Official 19SPX/21SPX/SPX190/SPX210 Thread

Years ago I was running at cruise speed in the middle of a navigation channel and I snagged a submerged and non-visible line that had come off of somebody's boat. Cutting it off of the prop was a PITA, but doable. My son had a similar misfortune with his jetski and it required a tow. The worst part is that it bent the driveshaft, which let to many other expensive repairs.

Another adventure with our jetski involved wrapping a garbage bag (also submerged and not visible) around the impeller. There was no way we could clear that until the boat was out of the water and back on the trailer.

The Yamaha cleanout ports largely enable clearing of the intake grate. Those are easy to service. The impeller / wear ring clearance is necessarily tight and that's where the problems come in. There is no reverse maneuver for that scenario, since the impeller only turns one way.

Twin engine maintenance is a story all in itself.

Obviously, I have my opinion and others have theirs. I just wanted to provide some of the shortfalls that the dealer won't tell you about.

Hope you have good luck with whatever boat you buy.
 
Just a little side note regarding jets... Safety with a jet boat/ski is often an over played advertisement. Yes, there is no prop right there, but it's really a non-issue since the engine is to ALWAYS be off whenever someone is nearby in the water. This holds true for jet power, as well - the engine should always be off. Accidents happen with things being sucked into the jet because of the misnomer that they are completely "safe". I'm sure there's plenty of stories out there that can be found about this - I do remember reading one about a girl's long hair being sucked in (she swam underneath a jet ski) and she got stuck underneath. Another one... and this comes a friend of mine that is a surgeon at a local hospital. I'll keep this one brief because it is quite gruesome, but a girl was brought in while he was on duty... she was hanging around the back of the boat (or ski, I don't recall) with the engine running... the end result is that she can no longer have children.

I have my own opinions on jet's and their "value", but none of this is to say "do not buy a jet", just do your homework.
 
Hi all.

New member here -- glad to be aboard! Couple of questions -- would appreciate any input you could offer.

Trolling Motor
Bought our first boat last fall, a 2019 SPX 210 and am enjoying it very much. One of my sons has gotten in to fishing so I am exploring some options of adding a trolling motor setup. I believe Sea Ray use to offer that as an option but due to lack of interest, no longer offers it. Has anyone added a trolling motor setup after the fact? If so, could you share what setup, brand, model, etc.. you went with?

Winter Fishing and Winterization Options
If my son and I want to use the boat late this fall and winter to fish, I'm confused on whether or not it is possible for me to completely drain the engine of water during the winter months after every time we use the boat. Can I simply drain the water out of my engine (4.5L 250HP Mercruiser Alpha drive) using the engine owner manual procedure for "Manual Single Point Drain System" after using the boat every time?

FYI, we store our boat in a lot up the hill from the marina --- we put it in and take it out of the water every time we use the boat. Part of the deal in buying the boat was a free winterization so last fall we had the marina winterize it (pink fluid) and then stored it in the lot over the winter and didn't use it until this spring.

Thanks again for any input you can share.
 
Fletch F. Fletch said:
Hi all.

New member here -- glad to be aboard! Couple of questions -- would appreciate any input you could offer.

Trolling Motor
Bought our first boat last fall, a 2019 SPX 210 and am enjoying it very much. One of my sons has gotten in to fishing so I am exploring some options of adding a trolling motor setup. I believe Sea Ray use to offer that as an option but due to lack of interest, no longer offers it. Has anyone added a trolling motor setup after the fact? If so, could you share what setup, brand, model, etc.. you went with?

Winter Fishing and Winterization Options
If my son and I want to use the boat late this fall and winter to fish, I'm confused on whether or not it is possible for me to completely drain the engine of water during the winter months after every time we use the boat. Can I simply drain the water out of my engine (4.5L 250HP Mercruiser Alpha drive) using the engine owner manual procedure for "Manual Single Point Drain System" after using the boat every time?

FYI, we store our boat in a lot up the hill from the marina --- we put it in and take it out of the water every time we use the boat. Part of the deal in buying the boat was a free winterization so last fall we had the marina winterize it (pink fluid) and then stored it in the lot over the winter and didn't use it until this spring.

Thanks again for any input you can share.
Click to expand...
You can go to the owners section of the sea ray website and download the latest available parts manual. That will give you a good idea of the trolling setup that SR offered, as well as the front casting deck setup.

You are in ATL? There is a risk of a little water in the motor after drain, but you would have very little risk of breaking anything since you don’t get very far below freezing. You could always run antifreeze through it if the forecast looks extremely cold. West marine has tank kits that are easy to use, probably add 15 minutes to your close up after a day on the water.
 
