I owned an SR230 for a number of years. The SR was the first model of Yamaha's jet boat series.
I liked the boat for many of the reasons that other posters have mentioned. The boat was incredibly responsive at speed, and, with a little practice, you could out-maneuver any boat at docks or in a marina. It was just a fun boat to operate. And, a very nice, appealing boat design and layout.
I did, however, sell mine last season. The reasons:
1. The boat has clean-out plugs, since you must remove any debris that collects in the jet thrusters or the boat will cavitate. Early models (including mine) had trouble with these plugs disloging a high speeds. The results were not pretty -- I had a plug blow at high speed, and I never want to go through that experience again.
2. The more and more I used the boat, the more mechanical issues started to pop up.
3. When I had a chance to ride in other boats of comparable size, I just felt the 230 was flimsy and poorly constructed. It semed like something was always loose. For example, the bimini top was poorly attached to the boat and slapped around with the wind and high waves. The other side of this is that, at least when I bought mine, Yamaha had priced the 230 at least $10,000 less than the competition.
All in all, I enjoyed my 230. As a variant to the old boater's saying: I was happy when I owned it and happier when I sold it.
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