First boat 2020 SX190 Kentucky!

[obrien19]

Congrats on the new boat, have had mine for a year now, still in love with it.

 

[2kwik4u]

Awesome! My wife and I actually have hotel reservations at Timber Pointe Lodge in July. We plan on slipping overnight at Jamestown Marina there. I've marked some places on Navionics 76 Falls and Harmon Creek Cove. We are excited!

FYI, both Harmon Creek and 76 Falls can get significantly NOT family friendly during certain events. Poker Run in September most notably, Harmon Creek becomes Mardi Gras on the water. Nothing against that, actually enjoy the atmosphere myself, but it is NOT family friendly at times. Here's a panorama shot of Harmon Creek from the 2016 Poker Run. We were right in the thick of it.


As to other KY lakes.....Personally I think Green River Lake is highly underrated. It's deep clear water, large enough to not get "bored" easily, has some nice coves to hide from traffic, and even has a rock ledge to jump from if you're feeling brake enough (20ft height maybe?).

 

[BBottoms]

@Jetstream79 , welcome aboard and congrats on the boat! You live in a great area for boating with a lot of options. I work in Elizabethtown and live about 30 minutes south between Hodgenville and Campbellsville so I'm close by.

Green River Lake is definitely an under-rated gem, granted I'm only 20 minutes from it and have spent 15 years on it so I'm a little biased, haha. We're out there pretty much every weekend in the summer. It's only about 45 minutes from Lake Cumberland which gets all the attention from anyone from outside the area, which is a good thing. Green doesn't have any restaurant-like dining at any of the marinas but you can be back in Campbellsville in less ~10 minutes from several of the ramps. There's not waterfall and the water isn't as clear as some but it's average for Kentucky. The best part is that outside of holiday weekends, it's never packed. It's rarely too rough for smaller boats, even in the 'big' part of the lake, which is definitely not the case with Cumberland. If you camp, there are two large campgrounds (RV or primitive) that are right on the water. It's always easy to find an empty cove and there's quite a bit of beach-able and walk-able shoreline. There are practically no houses visible from the lake, so you always have good scenery. It has it's own party cove too, Butler Creek, where there are boats tied up every weekend. It's family friendly all but once or twice a year. Fishing is great, from what I hear, if you know what you're doing (I do not, lol). Overall, if you like spending your time on the water away from the crowd, and not at nicer marinas with big stores and restaurants, I'd pick Green over Cumberland any day.

With that said, we plan on getting out and exploring more this summer at other KY and maybe TN lakes since there is no baseball for the kid and little else going on. We've already been to Cumberland a couple weeks ago and to Dale Hollow a few times in the last few years. We actually have a vacation week coming up that was supposed to be Disney, which has been cancelled, so now we're going to hit up a few lakes we haven't been to before on the boat. Specifically KY Lake and Lake Barkley for a few days, staying at KY Dam Village. Then we'll head the other direction and hit up Laurel River Lake, which I hear is gorgeous. We may try out Barren River Lake too if we have an extra day. Great thing about being in the middle of KY is that there are well over a dozen good lake options within a 3 hour drive.

 

[Jetstream79]

@Jetstream79 , welcome aboard and congrats on the boat! You live in a great area for boating with a lot of options. I work in Elizabethtown and live about 30 minutes south between Hodgenville and Campbellsville so I'm close by.

Green River Lake is definitely an under-rated gem, granted I'm only 20 minutes from it and have spent 15 years on it so I'm a little biased, haha. We're out there pretty much every weekend in the summer. It's only about 45 minutes from Lake Cumberland which gets all the attention from anyone from outside the area, which is a good thing. Green doesn't have any restaurant-like dining at any of the marinas but you can be back in Campbellsville in less ~10 minutes from several of the ramps. There's not waterfall and the water isn't as clear as some but it's average for Kentucky. The best part is that outside of holiday weekends, it's never packed. It's rarely too rough for smaller boats, even in the 'big' part of the lake, which is definitely not the case with Cumberland. If you camp, there are two large campgrounds (RV or primitive) that are right on the water. It's always easy to find an empty cove and there's quite a bit of beach-able and walk-able shoreline. There are practically no houses visible from the lake, so you always have good scenery. It has it's own party cove too, Butler Creek, where there are boats tied up every weekend. It's family friendly all but once or twice a year. Fishing is great, from what I hear, if you know what you're doing (I do not, lol). Overall, if you like spending your time on the water away from the crowd, and not at nicer marinas with big stores and restaurants, I'd pick Green over Cumberland any day.

With that said, we plan on getting out and exploring more this summer at other KY and maybe TN lakes since there is no baseball for the kid and little else going on. We've already been to Cumberland a couple weeks ago and to Dale Hollow a few times in the last few years. We actually have a vacation week coming up that was supposed to be Disney, which has been cancelled, so now we're going to hit up a few lakes we haven't been to before on the boat. Specifically KY Lake and Lake Barkley for a few days, staying at KY Dam Village. Then we'll head the other direction and hit up Laurel River Lake, which I hear is gorgeous. We may try out Barren River Lake too if we have an extra day. Great thing about being in the middle of KY is that there are well over a dozen good lake options within a 3 hour drive.

Thanks for all the great info BBottoms! My wife and I have finally had the boat out a few times now on Nolin. I actually worked up the courage to go out Saturday last weekend for Memorial Day on the lake. The boat performed flawlessly, and I surprisingly handled it really well in the marinas and launch (no scratches or dings to the gelcoat). We had an amazing time running the water with all the other boats and it wasn't as intimidating as I expected. Our little 190 handled the wakes great and realyl gave me some confidence running with all of the other boats. We found a "party" cove at Conoloway Cove and had a great time enjoy the company of fellow boaters and a few cold beers. My wife and I have plans to go to Green RIver lake also this Summer. After handling the monsoon of wakes at Nolin on Memorial day I have confidence I can handle Lake Cumberland on an off weekend (no big poker runs etc) I have been to 76 Falls via Jetski which is all I owned before moving up to this boat. I'm familiar with the jet maneuverability etc and how they act which is why I opted for a waterjet boat over a stern drive. Glad I did also. We really love this boat!

 

[Jetstream79]

Congratulations! Beautiful and classy boat. Let us know your speed and handling when you hit the lake. Thanks. Looking to buy soon here as well (currently own a pontoon 90 HP Suzuki outboard). Leaning towards AR190 or SX190. How’s gas mileage and range? Thanks

Hi Sugarcharged. In a nutshell here's what I take away from owning this boat for a few weeks. Everyone has an application they ultimately want from a boat and we all have different reasons and finances etc. I personally believe the SX190 is the perfect boat for the application we want. We aren't interested in water sports. We enjoy scenery, picture taking, rafting up and having fun with other boaters, exploring new areas and lakes and cruising around. The sx190 is exceptionally fuel efficient (means more time on the water between fillups. The motor according to the manual is intended for 87 octane as opposed to the supercharged variants (195) which I believe are minimum 91 octane. So it's cheaper off the water to fill up and it goes further. Those two facts make it a good kinda explore/cruise around boat in my opinion. If you want to get technical I think as far as range, I think easily 140 miles per tank if your not a WOT guy and are ok cruising at planing speeds or a bit higher. Of course elevation, weight, chop, etc etc etc all plays a part in it so it's pretty relative and situational. We may or may not have the finances others on here have and some may be ok with filling up tanks more frequently with higher octain fuel. Being able to get to the lake 4 times before filling up is a big deal to us and allows us more time to enjoy the hobby and get more leisure out of our boat. It's not a speed demon but I wouldn't want to go over 30 mph in the kind of chop my lake puts out on a big holiday. It's a comfortable speed for us and we can hit that consistantly regardless of our boats loadout and weight it seems. SX190 in my book gets a solid I would definately buy again for my application =) If your primary concern is range, efficiency. This boat is the definition of that I think. I've looked at yamaha's entire fleet and they all are great for their intended application I think. There litterally is a boat for almost everyone =)

 

[Sugarcharged]

Hi Sugarcharged. In a nutshell here's what I take away from owning this boat for a few weeks. Everyone has an application they ultimately want from a boat and we all have different reasons and finances etc. I personally believe the SX190 is the perfect boat for the application we want. We aren't interested in water sports. We enjoy scenery, picture taking, rafting up and having fun with other boaters, exploring new areas and lakes and cruising around. The sx190 is exceptionally fuel efficient (means more time on the water between fillups. The motor according to the manual is intended for 87 octane as opposed to the supercharged variants (195) which I believe are minimum 91 octane. So it's cheaper off the water to fill up and it goes further. Those two facts make it a good kinda explore/cruise around boat in my opinion. If you want to get technical I think as far as range, I think easily 140 miles per tank if your not a WOT guy and are ok cruising at planing speeds or a bit higher. Of course elevation, weight, chop, etc etc etc all plays a part in it so it's pretty relative and situational. We may or may not have the finances others on here have and some may be ok with filling up tanks more frequently with higher octain fuel. Being able to get to the lake 4 times before filling up is a big deal to us and allows us more time to enjoy the hobby and get more leisure out of our boat. It's not a speed demon but I wouldn't want to go over 30 mph in the kind of chop my lake puts out on a big holiday. It's a comfortable speed for us and we can hit that consistantly regardless of our boats loadout and weight it seems. SX190 in my book gets a solid I would definately buy again for my application =) If your primary concern is range, efficiency. This boat is the definition of that I think. I've looked at yamaha's entire fleet and they all are great for their intended application I think. There litterally is a boat for almost everyone =)

Jetstream79. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my question in such detail. I agree 100% with your comment and I always prefer to use 100% of something that I buy than buy/pay for something that I will use 70-80% of the capability or even less. You hit the nail on the head with the sx190 (or any boat) being purchased and used with its intent. That's what I did with my pontoon going 3 seasons now and I have utilized 100% of what I needed and its application. I have to keep in mind that I have a 16 and an 11 year old (both boys) and they are growing which will get more and more demanding on water activities such as tubing, wakeboarding. The lake where I boat has a speed limit of 40 mph on weekends and holidays that weighs heavily on my doubt between AR195 or AR/SX190. Once again, appreciate your feedback, it was taken very seriously. Enjoy your boat, I'm sure you made the right decision as well. P.S. There is a light blue SX190 here at the lake (I believe it was the 2019 color scheme) that is really a beautiful classy boat, my wife and I are always commenting that it is one of the most beautiful boats around. The way the SX190 looks with its low profile to the water, looks like no other boat, it's a beauty.

