New AR190 owner

[jsimanskey]

Just wanted to say thank you to all participating on this forum! It's been an invaluable resource as I made the decision to go with a 2017 AR190. It was invaluable for my research before the buy, and I feel well-prepared for the remainder of the season. If all goes to plan, I'll be taking delivery tomorrow and starting the break-in this weekend! I don't know about mods this year, but that's what winter's for, right?

I'll be boating on a small lake in central WI that's been especially weedy this year, so expect some reports on the effectiveness of the clean-out plugs. That is the primary reason I'm getting a new boat in the first place - I've had a 2001 Seadoo Speedster, which I love, but got hung up on weeds a few too many times this year. I'll miss my oil-burner (240hp Merc on a 16' boat), but looking forward to the extra passenger capacity, storage, nicer finishes, and (believe it or not), better fuel economy. Overall, more like a "real" boat. The clean-out plugs on the Yamaha obviously won't solve everything, but I'm hoping to at least minimize being stranded on the water (again)! And I'll feel better taking family and friends to some bigger lakes, too... maybe even back home in Chicago every once in awhile.

Thanks again, guys!

 

[2kwik4u]

Welcome to the club.....I to bought a '17 AR190 this year!

Which color scheme did you get?

 

[jsimanskey]

Welcome to the club.....I to bought a '17 AR190 this year!

Which color scheme did you get?

I went with the black/white. I do wish there were some more color options, I was already looking at wraps, ha.

 

[2kwik4u]

I went with the black/white. I do wish there were some more color options, I was already looking at wraps, ha.

Same colors here. Haven't seen anyone with the Black/Blue combo shown on the website.

 

[jsimanskey]

Delivery went as planned Saturday, and made it through the break-in and then some. Here's my report on the first weekend:

- Clean out plugs worked well. Picked up a bunch of weeds during the slow break-in period, but was able to clear them out. Later, I picked up more at slow speeds near my dock. Enough that it was easier to just get in the water and pull them out before they were sucked into the intake. It's just an issue I have to deal with on my lake, but overall, this boat was much easier to clean out then the old Seadoo. At higher speeds, weed pickup doesn't seem to be much of an issue, if at all.

- I love the benefits of a slightly bigger boat, but I do have to say that the turns seem wider than I'd like at higher speeds. I actually didn't have much of an issue tracking at high or slow speeds (I'm used to finicky jet boats), but would thrust vectors help me achieve some tighter turns at high speeds?

- Very happy with the fuel consumption on this boat, at least compared to my old one. For my use, I think this will generally serve me well. However...

- In calm water with no wind, I couldn't seem to get to speeds greater than 36 (maybe touching 38 occasionally) mph at around 7200rpm ("wide open"), even loaded with just myself. I realize this is a 190, but it seems like it should at least touch 40, based on test numbers and anecdotal information. I know this will never be a speed demon, but are there come common things I should be checking?

Thanks guys! Can't wait to get back to it this weekend.

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to have you on board and that you're enjoying your boat,
I think thrust vectors are designed to rotate up at speed to give you standard jet boat feel, Cobra fins you can adjust to different settings, I keep mine full down all the time for sharper turns

 

[jsimanskey]

glad to have you on board and that you're enjoying your boat,
I think thrust vectors are designed to rotate up at speed to give you standard jet boat feel, Cobra fins you can adjust to different settings, I keep mine full down all the time for sharper turns

Thanks! I'll look into those. Sharper turns would be nice (our lake is narrow at points).

 

[jsimanskey]

2nd weekend update:

- Flushed the engine prior to launching, checked the intake and cleared a couple weeds. I couldn't see any signs of damage on the impeller, and all surfaces in the jet drive seemed sealed and relatively smooth.

- Filled up (87 octane) and added the recommended fuel treatment.

- Took her out a to a bigger lake, much clearer with respect to weeds. Consistent 1-2 foot chop, but hit 40mph without much trouble at around 7600rpm. Wife and son on the boat, in the bow. Upper 70s air temp, didn't have a clear read on the water but was pleasant when we swam. Perhaps the 1st weekend was a fluke, or just poor lake conditions? When they moved to the back we were easily around 44mph (checked with speed app on my phone, dash was generally +/-1mph). MUCH HAPPIER. Still haven't pulled anyone but this is basically the performance I expected. Handled great in the chop, and we had a wonderful day. Very relieved there didn't seem to be any problems to troubleshoot.