2018 212 Limited S question (first time be gentle)

[MrSelfdizstruct75]

Think I have decided on buying a Yamaha jet boat. I hale from Baltimore but live in Oklhahoma so I know bay boats not lake boats. I like everything I have seen but have a few questions maybe you can help out. First a local dealer has a nice 2018 212 S Limited for 48K . Is this a decent price I am having a heard time finding good pricing. These boats are all over the place. They also have a 2019 AR240 for 55k (have not tried asking best price yet) any reason I shouldnt buy the larger one ? Is there really that much difference in the AR to the Limited S models?

Lets talk about reverse and slow speed steering... Is it really that big a deal (difference)?

I see a lot of good with this boat and having kids swiming and being near the rear of the boat. I would be mainly lake fishing, tubing, wake boats ETC with it. 4 people 2 dogs most of the time.

Thanks in advance for the info.

 

[tdonoughue]

Welcome, @MrSelfdizstruct75 ! We will be gentle.

First, off, explore the first sticky thread on General, which has some of the descriptions/differences between the various boats and years. That will give you some good basic info on the differences for very little work.

Second, fill in your location on your profile. That then also lets you go onto the map and find members near you. Best advice I have seen frequently for new buyers is to find someone who has one and let them take you out for a spin. Often the dealers don't want to let you drive until you have check in hand. But really by finding someone whose boat is close to the one you want to buy will let you get the best, first-hand knowledge.

Had a boat before? That is I think one of the main things in answering the reverse/low speed question. If so, the boat will feel strange until you get used to it. If not (like me), you will likely find that it does just fine. And someday you can add things to make it better/different and get into all sorts of debates over which is better. But that is for another day. They did change that in the 2019 year, so that might be something to check to see if someone near you has a 2019 and someone else a 2018 or earlier.

Hope that helps!

 

[MrSelfdizstruct75]

Awesome thanks. Yes I grew up with I/O and outboard boats. Worked crabbing boats on the Chesapeake bay as a kid. But have not had a boat in like 10 yrs. We have been renting boats around the lakes here in OK for a couple years and we looked at pontoons but I really like the Yamaha jet boat.

 

[Dave burke]

Welcome to the forum. Like you, I grew up with outboards and had a chaparral stern drive for 20+ years before buying my 2017 212x. I also bought a small Sea-Doo Jet about 10 years ago.

Like @tdonoughue says, the reverse takes some getting used to. Other than that, it handles as well if not better than my Chaparral. I bought add-on fins which also helped the reverse. And if you want to play with the throttles independently, you can get even more control.

But all in all, I think jets are a great idea and the maintenance and winterization are much easier.

 

[Wisefam22]

The difference will be 3ft and yamaha also came out with a new design on their 2019 to help with reverse at least.

How many kids/people on boat regularly?

 

[haknslash]

The additional space across the product line is mostly in the bow/forward of helm with the way Yamaha designs their boats. You gain a little midship too behind the captains chair but not nearly as much as you get from the bow differences. Here's a little graphic I made from my wake boat thread to help illustrate this...

 

[swatski]

They also have a 2019 AR240 for 55k (have not tried asking best price yet) any reason I shouldnt buy the larger one ? Is there really that much difference in the AR to the Limited S models?

With the 240 you will gain a head (space for a port-poti, basically), not anything comfortable but enough for emergencies.
The AR towers in 240s are not as good as the LS.
The 2019s 240s/242s have (should have) new (redesigned) pumps - those are probably worth some money, Yamaha worked on those for years and appear to have made pretty awesome upgrade.

--

 

[Betik]

if I was going to buy a new boat today, I would most likely get a 21 foot one. The only hesitation is for going to Bimini, but if it was just for the lake, my family of 4 is more than happy with a 19 and definitely a 21

 

[MrSelfdizstruct75]

The difference will be 3ft and yamaha also came out with a new design on their 2019 to help with reverse at least.

How many kids/people on boat regularly?

4 adults sized and 2 dogs

 

[JDRacing]

Welcome!

The picture Haknslash posted of the 21 and 24 foot boats pretty much tells the story of what you get for the extra 3 feet, and the bow gets a good chunk of it. I will say that the 21 ft boat's bow is a pretty good size for a boat of that length. Our friends constantly comment on how much room there is up there compared to their 21-23 foot boats. So, it's not like the Yamaha 21 short changes you on that area of the boat.

If the sound system is important to you, make sure you compare what comes with the Limited S versus what is in the AR 240. If you go with the latter and the ability to play loud music for your guests/tubers/wake boarders is important, you're almost certainly going to be upgrading the 240's sound system. And likely the 212 Ltd. S as well.

I have a 2018 212X and love it. But there are a lot of folks on this forum with AR240's who are just as happy, for good reason. And by the way, the safety factor was a significant reason I bought a jet boat as well, as we have small grandkids.

Enjoy the shopping process--it's part of the fun.

Jeff

 

[afsigma21]

I paid more than 48k for my 2017 212 Ltd S new... so there's that....

