buying a 2005 AR 230...whats important?

[Matt84]

Hello guys...

i´m matt from germany. i´m searching a boat for watersport and have fun on the water with my family and friends...tubing, wakeboarding, kneeboarding, swimming and hanging up on the swim platform and the boat seats... at the moment my dad has a hustler 388 slingshot...it´s a nice and fast boat. that´s all. you can cruise on the river an sometimes you can go fast. but there is no usability to hav fun with friends&family doing watersports. we also have a seadoo 260 rxp. also the seadoo is only for fast driving...

now i found a yamaha ar 230 built in 2005 with 260 hours. i think a jetboat is perfect for doing many things on the water.

What are the advantages of a yamaha compared to the seadoos, scarabs etc?

is it possible to wakeboard behind a jetboat? years ago we had a real waterski boat from mastercraft and it was perfect. but to small.

what can you say about the fuel consumption? does the yamaha need more gas with its two engines compared to the rotax?

what happens if you drive a fast tight corner with the yamaha and one jet drive / jet nozzle is out of the water? this drive would suck only air and no water. results this in damage to the drive?


sorry for my bad english :-( and thank you for your answers....


greetings from germany

 

[Glassman]

Hi Matt @Matt84 from Germany !

I'll try and answer your questions in the order you posted them:

What are the advantages of a yamaha compared to the seadoos, scarabs etc? In the event you should suck up kelp or other debris in the jet drive the Yamahas have a patented jet clean-out that is accessible from the rear deck. The other boats you mentioned don't have this feature, they either have to limp home to be hauled out on the trailer and the debris removed or you have to dive underneath the boat to attempt to clear the jets.

is it possible to wakeboard behind a jetboat? years ago we had a real waterski boat from mastercraft and it was perfect. but to small. Yes, it is certainly possible to wakeboard and to waterski behind the Yamaha boats - if you do a bit of homework you'll find tips and tricks to make both those experiences better. For example; when water skiing I find that a longer tow rope will move the skier farther back, out of the jet wash. Others have added additional weight to their boats to produce a larger wake for wakeboarding. There are many things you can do to modify the boat to your specific taste.

what can you say about the fuel consumption? does the yamaha need more gas with its two engines compared to the rotax? I have not compared fuel consumption with a Rotax powered boat - I'm sure others will respond to that question. I do know that the fuel consumption is on par with Malibu, Ski Nautique and similar ski boats - at least the ones owned by the friends I boat with. The Yamaha has an advantage of greater fuel capacity.

what happens if you drive a fast tight corner with the yamaha and one jet drive / jet nozzle is out of the water? this drive would suck only air and no water. results this in damage to the drive? That doesn't happen. Both jets remain firmly planted even through the tightest turns...unless you end up flipping the boat. And I'll tell you this, I've spun that boat around at full throttle and it didn't flip! Passengers may have flipped, but the boat was fine.

Bear in mind, these are my answers to your questions. Others will most definitely have other opinions and or interesting ideas. We have a lot of opinions here.

(but you know what they say...opinions are like arschlochs, everyone has one)

 

[Port0222]

I have nothing to Add to @Glassman 's post above as I agree with every point -- but I will respond to your survey -- Those options are all very different. ranging from Jetskis to discontinued Jet-boat manufacturers to Brand new Jet boat manufacturers and then the Older model Yamaha. If you are choosing between the AR230 and the Scarab, I would Choose the AR240. The AR230 is great and I love it. If you are thinking you can Afford a new Scarab, I would look at the AR240s though as they continuously make improvements that I wish my 2006 AR230 had. Something that the 2005 does not have, I think, is the no wake mode. The No wake mode is really nice for a jet boat. It makes low speed handling a breeze compared to idle. The 240s also have a much nicer Bow area and more storage space than the 230s. Just my $0.02

 

[Scuba_ref]

I have nothing to Add to @Glassman 's post above as I agree with every point -- but I will respond to your survey -- Those options are all very different. ranging from Jetskis to discontinued Jet-boat manufacturers to Brand new Jet boat manufacturers and then the Older model Yamaha. If you are choosing between the AR230 and the Scarab, I would Choose the AR240. The AR230 is great and I love it. If you are thinking you can Afford a new Scarab, I would look at the AR240s though as they continuously make improvements that I wish my 2006 AR230 had. Something that the 2005 does not have, I think, is the no wake mode. The No wake mode is really nice for a jet boat. It makes low speed handling a breeze compared to idle. The 240s also have a much nicer Bow area and more storage space than the 230s. Just my $0.02

My 2005 AR230HO has the no wake mode. I agree with @Port0222 , if you are thinking about a new Scarab then definitely look at a new Yamaha.

 

[Unreal Yammi]

To clarify, the no wake mode is a standard feature of a 2005 model.

I prefer the Yamaha and never considered another brand while recently shopping for a boat. This is the second Yamaha we have owned and find them reliable overall and quite functional with outstanding resale therefore soildifying our preference to shop for only the Yamaha product. As posted above, many things can be done to make it a good wakeboard boat. Just search this site for the info.

I have likewise spun the previous Yamaha we had and never ever without flipping would expect the jet to come out of the water. You can get the jet drive out of the water with a jetski easily but unlikely with a jetboat. There is a checklist on this site that gives what to look for when purchasing the 230 series boat and it is very helpful, I used it a few months ago while looking.

Good luck with your decision.