New Member in Tampa, FL

[Tino352]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to the world of boating. I've finally decided to purchase my first boat and I'm looking at either the Ar190 or SX190. Any advice or tips are greatly appreciated.

 

[Julian]

If you ever think you'll want a tower....get it now....its a pain to add later....especially if someone else is involved in the financial decision making

 

[Tino352]

Thanks Julian. I'm leaning towards the AR190 because of the tower. I also like the Yamaha 212ss but unsure if that's a good starter boat.

 

[Drift Away]

Welcome. I always say the bigger the better. There is gonna be a ton of us here near Tampa. Alot of us hang out near Anclote

 

[Tino352]

Thank You Drift Away. I'm familiar with Anclote. My co-worker goes there. I plan to spend my time between Anclote, Pine Island, and one tree island. Are there any local jet boat groups?

 

[Julian]

I also like the Yamaha 212ss but unsure if that's a good starter boat.

They don't make a 212SS anymore...but it was a cool looking boat with a low profile windshield! If you can afford and store a larger boat, I would go at least 21' to begin with. 19' is both cramped when you have a lot of friends on it, and handling in rougher water will be less enjoyable (its all in degrees of enjoyment....so don't get me wrong there....bottom line...the bigger the more comfortable your ride will be, but the less agile it will also feel)

 

[Drift Away]

Thank You Drift Away. I'm familiar with Anclote. My co-worker goes there. I plan to spend my time between Anclote, Pine Island, and one tree island. Are there any local jet boat groups?

There is about 5-6 up here near anclote that meet up everynow and then. We even let @TimH show up with the to spinning things on the back of his boat

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

Welcome!

I would stay away from One Tree. I have had nothing but problems when going there, but maybe it is my bad luck. Had a buddy shot a shell through a wear ring on my ski, both times I had engine issues with boat were there, and I lost an anchor there. I will never go there again lol, besides it sucks to walk on. I am a bit more south, but usually hang out either in Bunce's or Honeymoon area. Still haven't made our way to Pine, planned to on Saturday but the weather was crap.

 

[Tino352]

Thanks for the advice Adrian. I definitely plan to check out Honeymoon island as well.

 

[Drift Away]

Thanks for the advice Adrian. I definitely plan to check out Honeymoon island as well.

Honeymoon is nice. I have noticed the closer you get to Tampa bay the more law you see floating around. I tend to say clear of them

 

[Manny Nomikos]

I just bought a 2018 ar190 and i gotta say i love it. im in the anclote area too. havent seen many jet boats out here lately mostly just fishing boats.

 

[Drift Away]

I just bought a 2018 ar190 and i gotta say i love it. im in the anclote area too. havent seen many jet boats out here lately mostly just fishing boats.

Well there will be some of out today for sure. Should be around the north end of anclote or sand bar.
https://jetboaters.net/threads/anclote-sand-bar.12635/

 

[Tino352]

Thank you Drift away

 

[Tino352]

Does anyone know if there is a battery cut off switch on the 2012 Sx190? I can’t seem to locate it.

 

[Scottintexas]

glad to have you on board,

Have you ever been boating before?
How do you intend to use your boat most of the time? hanging out at the cove, boarding, tubing, surfing, fishing
how many family /friends do you think will be going with you normally?

 

[Tino352]

Thank you Scottintexas,
I’ll mostly just use it for cruising and hanging at sand bars. Occasionally some wake boarding. I picked up my 2012 Sx190 yesterday

 

[Scottintexas]

Great! Congratulations!

Be sure to look at the FAQ tab at the top of the page for lot's of great tips and ideas for your boat, be sure to watch the video about how the cooling water flows in your engine,

also first time out try to make it a non-windy, non-crowded day with only a helper if you can to get the hang of driving/slow speed docking/loading,

It can ruin a trip or passengers get upset not understanding what it takes to get a boat in/out of the water,

you might also consider a pair of locks for your cleanout plugs,

 

[Tino352]

Thank you. I have been watching lots of YouTube videos and reading tips here. So far I’ve gotten lots of information, but I still have much more to learn. Any recommendations on the locks for the plugs?

 

[Scottintexas]

I would tell you Cobra's, they're inexpensive and easy to use and just work, you can probably drive to his house to pick them up, some people create their own with pins others just use nerf footballs (but those have other drawbacks) we have a section in the FAQ about it,