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

I always tell people to drive the boat the way it comes from the factory.
As you use it you may find things that you would like to improve in the handling area then look for the system that will meet your needs

 

[djetok]

Think I have decided on buying a Yamaha jet boat. I hale from Baltimore but live in Oklhahoma so I know bay boats not lake boats. I like everything I have seen but have a few questions maybe you can help out. First a local dealer has a nice 2018 212 S Limited for 48K . Is this a decent price I am having a heard time finding good pricing. These boats are all over the place. They also have a 2019 AR240 for 55k (have not tried asking best price yet) any reason I shouldnt buy the larger one ? Is there really that much difference in the AR to the Limited S models?

Lets talk about reverse and slow speed steering... Is it really that big a deal (difference)?

I see a lot of good with this boat and having kids swiming and being near the rear of the boat. I would be mainly lake fishing, tubing, wake boats ETC with it. 4 people 2 dogs most of the time.

Thanks in advance for the info.

I'm guessing you have been boating at Thunderbird since that's the only lake with rentals. The guys at blackbeard's are nice guys. A buddy of mine services there and likes it. I do my own services. If they will take you on a lake test that will answer some questions if you want to go out on the lake and mess around if I have time I could take you out

 

[MrSelfdizstruct75]

Ok I am going to toss a wrinkle into the conversation. I looked at a Chapparal 223 VX today and it was LOADED with all the goodies. The thing is I had pretty much decided on getting the AR240. The wrinkle is the AR240 is 58K and it has base AR240 items. The Chapparal has all the upgraded everything at 62K Is there any reason not to get the Chapparal? I read through here and the biggest issue I saw the engine service and not have a dealer near or able to do warranty work. I have a place 20 min from here. Opinions always welcome.

 

[swatski]

Ok I am going to toss a wrinkle into the conversation. I looked at a Chapparal 223 VX today and it was LOADED with all the goodies. The thing is I had pretty much decided on getting the AR240. The wrinkle is the AR240 is 58K and it has base AR240 items. The Chapparal has all the upgraded everything at 62K Is there any reason not to get the Chapparal? I read through here and the biggest issue I saw the engine service and not have a dealer near or able to do warranty work. I have a place 20 min from here. Opinions always welcome.

Honestly, if I lived within a reasonable traveling distance to someone like @Ron@Scarab and his shop I would not hesitate for one second to get a BRP boat, Chap or Scarab, at this point.

--

 

[Shookie]

Ok I am going to toss a wrinkle into the conversation. I looked at a Chapparal 223 VX today and it was LOADED with all the goodies. The thing is I had pretty much decided on getting the AR240. The wrinkle is the AR240 is 58K and it has base AR240 items. The Chapparal has all the upgraded everything at 62K Is there any reason not to get the Chapparal? I read through here and the biggest issue I saw the engine service and not have a dealer near or able to do warranty work. I have a place 20 min from here. Opinions always welcome.

I looked at Chap before I bought my 242... read a lot on forums and the general sense I got was that the Vortex engines weren't as reliable. I believe the supercharger rebuilds aren't needed at 200 hours anymore, but that was strike 1, 2 and damn near 3 for me. I had dealers for both about the same distance from me so that wasn't an issue. Got a good deal at a boat show on mine that included a 3 year warranty on everything. That was a big deal. After 1 year, really happy with my purchase!

Slow speed steering and maneuvering was a challenge for me (coming from an I/O). After a couple months, I bought thrust vectors and lateral thrusters (you can find tons of posts here about them) and it is SOOO much better now. YMMV..... good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

[Bennie]

Some of these values have most likely changed, or may not apply to you, but when we purchased our (new) 2015 242LS a few deciding factors over the Chap 223 that we looked at were:

1. Price / financing / warranty
2. Ease of self maintenance
3. Decibel levels
4. Fit & finish
5. Location/ existance of clean out plugs (important to the area we boat in)
6. Local sales/service

Additionally I will say that with only 3 adults and a great dane on the boat we loooove our 24 footer!!
Remember you'll want room not only for you and your family but also for the inevitable guests that will be joining you... and for the coolers, and the extra bags, and the other toys that will be purchased.... and,.... and....
(you get the picture) lol

Either way enjoy and welcome to the forum - the best tool you'll ever have for your boat.

 

[MrSelfdizstruct75]

Great information. I took the wife to see the chappy today and we are gonna pass and go back to the yamaha. Now I need to decide between the AR240 vs the Limited S. I would like a used one but not a whole lot in my area.

 

[Bennie]

Now I need to decide between the AR240 vs the Limited S.

I personally would suggest looking at what upgrades you're going to want to do to either boat before making a decision. You might find it'll be about the same price.... but then factor in your length.

Especially if you're handy and can do most upgrade installs on your own. Looking back I could've saved over $10K if I had purchased an AR240 and made it mine.
imho

 

[Jaylex]

@Bennie hit it on the nose...

I co-owned my first yamaha with a buddy and we got lucky on a 2011 demo 242LS...loved it, had all the options, kept it almost 5 yrs, no issues... always knew I would stay with the brand so when my buddy wanted out on that one my dealer gave me another deal on a 2017 AR240...I went with an AR over 242 for a few reasons...color combo for me was very high for me, price for 242 upgrades could be reinvested in my sounds system (over 3000 watts) and other mods like tower lights, custom shower, etc. The upcharge for the 242 just wasnt as appealing in the newer boats for me since the ARs came with Connext, rear storage, and other bells that were enough for me.