SX210 Speed/Engine Questions

[djtech2k]

I am looking at some boats and an SX210 come on my radar from a friend. I had only been looking for 21'+ boats with the HO engines, but I am going to at least consider this SX210. My concern is the engine/speed/power area. I have no experience with any of these Yamaha jet boats so I am solely relying on what I read or have heard from people that do know. I have read all sorts of comments about slow speed and things that cause sluggish performance.

So I know the SX210 has the twin 110hp engines. Is it really fast enough and/or have enough power? I will have mostly adults (4-6) on the boat and would like to be able to do the typical weekend warrior tubing/boarding, etc.

My next question is if there are things that can be done that will significantly improve the power/performance? I am not a mechanic and I do not want to get into a major mechanical/costly process on the boat, but just curious if there are known things that are reliable that could boost the performance of this engine(s).

Thanks.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Top end will be 43-45ish. When you are loaded up you will be just under 40 or so with 6 on board. Pulling tubes and wakeboards no problem what so ever. It has more than enough low end pull for that. I can get 6 people in my boat, same engines, and pull 3 on the tube at the same time no problem with plenty left in the engines.

 

[djtech2k]

I have not been on ski boats in many years but I had been looking at the 212 and 242 series boats with the HO motors just in fear of this. I remember someone last summer telling me about heat soak or something like that, which was said to make these engines lose a lot of power. That’s just something that I remember seeing posted.

 

[HangOutdoors]

The 212's are very nice boats. IMHO you won't pull much better for water sports. As for top end speed, I believe they will do another 8-10 mph or a bit more. You could also run heavier and get better top end speeds.

Perhaps a member who has pulled with both could chime in?

Now with the "X" there are features for Wake Surfing that makes them much more attractive. All depends on to what degree you want to do water sports. We tube, Zup, Ski, Slalom Ski, Barefoot and Wakeboard behind ours. Tower helps a lot of Wakeboarding and skiing.... Unfortunately I don't get to do shit because I am the driver

 

[EricE]

I have a 2020 212s and will say it has allot of power. Last weekend we had 4 adults on board and 3 kids tubing. it pulled and accelerated and I barely felt the tube behind us.
I don't have a chance to go WOT much but on a slightly windy day without the bimini deployed we hit 49 mph with 2 adults, 1 child on board and about 50% fuel. That was in less than ideal conditions with wind and about 92 degrees and high humidity on a winding river. In better conditions a 212 should hit 50+, but I haven't had a chance to try.
I think either boat will be great for water-sports. You will get more power with the 1.8 engines, but the "smaller" engines are no slouch either.

 

[djtech2k]

Thanks for the responses so far.

I anticipated that the HO engines in 212/242 would be pretty powerful. My guess was that they may chew thru more fuel than the smaller engines, but like I said, my main concern was the impact on performance of having some adults and pulling people behind. What kind of speed do you normally pull a tube/skis/wakeboard?

Is it worth considering making any "upgrades" to add some performance for those engines or is that not really a "thing" and it doesn't make sense?

Another thing I was wondering was about the rear seats on the back deck of the boat. I have seen where they say on a 242 people can comfortably sit on those read deck seats. On the 21' boats I only see mention of people sitting there when the boat is stopped. What's the reality on those rear-facing swim platform seats as far as sitting there while driving the boat on a 21' of 24'?

I am still waiting for details on the SX210 but I think it is around a 2012. Someone has also referred me to a 2010 212SS as well. Of course I am assuming that the asking price on the 212SS will be much higher. I know it will have the HO engines but will it be enough to justify the price difference, 2012 SX210 vs 2010 212SS? I have been looking at a couple ~2012 242 Limited S's because they came available. They are obviously more $$ but they look like great boats. I would love to find a good deal on one of those but I do not have high hopes that it will happen.

I have never owned or even been in a Yamaha Jet boat so I want to get my first purchase right.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I pull tubers up to 20-25. Wakeboarding 13-17, Skiing high 20's. For the younger ones tubing is around 13-15. Zup board 13-17.

You should never ever sit in the rear seats while under way. Possible Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. There have been some tragic results. There is also some legality to it, which is discussed on another thread I will try and find. Although people will do what they want.

I can't speak to the older models and the MR-1's not sure when they made the change exactly.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Here is a thread that talks a lot about the rear swim deck.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/survey-on-what-states-allow-you-to-sit-on-the-swim-deck-seats-facing-back-while-underway.24042/

Here is an article from one of the threads.

Teen Girl Died from Boat Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

When 16-year-old Raven Little-White died during an evening on a boat, toxicology reports confirmed that it was boat carbon monoxide poisoning.

carbonmonoxide.com

 

[VitaminSea]

On the 21fts, 2012 was a new hull and interior layout. Yamaha also introduced an enhancement for low speed maneuvering. I don’t recall the naming convention, but it directed the thrust more downward when at no wake speeds.

I have a 2012 210sx. Had 6 adults and 2 children on it the other weekend. We pulled a tube for a bit and cruised around with no issues. When I have a large group on board, I generally cruise between 25-32, quicker than that and people get uncomfortable.

 

[djtech2k]

So is the main difference between them the top end speed? Or is it really felt in other areas too?

Once I know the price on the SX210, it will go a long way to let me know if its something I should jump on or not. As of now, I am thinking that the price difference will be somewhere in the $8k range. That's an educated guess at this point but its all part of the figuring out what to buy process.

What about this heat soak issue that I have read about? Is that a factor on both engine sizes and/or all of the boats or is it just certain ones?

