SX 210 vs 19 footers

[chaseingpucks]

Hey everyone. As soon as Yamahas become available again I plan to be at the front of the line but I’m having trouble trying to decide between a 21’ or a 19’. I love the simplicity and price of the 19 footers and I’ve basically grown up on 19 footers but I keep hearing that 21 footers handle rough lakes a lot better. We never have more than 6 people going to the lake at a time and I’m not super interested in having two motors with twice the maintenance and twice the potential problems but I wanted to hear from you folks on how you like having two engines vs one and having the ride of a 21’ vs 19’. We don’t go in any Saltwater, just the 4 main big lakes in upstate SC and they get fairly rough on busy days.

 

[Gunner]

I have a 19' and use it in river and saltwater bays. Handles very well for a 19. What sold me was the ability to keep it in our garage and ease of trailering,launching and recovery. We pick our days to go out based on wind and waves, just like we would with a 21,23 or 25 footer. Handles 2 to 3 footers with ease and we've been in rolling 4 to 5s which weren't fun but never felt unsafe. Picking the right speed is really important. Its usually just 2 of us but have had 6 very comfortably. I would buy a 21' if I was going to store it somewhere, but for now this boat was been great.

 

[REM835]

If I were you I would go with the 21 only because you are considering it and it will always be in the back of your mind if don’t.

With that said, I love my 19 and have 6 people often in it very comfortably. The 19 feels bigger than many of my friends non Yamaha 21s. Never had an issue with it feeling overly rough. It is nice having it in my garage to mess with in the off season and not pay storage.

Maintenance is simple and I would not let two engines on a 21 discourage you being these are jetdrives. I’m getting ready to sell to move to a cabin cruiser and two I/O has me concerned.

 

[chaseingpucks]

I’m definitely more interested in the 19’ because of price and ease of maintenance and being able to store it. I can’t think of a scenario where I’ll ever have more than 6 people. Does yours feel like it has enough power with 6 adults in it?

 

[Crob83]

I’m definitely more interested in the 19’ because of price and ease of maintenance and being able to store it. I can’t think of a scenario where I’ll ever have more than 6 people. Does yours feel like it has enough power with 6 adults in it?

195's definitely have enough power with 6 adults

 

[chaseingpucks]

195's definitely have enough power with 6 adults

Are the supercharged motors just as reliable as the regular 1.8? I wanna be able to do most of the maintenance at home.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@chaseingpucks Where do you live and what type of water will you be boating in? Rivers, Lakes, Big Lakes, Great Lakes, Ocean ? The 21' is a nice all around boat. It is small enough to do the small lakes and rivers, and big enough that we take it out in the Great Lakes without issue, when the waves are under 3' or so. It's a nice balance. Plus you have a second engine in case you suck something up.

The 19' footers are great boats as well. The difference in price is 8-9k or so to go to a SX210 or AR210. The 212s is going to make the price tag jump another 8-9k, but is a very nice boat and I believe still the fastest in the Yamaha fleet.

 

[Crob83]

Are the supercharged motors just as reliable as the regular 1.8? I wanna be able to do most of the maintenance at home.

Yes for sure, I would just recommend putting a blow off valve on to protect the supercharger clutch. One can be had for around $300 and is super simple to install

 

[chaseingpucks]

@chaseingpucks Where do you live and what type of water will you be boating in? Rivers, Lakes, Big Lakes, Great Lakes, Ocean ? The 21' is a nice all around boat. It is small enough to do the small lakes and rivers, and big enough that we take it out in the Great Lakes without issue, when the waves are under 3' or so. It's a nice balance. Plus you have a second engine in case you suck something up.

The 19' footers are great boats as well. The difference in price is 8-9k or so to go to a SX210 or AR210. The 212s is going to make the price tag jump another 8-9k, but is a very nice boat and I believe still the fastest in the Yamaha fleet.

I’m in upstate SC and we have 4 pretty big lakes up here. Not anywhere the size of the Great Lakes but big enough to where there’s no limit on boat size or motor. They get fairly choppy on a Saturday or holiday but nothing like the ocean inlets. My best friend has a 2001 19’ stern drive sting ray so that’s what I’m used to and it doesn’t handle choppy lakes well so I was wondering if the 19’ Yamahas do. I like everything about the 19’s as far as what I’d be using it for and to be able to store it easy and not have to do twice the maintenance and to get into a brand new Yamaha for right at 30k is very tempting. I know the sx210 is 43k and some change and you get two of the smaller engines but I wondered if it’s a hassle to have two of those engines.

 

[HangOutdoors]

No not a hassle at all. I just did my oil today, spark plugs and greased bearing since I just burned off the last of my winterized fuel. Took be about an hour and I was just taking my time.

See if you can find someone to give you a ride in a 19' Yamaha and then a 21' Yamaha. Let them know you are getting ready to buy. There may be members close to you. I have taken members out on mine for a test drive before around here.

 

[chaseingpucks]

No not a hassle at all. I just did my oil today, spark plugs and greased bearing since I just burned off the last of my winterized fuel. Took be about an hour and I was just taking my time.

See if you can find someone to give you a ride in a 19' Yamaha and then a 21' Yamaha. Let them know you are getting ready to buy. There may be members close to you. I have taken members out on mine for a test drive before around here.

