Questions regards to purchasing Yamaha SX or AR

[Pandabear90]

Hey all,

This will be our first boat and just have a couple of questions.

We live in NY, for location references.

Is this type of boat okay for saltwater?

We have a garage but I’m not sure if it will fit? If not, is it okay to store outside under maybe a carport type enclosure or should we pay to put it in storage. Will the cold temperature affect the boat if it is not put into storage.

It’s my fiancé and I and our son. Is a 19ft sufficient as a first boat? Our usages for the boat is nothing strenuous but just to be out on the water, go to different parts of the island as we live on LI. We will have our parents on it from time to time, but just on a occasional basis.

Is paying extra for the 195 over the 190 worth it?

I know the AR has the tower over the SX but is it primarily just for wakeboarding? Can I pull a tube with the SX?

Is it common to not pay to dock your boat at a location and just trailer it back and forth from the house during the season?

As boats are a depreciable asset. I noticed the loans can be 15 and 20 years. If I pay just taxes up front, approximately how much negative should I expect on a 30k loan if I decide to trade in 5 years down the line?

Is it recommended to go New as a first time boat buyer or should I go used based off the way a boat is depreciated? If used, how many hours on the boat should I look for when relating it to the year of the boat?

Also, what is the full dimensions of the boat on trailer, if I’m looking to fit it in the garage as I have a one car garage.

Thanks in advance, all personal comments and responses would be greatly appreciated.

 

[swatski]

Hey all,

This will be our first boat and just have a couple of questions.

We live in NY, for location references.

Is this type of boat okay for saltwater?

We have a garage but I’m not sure if it will fit? If not, is it okay to store outside under maybe a carport type enclosure or should we pay to put it in storage. Will the cold temperature affect the boat if it is not put into storage.

It’s my fiancé and I and our son. Is a 19ft sufficient as a first boat? Our usages for the boat is nothing strenuous but just to be out on the water, go to different parts of the island as we live on LI. We will have our parents on it from time to time, but just on a occasional basis.

Is paying extra for the 195 over the 190 worth it?

I know the AR has the tower over the SX but is it primarily just for wakeboarding? Can I pull a tube with the SX?

Is it common to not pay to dock your boat at a location and just trailer it back and forth from the house during the season?

As boats are a depreciable asset. I noticed the loans can be 15 and 20 years. If I pay just taxes up front, approximately how much negative should I expect on a 30k loan if I decide to trade in 5 years down the line?

Is it recommended to go New as a first time boat buyer or should I go used based off the way a boat is depreciated? If used, how many hours on the boat should I look for when relating it to the year of the boat?

Thanks in advance, all personal comments and responses would be greatly appreciated.

This form is very active, I’m sure you’ll get lots of responses. In the meantime there’s a ton of information and answers to all of your questions, if you do a little bit of poking around. Just in case you wouldn’t want to wait for members to respond here!

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[Julian]

These boats are fine in saltwater, but like any boat in salt water, they will need flushing and extra care due to the salt.

You will need to store the boat in the winter-ideally inside. Snow load on the cover will collapse it. Car port might work ok.

Have you gone out on anyone's boat before? If not, try and do this with friends before you buy your first boat. My first boat was a 19' boat for just my wife and I. As soon as we had 1 child we upgraded to a larger boat! The more you test drive and try out boats the better your choice will be.

Many people just trailer their boat. I have a slip, but its much more expensive.

I paid cash for my boat. I can't imagine anything longer than a 5 year loan on a non-essential item.

If you buy used, I would be looking for a boat that had no more than roughly 50-60 hours/year on it. You can find boats with way less....boats with more....shouldn't be ruled out, but will need closer scrutiny.

I would likely go for a used (well cared for) boat as my first foray into boating. It would also allow you to buy a bigger boat for the money. The bigger the boat, the better it will handle the water around the LI sound.

 

[Pandabear90]

Thank you for your responses

 

[Maccam26]

Is this type of boat okay for saltwater?
A: With a little care and protection, the boat would be ok for saltwater. Although they are 19ft boats and feel small when on big water, occasional use in intracoastal would be my way of thinking. Main useage lakes/rivers.

