So AR195 or 195S

[WTFover]

So I'm trying to make a decision between the AR195 and the 195S. The difference in cost isn't an issue for me, but if I can save $1500 that means more money for other goodies. To be honest, I prefer the color choices in the AR. What I'd like to know from folks who have bought the AR195, what are your thoughts on the lack of a swiveling chair in the port helm area? If all we ever used the boat for is towing/ wakesports than it would be a no brainer, but it just seems like an awkward seating position for general use. Any comments from owners in this regard?

 

[marcham]

It really depends on your boating style. The AR195 bench is more of a social seating arrangement. For long rides in chop at above 30mph, then the seat would probably be more comfortable.

Of note, there is a fair bit of storage space under the bench which is where we keep shoes, bags with towels, etc...

The other noticeable difference between the two is the floor cover style and material, and the bigger Connext screen. I use Navionics on my phone so wasn't interested in a bigger screen.

 

[Mike190]

For my family it would be the s just for the seat for the wife and the better flooring.

 

[Gunner]

This is a debated topic in our home. My wife insists on the bench seat, I would prefer another captains chair. I usually drive so it's not a big deal, but when I'm the passenger I find that unless I am seated to either side of the back I cant get comfortable. If I try to sit up across from the driver I find it uncomfortable. When anchored with more people on board the bench works out good. I wish the bench had a seat back that could flip forward and back to sit forward or aft facing like the Montereys have. First world problems are a bitch I guess.

 

[Mike190]

This is a debated topic in our home. My wife insists on the bench seat, I would prefer another captains chair. I usually drive so it's not a big deal, but when I'm the passenger I find that unless I am seated to either side of the back I cant get comfortable. If I try to sit up across from the driver I find it uncomfortable. When anchored with more people on board the bench works out good. I wish the bench had a seat back that could flip forward and back to sit forward or aft facing like the Montereys have. First world problems are a bitch I guess.

Yeah I love the setup Monterey has on theirs. Best of both worlds

 

[white2kstang]

We prefer the bench. We put bins under it and my kids stretch out rearward facing sometimes. Optimum solution would be 195s with a bench if they made it. Lol

 

[jEt_jAk]

For me I would do the 195 as I prefer the bench.

 

[dshscarab]

I replaced my bench in my 2019 AR 195 with a chair. Cost me approx 800 doing it myself. After having both now, my wife and I like the chair much better. Just my 2 cents

 

[Daren and Heather]

So I debated this question for awhile myself, before getting the AR210. It looked weird to me to not have a second chair... at first... Because that's what I'm used to seeing in boats. But now? MY WIFE AND I LOVE THE BENCH! It makes the whole area feel so much more open, you've got a huge L shaped seating area almost like a pontoon boat. And it makes for another great lounging spot. Regardless of whether you do water sports or not, I would recommend going with the bench, especially on a 19ft boat - made our 21ft boat feel so much more roomier, and then you've got an additional place to store bags and stuff underneath too. However I'd ultimately recommend walking around and lounging a bit in both boats if you can and letting the wife decide.

 

[WTFover]

I replaced my bench in my 2019 AR 195 with a chair. Cost me approx 800 doing it myself. After having both now, my wife and I like the chair much better. Just my 2 cents

So how feasible would it be to swap back and forth? Can you leave the pedestal base attached to the deck but pull the chair out and put the bench back in? I live on a lake, and pretty much use the boat exclusively for water sports activity when home, but we head to the gulf a couple of times a year, plus a bunch of trips to other lakes across the state.

 

[dshscarab]

@WTFover, to answer your question, I have not reinstalled the bench. However, I don't see why you couldn't install it over the pedestal. It looks like it should clear it no problem. Due note that the chair will swivel completely around. Being that, a person can sit there and keep in eye on water sports activity.

 

[WTFover]

Thanks for everyone's comments!!

 

[Hoyt]

We went with the S for several reasons....
*We loved the chair (it swivels BTW if you wanna face rear).
*swim platform head unit was great
*wetsounds upgraded speakers sounded great
*Marine Mat interior matched swim deck, and looked better then carpet
*7" conext wasn't a huge factor, but navigation sold that to us
*lastly we loved the classic no graphics exterior

 

[Wright2e]

For me the two seats were a big factor with my wife wanting a seat to sit in. Also like the finishes with the docking lights and the rear control panel for the radio. Overall it was the fact that it was the 19ft with a tower and two captains chairs that made our decision.

 

[Daren and Heather]

We went with the S for several reasons....
*We loved the chair (it swivels BTW if you wanna face rear).
*swim platform head unit was great
*wetsounds upgraded speakers sounded great
*Marine Mat interior matched swim deck, and looked better then carpet
*7" conext wasn't a huge factor, but navigation sold that to us
*lastly we loved the classic no graphics exterior

Those are all good reasons to go with the S. Congrats!

P.S. Did you know that the captains chair can be made to swivel all the way around? Takes all of 60 seconds to mod it - see this thread:
2020 AR210 captains seat swivel

 

[Olsonn20]

I recently went through this same dilemma, we decided to go with the AR195 because of the bench seat. I wanted the S to get the larger screen on the dash and the radio controls at the swim platform. I was overruled without argument because we got a new boat lol. Now after a couple outings I'm happy we went with the 195, I love the extra storage under the bench seat and I feel like you can hang out with more people comfortably.

 

[mjs5128]

We love the captain's chair on our 195S, and was kind of the tipping point between the AR195 and S. You can still spin the seat around to face the rear of the boat, but have the comfort of a full seat for those days your are just on cruise around the lake. I can deal with loss of storage space for the comfort. the upgraded speakers (which would have been done to the AR), rear head unit, upgraded marine mat, and larger touch screen (great size for at a glance on depth and speed) were just icing on the cake.

 

[2kwik4u]

We have the bench in our '17 AR190. We both love and hate it.

When it's a full boat, it's nice to have the social seating. It's also great for the underseat storage. We have a cooler that goes there for quick/easy access, and we typically toss footwear in that space as well. The 8yr old likes to take naps under there as well. He makes a "tent" with a beach towel and crawls under there and dozes for a bit from time to time.

When it's just the wife and I......we hate it. She can't sit next to me while underway comfortably. She ends up sitting in the back and using the port side like a big chaise lounge. Not a big deal for me, but it bugs her that we are separated and can't just look over to see each other. We agreed we like the bench more than the single seat, but it's not a clear cut issue.

Ideally, Yamaha would bring back the "flip seating" that was in the older 230 models. The bench or chair arrangement was pretty clever, and would work GREAT for us. Be amazing if an aftermarket vendor brought that to fruition.

 

[@JC!]

My wife preferred the bench to the port captain's chair, she sits facing me or backwards while we're underway and enjoys the ride. Have your wife sit in it and see what she says, do a wet test if you can before you make the decision.

 

[Daren and Heather]

I'm doing my install this morning (I will make an install video). I talked to the Yamaha dealers repair guy about it yesterday and he said it's perfectly fine to put the jack behind the bow stand. He also said he would not recommend moving the bow stand as those (should) already be setup correctly for our boats and where they should be on the trailer.