 

[HangOutdoors]

There is no doubt that 1.8's are nice engines. The difference is about 10k, or at least it was give or take between a 210sx and a 212. If you feel comfortable with the extra 10k circa I would do the 212. Now I would assume the MSRP is going up, early reports indicate anywhere from 2-7% but that is mostly conjecture till someone actually gets a new model in and closes on it.

It all depends on your use case, water and how you plan to use the boat.

 

[djtech2k]

Understood. Since I have had 2 boats referred to me recently, 2012 201SX and 2010 212ss, I am just trying to compare/contrast them and it seems like the engines and price are the 2 biggest differences. Just a few days ago I had been looking into the 242 but so far I have not found one quite in the price range that I was willing to spend, so I am still looking for the right boat. I know the difference in size between the boats and I know there are some feature differences between models. I obviously know that different years make a difference as well. One of the things that I could not really make any determination about what the real difference in the performance of the different engine sizes.

All of this is very helpful. I would like to have a boat with the 1.8's but I am being open-minded about boats with the 110hp engines because maybe a good deal will come on one of those. It sounds like maybe I should not completely rule those boats out.

As for water, well I live near a river with a stretch large enough for boats like this, but it is not my preference. I much prefer going to a couple lakes that are about 2-2.5 hours from me. At some point, I am hoping to get a piece of property at one of those lakes but for now I would be driving there. My kids are now adults so I think 4-6 adults would be the most common situation for us, but I really cannot say for sure since its been so long since I have been on the water. I'd like to be able to do some watersports, but I am guessing pulling things like tubes will be the most common thing. None of us have been on a wakeboard, so that's a mystery lol. Oh and I am sure that I am in the same boat as you....I will always be driving so I doubt I will ever get to do any of it myself.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Whatever you decide to do, whether it is new or used, you will have a great time on it.

Also, if you can be patient, and if a lot of newer/newish boats hit the used market as slightly used this winter, it could drop the prices on used boats a decent amount. No way to tell. Just a theory that there may be a lot more than usual going on the market in the next 6-9 months.

 

[Gunner]

Sitting under way on rear deck seats will draw unwanted attention from the water police and rightfully so, its dangerous

 

[djtech2k]

That's good info about sitting on the rear deck. Watching some of the boat review and overview videos, it seems like they almost suggest sitting back there, especially on the 242. I mean if you can only sit there when sitting still, it definitely takes up a lot of boat real estate that can only be used when sitting still. That's why I was under the impression that it was ok to sit there while cruising. Good to know that it could be illegal or draw unwanted attention from the law.

 

[VitaminSea]

Here is some data I put together when I was looking at boats. Most of the data is from boat test.com, and some of the older test are now archived, meaning they are not freely available.

I believe the older 212 you are looking at is the HO versionof the MR1, not the 1.8L. Per my notes the 1.8L engine was not introduced to the 21ft line until 2012.



I would have preferred finding a 212 (w/1.8L) vs the 210 that I have (better to have more power and not use it, then need more and not have it ) , but in reality the 210 has been adequate for my families needs. If I am after all out speed, I also have my VX Cruiser HO to hop in which will get me to ~63.

Also, to your earlier question about performance gains on the MR1 engine, I don’t believe there is much one can do.

Good luck in your search and post some pics once you make a deal.

 

[djtech2k]

Here is some data I put together when I was looking at boats. Most of the data is from boat test.com, and some of the older test are now archived, meaning they are not freely available.

I believe the older 212 you are looking at is the HO versionof the MR1, not the 1.8L. Per my notes the 1.8L engine was not introduced to the 21ft line until 2012.

View attachment 126682

I would have preferred finding a 212 (w/1.8L) vs the 210 that I have (better to have more power and not use it, then need more and not have it ) , but in reality the 210 has been adequate for my families needs. If I am after all out speed, I also have my VX Cruiser HO to hop in which will get me to ~63.

Also, to your earlier question about performance gains on the MR1 engine, I don’t believe there is much one can do.

Good luck in your search and post some pics once you make a deal.

Wow that is a great breakdown and exactly the kind of thing that I would do. Does line 10 cover older 242 Limited S's, like a 2012? I did not realize that there was a different HO engine than the 1.8. Also very good to know. This is very good data to have. Now it is a lot of trying to find the right boat on the right budget. Sounds so easy huh? LOL

 

[VitaminSea]

Does line 10 cover older 242 Limited S's, like a 2012?

No, line 8 and 10 would be similar, just different data points on the same hull (as far as a I am aware from ‘15 to current the 240s have the same hull with the AK).
I believe line 9 would be more inline with a 2012 240, however that cruising speed looks suspect to my eye. Unfortunately I don’t have access to the articles to validate. Check out boattest.com. I believe some of the older video walkthroughs are avail, but the write ups require a subscription.

 

[GRodda]

We have put about 60 hours on our 2020 AR210 and love it. We use it extensively for wake boarding, fun, tubing and surfing and would not want a different boat. We add 1,200 LB of ballast which is probably pushing it a bit and the wake booster to surf. We get a great wave enabling us to throw the rope and carve / ride the wake well. I'm about 180LB and surf no prob. Wake is a bit tough to cross at speed on short rope slalom but if you want to rip up the slalom not sure you'd be looking at a jet boat. Added a couple rope extensions helped for slalom. Fully loaded to surf we're close to max RPM and can run 13MPH which is all you want. The bigger engines would be nice for surfing but I was not prepared to cough up the extra money for the 212X. Other than that the power is great.

 

[HangOutdoors]

@GRodda Do you have a picture of your Wake with the ballast and wake booster on? Interested to see what it looks like. It is one of the things we have talked about as a possibility to do.