 

[Jetstream79]

Jetstream79. Thank you very much for taking the time to respond to my question in such detail. I agree 100% with your comment and I always prefer to use 100% of something that I buy than buy/pay for something that I will use 70-80% of the capability or even less. You hit the nail on the head with the sx190 (or any boat) being purchased and used with its intent. That's what I did with my pontoon going 3 seasons now and I have utilized 100% of what I needed and its application. I have to keep in mind that I have a 16 and an 11 year old (both boys) and they are growing which will get more and more demanding on water activities such as tubing, wakeboarding. The lake where I boat has a speed limit of 40 mph on weekends and holidays that weighs heavily on my doubt between AR195 or AR/SX190. Once again, appreciate your feedback, it was taken very seriously. Enjoy your boat, I'm sure you made the right decision as well. P.S. There is a light blue SX190 here at the lake (I believe it was the 2019 color scheme) that is really a beautiful classy boat, my wife and I are always commenting that it is one of the most beautiful boats around. The way the SX190 looks with its low profile to the water, looks like no other boat, it's a beauty.

Have fun with your decision making! We purchased the Slate Blue color for 2020. My wife and I laugh and like to say it looks like a Porsche on the outside and a Station Wagon on the inside =) Take care!

 

[TimmyH]

I've had my 2020 SX 190 for 3 weeks and love it. Been on it 6 times. Pulls watersports fine with a couple people in boat. I put cobras on,handles way better. It's usually 2-4 people when I boat (had OB b4 this). I've had no build quality issues with my sx 190. I put the pads on lower swim platform, inexpensive and worth every penny. It's a knee saver literally. I've been floating at the beach a lot, a 20 mile river run, some water sports. My overall average with a few hours on it is 3mpg. I'm still at half tank from 1 fill up. My top speed seems to be 36, maybe due to gear and cobra fins. I love this boat.

 

[Jetstream79]

I've had my 2020 SX 190 for 3 weeks and love it. Been on it 6 times. Pulls watersports fine with a couple people in boat. I put cobras on,handles way better. It's usually 2-4 people when I boat (had OB b4 this). I've had no build quality issues with my sx 190. I put the pads on lower swim platform, inexpensive and worth every penny. It's a knee saver literally. I've been floating at the beach a lot, a 20 mile river run, some water sports. My overall average with a few hours on it is 3mpg. I'm still at half tank from 1 fill up. My top speed seems to be 36, maybe due to gear and cobra fins. I love this boat.

Hi Timmy, I'm getting near exact same performance as you and I love it. My boat shows my top speed to be 37.6mph, I think that was when I test drove it with one other person in the middle of the week on flat calm water after I bought it. I'm happy with that. We actually had 6 grown adults and gear on my boat for Memorial Day and we ran with the big boys in the middle of the lake at 30mph all day with no problems. It was extremely choppy with boat traffic and we still felt safe in the boat. It handles really well in more extreme conditions with alot of weight on board. I have the basic Viper system on my boat and I can't really tell a difference in handling so I kinda wish I just left the articulating keel as is. But also I did get the very basic Cobra. I'm hesitant about buying the $80 (Fangs) to go on it since I just kinda feel it's a waste of money for me anyway. I'm actually loading my wife and 2 kids up now for a day of boating, have a great day!

 

[TimmyH]

Hi Timmy, I'm getting near exact same performance as you and I love it. My boat shows my top speed to be 37.6mph, I think that was when I test drove it with one other person in the middle of the week on flat calm water after I bought it. I'm happy with that. We actually had 6 grown adults and gear on my boat for Memorial Day and we ran with the big boys in the middle of the lake at 30mph all day with no problems. It was extremely choppy with boat traffic and we still felt safe in the boat. It handles really well in more extreme conditions with alot of weight on board. I have the basic Viper system on my boat and I can't really tell a difference in handling so I kinda wish I just left the articulating keel as is. But also I did get the very basic Cobra. I'm hesitant about buying the $80 (Fangs) to go on it since I just kinda feel it's a waste of money for me anyway. I'm actually loading my wife and 2 kids up now for a day of boating, have a great day!

I noticed a huge difference mainly at slow speed with the cobra. Top speed too, but I'm going to adjust so they don't engage top speed. I like the feel of sliding or drifting into turns the way the boat did before cobra going fast. These are certainly great boats for the money, lots of options.