What would you do? AR240 or ...

[_jay_]

Long story short is I have the opportunity to get an AR240 OTD for the same dollars as this...

Cruisers Sport 238 - 250hp. Exact boat pictured below.
http://www.shybeaver.com/new_galleria.asp?pov=4295302

I understand this board will be biased, but would still like to hear what folks think. Why should I go the Yamaha route.

We rode both of them this morning - the family is all leaning towards the Cruisers - mainly for layout and other comforts. I tend to agree - the AR in my mind only has the power plant going for it if I compare the two.

 

[robert843]

For an unbiased opinion a little more info needed. Are both boats new or used, what do you plan to do with them and is this your first boat, if you had to list your top 5 must haves on a boat what are they?

 

[_jay_]

• Both boats are new... 2016
• I owned a boat growing up (prop), but technically this will be my first boat - took our family boat out many times myself
• Will keep at local lake (got a slip lined up), family of 4 (two girls - 7 & 10) - tubing, skiing, other rec stuff
  
  
• Top 5 (not sure, here is stab)
  • fit and finish of boat (amenities) - Cruisers wins here hands down.
  • power/speed - Yamaha wins here - quicker out of the hole, 5+ mph of top speed
  • easy maintenance - not a wrench guy at all - thinking Yamaha wins here
  • What am I missing since I am a newbie?

I don't have a strong preference over jet or prop - I understand the differences, pros/cons, etc.

I am guessing a could get a few bucks knocked off the 240 yet and then use that to put into the boat - seadek, etc.

 

[robert843]

Alright I have owned both a cruiser and a jet boat my cruiser was bigger then that but here are some things both ways. Cruisers are very heavy usually and suck to tow so if you plan to do a lot a travel the jet boat will be nicer but if not then either is fine. I know the jet/prop deal is not an issue for you but once again due to the cruisers heavier weight it will have a deeper draft making it difficult to get near beaches we used to have to anchor pretty far out and swim in I cant tell you how many times we got our cruiser stuck but once again mine was bigger and heavier then what you are looking at. The cruiser will have a little more maintenance but if you are not a wrench person likely you will let the dealer do the maintenance and honestly others will disagree with me on here but the cost difference will not be a whole lot either between the two if the dealer is doing it. If you plan on using it for over nights on the lake the cruiser is nice but other then that unless it has AC the cabin doesnt offer a whole lot of true use as it will be hot and probably get a few people sea sick being down there who have never been sea sick before. Even the bathroom on I cruiser I hate but some feel they have to have it just remember anything that goes in you must pump out. Both boats are nice for water sports hands down the Yamaha will win for conveniences the cruiser will win you just have to decide which is more important to you. If I was buying a cruiser I may look used though you could probably save a ton of money they seem to take a beating on the used market for some reason I thinks its because everyone thinks they want a cruiser till they own a cruiser lol sorry I had to throw that in but you will likely be happy with either boat best of luck!

 

[jawsf16]

Number one reason for me... Safety for my girls. No prop in water is also safer for driving. Maintenance is way cheaper on Yamaha.

I think the Yamaha stern blows away the Cruiser. The Cruiser will ride more settled in bigger or rough water, Yamaha doesn't have the big weight in the water.

I wish I could give an unbiased review, but I have owned a stern drive and will never go back, ever.

 

[dan144k]

If you or your family ever want to wakesurf? Not possible behind the prop boat.

Also look at both boats in the water for swim deck level compared to the water.

 

[subysti]

I also had an I/O for many years and won't go back. Sick of the out drive maintainance, hitting stuff with the prop, single engine left me stuck a couple times etc etc. i don't care how careful you are you will always ding something with a prop then your either drive with the vibration or keep a spare on board. At least twice a year someone would whack a knee, shin or foot on the prop and then it's blood and band aids. Hated that. I looked at a lot of boats before getting my AR and it seemed to really have the best seating layout and use of space. The rear seat especially we noticed a few like the boat you're looking at and we didn't like the fact that if we're anchored and hanging out on the water you can't have someone sitting on the rear facing stern seat if someone wants to use the rear seat at the same time. I also like going to one place for all my parts, not the boat manufacturer or the engine manufacturer especially if it warranty related.

