212, 212S or go traditional sterndrive?

[Teledatageek]

Looking for some advice... I had a 2010 212SS purchased in 2011 that we used for three seasons. Lots of fun, but job change and relocation caused us to sell. Been renting various boats for a week or so at a time ever since, typically pontoons. Fast forward to now and have the boating bug again + the cost of renting is pretty high and we don't get a boat for much of the time we would like one. Went to the boat show thinking the SX195 would be a good fit. Hated how shallow it was, so we steered over to a Monterey M20 that was comparably priced. That evolved to a really good deal on a Monterey 218SS, so we signed for that yesterday.

A little buyers remorse today - good news is that we can cancel, change, whatever. Almost the exact same price for the 212 and the 218SS which is pretty loaded up (granted I don't care about some of the options). Same dealer sells both Yamaha and Monterey - they have been good to me and I'll buy from them. While the swim platform and flip up back rest is really nice on the Monterey, I don't think it's as nice as the rear deck of the Yamaha. Great fit and finish on the Monterey - nice layout, etc. I was also reminded that where we dock our boat a week or two a year is 2' deep at the end of the dock - hasn't been a problem for the rental pontoon with outboard and was no problem for our past 212SS. I'm a little concerned with an I/O there given the depth.

I understand the clean out plugs are a better design now and that low speed maneuvering has improved in the 10 model years since we had ours. Fit and finish has improved I presume? Kicking myself for not paying better attention to the 212S they had at the show. I could arrange an inside look and maybe I should do that.

I know this is a Jetboater forum so the lean is jet of course. Presuming that's the course we change to - this dealer has all 212S's in stock but says he can get the 212 (which must be like the old 212SS). We don't think we have a need for a wake tower and it seems that you give up a lot of bimini coverage - it's nice to get out of the sun sometimes. Maybe I'm missing an advantage of the tower if we wouldn't really use the tower features - we typically just pull a tube.

Appreciate your advice!

 

[AncientCanoe]

Tower advantages aside from watersports are resale value, looks (personal preference), and something to grab onto while standing on the boat. Disadvantages raising/lowering for storage and decreased shade.

 

[anmut]

Tower = resale value / water sports. We bought the 212S with the tower.

 

[AZMark]

The only reason I would get a stern drive is that I personally think a V8 sounds much better when you’re cruising at a moderate speed. The sound is the only thing I don’t like about my 212. It’s fine when you’re at no wake or full speed.

The jet’s low maintenance, swim deck, and safety factor more than offset that for me.

That Monterey looks like a nice layout but they had to take away some cockpit space to give it that deck vs. a jet boat. The bench seat wraps around a lot more on the 212.

 

[anmut]

I've had two stern drives and an outboard in my boating life.

Stern drives are maintenance, winterizing, hitting things, changing out props to tune for the ride, trimming while underway constantly for water conditions/efficiency/passenger load/water sports, hitting things, changing props again, hitting more things, prop repairs, and continuing to hit more things. Even when you're in a river channel, there's a log 4' under the water that you'll hit. Did I mention you hit things?

In my life I've perfected a day-of, pre-launch rundown for owning a stern drive. It has worked well to prevent disasters but it does take time. My pre-launch on my stern drives was checking fluids, inspecting props, inspecting shafts/gimbles, inspecting bellows, skeg, inspecting hydraulics, inspecting electrical connections. Monthly would be plugs, air cleaner, battery. Bellows are very unique to stern drives in that you have a big giant hole cut below the water line on these boats, and the only thing preventing you from instant davey jones is a couple rubber accordions. Of course you can ignore most of these things for a summer season and just go out. But eventually you will be that guy that can't start his boat at the launch, that guy getting towed in, or that guy standing on someone else's boat while his is fully underwater.