We have a garage but I’m not sure if it will fit? If not, is it okay to store outside under maybe a carport type enclosure or should we pay to put it in storage. Will the cold temperature affect the boat if it is not put into storage.
A: You can do as you wish here, many store outdoors with covers. You will fight more ageing issues with outdoor storage but it can be done.

It’s my fiancé and I and our son. Is a 19ft sufficient as a first boat? Our usages for the boat is nothing strenuous but just to be out on the water, go to different parts of the island as we live on LI. We will have our parents on it from time to time, but just on a occasional basis.
A: I find the Yamaha 19ft boat a great platform as a first boat, easy on maintenance and sized perfectly to learn.

Is paying extra for the 195 over the 190 worth it?
A: The 195 has extra grunt but comes at the expense of outrageous fuel consumption for a boat its size. We went 190 as it uses regular fuel and I have no reason to cruise over 40mph on a lake.

I know the AR has the tower over the SX but is it primarily just for wakeboarding? Can I pull a tube with the SX?
A: you can certainly pull a tube from the tow hook on an SX, do it all the time.

Is it common to not pay to dock your boat at a location and just trailer it back and forth from the house during the season?
A: I trailer mine for many reasons. No storage cost, easy access to clean and maintain, I get bored of the same lake.

As boats are a depreciable asset. I noticed the loans can be 15 and 20 years. If I pay just taxes up front, approximately how much negative should I expect on a 30k loan if I decide to trade in 5 years down the line?
A: My guess is if you finance 15 yrs at Yamaha Synchrony Bank 5.24%, you'll owe about $22K on the boat and my guess it'll be worth 16K-20K depending on useage and condition.

Is it recommended to go New as a first time boat buyer or should I go used based off the way a boat is depreciated? If used, how many hours on the boat should I look for when relating it to the year of the boat?
A: I took comfort in a new boat for the reliability factor over the first few years of ownership, less surprises on the water is a good thing. As I get to know the boat, I will be comfortable maintaining it. 20-100 hrs per year are the ranges I've seen, pretty wide. 100hrs+ would be a lot, almost rental boat hours.

Also, what is the full dimensions of the boat on trailer, if I’m looking to fit it in the garage as I have a one car garage.
A: My SX190 is 19'5" and with tongue folded, that's the length on trailer. Height is 83.5" on trailer (level). I have 84" garage and fits right in. Can't remember width of trailer off hand.

 

[Pandabear90]

Thank you very informative, if someone can supply the width of the boat on trailer as well!

 

[swatski]

I agree with @Julian but would also add that low hours boats can be a worse buy than high hours depending on maintenance and type of use.
A low hours boat can be low engine hours but still have high hours of general use/abuse.
We have seen low hour boats with dry rot, or wet slipped w/salt corrosion.

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[Julian]

Link to the boat specs: SX190

The boat is 8'2" wide. The trailer shouldn't add any more to that, but if it does it will only be to 8'6" (maximum trailer width to tow without a permit).

 

[BigAbe75]

Thank you very informative, if someone can supply the width of the boat on trailer as well!

Download the “Yamaha Boats” app on your phone (if you can). It has some pics of current models, but also has full stats showing length, width, height and most other things as well of each trim package.

 

[Maccam26]

Thank you very informative, if someone can supply the width of the boat on trailer as well!

8'6"

 

[I_squared_r]

If you must finance, go to a credit union and get pre-approved for a loan and see the rates between the 6, 10, and a 15-year loans. If the difference is minimal then I would get the longest term loan. The reason is that you are providing yourself flexibility and reducing your monthly payments. Therefore your debt-to-income ratio is lower if you decide to make another large purchase like a house. But I definitely wouldn't stretch out those payments over 15-years because you will pay a lot of interest. Pay it off soon as possible. Or better yet, you can buy a used boat at 6-year terms and will lose very little depreciation over time. That's what I did and I could sell after 1 year and possibly make a few thousand dollars. I like the idea of boating for free.

