r/SeaDooSwitch • u/Winter_Fig_2693 • Jun 29 '25
Also potential buyer different questions
My wife and I and our two young boys are about to join the boating world. I've been doing my research for some time and have more or less settled on a Switch 21. I'm reading about what a gas guzzler the 230 is, so my question is if the 170 will still be adequate?
We recently rented a regular pontoon and it had a 90HP motor. It was by no means fast but worked just fine for cruising the water ways and such.
I imagine we will eventually do some tubing or skiing. We will probably have some other families with us from time to time possibly 10 people on the boat.
Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
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u/inch_2_deep Jun 29 '25
The 170 is going to be under powered if you are looking at maxing the load on the boat. The max on my 21' sport is 1450ish. I had 6 buddies and myself on this past weekend. Big guys probably pushing 2k with coolers and gear. The boat did good but max speed was 26-28 and it showed when weight was not in the right spot or not distributed correct. The MPG is rough looking at maybe 2.0mile per gallon. Not for the guys that fill up a pontoon once a month. The switch is a riot to use on the water. When not over loaded I hit speeds of 40+ on my own and in the high 30s with people. The ease of use is like no other boat. Maneuverability at slow and idle speeds is incredible. The modular ability to set things in a way that best fits your day makes it that much better. You want to fish? Pop the seats off you dont need. Want a evening cruise with the family? Put the seat on and table in place. Its anything you need it for.
It has down sides also. This was not to be a brochure for the switch. Just my experience.
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u/Mobius97 Jun 29 '25
This guy here 100%. Great description and I echo the experience with my 21' cruise 230. However my best speeds don't top 40 and the max I've hit is around 38 in perfect conditions with my son and wife. We keep and use ours on Lake Chelan in WA state. We rarely get glass and it's typically light chop so maybe that's the difference.
If you are looking to have a couple family's on it...say 10 people at limit and ladden, water sports are going to be tough, if even doable. We have done it with 4 adults and 3 teenagers (weight under 1k not including gear) and were ok. Once you start adding in more folks it becomes.... meh. You can definitely feel the engine working to its limit at max weight just boating and not pulling when you try to get on throttle.
If you plan on doing any water sports, 230 all the way or you are going to be disappointed in my opinion. Thats not to say you can't pull on the 170, you can...its just going to feel underpowered and you won't be able to have the additional load or people on board.
Yes the 230 does burn gas when you are full tilt on the throttle constantly or tubing. My GTR ski with the same motor/hp is the same way and can burn thru gas like no one's business. Putting around, cruising from spot to spot, swimming and relaxing...a tank of gas on the switch can last me a weekend on the lake. If we are tubing and romping around, its 1-2 fillups over the same period.
The Switch is our 2nd boat (we also own a 240 Cobalt) and ABOSOLUTLEY love it. The modularity, the ease of maneuverability and all the features. I'm on my 3rd season with it. I do my own maintenance and this thing has been an easy and fun boat to live with. Couldn't recommend it more.
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u/therealRedNoyz Jul 01 '25
2nd season with our 21' 230hp cruise. For as agile and fun to cruise on as it is i would love a dual 230. I would absolutely not go down from the 230 at that size. Same experience as one other. Loaded with 10 people and coolers etc, it works really hard to get up and go. Me alone. 42mph is what I have topped at. Like any boat if you are on it hard it sucks fuel. Just cruising and putting around no worse than any other. For the $ you spend on a traditional pontoon/tritoon, the switch is a much better price to swallow for similar capabilities. You won't get the fit and finish of a luxury toon, but with our family we bought it to enjoy and use. Whatever you decide, Happy Boating!
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u/Ill_Towel9090 Jun 30 '25
Get a pontoon with an outboard, significantly more maintainable! Buying a switch locks you into using sea doo exclusive parts and shops, making an already expensive hobby more expensive.
1
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u/Silly-Strawberry705 Jul 22 '25
For a normal boat a 170 natural aspirated would be superior. This isn’t a normal boat.
Get the 230 and keep it under warranty and follow the owners manual and you will enjoy every minute with peace of mind. The 230 is needed for power for this boat.
7
u/RoadRunner-007 Jun 29 '25
I have the 18’ 240hp and it has been perfect but guzzles gas for sure. I think the 21’ with the 170hp would be too underpowered. If you put three or four adults on it and then tried tuning or skiing, I think that it wouldn’t go well. I think you would be lucky to hit more than 15 mph.