So excited to use my new (used) Chaparral Vortex VRX 203 boat out on my lake then…..

[MaineLakeJetDude]

Ok first of all I am a complete noobie though I have been reading a lot of the helpful stuff here.

Just bought a 2019 Chaparral Vortex VRX 203 beautiful boat with low hours (88) and in pristine shape. Test piloted it on Saturday and it worked great. loaded it up to drive 4 hours to my house/lake and then it all went downhill from there.
Battery dislodged during towing and lost charge even though it was new. While trying to jump it I think there was a reversing of polarity by my good samaritan neighbor. Ended up putting a new battery and it started up fine, got it out on the water ready to go and then……the dreaded eReverse module error, which is scary by the way because the boat is really difficult to handle….especially for a noob!

Anyway read threads on here and have tried the following:
-checked breaker near the battery and that is fine
-replaced the two relay switches
-lanyard reset
-tried to see if I could override on medallion screen but it doesn’t let me

So any other suggestions? Also, noticed that the radio doesn’t work so need to hunt for the 10A fuse that is supposedly behind Port area.
Please tell me I don’t have to replace the iNR module, it seems those things are $1000.
Any help appreciated, I just want to get out there and take my boys tubing and enjoy the summer.

Oh and one more question is it ok to start it on dry land for a couple of minutes because otherwise I have to take it out on the water to see if the eReverse was fixed.

Also, some interesting details about when it fails, the reverse hood just drops down and the boat starts going backward while the thrust is in neutral. I have to push thrust forward for it to start going forward then it never can go in reverse again after that.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Many questions and issues there, in no particular order:

- Reversed polarity... of the jumper cables or the battery to the boat cables/switch? Was the master switch on? If the battery was connected in reverse, yeah, you could have fried many things. You'll have to check each and every system (and fuse as you noticed). One person in the past did this and fried the entire wiring harness. So it's hard to diagnose without you checking each and every component.
- You can run the engine out of water using the proper procedure AND within the time limits. Officially, the answer is 2 min, unofficially, you should be able to do pretty much everything under 1 min and I'd keep it under 1 min. You will overheat the carbon seal otherwise which is never cooled unless the boat sits in water. To do this, you need to follow this exact order, otherwise you risk hydrolocking (getting water in) the engine. 1. Engine on. 2. Water pressure on. 3. Water pressure off. 4. Engine off. In essence, there should never be water pressure unless you are running the engine. Make sure to connect the hose to the flush port WITHOUT having pressure in the hose. Many people forget and end up turning the pressure on by mistake. Don't be that person.
- Steering takes some getting used to. But once you DO get used it, you'll love the control you have. It's one of the main selling features (in my opinion) of these Rotax systems.
- eReverse module errors are common because it seems whenever something goes wrong with electrical, it defaults to this error. lol Not a great one to default to. Voltage fluctations can often manifest themselves as this error too. So it's entirely possible you have no issues with the reverse and it's all related to your battery issues.
- Perfect neutral (or close to it) is achievable. I don't have the new medallion computer, but I'm pretty sure you have a neutral adjustment in there. But you'll need to be on the water to adjust this.

Note that your boat uses the same systems as the Scarab brand. So that section of the forum can be very useful to you.

 

[MaineLakeJetDude]

Many questions and issues there, in no particular order:

