A Versatile Family Sportboat

The SX210 is all new for 2006 and comes packed with premium features, and overall big boat feel.

By Capt. Bob Smith

Yamaha designed this new model to fit well into the budgets and garages of its targeted buyers. The advantage of a swing-away tongue trailer and not having an outboard hanging off the stern helps it fit snugly inside.

Specifications

The SX210 measures 21’3” length overall with a beam width of 8’6”. She weighs in at 2850 lbs dry and has twin 110-hp four stroke in-line four cylinder engines. Her pumps are 155mm axial flow single stage pumps with three-blade stainless steel impellers. She has a skinny draft of 16” and a fuel capacity of 50 gallons. The SX210 has a 20-degree deadrise and carries a 1-year limited factory warranty and a 5-year limited hull warranty.

Bow Features

The bow of this sleek new model offers a simple way to get back on board after you’ve had some fun on the beach. Under the cover is telescoping beach boarding ladder. Below is an opening for a Danforth style anchor and line. Seating up front is plush and spacious. Plenty of cup holders and a speaker are on each side to add to the comfort. Lounger back seats make it a pleasure to ride up front, or stretch out in the sun. Beneath the seats you get lots of storage for gear.

The port storage compartment connects with storage in the companion pod to create an even bigger area. Currently, the bow filler cushion is one-piece that fits into this combined box for storage. Yamaha tells me they are considering a two-piece filler that will store even better. The curved full windshield has a large walkthrough for added convenience.

Helm Features

The door to the companion storage box doubles as the lower filler door, to keep the cool air from the cockpit on morning runs. In the floor are two separate storage compartments large enough to handle boards, fenders, and lines. The helm has a nice chair with slide and swivel adjustments for comfort, as well as a bolster for added visibility when coming out of the hole. The dash has typical analog gauges arranged for good view underway.

One added feature that I really like are the twin switches that set the engines for Yamaha’s No Wake Mode. This sets the speed at about 5 miles-per-hour reducing wake and hopefully making you a safer driver, and not attracting the attention of the water patrol unexpectedly. JBL satellite ready sound systems power the tunes on these models. There is a remote at the stern so you can enjoy the music, change the stations, and never have to return to the helm. This model even has the capability of plugging in your MP3 player for listening to your favorite mix.

Comfortable Cockpit Seating

The cockpit seating is also very spacious and arranged in an L-shape. This seating is ergonomic and comfortable to sit in over the course of a long day on the water. The port side locker of the companion pod is big enough to store the carry-on cooler inside as well as more gear like your life jackets.

Engine Access

The engine hatch is also a “walk-over” transom. I found the hatch easy to lift, and once open, the compartment was clean. This model is powered by two 110-hp four-cylinder Yamaha engines, which produced plenty of power on our test run near Yamaha’s Kennesaw headquarters.

Yamaha has designed the stern of these boats with the idea that people will definitely hang out there. Backrests are built into the sides for added comfort, and there is an upper and lower level position that makes it possible to sit and watch friends at anchor. A hatch in the upper section gives you easy access to the pump clean out in case you ingest something into the system and need to clear it out.

Performance

On test day the water was like a sheet of glass, and the engines ran perfectly. This speedster was up on plane in only 2.8 seconds and passing the 30 miles-per-hour mark in only 6.2 seconds. I found the best cruise speed to be around 6000 rpm traveling 26.7 miles-per-hour, which will give you a range of 188 miles on a full tank of fuel. Top end was at 8000 rpm and we achieved a speed of 47.6 miles-per-hour for a burn rate of only 15.4gph.

If you are looking for a nine passenger boat that will fit in your garage and in your budget, the all-new SX210 certainly needs to fit into you search pattern.

Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions