Questions for new AR250

[Blowshard]

Hello all,
Looking for some advice on my first jet boat purchase.
We (family of 4) currently have a Yamaha jet ski (GP1800R HO) and a larger sterndrive cruiser boat. Due to our intended use and wanting a new boat we are planning on getting a 25' series jet boat...and of course keeping the ski!

I basically want a reliable and fun boat that works well in a smaller inland lake as well as on the great lakes. We have 2 young kids so tubing and eventually wakeboarding and such are a priority in addition to just cruising around with family/friends.

Seems like the AR250 with the new 1.9l motors is going to be a winner and price is still reasonable but I wanted to get other's thoughts on this vs the higher end models.
It seems like the 252S price is quite a bit more but still mechanically similar and jumping up to the 252SE is >20k more for a boat that will seem nicer but will basically do the same things we plan to do with the simpler boat.
We plan to keep the boat a long time, so simplicity may help in the long term but some of the higher end features are nice looking.

Questions:
-Anyone with an AR250 have regrets they didn't spend more on the upgraded models?
-Is the extended Y.E.S warranty (4 more years) worth it for around 2700? With new motors in 2024 I am thinking more about this to be on the safe side but on the other hand the 1.8s were very reliable.
-The AR250 does not have the fancy throttle by wire or throttle pairing. Is it challenging to dock or control the dual engines with the traditional throttle controls/cable setup?
-Is noise on these an issue vs a sterndrive or do you get used to it?
-With market changes, any idea what I should shoot for with pricing for the 24 models? MSRP, discounts etc?

Thank you in advance, I look forward to a new boat and adventures!

 

[Ridesteady]

For what it's worth, we get correspondence periodically from owners of E-series boats (i.e. with "throttle by wire") asking if our product works with it (it doesn't). Apparently once you weigh it down with ballast, the factory cruise fails to maintain the set speed and requires a lot of tinkering.

Maintaining a set speed is an important part of wake sports (which is particularly difficult in Yamaha's to begin with, let alone with a lot of ballast). If you got the AR250, our Ridesteady system would be compatible with it, and it does not suffer from the "not being able to maintain the set speed" issue. And in many ways it is like a "throttle by wire" system - you can rotate the knob to change to any set speed.

Anyway, just food for thought when considering an E-series type boat for wake sports.

 

[1WetBoat]

Questions:
-Anyone with an AR250 have regrets they didn't spend more on the upgraded models? Not one bit, I love the model I have and don't feel as if I'm missing out on anything from the higher end models. For a quick second, i thought I would miss not having the larger display but the built in navigation leaves out a lot of features so not missing it. I plan on getting an external chart plotter with more features anyway.
-Is the extended Y.E.S warranty (4 more years) worth it for around 2700? With new motors in 2024 I am thinking more about this to be on the safe side but on the other hand the 1.8s were very reliable. I bought my Y.E.S. warranty right away. Its better to have it and no need it than to not have it when you need it.
-The AR250 does not have the fancy throttle by wire or throttle pairing. Is it challenging to dock or control the dual engines with the traditional throttle controls/cable setup? I have not had an issue without those features. It takes time but you can get pretty good at maneuvering these boats around docks. Just dont go faster than needed and use the TDE feature. You can also get @Ridesteady if you want a similar system for wakeboarding etc.. Works very well with the AR250.
-Is noise on these an issue vs a sterndrive or do you get used to it? Not an issue to me, but that is a personal thing.


Thank you in advance, I look forward to a new boat and adventures!

 

[Blowshard]

1WetBoat, thanks so much for your response/thoughts and I am glad you enjoying the boat!
It's great that there are solid aftermarket options available for these as well such as the Ridesteady, will definitely keep it on my radar.

 

[Adrian @ JB Solutions]

I have my own gripes with YES - but on new motor tech - 100% purchase this.

I personally don't think 20k extra is worth it for the 252SE. While I love mine, I rarely use the sliding seats (and they corrode easily). The swim up seats you can add for ~$1000. Stereo gets upgraded either way. The 12" is cool and the 7" looks stupid in the 12" housing - but even I am building a new dash because the 12" is pathetic. You can add your own custom seadek for ~$1500. The one feature that is really nice is the oversized bimini and upgraded tower - no getting around that. The electronic throttles are also really nice - but they have their own one off issues from time to time. If I did it again I would probably get a AR250 and drop 7k in upgrades (though the bimini alone makes a strong argument).

 

[thedon]

I wasn’t overly concerned with price when i bought my AR250 but I dont think the other models are worth the difference. The factory stereo system sucks but I would also not be happy with the one in the other models so that didn’t matter.