203 VRX Woes

[dtiff13]

Hello all! Just bought a Red 2016 VRX 203 with the single 250 Rotax. I've gotta be honest, I love every single thing about this boat except for the motor. The dealer mentioned that after 10 hours I'd be able to get full power out of it. I'm currently at 13 hours and I still can't get above 38 mph with just me in it. RPM's max out at 7500-7600.

The problem that has recently been even more annoying is the throttle linkage. When I shift between forward and into reverse, it occasionally gets stuck in neutral or reverse until I giggle it around a bit. It hasn't been that big of an issue until today at the dock. I put in some reverse to get the boat turned around and it became stuck and I couldn't slow it back down. Long story short, I now have a good gash in the fiberglass near the back right cleat.

Needless to say, I'm quite disappointed in my purchase and I've expressed a lot of concern to my dealer. They've been super helpful, but that only goes so far until the problem is fixed. Does anyone have any idea what might be going on/advice for my next steps? I'm really hoping the warranty will pay for the gash as well, but I feel like I'm going to have a tough time proving that one. Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[BobJohnson]

I am by far not an expert but I wonder if with your throttle issues, if the bucket is not getting clear of your jet knozzles. And this is causing you to not reach full speed.

 

[Chapvrx]

Hello all! Just bought a Red 2016 VRX 203 with the single 250 Rotax. I've gotta be honest, I love every single thing about this boat except for the motor. The dealer mentioned that after 10 hours I'd be able to get full power out of it. I'm currently at 13 hours and I still can't get above 38 mph with just me in it. RPM's max out at 7500-7600.

The problem that has recently been even more annoying is the throttle linkage. When I shift between forward and into reverse, it occasionally gets stuck in neutral or reverse until I giggle it around a bit. It hasn't been that big of an issue until today at the dock. I put in some reverse to get the boat turned around and it became stuck and I couldn't slow it back down. Long story short, I now have a good gash in the fiberglass near the back right cleat.

Needless to say, I'm quite disappointed in my purchase and I've expressed a lot of concern to my dealer. They've been super helpful, but that only goes so far until the problem is fixed. Does anyone have any idea what might be going on/advice for my next steps? I'm really hoping the warranty will pay for the gash as well, but I feel like I'm going to have a tough time proving that one. Thanks in advance for the help!

It looks like you have revers bucket adjustment issue, the dealer should be able to figure that and trouble shoot, it shouldn't get stuck in neutral, are you pressing button on a shifter when you shift

 

[dtiff13]

Yes I am, the button itself can be hard to press if not stuck at times as well.

 

[Chapvrx]

Don't wait go bring it back before they get to busy , try to get them to fix the gel coat, but it's probably unlikely

 

[mraz72]

is the expected top speed ~50 like many boats? What would cause you only getting 38 lightly loaded?

you mentioned the dealer saying as you break it in you will go faster? I've never heard of that for an engine. After 10 hours you would be able to get full power?

 

[dtiff13]

Yes, apparently it is something newish that Rotax engines do to prevent owners from WOT with a brand new motor (computer governor). Most websites including the dealer rate this boat at 45ish mph top end with around 8000+ RPM.

 

[mraz72]

gotcha, I can see where they can easily govern the engine until some parameter is met.

so you are still rev limited by a bit. I would expect the dealers can tell if the governor is off. The engine on that boat looks awesome, hopefully they fix it for you.

 

[Briwhy]

I have a Glastron 207 with the same motor. I max out at 8000 rpm with 40mph and close to 45 if the lake is like glass and 45mph is rare. I don't think you will hit 50mph with a single engine and a boat that size.

 

[Micah Thompson]

Boattest.com got 44mph out of a 203 with a single 250, which seems about right. You should be able to get above 40 all day long unless way weighed down, something is definitely amiss.

 

[Briwhy]

Yeah I agree. At 13hrs you would be passed the limited rpm range. You should be hitting 8000 rpm now and at Max speed.

 

[Jetbbboat]

My 223 actually goes faster than the boattest.com chart. Have the twin 200's and it does 61 at max RPM just over 8000. Boattest has 52.9 at 7850 RPM. Perhaps an issue in the electronics that the dealer can attack.

 

[Julian]

Have the twin 200's and it does 61 at may RPM just over 8000

WOW! That's awesome! Is that a GPS speed number or a manual speedo #?

 

[blackhawkpilot]

My 223 actually goes faster than the boattest.com chart. Have the twin 200's and it does 61 at max RPM just over 8000. Boattest has 52.9 at 7850 RPM. Perhaps an issue in the electronics that the dealer can attack.

61 MPH?!?! WOW!!!! That's FAST!!!! The fastest I've seen is 53 with the twin 200's.

 

[dtiff13]

So quick update, the dealer called back and did inform me that the reverse bucket was improperly calibrated, causing the issue of getting stuck in reverse. The only problem, however, is that he mentioned he called Chap and they told him that the boat only maxes out at 7600-7700 rpm (39ish MPH) when almost any testing source says they were able to get 8000 rpm (44MPH). He said he was going to call ROTAX and double check, but honestly this really ticks me off because I bought a brand new boat that can't even go 40. Hopefully BRP can help out.

 

[Chapvrx]

So quick update, the dealer called back and did inform me that the reverse bucket was improperly calibrated, causing the issue of getting stuck in reverse. The only problem, however, is that he mentioned he called Chap and they told him that the boat only maxes out at 7600-7700 rpm (39ish MPH) when almost any testing source says they were able to get 8000 rpm (44MPH). He said he was going to call ROTAX and double check, but honestly this really ticks me off because I bought a brand new boat that can't even go 40. Hopefully BRP can help out.

Once they calibrate it will probably go faster due to no abstraction for the water flow . I was wandering if we can find out on how to calibrate this on your own,what are the correct specs, due to design of the buckets I thing it needs to be calibrated from time to time to get the best performance.

 

[dtiff13]

So get this, the dealer owner called me today and informed me that after more testing, they found out that Chap put in the wrong motor (2oo hp) and labeled it as a 250! I couldn't believe it, but it all made sense. They are offering to buy it back at full price or throw a ton of stuff in for free if I keep it (stereo system, wakeboards, etc). I told him I'd think about it, but I'm leaning towards buy back. I'm not sure what else is wrong and I'm pretty sure I have a lemon. Any thoughts?

 

[blackhawkpilot]

Oh my!! Sounds pretty shady. At least they're offering you a good "severance package".

 

[BoaterGuy]

Buy back! That's crazy... you should start fresh.

 

[DieselCamel]

IMO.. 12 mph is not going to make you like the boat that much better. How often are you really going to be able to cruise around at 40+? I had a 55mph Sea-Doo boat unless the lake was really calm you weren't doing 40+ as its get very uncomfortable fast. I'm happy cruising around at 30 most of the time.

Just something to consider. If the dealer makes it worth your while to keep it.