Where in New York are you? I live in Long Island and I used NFCU on my boat and BFCU on my car. BFCU had great rates, I wish I had went to them before.

 

[2kwik4u]

Responses Below, as best I can......

Is this type of boat okay for saltwater?
You should be fine for saltwater. You'll want to flush it after each use with SaltAway or something similar.

We have a garage but I’m not sure if it will fit? If not, is it okay to store outside under maybe a carport type enclosure or should we pay to put it in storage. Will the cold temperature affect the boat if it is not put into storage.
Stoarge outside is fine. Try to keep the snow off it and you'll be fine. My first boat lived in a "garage" with no front door on it. Front of boat and trailer poked out and were in the weather. It was just fine.

It’s my fiancé and I and our son. Is a 19ft sufficient as a first boat? Our usages for the boat is nothing strenuous but just to be out on the water, go to different parts of the island as we live on LI. We will have our parents on it from time to time, but just on a occasional basis.
A 19' Yamaha is excellent for 2 adults and two kids. 4 adults and 4 kids is snug. 8 adults is possible, but you better all be good friends. My wife and I have an 8yr old and a 15mo old, and often take another 8yr old and 2 more adults with us. It's snug, but totally doable for 4-5hrs on the water. LONG days will find us looking for a place to get off the boat and do something on shore/in the water. The Yamaha 19ft boats have more interior room than most others, and honestly feel larger than they are.

Is paying extra for the 195 over the 190 worth it?
At sea level, maybe. I have a 190 and rarely want more power. I'm pretty happy with the performance I get, and the fuel mileage of the less powerful motor is nice. I can get 75-80 miles on a tank of fuel in this boat and calm conditions. The 195 has a higher top speed, but either is more than capable of tubing and water sports. I've gotten a best of 43mph from my 190, the 195 is in the low 50mph range I think. The 195 has some other options that are nice beyond the more powerfull motor. Aluminum grab handles, better speakers, different color scheme, etc. Those alone make the price increase "worth it" at some level. We ended up with the 190 based on the color scheme and fuel usage more than any other variables.

I know the AR has the tower over the SX but is it primarily just for wakeboarding? Can I pull a tube with the SX?
You can certainly pull a tube from the SX. I HIGHLY, and I mean HIGHLY recommend getting the tower. There are so many benefits beyond the tow point for water sports. The bimini top isn't attached to the hull, just the tower. It's a great place ot put speakers if you want to upgrade. I sleep in a hammock under mine, strung across the tower. my 8yr old uses it as a ninja warrior practice zone. I hang a small swing for the toddler from it so he can sit in the breeze and shade. It's great to hold onto while docking so you don't have to stoop over and hold the hull. The towered boats also typically have better resale value, and if not value then at least time on market is less when you sell.

Is it common to not pay to dock your boat at a location and just trailer it back and forth from the house during the season?
We trailer our boat 2-3 times a week. It lives in the garage, and we're about 45 miles from the water in any direction (except the Ohio River which we only visit a few times a year). If you have a reliable tow vehicle, and keep up on trailer maintenance (which is very easy) you should have no problem trailering every time.

As boats are a depreciable asset. I noticed the loans can be 15 and 20 years. If I pay just taxes up front, approximately how much negative should I expect on a 30k loan if I decide to trade in 5 years down the line?
We bought our 2017 AR190 on a 15yr loan at 3.4%. Payments are around $300/mo. We're in the middle of our 3rd season. We still owe somewhere around $27k I think. I could probably sell mine for $22-$24k I think. I have a few upgrades and it's in excellent condition. It just crossed 100hrs, so that might hurt it. Yamaha's will hold thier value better than other brands, but they still depreciate.

Is it recommended to go New as a first time boat buyer or should I go used based off the way a boat is depreciated? If used, how many hours on the boat should I look for when relating it to the year of the boat?
I would buy used as it's your first boat. Since you don't know for certain how much you will use it, or like it. You might find you love the lifestyle and the fun of boating and want to upgrade right away. You might also find that boating simply isn't for you. Too much work, too much time to prep, not enough time to use it, whatever. Buying used puts you in a far better situation to "get out" in the short term, regardless if it's for an upgrade, or an abondon the hobby situation. Because Yamaha's hold value so well, buying used, doing some maintenance/upgrades on it, there is a good chance you can break even. You can also afford a slightly larger boat for the same money in the used market.