Then there's the props. If you like to collect things, owning a boat with a prop is for you! Your boat will come with a great "does everything OK but does nothing excellent" prop. So you'll spend money buying different pitches and blade configurations (in an attempt to gain speed, hole shot, fuel mpg's, towing capacity, cornering), trying them, then selling them (or keeping them as spares in triplicate), until you find the right one. Despite what any website or dealer tells you, there is no such thing as a unicorn prop. Oh, and you'll go through the aluminum vs stainless debate until your wife is ready to stick your head into the prop of your (eventual) choice at WOT. When you finally find your *perfect* prop, you'll ding it up and then either buy a second and/or pay to have it repaired.

Water sports on a stern drive goes like this: trim down to get the hole shot and get up on plane, trim up once on plane, trim constantly for speed or to subvert incoming wake, trim down going into a corner to prevent prop slip, trim back out coming out of the corner. It's not hard and becomes second nature, but after an hour of water sports, I would wear out just driving.

Unless I was on big water all the time I wouldn't consider a stern drive. If I had to choose something besides a jet for our boating (lake/river/sandbars) it would be a nice efficient outboard, or if I could afford it, a big beautiful inboard.

/end stern drive rant

P.S. If anyone is in need of an Alpha One prop, hit me up.

 

[Teledatageek]

Thanks for the responses so far! Great input. Have spent some time chatting with my family - I think we're going to switch to a Yamaha. One of the reasons is that my wife and daughter saw some of the video's with folks wake surfing. Can't do that with a stern drive and Yamaha appears to have a great kit to make this easily work without going to a 212X. Wake boarding would be just a casual fun option for us. All we have done in the past is tube.

Tower - good points and likely why that's all my dealer has in stock. I think we're going to go the tower route - I am hoping the Bimini top for it provides enough shade for those who need it. Any comparison to the size in a non-tower boat. Seems about 2/3 the size or so based on the pics I've seen?

 

[Gunner]

I think I'm in the minority on the towers. We have one but don't use it for watersports. I guess the boats look better with them, but I would just have well saved the money and got an sx and more shade. I agree the tower is nice for support while standing. I store in the garage so with the tower it's another step to put the boat away. With all that said the boss said we are getting a tower, so tower it was.

 

[buckbuck]

You may also want to consider a used Yamaha.

 

[Beachbummer]

Where do you plan to boat? I cannot recommend stern drive over jet, but Outboards have very positive traits too depending on what you will be doing with it, and what kind of water it will be exposed to. No weed problems, but a hunk of expensive boat under the hull. More efficient and less noisy, Easier service access, but takes up more usable room on the back of the boat.

Stern drive is too complex for my consideration, so it's totally out of the picture. It's hard for me to accept a piece of equipment I cannot maintain myself, and you are supposed to take off the pod off yearly for maintenance. That's a pass from me.

 

[djetok]

Thanks for the responses so far! Great input. Have spent some time chatting with my family - I think we're going to switch to a Yamaha. One of the reasons is that my wife and daughter saw some of the video's with folks wake surfing. Can't do that with a stern drive and Yamaha appears to have a great kit to make this easily work without going to a 212X. Wake boarding would be just a casual fun option for us. All we have done in the past is tube.

Tower - good points and likely why that's all my dealer has in stock. I think we're going to go the tower route - I am hoping the Bimini top for it provides enough shade for those who need it. Any comparison to the size in a non-tower boat. Seems about 2/3 the size or so based on the pics I've seen?

Add a ocean south to your tower to extend the bimini. Couple hundred bucks

Bimini Extension Airflow Boat Shades - Oceansouth

Oceansouth Bimini Extension Airflow Boat Shades - Versatile sun shade kit which extends the shaded area of the Bimini. Allows airflow and gently filters the sun rays to provide a comfortable shaded area.

oceansouth.us

We love ours. I might buy another . I have the 5.5 wide. I would do the 6.8.

 

[Teledatageek]

Where do you plan to boat? I cannot recommend stern drive over jet, but Outboards have very positive traits too depending on what you will be doing with it, and what kind of water it will be exposed to. No weed problems, but a hunk of expensive boat under the hull. More efficient and less noisy, Easier service access, but takes up more usable room on the back of the boat.

