I need advice!

[Glassyo182]

Hey guys! Nice to meet you all!
First of all let me start by saying how much I've been enjoying reading this forum and learning from you all!
I was wondering if you guys could help me with your experience, advice / tips / recommendations, anything helps!

Here's the story:

I want to get a Yamaha AR190 2019 as a way to start a charter business in South Florida,
I would be basically just be taking people to hang out in the sandbar and maybe from time to time do a little skiing or wake boarding.
I have never had a boat so I'm pretty new to this world, I've been trying to do research and learn as much as I can, I was in between the AR190 or a Bayliner Element but I just really love the way the Yamaha looks and how affordable it is!

I meet a boat mechanic a couple days ago (he services pretty big boats like 80ft and up!)
And he told me that he thinks the AR190 might not be my best option because since I will probably be putting a lot of hours in it, the motor is kind of hard to service, the salt water is not good for it, he says that he thinks an outboard motor will be easier and will have longer life on the boat while giving less problems, specially for what I want it for (which is to rent it).
He said that after 700 hours the motor while be pretty much useless.
That didn'ts seem like a lot of hours to me, given the fact that 700 hours, just like using it a couple days a week, is not even a year of use!

My question is, do any of you guys have an AR190 for rent? Any tips, experiences?

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[robert843]

Hey guys! Nice to meet you all!
First of all let me start by saying how much I've been enjoying reading this forum and learning from you all!
I was wondering if you guys could help me with your experience, advice / tips / recommendations, anything helps!

Here's the story:

I want to get a Yamaha AR190 2019 as a way to start a charter business in South Florida,
I would be basically just be taking people to hang out in the sandbar and maybe from time to time do a little skiing or wake boarding.
I have never had a boat so I'm pretty new to this world, I've been trying to do research and learn as much as I can, I was in between the AR190 or a Bayliner Element but I just really love the way the Yamaha looks and how affordable it is!

I meet a boat mechanic a couple days ago (he services pretty big boats like 80ft and up!)
And he told me that he thinks the AR190 might not be my best option because since I will probably be putting a lot of hours in it, the motor is kind of hard to service, the salt water is not good for it, he says that he thinks an outboard motor will be easier and will have longer life on the boat while giving less problems, specially for what I want it for (which is to rent it).
He said that after 700 hours the motor while be pretty much useless.
That didn'ts seem like a lot of hours to me, given the fact that 700 hours, just like using it a couple days a week, is not even a year of use!

My question is, do any of you guys have an AR190 for rent? Any tips, experiences?

Hope that makes sense.

Thanks a lot in advance!

I’m confused are you starting a charter service or a boat rental service? I will help you out either way the AR190 is not what you are looking for. If it’s a boat rental service the bayliner may suffice if your looking to be the cheapest rental boat in your market. If it’s a charter service to go to a sandbar and water sports you need to step up and get a true dedicated water sports boat as most people looking to charter or rent a boat for those purposes will be looking for that not an element or a AR190. Good luck with your venture.

 

[Gym]

I see a couple of different issues @Glassyo182. A newbie boat operator starting a charter service on the ocean with a 19 foot single engine boat. I'm not trying to rain on your parade but it seems to me you're setting yourself up for trouble.

I would think any insurance company would have similar concerns.

 

[Glassyo182]

I see a couple of different issues @Glassyo182. A newbie boat operator starting a charter service on the ocean with a 19 foot single engine boat. I'm not trying to rain on your parade but it seems to me you're setting yourself up for trouble.

I would think any insurance company would have similar concerns.

Hi! I won't drive it myself, I'll hire a professional to do it.
The sandbar where people will go is maybe a mile away from the boat ramp and it is a closed bay, the boat will never go out of the bay into open water, this is something very calm, maybe take people to downtown just for the sightseeing and then to the sandbar There's some AR190s doing the same thing down here, I just down know any of the other owners.

 

[Glassyo182]

I’m confused are you starting a charter service or a boat rental service? I will help you out either way the AR190 is not what you are looking for. If it’s a boat rental service the bayliner may suffice if your looking to be the cheapest rental boat in your market. If it’s a charter service to go to a sandbar and water sports you need to step up and get a true dedicated water sports boat as most people looking to charter or rent a boat for those purposes will be looking for that not an element or a AR190. Good luck with your venture.

Thank you Robert, I appreciate your time and help!
I thought the AR190 was a pretty good option as a starter since it is not a killer investment and it kind of could do all of those in one but what you say makes sense!
Regards

 

[Mike & Lilly]

@Glassyo182 i think the main question u are asking is how many hrs can a Yamaha jet motor would last before u have to spend some money to rebuild, i think if u bye new i believe u can get a 5 yr warranty on it don't know how many hrs, from all my research for what u want to do with the boat u might be better of with an outboard.

If anyone knows more or less how many hrs u can run this engines with good maintenance let him know.

And one last thing (Out on the reef) look for it on YouTube if u want he has an FSH190 and i believe he has over 400 hrs on it.

 

[Mike & Lilly]

One more thing if u go to the user map u can see who is close to you and if i was u i would pm them and ask this questions to see if one of them are doing the same thing u want to do.

 

[Betik]

I do not think the hours on the engine is the problem here. The engines will do 1,000+ hours. Apparently MR-1 are reported with 2000 hours without major issues.

I do not think that the margins are high enough to hire a licenced captain and make money on the boat. If you insist, I would say 30,000/700 = 300/7=$42,86. If you can make $42.86 after all the cost then you are "okay".