Also, what is the full dimensions of the boat on trailer, if I’m looking to fit it in the garage as I have a one car garage.
my AR190 with the tongue and tower folded is 19'3" long x 9'0" wide and fits (with modded tower stops) into an 84in high opening. I'll double check the width tonight when I get home if you want.

Thanks in advance, all personal comments and responses would be greatly appreciated.
Glad to help. We love talking about boats around here.

This is our second boat and we bought brand new. We'll likely have it a few more seasons before upgrading. Only reason to really upgrade for us is due to the boys wanting to bring friends as they get older, and we like to entertain our friends on the water. The 19ft Yamaha's are an exceptional value as well. They are easy to tow, easy to store, and easy to tow. The 190's are easy on fuel usage as well. We don't spend a ton of money on our boating hobby, and get an extremely high smiles per dollar ratio out of it.

 

[Pandabear90]

Hi,

Thanks for the responses. Yea we bought a house last year and our wedding is next year so, you see where our money went LOL. I’ll take a look into the credit unions, thank you for the advice. We’re in Suffolk county

If you must finance, go to a credit union and get pre-approved for a loan and see the rates between the 6, 10, and a 15-year loans. If the difference is minimal then I would get the longest term loan. The reason is that you are providing yourself flexibility and reducing your monthly payments. Therefore your debt-to-income ratio is lower if you decide to make another large purchase like a house. But I definitely wouldn't stretch out those payments over 15-years because you will pay a lot of interest. Pay it off soon as possible. Or better yet, you can buy a used boat at 6-year terms and will lose very little depreciation over time. That's what I did and I could sell after 1 year and possibly make a few thousand dollars. I like the idea of boating for free.

Where in New York are you? I live in Long Island and I used NFCU on my boat and BFCU on my car. BFCU had great rates, I wish I had went to them before.

If you must finance, go to a credit union and get pre-approved for a loan and see the rates between the 6, 10, and a 15-year loans. If the difference is minimal then I would get the longest term loan. The reason is that you are providing yourself flexibility and reducing your monthly payments. Therefore your debt-to-income ratio is lower if you decide to make another large purchase like a house. But I definitely wouldn't stretch out those payments over 15-years because you will pay a lot of interest. Pay it off soon as possible. Or better yet, you can buy a used boat at 6-year terms and will lose very little depreciation over time. That's what I did and I could sell after 1 year and possibly make a few thousand dollars. I like the idea of boating for free.

Where in New York are you? I live in Long Island and I used NFCU on my boat and BFCU on my car. BFCU had great rates, I wish I had went to them before.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I bought an SX and wish I went AR now. I hate dealing with the Bimini and we started to adopt wale boarding.

 

[Pandabear90]

I bought an SX and wish I went AR now. I hate dealing with the Bimini and we started to adopt wale boarding.

If I get the AR can you take tower off easily to park in garage?

 

[Bdog]

If I get the AR can you take tower off easily to park in garage?

Can’t really take the tower off but the tower does lower all the way if need be.

 

[2kwik4u]

If I get the AR can you take tower off easily to park in garage?

You can take the tower off. It's not terribly difficult, but you don't want to do it every time.

With a simple mod to the tower stops it will fit in a standard 7' garage door.

 

[Pandabear90]

You can take the tower off. It's not terribly difficult, but you don't want to do it every time.

With a simple mod to the tower stops it will fit in a standard 7' garage door.

What simple mod you talking about

 

[Bdog]

What simple mod you talking about

Take the washers off and unscrew the nuts that keep the tower from hitting the steering wheel is what I think he is referring to. Once those are removed the tower lowers all the way and it can rest against the wheel. You can get to these by lifting stern port and starboard cushions.

 

[Pandabear90]

Unfortunately I just measured the width of my garage and I’m a foot short lol