That’s a good idea. One of my bosses has a 2020 195s so it’s a supercharged 1.8l. I feel like 2 of the smaller engines together would still be faster. Do you think those motors are just as reliable as the regular 1.8? I know the whole idea of having 2 in case one takes a crap on you is comforting but if Yamaha is super reliable then that thought shouldn’t even be a factor lol

 

[HangOutdoors]

It's not about taking a crap. If you suck something up into your pump and can't get it out. One way you need a tow, the other you can get back in on the the second engine. The TR-1's are very reliable and have been used in ski's and boats a long time.

 

[jeffrt]

I used to have a 2006 SX210, and now have a 2012 SX190, so I've had them both.
We got rid of the 21' as we felt we didn't need a boat that big for the short outings we tend to do, and tried a 15' Seadoo, but found it too small. Ended up getting a 19' last summer and love it. We find the size is perfect for us, and it has enough power. Not a rocket by any means (41 mph top end), but ok. I prefer the lower tone of the 1.8 over the 2 smaller higher revving engines, and find it less irritating. The layout is nice, so we don't really miss the 2' from the 21. I think this is fixed on newer boats, but the lack of engine sync always annoyed me with the twins, and made it tricky for my kids to drive it and keep the engines matched up.
What I do miss is the docking stability and control with the 2 engines. If it's windy, the single engine is a bit harder to put on the lift. Never had trouble with the twins. I like the size of the 19 when it's home in the driveway too.
I may be in the minority, but I'd get another 19' if I had to replace it.

 

[chaseingpucks]

I used to have a 2006 SX210, and now have a 2012 SX190, so I've had them both.
We got rid of the 21' as we felt we didn't need a boat that big for the short outings we tend to do, and tried a 15' Seadoo, but found it too small. Ended up getting a 19' last summer and love it. We find the size is perfect for us, and it has enough power. Not a rocket by any means (41 mph top end), but ok. I prefer the lower tone of the 1.8 over the 2 smaller higher revving engines, and find it less irritating. The layout is nice, so we don't really miss the 2' from the 21. I think this is fixed on newer boats, but the lack of engine sync always annoyed me with the twins, and made it tricky for my kids to drive it and keep the engines matched up.
What I do miss is the docking stability and control with the 2 engines. If it's windy, the single engine is a bit harder to put on the lift. Never had trouble with the twins. I like the size of the 19 when it's home in the driveway too.
I may be in the minority, but I'd get another 19' if I had to replace it.

I gotcha. That’s definitely a good point. Are you able to cruise around 30mph with 5-6 people kn your boat if the lake isn’t crazy rough?

 

[jeffrt]

We usually go out with 4 on board and have no issues. We got the boat half way through last summer and didn’t get many outings with more than that with all the COVID restrictions over here. Based on how quick the hole shot is, I think it would probably be fine, but may need others to chime in on that.

 

[SCP1]

I would get the 210, as long as you can store it and tow it without an issue. Since the redesign in 2019 many complain about the 190’s being under powered. I had a SX190 and upgraded to an AR195 (as a result of wanting more power and upgrades - at the time this was the biggest boat I could store). Ended up moving, unplanned. Now I can store a 21’. Long story short the 195 is a great boat, however not fuel efficient. To the point if you can have a 21’ I see no reason not too. I’ve had a 19’ since 2012 and now have a 21’. Hope this helps, if you got more questions let me know.

 

[SCP1]

I used to have a 2006 SX210, and now have a 2012 SX190, so I've had them both.
We got rid of the 21' as we felt we didn't need a boat that big for the short outings we tend to do, and tried a 15' Seadoo, but found it too small. Ended up getting a 19' last summer and love it. We find the size is perfect for us, and it has enough power. Not a rocket by any means (41 mph top end), but ok. I prefer the lower tone of the 1.8 over the 2 smaller higher revving engines, and find it less irritating. The layout is nice, so we don't really miss the 2' from the 21. I think this is fixed on newer boats, but the lack of engine sync always annoyed me with the twins, and made it tricky for my kids to drive it and keep the engines matched up.
What I do miss is the docking stability and control with the 2 engines. If it's windy, the single engine is a bit harder to put on the lift. Never had trouble with the twins. I like the size of the 19 when it's home in the driveway too.
I may be in the minority, but I'd get another 19' if I had to replace it.

Great write up, to be fair the new TR1’s run at similar rpms as the 1.8’s. The old motors ran higher rpms.

 

[SCP1]

That’s a good idea. One of my bosses has a 2020 195s so it’s a supercharged 1.8l. I feel like 2 of the smaller engines together would still be faster. Do you think those motors are just as reliable as the regular 1.8? I know the whole idea of having 2 in case one takes a crap on you is comforting but if Yamaha is super reliable then that thought shouldn’t even be a factor lol

The 2 smaller motors will be faster to accelerate, however the 195 has a higher top speed. The 2 motors will allow you to hold a higher speed while making sharp turns, even with pulling a tube and making S turns the 210 will out perform the 195. In regards to reliability the TR1’s are great motor. As mentioned these are also used in Snowmobiles and WaveRunners. I know this is a stretch but in terms of reliability I would take the twins over 1.8 supercharged as there are less working parts. However the 1.8 supercharged has proven to be very reliable.

 

[SCP1]

Really starting to think Yamaha should be paying me.

 

[chaseingpucks]

Really starting to think Yamaha should be paying me.

Do you store yours outside covered up or do you have a garage big enough to store it?