The 1.8L engines came out in MY2010, replacing the MR1 4-stroke engines in the affected models.