 

[OrangeTJ]

To robert843, the boat in question isn't a "cruiser" per se, but rather a Cruisers brand boat. About the only thing I see about the posted Cruisers boat that turns me off is the swimdeck being about a foot above the water. Can't really sit there and dangle feet in the water and it will be a bit of a chore climbing up the ladder to get back in the boat. OTOH, being up that high will make for great cannonball jumps! What powerplant does the Cruisers boat have? How big of water will you be on? Is your lake "weedy" at all?

Honestly, IMO that Cruisers is likely a smoother riding boat and more heavily built boat with higher quality fixtures. It will probably have somewhat higher maintenance costs if you aren't a DIY kind of guy and obviously it won't be as good in really shallow water. For me, if it had a lower-to-the-water swim platform and my family preferred the test ride on the Cruisers, I'd take the Cruisers hand down. As it sits, though, tougher call.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Wait - I'm seeing that the Cruisers is powered with a 250 hp engine. If that's correct, that changes my opinion. That's an awfully big boat for 250 hp. I think you'll find it pretty sluggish once you load up with people, coolers and gear. If you decide to go boating somewhere high altitude, I'd wager you'd be significantly underpowered. How much more to get a 300 or 350 HP V8 in that boat?

 

[_jay_]

The 250 was a question I had as well. The lake is not grassy or weedy (Raystown Lake). The Cruisers performed OK with 6 of us and a 1/4 tank of gas this morning. But not near the Yamaha hole shot or top speed.

 

[robert843]

To robert843, the boat in question isn't a "cruiser" per se, but rather a Cruisers brand boat. About the only thing I see about the posted Cruisers boat that turns me off is the swimdeck being about a foot above the water. Can't really sit there and dangle feet in the water and it will be a bit of a chore climbing up the ladder to get back in the boat. OTOH, being up that high will make for great cannonball jumps! What powerplant does the Cruisers boat have? How big of water will you be on? Is your lake "weedy" at all?

Honestly, IMO that Cruisers is likely a smoother riding boat and more heavily built boat with higher quality fixtures. It will probably have somewhat higher maintenance costs if you aren't a DIY kind of guy and obviously it won't be as good in really shallow water. For me, if it had a lower-to-the-water swim platform and my family preferred the test ride on the Cruisers, I'd take the Cruisers hand down. As it sits, though, tougher call.

@OrangeTJ guess I should have looked at the boat first lol I just assumed it was a cruiser as I have never heard of Cruiser brand boats. There are so many people in the boat game its hard to keep up lol! That is a pretty nice looking boat. @_jay_ I also currently own a hurricane deck boat which has a 5.0 v8 I/O and I do like it as well many of the things above do stand true but I have been lucky and never had anyone hurt by the prop its all about proper training of anyone who is on board knowing to avoid it. Because its a single engine again maintenance cost if you have the dealer doing it will likely be the same cost as the Yamaha. Everyone always says the Yamaha is cheaper to maintain but if you have a dealer doing the work it really isn't. My I/O cost $300 per year in maintenance I just got the Yamaha back from the shop for spring maintenance and it was $511.09 since it has twin engines the cost is higher. With the I/O depth will always be in that back of your mind where on the Yamaha it will not. Acceleration wise it will be tough to beat a jet boat due to the the linear thrust even if you find a bow rider with a higher top speed the Yamaha will still likely take it off the line. Pick which one you think will give your family the best experience the both will have there ups and downs and i promise which ever one you get at some point you will say to yourself I wish I would have gotten the other one. Biggest thing I like about my I/O is the noise level it is extremely quite compared to my jet boat.

 

[_jay_]

@OrangeTJ guess I should have looked at the boat first lol I just assumed it was a cruiser as I have never heard of Cruiser brand boats. There are so many people in the boat game its hard to keep up lol! That is a pretty nice looking boat. @_jay_ I also currently own a hurricane deck boat which has a 5.0 v8 I/O and I do like it as well many of the things above do stand true but I have been lucky and never had anyone hurt by the prop its all about proper training of anyone who is on board knowing to avoid it. Because its a single engine again maintenance cost if you have the dealer doing it will likely be the same cost as the Yamaha. Everyone always says the Yamaha is cheaper to maintain but if you have a dealer doing the work it really isn't. My I/O cost $300 per year in maintenance I just got the Yamaha back from the shop for spring maintenance and it was $511.09 since it has twin engines the cost is higher. With the I/O depth will always be in that back of your mind where on the Yamaha it will not. Acceleration wise it will be tough to beat a jet boat due to the the linear thrust even if you find a bow rider with a higher top speed the Yamaha will still likely take it off the line. Pick which one you think will give your family the best experience the both will have there ups and downs and i promise which ever one you get at some point you will say to yourself I wish I would have gotten the other one. Biggest thing I like about my I/O is the noise level it is extremely quite compared to my jet boat.