 

[Mike & Lilly]

Hope he makes the right decision

 

[Glassyo182]

One more thing if u go to the user map u can see who is close to you and if i was u i would pm them and ask this questions to see if one of them are doing the same thing u want to do.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Glassyo182]

I do not think the hours on the engine is the problem here. The engines will do 1,000+ hours. Apparently MR-1 are reported with 2000 hours without major issues.

I do not think that the margins are high enough to hire a licenced captain and make money on the boat. If you insist, I would say 30,000/700 = 300/7=$42,86. If you can make $42.86 after all the cost then you are "okay".

Thanks for the reply! We'll add the captain as an optional service for anyone who doesn't want to drive it.
What is the 30.000/700 mean?

 

[Gym]

Hi! I won't drive it myself, I'll hire a professional to do it.
The sandbar where people will go is maybe a mile away from the boat ramp and it is a closed bay, the boat will never go out of the bay into open water, this is something very calm, maybe take people to downtown just for the sightseeing and then to the sandbar There's some AR190s doing the same thing down here, I just down know any of the other owners.

Ok, sounds much better. I'll stop raining on your parade. Wondering if you can get an extended YES warranty if used in a commercial operation.

 

[PJ73]

While I applaud your enthusiasm. I'm nervous for you for a few reasons.
1) Liability. You're going to have to carry an absolute shit-ton of insurance to cover not only the boat, but your passengers. If anything were to happen. Yikes.
2) While Yamahas are fantastic boats, I don't think a 19 ft would be the way to go if there are large swells that come up, she's gonna get tossed around. Not saying that there arent people on here who take their 19 ft boats on the open ocean, they do all the time without issue. Personally, I would opt for a 21 or 24 ft just for the comfort of the guests. (personal note: I refuse to take anything smaller than a 21 ft onto lake michigan)
3) Salt water. If you don't flush that thing after every outing, you're gonna run into issues. No matter what motor. (someone correct me if I'm wrong) but, wouldnt you rather have an outboard as a "throw away" instead of smoking an inboard thats gonna cost you thousands to replace. You could just opt for a smaller outboard merc/yamaha/volvo... whatever and just save money by trashing that.

I hope you move well into your endeavor and it works out for you.

 

[Betik]

While I applaud your enthusiasm. I'm nervous for you for a few reasons.
1) Liability. You're going to have to carry an absolute shit-ton of insurance to cover not only the boat, but your passengers. If anything were to happen. Yikes.

And other boats/people which your boat might cause damage or harm to. I think the deal breaker here is "liability".

 

[Mike & Lilly]

There is always a beginning to every successful story non of the members in this forum where born knowing how to navigate, that said take all the precautions necessary obey the law take a course with a license captain, use common sense and don't ever give up.

Be safe out there let us know wish boat u buy and good luck on your business decision.

 

[Glassyo182]

Hey guys, thanks to all for your concerns and advices!

The plan is for this to have a commercial insurance at all times which covers all of those potential accidents.
Here in South Florida the boating charter industry is pretty big, that being said, the moment you get in the boat, you sign a waiver in which you are pretty much responsible for anything that could happen in that trip, since this boat is so small, most people would rather drive it themselves, as I was saying, this always stays inside the bay and the sand bar is not even a couple miles away from the dock.
I have been thinking a lot about those potential problems but in the end, it is always the driver (which would most of the times be the client) responsability to follow the maritime laws.

 

[Ancient canoe]

I don't have any expertise to add, but I am rooting for you. Takes a lot of guts. I would listen to your mechanic though, or talk to mechanics that do a lot of Yamaha work. While we being a Yamaha fan club we may offer up counter points to Yamaha reliability, but we aren't the ones working on your engine, nor are we on the hook when it does break down. I doubt very many here will hit the 700 hour mark. I know I never would.

 

[B0at1n]

I just bought a 19 AR190 and this is my plan next season here in Dallas, I have spoke with multiple people who made between 10 and 25k in 4 months.

My plan is to rent the boat via one of the sharing websites. Most offer an insurance policy for the rental but take 30-35% of the fee for it. I am going to do a little more research in commercial insurance and may go that route as it should be quite cheaper than giving 35% away.

I chose to go with the AR190 because I felt secure knowing if renting didn’t work I’d be Comfortable paying for the boat for personal use if I had too. That being said, I really like the 212x and would strongly consider upgrading if I yield 25k next season. But we will see what happens.

I have noticed couple of the local marinas here renting the Bayliner elements out the 115 OB, so I’d assume the are reliable.

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

One of my local customers is always out on the water with clients in a 23 foot Yamaha.
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Boat tour agency in St. Pete Beach, Florida
Address: St Pete Beach, FL 33706


Hours:
Open ⋅ Closes 8PM
Monday 9AM–8PM
Tuesday 9AM–8PM
Wednesday 9AM–8PM
Thursday 9AM–8PM
Friday 9AM–8PM
Saturday 9AM–8PM
Sunday 9AM–8PM
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Phone: (727) 709-0088

 

[seadude]

For a rental boat sitting in salt water all the time and getting hard use by inexperienced operators, not sure if a Yamaha jet boat is the best choice. Although given all of the jet ski rentals out there, maybe it is possible. Those cheap and simple outboard powered pontoon boats seem to be popular rentals.
I rented a 25' I/O boat in the Boca area many years ago (where I also encountered my first Yamaha jet boat that lost control at low speed and almost hit me ).
As I recall, it was very expensive and I couldn't believe the waiver they expected me to sign which made me responsible for anything that happened to the boat, myself and others no matter what. Didn't see myself ever bothering to do this again!