My first boat was a 2-stroke Yamaha LS2000 and it was perfect.. sold it to upgrade, my winter project was an old DONZI black widow, 24'.. put a new high compression big block in it and had nothing but problems till the damn thing blew on my 2 weekends ago (at least the shop is giving me a refund, but I'm selling the hull and going back to an EFI / production boat). Now I'm boatless in the middle of June though. :banghead::banghead::banghead:
So I was sold on the Yamaha 212SS, till I discovered that NONE are available coast-to-coast and those that are go for $4k over MSRP! Plus I'm still not sold on the squared-off deck boat front (I LOVE the compromise that Sea Doo has done.. it's slightly squared but not enough to take away from any aesthetics, if anything it gives the boat a more muscular look).
I feel like Yamaha's success in the boat market has forced Sea Doo to really raise the bar and develop new features and technologies just to gain even ~20% market share - which is really a good thing since (after doing some research) they appear to give you a lot more boat for the price, while maintaining a sporty-looking package which is my largest complaint with Yamaha lately.. every year their boats get less and less sporty and more and more family-oriented. The low/tinted windshield and stance on the '08 - '10 212SS looked AMAZING, I can't believe they dropped that for a huge conventional windshield and square-bow hull!
So anyways I called my local Sea Doo dealer and to my amazement he said they could probably get one in a week, and that they had a 230 SP in the showroom that I could look at. So I'm going over there tomorrow to check it out and see how everything functions and how flexible the boat is - I already know the interior is a swiss army knife and does everything, but I want to see it for myself. Do you think I can talk them down off MSRP at all considering the time of year?
Also, do the boats come with covers / filler cushions / table? What would I need to buy?
Last thing... WTF is up with Sea Doo and their engine specs. Are they being intentionally vague?! They list the Challenger, Challenger S, and Challenger SE on their website.. yet they don't even say what the different engines are!! There's no mention of horsepower anywhere on the website, yet every single boat comes with different power options - it's INSANELY confusing.
So the 210 SP only comes with the twin 155 N/A engines right? While the challenger 210 can be had with the single 255 SC? Is the "100 hour supercharger overhaul" thing a myth or no? How has the Rotax engine reliability changed? I loved Yamaha for their industry-respected reliability while I continue to hear the opposite about Rotax, however I know most of this was the first gen SC engines and earlier 2-stroke/4-tec models. I'd assume the new ones are far better. Also has anyone had overheating issues with the closed-loop systems? Some of the water can reach 94 degrees at the surface in the summer here. How do the cooling pads react with salt water? My parents have a beach house with a dock (off a canal) so I'd take it there too.
JK I have one more question - there's no fuel consumption data available that I can find, at least for the twin 155 NA setups. What do you all average at cruise for MPG / GPH? What should a 210SP top out at speed-wise? Are the SC engines the only ones that require (well, suggested) 91+ fuel?
Sorry for the huge post, but obviously this is an equally huge purchase (for me anyways) and I hope to keep the boat for ~8 or so years - so I want to make the right decision. I feel like this new "look" for the SP / squared-off bows is the wave of the future for bowriders, and that this will still look like a modern boat for years to come.
So I was sold on the Yamaha 212SS, till I discovered that NONE are available coast-to-coast and those that are go for $4k over MSRP! Plus I'm still not sold on the squared-off deck boat front (I LOVE the compromise that Sea Doo has done.. it's slightly squared but not enough to take away from any aesthetics, if anything it gives the boat a more muscular look).
I feel like Yamaha's success in the boat market has forced Sea Doo to really raise the bar and develop new features and technologies just to gain even ~20% market share - which is really a good thing since (after doing some research) they appear to give you a lot more boat for the price, while maintaining a sporty-looking package which is my largest complaint with Yamaha lately.. every year their boats get less and less sporty and more and more family-oriented. The low/tinted windshield and stance on the '08 - '10 212SS looked AMAZING, I can't believe they dropped that for a huge conventional windshield and square-bow hull!
So anyways I called my local Sea Doo dealer and to my amazement he said they could probably get one in a week, and that they had a 230 SP in the showroom that I could look at. So I'm going over there tomorrow to check it out and see how everything functions and how flexible the boat is - I already know the interior is a swiss army knife and does everything, but I want to see it for myself. Do you think I can talk them down off MSRP at all considering the time of year?
Also, do the boats come with covers / filler cushions / table? What would I need to buy?
Last thing... WTF is up with Sea Doo and their engine specs. Are they being intentionally vague?! They list the Challenger, Challenger S, and Challenger SE on their website.. yet they don't even say what the different engines are!! There's no mention of horsepower anywhere on the website, yet every single boat comes with different power options - it's INSANELY confusing.
So the 210 SP only comes with the twin 155 N/A engines right? While the challenger 210 can be had with the single 255 SC? Is the "100 hour supercharger overhaul" thing a myth or no? How has the Rotax engine reliability changed? I loved Yamaha for their industry-respected reliability while I continue to hear the opposite about Rotax, however I know most of this was the first gen SC engines and earlier 2-stroke/4-tec models. I'd assume the new ones are far better. Also has anyone had overheating issues with the closed-loop systems? Some of the water can reach 94 degrees at the surface in the summer here. How do the cooling pads react with salt water? My parents have a beach house with a dock (off a canal) so I'd take it there too.
JK I have one more question - there's no fuel consumption data available that I can find, at least for the twin 155 NA setups. What do you all average at cruise for MPG / GPH? What should a 210SP top out at speed-wise? Are the SC engines the only ones that require (well, suggested) 91+ fuel?
Sorry for the huge post, but obviously this is an equally huge purchase (for me anyways) and I hope to keep the boat for ~8 or so years - so I want to make the right decision. I feel like this new "look" for the SP / squared-off bows is the wave of the future for bowriders, and that this will still look like a modern boat for years to come.
