May be converted to the dark (light) side

[Ntlange]

Unfortunately I made some poor financial desicions which I am "paying" for right now so a boat is just a dream for a little bit. I have been in love with Yammies for years and have watched every video and read every post regarding them. I even had colors picked out. Until recently I have been all Yammies until I saw a few videos on YouTube comparing Yammies with the chap vortex. Now I new they were commercials in a sense that carried some bias but it did get me thinking. Curiosity was killing the cat so I began researching the competition. How could I have been so biased. I am seeing so many pros with the chaps over the Yammies now. A small example would be the 2 improvements you would need to do to the Yammies trailers on day one. The over all boat quality (structural, fit and finish, warrenty, ect...) I must say that I will go to my chap dealer today just to touch one and ask questions even tho I am not ready yet. It will curb my cravings for a bit. Until I can drive my own boat I will be here lurking and enjoying your stories.
Any thoughts or comments are appreciated.

 

[BobJohnson]

you seem to be doing it right. get finances in order. compare and contrast the different manufactures and learn everything you can. best would be to test drive one of each. I love my Chap and (knock on wood) it has been a great, reliable and wonderful boat.... , but see many Yamaha's on my lakes and the all look great too and people on them sure look happy. enjoy the search.

 

[Ntlange]

It is a huge asset having these forums where a guy like me can learn from real consumers. As was mentioned in these forums the chap forums are disgustingly hostile towards the Jets.

 

[Ntlange]

I visited my dealer today with some questions I wouldn't be able to find online and left feeling humbled and excited. One question was the longevity of the chap jetboat line due to the chap forum haters and he said it will be around for a while. Infact my dealer is the primary high altitude dealer for testing. I also asked about the superchargers. He said at 100 hours they service and inspect but with recent technology and the metal washers he doesn't believe a rebuild will ever be needed. I am seeing the light guys. It is getting bright.

 

[subysti]

I looked and compared both also. I say you need to set up a test drive of both boats on the same day. That's what sealed it for me. The Yamaha was soooo much more quiet then the chap which made my wife say Yamaha or no boat. The other factors for ME were all one brand product, clean out ports, and no plastic jet housings. We also noticed that the stern seats couldn't be used if someone was sitting in the boat at the back. Back seats could only be used either facing in the boat or facing out but not both at same time. Then there was the price, when I compared the 2 with the same options the chap was 15k higher. But this is all my biased opinion.

 

[Ntlange]

I really appreciate your opinion and input, biased or not. Remeber I was Yammie for 2 years now. I will try my best to do a test ride on both when the day come but unfortunately due to my situation it will be 2017 or even 2018 technology that I will be looking at so it is almost impossible to compare the 2 currently in regards to sound. 1 thing you bring up is the clean outs. As I discussed with the chap dealer out of all the jet drive boats on the water, pwc and boats, Yammies boats are the only ones utilizing clean outs. I have owned pwcs and didn't ever need them. Of course I can't say I wouldn't need them if I have never had them. The one thing I am not looking forward to with a Yammie is all the hard ware I see people complaining about coming lose. Hand rails and cleats becoming lose is something you shouldn't have to accept as normal for a boat. I don't see that happening on a chap although I haven't heard if it does or doesn't. What about the trailer modifications on a Yammies trailer on day one. ( bow roller, wrench post welding support) why?

 

[AZDANSX230HO]

I have owned Yamaha products for most of my life from dirt bikes, street bikes, quads, side by sides, generators, and (3) different Yamaha Boats 2001 LS 2000, 2006 SX230, and our current 2008 SX230 High Output. Based upon my experience with Yamaha and other brands in general, I will say Yamaha is one of the best engine builders on the planet and very good with designing their products. All boats will have cleats that loosen up and misc. things that need tightened up, going through rough water and riding around the lake causes this. I have owned other boats in the past, Bayliners, Blue Water Mirage, etc. they all do this. The bow stop issue on my 2006 & 2008 MFI Trailers, well I have welded both of them, it's simple and cheap as I have my own welder.

That said I have no experience with the new Chaparrals, I can say that my Yamaha's have been a joy to own, minimal maintenance, reliable, great looking, and riding boats.

 

[Bruce]

I feel competition is a good thing.

My primary concern about all of the BRP powered boats is that the lack of clean out ports means you need extra time, long tools and perhaps a trip to the trailer when things get caught in the jets. I love the Chap 243 but I will not buy one knowing that I will be sucking stuff up. The sleeve around the shaft does help but we see plenty of reports of debris and ropes getting stuck in there. I remember two from this weekend alone.