Thanks for the insight...

 

[OrangeTJ]

I looked up the Cruisers website. Looks like a 300 hp Volvo DP is about a $6K MSRP bump from the 250. Probably worth considering, especially if you might pull tubes, skiers, etc.. The 238 weighs 4,300 lbs dry, compared to 3,660 for the Yamaha. As a point of reference, my SX210 weighs about 3,000 pounds dry and has 220 hp. In that boat, 220 is enough for tubing, boarding, skiing, etc, with a boat full of people. Under those conditions, there's not a lot of power left over. I'm not sure 30 more hp offset by an additional 1300 lbs would still be enough to make those activities as fun as they can be.

 

[MrMoose]

I think that the biggest difference will be the Cruisers' ability to handle rougher seas; you can trim the out drive, and I assume that it sits higher in the water and the hull is probably more v shaped than the Yamaha. You might want to consider that at some point you'll want to try wake boarding, and the AR240 comes with a good tower. I prefer the layout of the AR240 in terms of being able to use the whole boat all the time; I don't like having to flip seat backs. Having two engines on the AR240 takes a lot of worry out of the equation, and you'll probably be able to enjoy yourself more knowing that you likely won't be stranded due to engine problems.

 

[_jay_]

I think that the biggest difference will be the Cruisers' ability to handle rougher seas; you can trim the out drive, and I assume that it sits higher in the water and the hull is probably more v shaped than the Yamaha. You might want to consider that at some point you'll want to try wake boarding, and the AR240 comes with a good tower. I prefer the layout of the AR240 in terms of being able to use the whole boat all the time; I don't like having to flip seat backs. Having two engines on the AR240 takes a lot of worry out of the equation, and you'll probably be able to enjoy yourself more knowing that you likely won't be stranded due to engine problems.

Lake gets pretty choppy on the weekends. Will be all freshwater, man-made chop. The lack of any info around on the Cruisers and engine size it was has be hesitating. Wish it was the 300 everyone is asking about, but it already has the 250 in it.

Thanks...

 

[subysti]

I also looked at the cruisers website. I built a comparable boat to the AR and it was about $89,000. I would double check I lot of the add ons for the cruiser that are standard with the Yamaha, small things like a stern stereo remote, bow filler cushions, Wake tower, windscreen door, dual batteries and a lot more are not standard and may not be included with the cruisers boat. The 300hp upgrade alone is $4,500. But hey, you knew we would be kind of biased......

 

[OrangeTJ]

Yes but it's important to know that there is MUCH less relationship between Msrp and actual selling price on most boats other than Yamahas. 85k Msrp could pretty easily translate to 60 or 65.

 

[_jay_]

Yes but it's important to know that there is MUCH less relationship between Msrp and actual selling price on most boats other than Yamahas. 85k Msrp could pretty easily translate to 60 or 65.

As well as we are getting a better deal because we know this owner. I am actually getting both OTD dollar for dollar with the boat (250hp) I linked above and a new AR240.

 

[scokill]

Knowing what I know now, I would go with another Yamaha or purpose designed wake boat. Safety and flexibility for water sports being the reasons with the nod to purpose designed boat for surfing. An I/O bowrider would be my last choice, but it all depends on what is important to you and what you want to do on the water.

 

[swatski]

@_jay_ Great advice you are getting here! Did you try asking about jet boats on The Hull Truth, yet? Just kidding, LOL.

The layout of the Cruiser looks pretty awesome. I know for a fact - that's what my wife would want. That aft/side pass to swim platform and all. Reminds me of the new Sea Ray 21s which are the cat's meow. I am also assuming she's whisper quiet, and makes for super nice relaxing cruising. If my family were not into water sports, like in not needing a tower, mooring on a lake plenty deep, and if I did not enjoy messing with the boat mechanically, I know what I would do.

On the other hand, personally, I will not likely ever buy anything else than another Yamaha. These boats are great for water sports, and can be rigged to do just about anything, and this forum is amazing. You will get real answers within hours, no matter what the issue. It is fun.

What a great dilemma you have on your hands ! Thank you for sharing, and best luck.