Stern drive is too complex for my consideration, so it's totally out of the picture. It's hard for me to accept a piece of equipment I cannot maintain myself, and you are supposed to take off the pod off yearly for maintenance. That's a pass from me.

We boat in the Fingerlakes and we get up to Northern Michigan for a couple of weeks - inland waterways; small and large lakes. Agree with you on Outboards - I have owned Outboards, Sterndrives and Jets in the past. We really like a rear platform and not really possible in a smaller boat with an outboard that I have seen. I had forgotten until this morning that where we dock in the fingerlakes is 2' deep at the end of the dock. I owned a Larson in the 90's that was a sterndrive - because the water level was so low I had to power into the hoist and eventually wore a small hole in the hull. That was the last stern drive I have owned. The 212SS we had for a few years handled all of these locations pretty well.

Have good clarity now - back to a Yamaha! Appreciate all the insight here.

 

[Teledatageek]

You may also want to consider a used Yamaha.

Slim pickings out there in used for what we're looking for. When I bought our 212SS, it was the prior years model at a pretty good discount. The local dealer has a '19 SX210 at a good price, but not what we're looking for.

 

[SCP1]

Honestly if nothing else but resale I would get a tower.

 

[AZMark]

One of the reasons is that my wife and daughter saw some of the video's with folks wake surfing.

Read up on the surfing on this site, tons of info.
It seems like even the 212x is not a great surf boat without a lot of ballast & a kit similar to what you mention.
Surfing requires a larger wake than wakeboarding.

 

[buckbuck]

If you are just wanting to horse around and play with the family the 212X should work for surfing. If you are more serious and want the longest pocket then perhaps you look to a purpose built boat.

 

[Teledatageek]

If you are just wanting to horse around and play with the family the 212X should work for surfing. If you are more serious and want the longest pocket then perhaps you look to a purpose built boat.

Not that serious.... I think an inboard doesn't work for where we boat either...

 

[Teledatageek]

Read up on the surfing on this site, tons of info.
It seems like even the 212x is not a great surf boat without a lot of ballast & a kit similar to what you mention.
Surfing requires a larger wake than wakeboarding.

Yes, lots of good info. Watched a review video yesterday of that kit. Made it look like one could just use that kit and not have ballast (at least didn't seem like they did). A bunch to learn in this area..

 

[Maccam26]

I think I'm in the minority on the towers. We have one but don't use it for watersports. I guess the boats look better with them, but I would just have well saved the money and got an sx and more shade. I agree the tower is nice for support while standing. I store in the garage so with the tower it's another step to put the boat away. With all that said the boss said we are getting a tower, so tower it was.

I’m happy with the SX shade and really easy to backup in my garage.

 

[Teledatageek]

Another question.... I think we are pretty set on the 212S. Were there any differences between 2019 and 2020? I ask as a dealer about 300 miles from me has a couple at a savings of @$5K over the 2020. I did exactly this when I bought my 2010 212SS in 2011 and saved about that much back then too.

Very tempting and I think 2019 color is nicer... A quick 5 hour drive from us. I wish my local dealer had one left over as I would like to work with them...

 

[Compatico]

Another question.... I think we are pretty set on the 212S. Were there any differences between 2019 and 2020? I ask as a dealer about 300 miles from me has a couple at a savings of @$5K over the 2020. I did exactly this when I bought my 2010 212SS in 2011 and saved about that much back then too.

Very tempting and I think 2019 color is nicer... A quick 5 hour drive from us. I wish my local dealer had one left over as I would like to work with them...

The 2019 212 series had a few improvements like nicer seats, so I think the only changes were a newer Connext, phone holder, and colour choices for 2020. Hull, deck, engines, all remain unchanged.

You could contact your local dealer and tell them you're interested in a 2019 from another location. If you're serious and put down a deposit, I'm sure they could get it transferred for you so they can make the sale and be your dealer. Closest dealer for us is 1 hour but they suck, so we drove 2.5 hours to a much nicer dealer - it was worth the drive, and will be again when we go pick up in the spring.