AR195 maiden voyage observations + questions

[stevenk2]

Just had my AR195 down to Havasu for its' first outing - overall, highly impressed with the boat, both from operational and performance standpoints. Had zero issues with the boat itself, even after the 1100+ mile journey down there (and all of the associated bumps/shakes/rattles it took on I-5 on the way down). Did the break-in period as specified in the manual, then opened her up and ran up and down the lake a bit with my two kids in the boat. Very impressed with how well it handled, did very well in the chop we encountered, got up to around 45 mph full throttle (hopefully that number improves a bit over time). Overall, she performed like a champ the entire three days we were out on the lake - very happy with my purchase!

The only issue I had was with the Clarion amp I had installed after I bought the boat - since the temps down there were at or over 100 degrees during the day, extended times with the stereo at higher volumes caused the amp to start overheating and cutting out, which required us to power down the stereo for awhile to allow it to cool off a bit. We found that by keeping the volume more at mid-level we were able to run it continuously without issue. I may try playing with the levels a bit on the amp, but I suspect under normal circumstances/temps back here at home, we'll probably not have any overheating issues per se.

I did have a few questions regarding a couple of items though. First off, I did notice that there was some cavitating when I had her hard-over to the starboard side while accelerating (i.e. coming about to pick up a downed skier). I didn't notice this behavior when doing the same maneuver to the port side. Is this normal and/or something to be concerned about? It's not a huge issue per se, since it only seems to occur under that very specific set of circumstances. Second, what are the rules for the bimini top when it comes to hauling the boat? We had it all strapped down and bundled up in the cover up on the tower driving down the highway, but with the wind buffeting and such, I didn't know if it may be a good idea to just take it off and store it in the boat or vehicle when travelling?

Also, what is everyone using to clean the upholstery in these boats? Is there a type of cleaner that works, or is it best just to use a mild soap and water mix? The seats seem to have more of a coarse fabric type covering rather than a regular vinyl, which is likely more durable, but I'm not sure of the best way to clean them without damaging/discoloring anything.

 

[Bdog]

303 clear vinyl protective cleaner is a great cleaner for the upholstery I can’t speak to the bimini however.

 

[Maccam26]

This is what owners manual says about trailering with Tower Bimini.

 

[Ilmmct]

@stevenk2 I’ve never experienced the potential cavitation you’ve reported. I’ve had two different Yamaha jetboats and this has not occurred on either.

I would not worry. Keep enjoying the boat and getting a deeper knowledge of its feel and behaviors.

 

[Ratket]

How did your 195 do on havasu? Did it at times feel a little small for the chop? Did you go up river at all? My family and I moved to havasu about 2 years ago and I am leaning towards a 210 but haven’t ruled out a 195 all together yet either. Just my wife and I and our twin 5 year olds.

 

[Beachbummer]

The bimini is generally rated for the water speeds...so if you have a brief trip on the road where you are certain you will not exceed the boat speed, then you will not suffer consequences for having the bimini up. Freeway no bueno for the bimini top. Best to bring it down.

 

[stevenk2]

Thanks for the replies/advice on the bimini! Probs best to just remove it and stow it in the boat or in the back of the Jeep while I'm on the road. It's really not that hard to remove and install, so if for nothing more than my peace of mind, it's worth a couple of minutes to do it.

 

[stevenk2]

How did your 195 do on havasu? Did it at times feel a little small for the chop? Did you go up river at all? My family and I moved to havasu about 2 years ago and I am leaning towards a 210 but haven’t ruled out a 195 all together yet either. Just my wife and I and our twin 5 year olds.

It did fine, though I would say the three days we were on the water down there, it was relatively calm. The week we were down there, on that Tuesday we attempted to head up to the Sandbar, but as we approached the north end of the lake by Catfish Bay, it shallowed out quite a bit (2-3 feet depth), and I just wasn't comfortable trying to navigate through that, even with the guide buoys. I did make it all the way to the Sandbar last year in April, and don't recall it being that shallow in the channel - maybe they had just dredged it or the lake/river level was higher last spring? At any rate, going across the widest part of the lake north of Bridgewater Channel was the choppiest part, and I did have to pull back a bit on the throttle, but overall the boat did fine through there (and way better than my old Scarab 165 I took there last year). I would say that if you could do a 210, it would probably do even better than my 195 did, though it probably draws more water than the 195, so good luck getting upriver to the Sandbar if it's as shallow as it was when we were down there a few weeks ago.

Totally off-topic, but what are your impressions about living down there so far? What's livability like in LHC, and how do you handle the temps in the hottest part of the summer? I'm considering retiring down there in a few years, but the part that makes me a little nervous is the heat during the July-August timeframe. I may end up splitting my time between LHC and somewhere a bit more tolerable during the summer. 120 degrees down there in July ain't no joke for sure - we tried camping in that last year and ended up cutting the trip short because of the heat. We had cans of pop that were left out of the cooler that exploded, and we didn't want to take the boat far from the campground for fear of the engine overheating. I mean even the flippin' fire extinguisher has a warning label on it saying not to store it in temps above 120, so we were even worried about that going off. Pretty crazy stuff..........

 

[Ratket]

You acclimate, we moved down here almost 2 years ago from Bishop/Mammoth lakes ca.. wife was sick of the snow. I work out side so ya the heat is no joke, but it’s tolerable. Most nights starting now untill October after dinner we drive down to the lake and swim untill the sunsets, the kids love it. We are from a small town and prefer to live in a small town and Havasu is about as big as we want. Phoenix and Vegas are each about 2-3 hrs away and have everything we want. So far it has way more amenities than we are used to, it’s busy during the winter due to the snow birds, always something going on, gun laws are great, everything is cheaper, and I mean everything. sadly the housing market is starting to climb again and fast. We really enjoy it and don’t plan on moving away from here. The biggest reason I want to go Yamaha is the river depths, weather it is Parker or up to Bullhead, 90% of the time I should be able to run in both. Plus you can boat year round here.. just fish in the winter lol. If you want more info let me know, I’ll toss you my number and we can chat. Remember it’s only 2.5 months of extreme heat, rest of the time it is very tolerable.

 

[stevenk2]

I kinda figured that you get used to it - I live up here in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and I just get tired of all the rain and grey in the fall and winter (and spring/summer some years too). LHC seemed like a good choice, and in a way the heat in the summertime would be a benefit in that it keeps it from getting too crowded down there. I am going to have to think about all of the details before relocating down there permanently though - everything from always storing vehicles inside to keeping things cool during the hot months. It's no big deal parking my car or boat outside in the driveway up here, but I'd imagine that doing that down there takes a toll on vehicles' paint and trim. And I can't imagine what it would be like cleaning up rigs after a dust storm down there. Regardless, I think that most of the time it'd be a perfect fit for me.

I've got a few years yet before I can really get serious about moving down there, but in the meantime, my son, daughter and I will be making regular trips to LHC in the spring each year. We're also heading to Page to camp at Lake Powell this July - first time there, we'll see how that goes. Given the nature of that lake and that it's a national park, I expect that it will likely be quite a different experience from Lake Havasu. Even so, I'm really looking forward to getting the AR195 out on Lake Powell. I've heard there's enough area to spend your lifetime exploring, and you still wouldn't see it all. Another benefit to moving to LHC - only a few hours drive up to Page to go visit Lake Powell.