16'FSHSport
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 22
- Reaction score
- 25
- Points
- 62
- Location
- Naperville, IL
- Boat Make
- Yamaha
- Year
- 2016
- Boat Model
- FSH Sport
- Boat Length
- 19
Every boat is a compromise. Bowriders are more of cruisers that you can swim and ski off of, but hard core skiers would remind you that they are not a Nautique. Fish and Ski boats are either too bass boat or too bowrider with transformable seating that seems too cheesy/clunky for my tastes. I already own a cabin cruiser and it is just that. Enter the center console.......wait I live in the Midwest and people around here still look at you funny when you even mention one. 15 years ago we would be out on my brother’s Hydro Sport and people around here would point and say the ocean is that way (and he didn’t have a T-top). We would look at their low riding carpeted bass boats and think that’s limiting...............and why all the dark color carpeting? (red, black, gray, navy? Why carpeting at all?) Anyway for me center consoles have been on my radar, BUT not my families radar. When I began shopping I wasn’t looking for a jet......yet alone a Yamaha.......................If it had Yamaha written on it, it was a four stroke in the 200-225 hp range which also meant it was a $20-23,000 motor. By the way Yamaha outboards are rugged and can last 4,000-5,000 plus hours. Anyway I kept coming back to center consoles and over the last decade they have become family boats. Robalo’s feature a flip up center console with a head and bow seating that looks more like a ski boat or bowrider. You even see tables on centers these days. My favorite was the Edgewater 208 CC. It is a BIG 20’ boat. Meaning the cockpit is not littered with seats and there is plenty of room to move about the cockpit. OH and WAIT all of these have one real drawback.........rear transoms.......the WALL..........Oh.......and an outboard..........there is the compromise. Not to mention many of the 20 footers come with 150 hp motors stock yet are in the high 40’s to 50’s when talking a 20 footer. Add a bigger motor, tow bar and, swim ladder and the price heads further north, but you still have the “WALL.” This is a HUGE limitation for my family and myself.
Enter the FSH...............I keep hearing it does so many things well and fails at others, but in reality it is just as described.......and I thought FSH originally meant Fish? I was way off. It is a “family sport hybrid” that you can just play with. It’s a very versatile center console to say the least. First since there is no “wall” it doesn’t compare to 19’ center consoles......and most 19’ center consoles are far removed from their 20’ brothers. It’s amazing how 16-19’ centers are built.........well....more for cost and price points and lack the feel of just the 20’s. They often feel like entry level boats as well. The 20’s jump in price and are far more expensive than a Yamaha FSH 190. With the FSH first and foremost you get a good center console. Mine has the SeaDeck and yes it looks good but it is highly functional. You can walk everywhere with little fear of slipping......even the gunnels! Oh, and the SeaDeck isn’t all that expensive. This is another one of those gotta love Yamaha moments. Since they build a lot you can get a lot of accessories........if you think the SeaDeck is expensive try looking into getting a custom set made? Since I am on the topic my brother broke his back seat on his Hydro and the only way to get it fixed was a glass shop. Again on a Yamaha you can simply call Yamaha for years to come and pick one up! Another strength of a high volume manufacturer.
Back to the center console for a minute. We have a changing compartment and head on a 19’ boat! Crazy.......doesn’t feel cramped and Jet Boat Pilot sells filler cushions if you want the bow filled in! The helm is comfortable and the boat comes well equipped over all not needing thousands in upgrades. The down side are the lack of cup holders and no depth finder. I bet Yamaha gambled that people would add their own electronics thus ruling out the need for a depth finder and I bet they even left it up to you on those cup holders. Why???.........well cup holders are personal and what fits your mug, can, bottle, or cup might not fit someone else's. So I am not sure if they left them out because it was something they over looked or a pure stoke of genius allowing you to decide what to add. Really from the helm forward it has many features found on many 20’ centers and you may or may not prefer the layout but for our family it works!
Remember I wanted a 200-220 HP Yamaha 4 stroke outboard. Well I ended up with the iconic Yamaha 1.8 jet with articulating keel. No it isn’t an outboard! Wait is that a good or bad thing? You see the 190 FSH will do that to you. On one hand you wish you had that big 4 stroke Outboard hanging out back and on the other hand the FSH might make you really happy it isn’t there because then you can be there! My Cobra Jet Viper arrives today. Currently I am not Not unhappy with the jet, but hey if I can tweak it why not! On an outboard you change props and pitch right? Any way a 4 stoke 1.8 is a low maintenance fun machine. It will pop up a wake boarder and allow you to draw 15”. PLUS it takes up less space so you have more!
