Chaparral 223 Vortex walkthrough

[ScarabMike]

Here is a new vid I found this morning.

 

[BobJohnson]

Thanks for posting. Bought a 223vr a couple weeks back. Joined here the next day. Delivery will be by 5/1. Will report back once I have it with pictures and details.

 

[ScarabMike]

Congrats @BobJohnson ! Welcome to the forum.

 

[MikeyL]

Hi there, @Bob Johnson !
Glad you found us. You got yourself 1 fine boat there !
Wishing you many safe and fun and sunny boating days ahead !
Mikey Lulejian - Lake OConee, GA

And oh yeah ..............

 

[SCSTWG]

Thanks for posting the vids. Nice looking boat for sure.

 

[itsdgm]

Thanks for posting those @ScarabMike. That is a beautiful boat. I love all the little extra attention to detail that they put into the boat.

Welcome aboard @BobJohnson and congrats on your new boat.

 

[OperationROL]

Welcome aboard, @BobJohnson !
Thanks for the videos, @ScarabMike ! All of this makes me really look forward to boating season.

 

[ToddW850]

Cool videos! Thanks for posting @ScarabMike . Both of these videos were filmed where I live. I had no idea, until you posted. But now I'm going to hunt that guy down and have a talk with them about taking their dadgum shoes off! That was killing me!

 

[ScarabMike]

LOL @ToddW850

 

[Vandyman]

Here is a new vid I found this morning.

I haven't seen too many with this new model so glad to have more company. I ordered the 223 VRX back in January at the local boat show and expect delivery around April 7... weather here today was gorgeous and am counting the days until delivery. Still not much recent info out there, so here's to the early adopters!!

 

[OrangeTJ]

Spent some time checking at the 223 and 243 VRX at the Sacramento Boat Show last weekend. Came away impressed. The boats seem very well built and generally very well thought out. Materials, fit & finish are what I'd expect of a Chaparral, which is to say quite good. I'd definitely consider one if buying a new jet boat. Only lingering concerns, really, are the supercharger rebuild requirement and the noise level, which appears significantly higher than Yamaha in the Boattest.com review. Our next boat HAS to be quieter than our Yamaha SX210.

 

[SCSTWG]

I really liked the exterior styling and graphics when I took a look at the boat show (both the 223 and the 243). Nice looking boats.

 

[Belleville_Boater]

It was a tough decision for me this past weekend between the Chaparral 223 VRX or the Yamaha 212ss at the last preseason boat show in the area. Hands down the Chaparrals interior and exterior design and details are second to none in the 21-22' jet boat class. On the other hand though, the supercharger concern (along with many on here that I see) vs the Yamaha reputation just was to hard to swallow. Also, in regards to maintenance I found that the Yamaha had much better placement for ease of reach (ex: oil filter). My other homework on the two was at boattest.com which, as many have posted, the Chaparral has a slightly louder decibel rating as well as lower top end speed of the Yamaha. Again, it was a very tough call especially with the wife loving the look of the Chaparral and not caring about much else but the coin landed on the Yamaha engine reliability side for me. After several rounds of negotiating I ended up purchasing the 2015 Yamaha 212X (black/yellow) based on the great OTD price I got compared to the SS (and the wife wanted the J-seating over the captains chair). But I can honestly say that Chaparral was a very close 2nd and probably the only other jetboat that I would consider. Now I just need the lake to thaw, sell my old Searay that's on the lift and I should be good to go!

 

[MikeyL]

@Belleville_Boater ............ GREAT decision you just made.
Only 1 thing left to say .....

 

[SCSTWG]

Congrats on the boat purchase. Sounds like a tough choice. I don't think you could have gone wrong either way.

 

[ptdavidson]

Surprises me to see comments about the supercharger or engine reliability being an issue in the purchasing decision. The engine in the Chap and Scarab is the same engine that Sea-Doo has over 60% market share and growing with in the PWC market over the same Yamaha engines? Clearly reliability is not an issue or the market would have corrected this a long time ago. We are not motoring, we are boating! Buy the "Boat" that you are most comfortable in or moved by, they are all reliable products.

 

[Belleville_Boater]

We are not motoring, we are boating! Buy the "Boat" that you are most comfortable in or moved by, they are all reliable products.

I do think the motor(s) are a big part of boating, otherwise this would be 'sailboaters.net'. The easier and less frequent you need to maintain them allows for more enjoyable boating.

 

[OperationROL]

Surprises me to see comments about the supercharger or engine reliability being an issue in the purchasing decision. The engine in the Chap and Scarab is the same engine that Sea-Doo has over 60% market share and growing with in the PWC market over the same Yamaha engines? Clearly reliability is not an issue or the market would have corrected this a long time ago. We are not motoring, we are boating! Buy the "Boat" that you are most comfortable in or moved by, they are all reliable products.

I think you will find a lot of folks that disagree with this statement. In my opinion, the engine and power-train is just as important, if not more important, than the comfort and how much it moves me. Whether it's a car, airplane or boat, I want to avoid trips to the mechanic and feel comfortable knowing that the engine will never let me down and leave me stranded. Additionally, I need to know that it will not cost me an arm and a leg to get it serviced when needed. A few years ago, I was going to buy a 2005 Dodge Viper as my play car. I started researching them and speaking to owners and found out that they require quite a bit of maintenance so decided to pass. Don't get me wrong...that car moves me and I feel like a "real man" when I am behind the wheel, but I am not willing to spend the time and money needed to properly maintain it. So.............I say all that to say, I am not surprised by the comments around supercharger and engine reliability. For years the PWC guys have made the same comments, so I know the claim is not baseless. However, the skis continue to sell and sell well, so the issue is being overcome. Maybe the engines have evolved and the issues of the past are in the past. Maybe we are incorrectly and unfairly judging the current engine model based on past experiences that no longer exist. Maybe, this conversation does not exist in a few years because the engines and superchargers prove reliable. I like ALL the new competition and expect them to sell, but many will make their educated decision with the power train as a contributing factor. I see no problem with that.

 

[Repsol69]

Good info here...

 

[MikeyL]

@OperationROL ............ I totally agree with your excellent assessment of FACTS.

I think there is a lot of bad information flowing based on PAST events, and PAST reputations, deserving or not.

Interestingly, I would not purchase any 'ski other than a BRP SeaDoo. The IBR functionality is wayyyyyyyyy too important to be ignored.
Yamaha has had 6 years to play "catch up" and still does not offer what SeaDoo does.

Having said that, when it comes to a BOAT, I will only purchase a Yamaha because of A) Engineering Design B) Reputation for build quality. Which only continues being enhanced year after year. and the fact that C) Yamaha DESIGNS the boats, the motors and the drive train as a SYSTEM, all functioning together.

It's only thing to purchase a Ranger bass boat and stick a BRP Evinrude on the ass end and feel secure in your purchase ...........
and then to compare that to a boat with two INBOARD motors driving a jet propulsion drive system, and etc, etc etc.

I particularly liked what you wrote when you said ...... "I like ALL the new competition and expect them to sell, but many will make their educated decision with the power train as a contributing factor. I see no problem with that."

And with that, I am off to change oil in 1 of my skiis. Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee