Thanks all! I’m fortunate to have a cabin on a pretty small lake in New England, so I think the 22’ would be too big. Definitely considering the 195’s, looks like the resale value is pretty great so I may be willing to step up a few grand.
Only thing I would sway you on here is the move from an SX to an AR.
The tower isn't just for watersports. It's also for a variety of other things and really helps add to the functionality of the boat. This is my 2nd boat, and my 1st tower. The tower is SOOO much nicer. Here's a quick list of things it does that an SX doesn't do.
Benefits of a tower
- Hang towels to dry
- hang speakers to hear music behind boat while at anchor/floating
- hangs baby seats (see picture below)
- Something to hold onto at the dock that doesn't require "stooping down" to hold the windshield
- Gets Bimini poles and bimini storage off the deck/gunwales
- Gets anchor light off the rear area and up overhead
- mounts to antenna for radios
- Tow point for water sports (if you're into that sort of thing)
- Looks pretty cool!
A few drawbacks though
- Have to modify the stops to get it in a 7ft garage. (it's not bad)
- Does add to wind resistance while towing (although no much)
- People tend to think you're way cooler than you are (happens to me a lot)
Baby swing picture for dad street cred
A few other thoughts.....
We went 190 instead of 195. Based on two things. Color scheme at the time, and fuel consumption. We've made some longer runs in the 190 that aren't possible with the 195. Old Hickory Lake to Nashville and back via the Cumberland river used a FULL tank of fuel (light came on pulling onto the trailer). 195 would have required carrying additional fuel, or finding a place in Nashville to fuel up before returning. A few years ago, we did Navarre to Pensacola and back to watch the Blue Angels. Again, could have made it on a single tank for that run, where a 195 would have had to stop along the way for fuel. We've also noticed that a full tank of fuel on the way to camp on Friday night, will typically last for 2 full weekend days of boating/tubing/cruising/etc. The 190 runs on 87 octane, and at 30gal is typically under $100 to fill up (assuming reasonable gas costs, and you didn't completely empty it last time). That's a lot of entertainment for $100 IMO. With that said, if you're headed to a small lake, and 93 Octane is available there, the 195 does provide quite a bit more power, as well as a larger pump (160mm vs 155mm) for more "grip" on the water to put that power down under load. Color scheme is subjective here, so buy the one you like!
A final thought for you.....This is hands down the "simplest" boat I've owned or operated. The mechanical systems are dead simple, and I think that really is part of why they're so reliable/robust. Steering and directional control are cable operated. No transmission, just a coupler and a couple of bearings. No cooling water pump (uses the big jet pump for that). No alternator, just a stator and rotor and water cooled rectifier. No hydraulic system for tilt/trim or steering. It's really hard to convey the simplicity of the jet driveline as compared with a regular I/O boat until you see it. Makes it super inexpensive to maintain, and operate. If there is a problem, the support from this forum, some basic hand tools, and a couple of beers will likely get you back on the water in short order.
Good luck with your search, and be sure to let us know when you get one!
. I personally went with the 195 model so I could get the added HP (250 compared to 180) and I would blow past the local AR190s, but that was my personal preference. With 40 gallons of fuel, 2 adults, the top up and a good tail wind, I hit 50.1mph and comfortable average cruising speed between 28-34mph. Not sure about the 1.9l engines as I have not heard many people talk about them yet, but if Yamaha did their R&D, they should be just fine.