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER in back! Here is what separates this boat from everything else. Including the Scarab 195. (tailgate and swim ladder don’t really mesh and an epic fail in my opinion) What separates the the Yamaha is that when you fold the port and starboard rear seats down you have an area that no other center console has. It’s perfect for swimming and water sports. The kids love it! The wife loves it, BUT it is not a compromise at all. Why because I love it back there as well. I tell you what bass boats are awesome because of how low you sit in the water and of course this limits the water you can go on as well................and the Yamaha allows me to stand just inches above the water........with full access to the water.....cast......and sit down. With it’s 8’ beam 2 people can do this and you certainly do not feel crowded..................Oh wait since we were on the “bonus space” of the FSH it cleared the rest of the boat for our other passengers and it made the boat feel huge. Now here is the funny thing............I have a 26’ cruiser so I wanted another boat and I always want bigger. With this purchase I wanted smaller. I wanted less maintenance. I wanted a manageable size boat that we could still take out on the great lakes, but small enough we could fit on smaller ponds and rivers. Many 19 centers were too small and many 20’s had a huge footprint but didn’t feel big (Edgewater 208 did). The Yamaha is a BIG LiTtLe boat that you can kick around with. It offers a lot that others boats don’t. It’s not for everyone, but kudo’s to Yamaha for offering something that my family needed. In the end there is little compromise and MORE fun with a “family sport hybrid” for my family. I’ll let all you know how Bowfishing on the Illinois river for Asain carp works out on the FSH! While that washdown lacks a little power I bet we will be happy to have it!
Enjoy....have fun! My 2 cents
Enter the FSH...............I keep hearing it does so many things well and fails at others, but in reality it is just as described.......and I thought FSH originally meant Fish? I was way off. It is a “family sport hybrid” that you can just play with. It’s a very versatile center console to say the least. First since there is no “wall” it doesn’t compare to 19’ center consoles......and most 19’ center consoles are far removed from their 20’ brothers. It’s amazing how 16-19’ centers are built.........well....more for cost and price points and lack the feel of just the 20’s. They often feel like entry level boats as well. The 20’s jump in price and are far more expensive than a Yamaha FSH 190. With the FSH first and foremost you get a good center console. Mine has the SeaDeck and yes it looks good but it is highly functional. You can walk everywhere with little fear of slipping......even the gunnels! Oh, and the SeaDeck isn’t all that expensive. This is another one of those gotta love Yamaha moments. Since they build a lot you can get a lot of accessories........if you think the SeaDeck is expensive try looking into getting a custom set made? Since I am on the topic my brother broke his back seat on his Hydro and the only way to get it fixed was a glass shop. Again on a Yamaha you can simply call Yamaha for years to come and pick one up! Another strength of a high volume manufacturer.
Back to the center console for a minute. We have a changing compartment and head on a 19’ boat! Crazy.......doesn’t feel cramped and Jet Boat Pilot sells filler cushions if you want the bow filled in! The helm is comfortable and the boat comes well equipped over all not needing thousands in upgrades. The down side are the lack of cup holders and no depth finder. I bet Yamaha gambled that people would add their own electronics thus ruling out the need for a depth finder and I bet they even left it up to you on those cup holders. Why???.........well cup holders are personal and what fits your mug, can, bottle, or cup might not fit someone else's. So I am not sure if they left them out because it was something they over looked or a pure stoke of genius allowing you to decide what to add. Really from the helm forward it has many features found on many 20’ centers and you may or may not prefer the layout but for our family it works!
Remember I wanted a 200-220 HP Yamaha 4 stroke outboard. Well I ended up with the iconic Yamaha 1.8 jet with articulating keel. No it isn’t an outboard! Wait is that a good or bad thing? You see the 190 FSH will do that to you. On one hand you wish you had that big 4 stroke Outboard hanging out back and on the other hand the FSH might make you really happy it isn’t there because then you can be there! My Cobra Jet Viper arrives today. Currently I am not Not unhappy with the jet, but hey if I can tweak it why not! On an outboard you change props and pitch right? Any way a 4 stoke 1.8 is a low maintenance fun machine. It will pop up a wake boarder and allow you to draw 15”. PLUS it takes up less space so you have more!
WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER in back! Here is what separates this boat from everything else. Including the Scarab 195. (tailgate and swim ladder don’t really mesh and an epic fail in my opinion) What separates the the Yamaha is that when you fold the port and starboard rear seats down you have an area that no other center console has. It’s perfect for swimming and water sports. The kids love it! The wife loves it, BUT it is not a compromise at all. Why because I love it back there as well. I tell you what bass boats are awesome because of how low you sit in the water and of course this limits the water you can go on as well................and the Yamaha allows me to stand just inches above the water........with full access to the water.....cast......and sit down. With it’s 8’ beam 2 people can do this and you certainly do not feel crowded..................Oh wait since we were on the “bonus space” of the FSH it cleared the rest of the boat for our other passengers and it made the boat feel huge. Now here is the funny thing............I have a 26’ cruiser so I wanted another boat and I always want bigger. With this purchase I wanted smaller. I wanted less maintenance. I wanted a manageable size boat that we could still take out on the great lakes, but small enough we could fit on smaller ponds and rivers. Many 19 centers were too small and many 20’s had a huge footprint but didn’t feel big (Edgewater 208 did). The Yamaha is a BIG LiTtLe boat that you can kick around with. It offers a lot that others boats don’t. It’s not for everyone, but kudo’s to Yamaha for offering something that my family needed. In the end there is little compromise and MORE fun with a “family sport hybrid” for my family. I’ll let all you know how Bowfishing on the Illinois river for Asain carp works out on the FSH! While that washdown lacks a little power I bet we will be happy to have it!
Enjoy....have fun! My 2 cents
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