Yamaha Boat Size/Year/Generation Preferences

[djtech2k]

I am curious about feedback on the different Yamaha Boat Size/Year/Generations. For instance, I am looking for a 21' of bigger Yamaha boat. I have done a lot of reading on here and I know that the boats have obviously changed over the years but there are "generations" of these models that people seem to comment about a lot. For example, I see a lot of people commenting about the 2007-2009 230 boat series. I have seen many people comment about how great that generations of boats and that 150hp engines. Since I am looking at 21' and bigger, of course I see all the different years and models so I was wondering if there is any specific model/year/generation that I should gravitate towards or any to stay away from?

I know one of the guys on here has posted that spreadsheet with data bout the different boat models and it is great data. I am curious if any of you guys with experience with these boats has any feedback about if there are any to run towards or any that I should run away from.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

Whew so many options...

A few things to consider is how will you be using the boat primarily?

Water sports? You want something with power. Just cruising, power isn’t that important.

Is there a marina with gas you’ll be on? More hp = more gas. You can burn through a tank of gas in a day no problem.

Hosting lots of friends? Is there good storage. Everyone loves to bring their own cooler.

Do you want a captain chair for the passenger or bench seat?

Wakeboard rack, yay or nay?

I could go on and on but if you leave list of how you envision using the boat, we could narrow your search.

Your best decision thus far is considering a jet boat! You’re well on your way!

 

[Beachbummer]

Do you want to fit it in your garage?

Where will you store it?

Best of Luck!

 

[Canuckjetboater]

Are you going to wet slip, put it on a lift or tow it to a ramp each time?

 

[djtech2k]

This will be the first boat that I have owned, so I may not really know the real answer to some of your questions just yet. I have thoughts on how I think we will use the boat, but of course that could change.

I think some of the more common things that we will do will be of course driving around but also things like tubing and possibly taking a crack at skiing and boarding. At this point, I do not have any property on the water so to start I will be towing and launching the boat from boat ramps. I am assuming that we will typically have 4-6 adults and sometimes have more or less. My kids are adults now so other than occasional nieces/nephews, I will not have a lot of kids on a regular basis. I live about 30mins from a river that is big enough and a little over 2 hours from 2 different lakes. I assume I will use the river for convenience because it is close but it is not my preference because I feel like it gets busy and its dirtier than I'd like. The lakes are of course more wide open and deeper. As for storage, I am not 100% sure yet. I could pay to have my boat stored at one of the lakes or I could find somewhere to store it locally. If it is not stored by a marina at the lake then it will definitely be stored on the trailer with a cover. I am still exploring those options. My goal is to have property at a lake and store it there but I do not yet know when that will happen. I'd like something that will be fun to drive and fun to run around the lake on, cruise around and relax, or pull tubes or something. I worry about getting something that will be a headache with maintenance or that is too small or under powered. Again, much of that can be attributed from no experience with these boats.

That is how I think the boat will be used. I welcome all opinions on the matter. I originally started this thread to ask about the different generations of boats. Like I said, I see people talk about different generations of different models and I wonder if there are any that I should stay away from or any that I should specifically look for. For example, I have read several people say that the 2007-2009 230 series boats are bulletproof and will last forever. That's just an example. I think I finally have a decent grasp on which boats come with which engines but I don't know about things like reliability, performance, etc. That is where experience comes in.

Thanks in advance.

 

[mark_m]

What is your planned budget?

 

[djtech2k]

Of course that's the tricky question LOL. There is a "like to be" and a where I may be "willing to go". The "like to be" would be 25k or less, with an emphasis on the "less" part LOL. The "willing to go" part would be in the 30k range but it needs to be a great boat and deal. I say all that but my emphasis is on the the right boat. Of course I would like to get a great boat that fits what I want for less money like 20k, but I also know that if I find something that I love and it is a great price, then I would seriously consider stretching to get it. I am a careful buyer so I will not consider over-spending for a boat that will not be easy to sell later. I will not be doing bank loans or anything but I won't buy something that it will be difficult to sell later because I paid too much. I want a boat, but I am not going to make a bad transaction to get it.

I worry that 19' might feel too small, so that's why I have been looking at 21' and bigger.

 

[Beachbummer]

If you plan to store the boat at home? do you have enough room and enough HOA flexibility to leave the boat outside? how about to put up a canopy over the boat? If the answer is YES to the first one or to both, I suggest looking at 21 or 23ft boats, twin engines you should always return home under your own power. A used boat will retain it's value in case you change your mind about boating and need to sell without loosing an arm and a leg (Can't see how anyone wouldn't think it's the most awesome hobby on earth, but not everyone is perfect I guess just kidding, a little) You will need to test ride these to see which ones seems right for you, without that element we are guessing a little.

 

[Babin Farms]

I love my 2009 AR230 but the one thing that I wish it had was a ladder off of the bow. Other than that, no complaints.