GATORB8 said:
You can go to the owners section of the sea ray website and download the latest available parts manual. That will give you a good idea of the trolling setup that SR offered, as well as the front casting deck setup.

You are in ATL? There is a risk of a little water in the motor after drain, but you would have very little risk of breaking anything since you don’t get very far below freezing. You could always run antifreeze through it if the forecast looks extremely cold. West marine has tank kits that are easy to use, probably add 15 minutes to your close up after a day on the water.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Parts manual -- what a great resource. I somehow missed that on the Sea Ray site -- thank you!

Yes, am in ATL. I'll look in to that West Marine tank.
 
Bridog said:
I had a buddy with a jet boat. I’m sure there have been many improvements in recent years, but far too many parts to go bad. Particularly with the impeller. I can’t imagine having twins. The simplicity of a single OB is what sold the 19SPX for me. I think your mind is already made up so good luck and keep us updated, but if you do decide on the 190 OB, then go for the 150HP.
Click to expand...

Nah not at all. I’m not decided. I’ve done a ton of research specifically on Yamaha jet boats because they have several advantages over others.

Most people that criticize jet boats never owned one and are repeating what they’ve heard.

Just like w all things there’s advantages and disadvantages for everything.

The primary selling points on jets is simplicity in the propulsion system, no gears, linkages, drive fluid/maintenance, prop etc. The safety issue is legit. Most of the tome on sport boats is spent getting in/out of the water or just hanging on a sandbar off the transom. . The lack of an outdrive or outboard and prop makes it very safe. You get a ton of transom space as well.

The drawbacks are if you boat in an area w lots of debris, weeds, small tree branches. They can get sucked up in the jet the Yamaha boats have access plugs where you can reach in and clear safely from inside the boat.

The cockpit layout on the spx I like better and I think that they’ll ride smoother than jets because you can trim the motor, have better deadrise, and a little heavier.

It’s really a toss up for me.
 
El Capitan said:
Most people that criticize jet boats never owned one and are repeating what they’ve heard.
Click to expand...
Not in my case.

35 Years with an I/O
18 years with an OB
2 years with a jet.

Nuff said.....LOL.

The only reason that the OB era isn't larger is because most of the years with the I/O were years when 4 stroke OBs were not available.

The only reason
 
Wondering where most folks tie their anchor when it’s out? We’ve been using the cleats off of the bow, but it’s awkward to pull up and yesterday I accidentally dropped it on the top of the bow which left a small ding in the gel coat. Knew it was just a matter of time until that happened. So in addition to touching up this little mishap, I’d like to learn if there’s a better way to manage the anchor tie off. Seems like I could tie off one of the stern cleats, but I see other folks on the water seem to also use the bow. Any experience with this would be appreciated!
 
GATORB8 said:
I’m sure it’d be a lot cheaper to use 12 V LED waterproof strips from amazon, but here’s the part numbers for the 17, may want to confirm they’re the same. There’s also the cup holders that are lit.
INDIRECT LIGHTING
2119899 LIGHT, LED DIFFUSED TAPE BLUE 44"
Used with SELECT PACKAGE OPTIONS
2119905 LIGHT, LED DIFFUSED MNT TRACK WHT 6' W/O ADH
Used with SELECT PACKAGE OPTIONS
2150089 HARNESS, 19/21SDX-15 INDIRECT LED LIGHTING
Used with SELECT PACKAGE OPTIONS
2157852 LIGHT, LED DIFFUSED TAPE BLUE 10"
Used with SELECT PACKAGE OPTIONS

I started the project with aftermarket leds a few years back, but never finished after moving the boat to a slip an hour away. Port side has been complete with the wiring wrapped for probably two years, lol, I should probably order the parts to finish up now that the boat is in the neighborhood.

I just pulled the back cushions and ran adhesive led waterproof tape along where the bottom was located.

edit cup holder part number
2112409 HOLDER, SS DRINK DUAL STACK BLUE LED
Used with SELECT PACKAGE OPTIONS
2065185 LIGHT, LED RAIL BLUE
(Part of 2112409)
Click to expand...

Thank you for these part numbers. For some reason I can’t pull up the right parts manual on the searay owners website. This is very helpful information!

I can see where the courtesy lights will come in handy this fall when daylight hours get shorter. I’m thinking we’ll probably try to use our boat to tailgate at the Clemson home games, and our boat season is likely to stretch into late October here anyway. Would be nice to have some on board lights instead of fumbling with our phone flash lights.
 
TMT, always use the bow cleats. If it's dead calm, you could tie off at the stern. But best practice is to always use the bow cleats. The "struggle" you mention is normal with pretty much every small boat out there. However, even though you tie off at the boat, there's no reason you can't drop and retrieve at the stern. You just have to either carry the anchor through the middle of the boat or keep the anchor a few feet underwater and maneuver the line up to the bow to finish and reverse for pickup.

Is there a parts manual in your owner's packet that came with the boat?
 
Here's an idea... get a thick towel or some type of heavy, vinyl mat (a bath mat might work, for example). Put a few snaps in it to line up with the snaps on your bow - now you have a "bow protector" and you can simply roll it up and stow it.

Edit: The suction cups on the bottom of the bath mat might work well enough by themselves to keep it in place.
 
Lazy Daze said:
TMT, always use the bow cleats. If it's dead calm, you could tie off at the stern. But best practice is to always use the bow cleats. The "struggle" you mention is normal with pretty much every small boat out there. However, even though you tie off at the boat, there's no reason you can't drop and retrieve at the stern. You just have to either carry the anchor through the middle of the boat or keep the anchor a few feet underwater and maneuver the line up to the bow to finish and reverse for pickup.

Is there a parts manual in your owner's packet that came with the boat?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input, I suspected that was the case, glad I asked.

There was not a parts manual that came with our boat. Just the owners manual, which I’ll be honest, leaves a lot to be desired. Very skinny on real information. It didn’t even come with the owners manual for our engine. I had to go find that online.

I’m wondering I can get some seadeck type pads to protect this area.
 
Lazy Daze said:
Here's an idea... get a thick towel or some type of heavy, vinyl mat (a bath mat might work, for example). Put a few snaps in it to line up with the snaps on your bow - now you have a "bow protector" and you can simply roll it up and stow it.
Click to expand...

I like your thinking. Would be nice if there was some type of manufactured option that I could buy off the shelf though. Surprised this isn’t already a thing, but maybe most folks aren’t as clumsy as me!
 
Owner of a new SPX210OB here... fuel gauge is a bit confusing to me, not sure if it's due to location of sensor or something is wrong. Have filled up boat 2x where gauge was showing 1/4 tank left or less (while not in motion), yet both times the pump clicked off at around 21-23 gallons (not sure if I should rely on that feature on the gas pump, but obviously don't want to overfill). Seems odd that with 40 gallon capacity, I could have 15+ gallons left in 'reserve' when gauge is showing under 1/4 tank available - both times was expecting to fill 30+ gallons. Is that common on this series, or something I should have dealer check out? Obviously better that it's being conservative, but don't really want to worry that I'm almost out of gas when I have close to a half tank remaining either. Gauge also bounces around a bit while in motion, assuming that's pretty standard. Thanks in advance for any input - plan to contact dealer about this but like to see what users are actually experiencing in real life as well.
 
Hi All,

Has anyone mounted aftermarket electronics with a stern mount transducer? Picked up a Garmin unit as mine didn't come with anything fancy. Thought about gluing a stern saver on for the transducer, but was unsure of cable routing through the hull under the swim platform. Just do it and glue it, or should I drop the extra couple hundred on the in hull transducer?
 
GoBlue95 said:
Owner of a new SPX210OB here... fuel gauge is a bit confusing to me, not sure if it's due to location of sensor or something is wrong. Have filled up boat 2x where gauge was showing 1/4 tank left or less (while not in motion), yet both times the pump clicked off at around 21-23 gallons (not sure if I should rely on that feature on the gas pump, but obviously don't want to overfill). Seems odd that with 40 gallon capacity, I could have 15+ gallons left in 'reserve' when gauge is showing under 1/4 tank available - both times was expecting to fill 30+ gallons. Is that common on this series, or something I should have dealer check out? Obviously better that it's being conservative, but don't really want to worry that I'm almost out of gas when I have close to a half tank remaining either. Gauge also bounces around a bit while in motion, assuming that's pretty standard. Thanks in advance for any input - plan to contact dealer about this but like to see what users are actually experiencing in real life as well.
Click to expand...

My fuel gauge reads opposite. I can burn 20 gallons and it is at 3/4 mark. Had it checked at dealer and they said nothing wrong with it. You should have vessel view on your motor. Download the app.. It is very accurate for fuel consumption with a lot of other useful information on it.
 
Can some of you guys that have a 210 with Merc 150 measure the distance to top mount bolt like I did in photo. Just curious about mount height of motor. Thanks all!
62FF9E10-8405-4F34-98E5-73A963E6F08A.jpeg
 
The distance from the top of the transom to the top bolt will always be the same. If you want to determine engine height all you need to do is look at what hole its in.

In your case, the engine is mounted in the second hole up. Furthermore, it looks like it was changed at least twice.

I don't know what the spec is for a 210, butt he factory position for a 150 on a 190 spx is the 3rd hole up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,119
Messages
1,426,587
Members
61,036
Latest member
Esoto
Back
Top