Hey Nick, Welcome to the family!
Hopefully my insights can help you out a bit. We picked up a 2017 AR190 last summer, it has been an awesome boat, it got us out on the water, it had room for a few friends, we learned to wakeboard, did lot’s of tubing, and even a little surfing. We went with the AR190 for a few reasons, fuel economy was one (and it didn’t disappoint there), price point was another, and being first time boat owners, the single engine, smaller boat just seemed wayyyyyy less intimidating.
Well..... this year, we were really starting to surf some more, get some more time out on the boat and think about starting on our upgrade list (ballast, tower racks, stereo, seadek, ridesteady .... the list goes on).
While I was pricing out some accessories, online and with the dealer, I started to think... hey... most of these things (except the ridesteady) are standard on the 212X....... Plus, it has a tandem axel trailer, two engines, it’s a bigger boat, more versatile, not so big that it won’t fit in our storage area, etc. and thought... well, I may as well call the dealer and find out what it’s worth.
So out came the phone, and down the road to more debt I go. In the end, though we paid for the pleasure of trading in a one year old boat, the dealer worked with us and helped us move up to a 2017 212X for a very fair price. The way we looked at it, over the next 2-3 years, we would spend as much on upgrades, and those payments would be, and in those few years, we would likely be looking for a bigger boat anyways... so that’s where we went, it ended up being worth our while to trade up to the boat that gave us almost everything we wanted.
So, the reason I wen’t through this whole story.... last year, when we were in the dealership, we actually sat in the 212X that we bought, I read the advice on here to buy your 2nd boat 1st, and even the dealer said something along the lines of we will see you in a couple years when you upgrade to one of these. (No, we didn’t believe him at the time).
But there we have it, just a bit more than 12 months later, we now have a 21 foot boat at the dock, the things that intimidated us before (price, size, fuel consumption, maintainance on two engines) haven’t really changed, it’s still a big boat, but the extra space in the bow is great, the upgraded stereo is fantastic, I much prefer tandem axel trailers, twin engines have a pile more get up and go, the windshield sits up higher, the two captains chairs are nicer, the wind dam slows a cold breeze, the connex screen is a nice feature, I can control the radio from where I am (helm or swim deck) not the passanger glove box, I have a deapth finder, I like the table for lunches on the water, the interior finish is much nicer, better anchor locker, hinged seats, the list goes on and on, but in the end, I truest feel that we upgraded to much more boat, and if I could do it differently, I would go with my 2nd boat 1st, like everyone says.
Whichever you go with, I am confident you will love it, we never had any trouble with our 190, and I still feel like that is one of the best boats on the market, single engine, great on fuel, it had everything we needed to have a blast on the water and fall in love with boating, we didn’t trade out of that boat for any reason other than we wanted a bigger boat, if that size is what you want, grab it and don’t look back, you will love every moment of it!
Oh and ps: We honestly thought we were buying our second boat first. We were originally looking at the Bayliner element, or another used 18ft boat, and went with the AR190 planning to keep it forever...... so if it is within your budget, don’t hesitate to move up to, at least, the 21ft boats and save yourself a costly trade down the line if you think there will every be a chance that you may want to do so in the future
If you have any specific questions about either boat, reach out anytime. Always happy to help!