 

[mark_m]

Of course that's the tricky question LOL. There is a "like to be" and a where I may be "willing to go". The "like to be" would be 25k or less, with an emphasis on the "less" part LOL. The "willing to go" part would be in the 30k range but it needs to be a great boat and deal. I say all that but my emphasis is on the the right boat. Of course I would like to get a great boat that fits what I want for less money like 20k, but I also know that if I find something that I love and it is a great price, then I would seriously consider stretching to get it. I am a careful buyer so I will not consider over-spending for a boat that will not be easy to sell later. I will not be doing bank loans or anything but I won't buy something that it will be difficult to sell later because I paid too much. I want a boat, but I am not going to make a bad transaction to get it.

I worry that 19' might feel too small, so that's why I have been looking at 21' and bigger.

Ok. That makes it kind of a no-brainer. Look for the 07-09 vintage sx230. If you go 240, watch out for the 2010 MY and look closely for oil cooler, and I think there may be a gotcha with timing chains on the earlier 1.8 engines.

 

[Julian]

Ok. That makes it kind of a no-brainer. Look for the 07-09 vintage sx230. If you go 240, watch out for the 2010 MY and look closely for oil cooler, and I think there may be a gotcha with timing chains on the earlier 1.8 engines.

I agree....except I'd say AR 230. Love having the tower to tow from, hand stuff off, store things on etc.

 

[Trevor Shipman]

I have an 06 AR210 and love it! It’s an older boat now but I feel estheiclly it keeps up. Some things that I love are the bench seat, much better use of space than another captains chair. Self draining, infloor storage/cooler. We fill this bad boy up with a TON of “soda” and tell our guest to leave the coolers and dump their stash in there. The less clutter on the boat the bigger it feels. MR1 engines ARE bulletproof! Literally have never had 1 issue with them, not even one. New spark plugs every year and change the oil that is all. They are also great on gas, we go a whole weekend without even worrying about the gas. With that though I would say the boat is a tad underpowered. You can wakeboard and tube on it all day but if you have a few big boys on the boat, it’s nice to have some of them upfront to plane out.
You can def get a older 210 for well under 25k. We bought ours 5 years ago for 17k but have added a lot to it as well.

 

[djtech2k]

Ok so I am curious. What makes you guys say the 07-09 boats? Again I have not been in one or owned one so I have no idea. I have only looked at a lot of pictures. I do like the interior pics/videos of the 2012+ boats, but again those are just pics. So are you guys talking about that generation of boats because of budget? Quality? Avoiding the newer ones for some reason?

Just want to understand the recommendation. So far the oldest boat I have seen available that I put on my list is a 2010. Everything else is a 2012-2013. The primary reason was the answers about the boat condition, the pictures, and the price range seemed appropriate for that particular boat. So far I only have twin engine boats on my list as well. I prefer the HO engines, but am leaving the door open for the lower hp engines. I have decided to stay away from the single engine boats just because of my concern about power/performance.

 

[djtech2k]

I agree....except I'd say AR 230. Love having the tower to tow from, hand stuff off, store things on etc.

Sorry guys I may not not be following all of this. By tower, do you mean the wakeboard tower? And what do you mean by: "If you go 240, watch out for the 2010 MY and look closely for oil cooler, and I think there may be a gotcha with timing chains on the earlier 1.8 engines. "?

 

[mark_m]

Sorry guys I may not not be following all of this. By tower, do you mean the wakeboard tower? And what do you mean by: "If you go 240, watch out for the 2010 MY and look closely for oil cooler, and I think there may be a gotcha with timing chains on the earlier 1.8 engines. "?

Wakeboard tower, yes.

The earlier 24'(240) models had issues with the oil coolers.

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2010-ar-240-1-8l-first-generation-issues.24765/#post-414097

https://jetboaters.net/threads/2010-242-limited-s-oil-cooler-replacement.23542/

Timing chain

https://jetboaters.net/threads/timing-chain-question.25113/

 

[djtech2k]

What year(s) of the 240 boats do these things apply to? And is the engine the current HO 1.8 or the older HO engine?

 

[Trevor Shipman]

Before you get all hot and bothered on the 24’ boats, what are you pulling it with? That could be an issue.

 

[mark_m]

What year(s) of the 240 boats do these things apply to? And is the engine the current HO 1.8 or the older HO engine?

I think the earlier versions of the 240/242 (pre 2015?) I'm not sure. The older HO engines in the 230 were not impacted.

 

[djtech2k]

I drive a Ford F-150 with the 6.2L v8.

 

[2kwik4u]

Sorry guys I may not not be following all of this. By tower, do you mean the wakeboard tower? And what do you mean by: "If you go 240, watch out for the 2010 MY and look closely for oil cooler, and I think there may be a gotcha with timing chains on the earlier 1.8 engines. "?

Yes. You want the tower, even if you're not doing watersports. I'll go dig up my list of reasons a tower is a good idea.

Tower reasons post: https://jetboaters.net/threads/19-sx190-or-15-sx192.21525/#post-367682