 

[Britboater]

When quality is compared there's no competition, Chaps win hands down. When I find poor fitment and bad design on my boat I really appreciate how much better overall Chaps are.
It's totally unacceptable how Yamaha chuck their boats out only for owners or dealers to finish them, just read how many Yam owners have to glue the sound deadening, find out their batteries are flat, find loose screws, poor sealing or non at all, rusting around cleats, wind shield loose, gauges with moisture, plastic cracking need I go on.

Clean out ports seem to be the only decision that sway people into Yams but if your not boating in an area that has much debris take a very good look and test the Chap.

 

[robert843]

I too have been on both and i agree the Chap fit and finish seems more solid then the Yamaha. I also have pwc's and have yet to ever suck anything up on them but the boat is a whole different story. Just look around this forum and you will find many people with Chaps and Scarabs where tiny peices of wood have ended there day and a lot of them on their first trip out leaving a bad first impression with the new owner. The reason you do not see clean out ports on other boats is I'm pretty sure Yamaha holds the exclusive patent on it for a few more years I will have to do research to confirm. I don't think we will ever see them on skis they are just not needed in the world but when the patent expires I bet we see others come out with it as well. The only thing that steers me from the Chaps is the pricing at the price point they are at I can start looking into some really nice I/O or O/B bow riders that will blow both the Yamaha and Chap away. Overall I can see the appeal of a Chap if they where the same price as the Yamaha I would likely buy a Chap over the Yamaha but we are not there yet but if Yamaha keeps going up on the pricing it may not be long and we will be there.

 

[subysti]

Aa far as problems go I've only had an issue with the foam, 10 minute fix, and the trailer fenders which were replaced. The bow roller doesn't have to be replaced but the factory one can leave some scratches. Other than that its been a great boat, no loose cleats, rails or nuts. Again I liked the chaps but for the few things I listed above and the huge price difference I couldn't justify it.

 

[Ntlange]

I appreciate everyone's input and I will take it to heart when the day comes I have to make the difficult desision.

 

[SCSTWG]

I have always loved Chaparral boats. Great lines, layouts and really nice fit and finish. If going I/O, one of my top choices for sure. What I don't like about the jetboats beyond the lack of clean-out ports is the lack of support from the Chaparral forum. They are old timers who thinks jetboats aren't "real boats" and that people that own them aren't "real boaters" (whatever that means). IMO, this forum is one of the best reasons to own a Yamaha because any question you have will be answered immediately by people who know as much or more about the boats than the Technicians at the dealership. That means less time in the shop (and less money) and more time on the water in an already too short boating season. Yes, this forum represents all jetboaters, but the knowledge of the specific Yamaha models is very extensive. Hopefully over time, the knowledge on the Scarab and Chap's will increase to similar levels. I also love the @-help feature if you are on the water having issues. What value does that have when you have a boat full of people on the water on a nice summer day?

 

[Derek Fosbury]

I recently bought a 2016 242 LSE, but spent the better part of a year comparing the 24 foot Yamaha against the 22/24 foot Chaparral models. I can say it was a very tough decision. The test drive of the 243 VRX w/200's (IIRC) was very impressive, especially the power and the extreme maneuverability of the Chaparral in reverse as compared to the Yamaha.

The deal breaker for me for the VRX was the noise, as that was my biggest complaint about my old AR210, which is why I'm now sitting with the 242 LSE.

I am very happy with the Yamaha, but I think that the VRX's are an outstanding boat, and would have been happy with one of those as well .

 

[SCSTWG]

I recently bought a 2016 242 LSE, but spent the better part of a year comparing the 24 foot Yamaha against the 22/24 foot Chaparral models. I can say it was a very tough decision. The test drive of the 243 VRX w/200's (IIRC) was very impressive, especially the power and the extreme maneuverability of the Chaparral in reverse as compared to the Yamaha.

The deal breaker for me for the VRX was the noise, as that was my biggest complaint about my old AR210, which is why I'm now sitting with the 242 LSE.

I am very happy with the Yamaha, but I think that the VRX's are an outstanding boat, and would have been happy with one of those as well .

I know it has been discussed at length, but what are your opinions of the engine noise level on your new 242 vs. your old 212? It is one of the few complaints I have regarding my boat.

 

[swatski]

I know it has been discussed at length, but what are your opinions of the engine noise level on your new 242 vs. your old 212? It is one of the few complaints I have regarding my boat.

+1

 

[Derek Fosbury]

Sorry, didn't see your questions till now!

see the following threads:
https://jetboaters.net/threads/noise-on-2016-242-lse.10195/
https://jetboaters.net/threads/242x-e-series-or-another-boat.10214/page-2 (see post #24)

Overall, way quieter than my 21', even with all the improvements I had made to it. Very happy!