The AR210 is Yamaha’s “entry level” watersports boat. If this a "starter boat" with training wheels, we’d like to know what they are building for the old salts!

The Layout Lowdown...

The layout of the AR210 interior is not too startling as far as jet sportboats go, but it is functional. The bow is extra roomy thanks to the deck boat-style wide spoon bow that has the forward most seats spread apart enough to not knock knees. There’s storage under the seats, grab handles and drink holders in all the right places as you would expect because of the fuller bow there is a little more room than found in more conventional shapes.



Yamaha is the company that invented the "beach" stern.

If you’re a fan of beach boarding, the three step bow ladder will be a big hit, but I’d rather see four steps. The helm features a swivel bucket seat, full instrumentation and the rocker switches have circuit breakers right next to each switch. Yamaha surprisingly mounted the engine controls on the horizontal, which makes them much easier to use. I say “surprisingly,” since they mount them at an angle on some of their other boats. So, in my book, this is a positive improvement.

A New Direction

The rest of the cockpit space is taken up with seating that wraps all the way around. Absent is the usual port side seat with the flip-flop backrest, or stand-alone pedestal seat. It’s all lounge seating here so a forward facing companion is not an option unless they head to the bow. The seating arrangement is a slightly different direction for this model and it all has to do with focusing attention of what’s happening off the transom. With the wake tower as standard and the tunes at 108 decibels, the dude on the towline will be cutting the mustard and be the center of attention. Perhaps next year Yamaha will simply face all of the seats aft except the skipper’s. (Hold your applause, folks.)



The Yamaha AR210 making tracts.

Another bonus to this seating plan is underneath it all is mucho storage, in addition to a deck cooler and additional deck storage forward. The deck storage will not hold your skis and wakeboards, but this isn’t a problem here, as in the port side compartment (where you might think a head goes) is storage that runs forward all the way under the port side bow seats. It’s more than sufficient to hold all the long toys you’d care to bring aboard.

She’s Got Back...

Everyone tries to imitate the Yamaha made-for-watersports transom that Yamaha introduced to the sport years ago. No matter what sportboat you buy, please tip your cap to Yamaha when see one drive buy because its designers are responsible for one of the most important sportboat design trends of the decade. A number of other builders are doing a pretty good job developing a functional stern, but none have yet to do it quite like Yamaha.

The reason Yamaha’s stern “beach” is so unique is because of its twin, low-profile jet-drive engines. Their low profile gives Yamaha the ability to build a boat without an engine box taking up valuable space where the action should be and is on the AR 210. Yamaha smartly exploits this advantage by creating a fabulous transom patio that seems to get better with every new model year.



The wake tower is included in the price.

Drive-Cleaning System

In the upper level of the two tiered platforms, is a flush mounted door which leads to the jet intakes. If there’s a clog in the system, chances are this is where the problem will be, and you can simply reach in and pull out the grass or whatever without having to get in the water, or dive underneath the boat. (You can’t open it without the engine being off.)

If one of your engines fouls, a sensor automatically shuts down that engine and gives you a warning alarm. This cleaning port is a great feature on all Yamaha jet boats and has been from the beginning, and it is one sorely lacking in some of the other production jet boats we’ve seen.

The fact is that the twin Yamaha jets pump out a prodigious amount of water – and that means that they suck it in just as fast. If you run is skinny water with loose grass or other material within sucking range, it will be hoovered up. While much of that material might get chopped up and spit out, some material may not. Long, thin water grass or weed is the most common culprit. So, just as you must keep conventional props away from rocks, so, too, do you have to keep jet boats away from easily ingested flora.

Specifications...

The Yamaha AR210 has a LOA of 21’ (6.4 m), a beam of 8’6” (2.6 m), and a draft of only 16” (.4 m). She has a dry weight of 2,954 lb (1,340 kg) and she holds 50 gal (189 L) of fuel.

This boat comes complete with the tower and trailer and a specific list of accessories, for just over $34,000. Take that number and compare it with any other boat on your short list, and see what you find.



Yamaha is the leargest selling jet boat brand.

No Option List!!!

One thing that is lacking with this boat – and, in fact, with every other Yamaha boat – is an option list. There aren’t any. If you want fewer options, such as deleting the wakeboard tower, you move to another “model.” It’s an unusual arrangement, but it works for them and for you, too. You pick the boat and its equipment offered in a model, or move on to another model which will have a slightly different matrix of gear. If no Yamaha boat has quite what you want, then add it in the aftermarket, or go to brand X.

This way of doing things, we’re told, helps keep production costs down, but more importantly it keeps down production confusion and mistakes in the product. (Yamaha jet boats are among the highest unit volume of all boats built.) It is sort of a built-in QC system.



Hey, once you are done wakeboarding, put on your scuba gear.

In the Age of the Internet, when the primary customers for your product are the very people who have been using computers since they were four years old, the last thing you want as a builder are product flaws and warranty complaints because they will be flying around the Internet faster than you can say Green Eggs and Ham. And when you look around at brands of anything bought by the 30-somethings and younger set and it has had decreasing sales during the last decade…well, bingo, you know what is happening.

One More Thing...

Not only is the Yamaha AR210 a well-built boat, but since Yamaha builds everything in-house (including the engine, drive, and electronics), there’s no finger-pointing when something goes wrong. If that happens chances are it is either your fault or the builder’s. And if it is not your fault, it’s all Yamaha, so that gives you peace of mind when you walk out the door. In other words, there is no argument between the engine or drive maker and the builder as to who did what. Add the safety margin of jet drives and you’ve got yourself one heck of an "entry level" package.

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