- Reversed polarity... of the jumper cables or the battery to the boat cables/switch? Was the master switch on? If the battery was connected in reverse, yeah, you could have fried many things. You'll have to check each and every system (and fuse as you noticed). One person in the past did this and fried the entire wiring harness. So it's hard to diagnose without you checking each and every component.
- You can run the engine out of water using the proper procedure AND within the time limits. Officially, the answer is 2 min, unofficially, you should be able to do pretty much everything under 1 min and I'd keep it under 1 min. You will overheat the carbon seal otherwise which is never cooled unless the boat sits in water. To do this, you need to follow this exact order, otherwise you risk hydrolocking (getting water in) the engine. 1. Engine on. 2. Water pressure on. 3. Water pressure off. 4. Engine off. In essence, there should never be water pressure unless you are running the engine. Make sure to connect the hose to the flush port WITHOUT having pressure in the hose. Many people forget and end up turning the pressure on by mistake. Don't be that person.
- Steering takes some getting used to. But once you DO get used it, you'll love the control you have. It's one of the main selling features (in my opinion) of these Rotax systems.
- eReverse module errors are common because it seems whenever something goes wrong with electrical, it defaults to this error. lol Not a great one to default to. Voltage fluctations can often manifest themselves as this error too. So it's entirely possible you have no issues with the reverse and it's all related to your battery issues.
- Perfect neutral (or close to it) is achievable. I don't have the new medallion computer, but I'm pretty sure you have a neutral adjustment in there. But you'll need to be on the water to adjust this.

Note that your boat uses the same systems as the Scarab brand. So that section of the forum can be very useful to you.

Thanks for the quick answers!
Reversing Polarity: my friend who had it on their battery accidentally reversed. The master was on because we were trying to jump start the boat it was only for about 5 seconds, didn’t seem to fry anything though as everything works now although the reverse could be a symptom of. something we fried.

As for running the motor, and sorry for being naive but when you say water pressure do you mean you take a water hose and run it into something to simulate the water cooling? So you wouldn’t run completely dry for even 10-20 seconds?

Also a battery question, is there a chance the new battery I put in isn’t strong enough? It is a 12V and right size but is there a minimum type of battery strength I need? Everything seems to work with it (except reverse module).

 

[MaineLakeJetDude]

One other question is there a guide to find out where all of the breakers, relays etc are located? I found on box on the port side of the engine and it seems there are some fuses behind the port side of the pilot area too.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Noted on the polarity. You probably didn't cause melting with 5 sec... but yeah, you can definitely blow fuses in a fraction of a second.

That's correct on the hose. 10 seconds would be fine with no water. I wouldn't run it any longer than that personally. The exhaust system heats up really fast and needs water cooling.

It's unlikely that the battery is too small. These are the same engines in jet skis that use pretty small batteries. But it is possible your battery is damaged with the polarity issue.

Finally, I strongly recommend you read the BRP Operator's Manual, go here: BRP GUIDES

Then click on:

Rotax > JPS > Two letter code reprensting your year (2014 = AA, so 2019 = AJA) > Engine HP

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

The fuse box on the port side will be shown in that BRP manual since it's the engine fuse box. The fuse box itself should have a sticker on it showing what they are too. The second fuse box by the pilot area is likely the boat manufacturer for that one. So you'd have to get a hold of the Chaparral manual. @Micah Thompson is an excellent resource for Chap boats (amongst many things!). At the very least, look at his past posts.

 

[MaineLakeJetDude]

So I am on the water finally and here is what happened:
Likely fried the INR with the reverse polarity jump as it was replaced and now works well.
Lessons learned: make sure battery is secure before longish rides, when jumping a battery watch your friend closely if they are hooking up to their car (I just bought the portable jumpers that I am going to keep on the boat just in case)
The radio also didn’t work although the screen would come up I couldn’t hear sound and the volume buttons didn’t work, the 10amp cylinder fuse under the port side “glove box” was blown and now this is fixed.

Now just have to get used to the jet boat drift in neutral but I am playing with the neutral adjustment (-15 goes more backward +15 goes forward e.g. bucket down more vs. bucket up more. Also hard for me to find the center on the wheel especially in reverse but I read about the zip tie trick where you zip tie the top center of your steering wheel to know your wheel true middle.

And big thanks to @Luc Lafreniere and others for some great advice.

 

[Dean P]

Some people place a piece of colored tape (electrical) to mark the center.

As far as a dead battery and having to jump it, invest in a 12V battery pack like this one. Much safer and has safe guards built in to prevent reversing. I keep mine on the boat at all times.

Sorry you had a terrible start, but these are great boats. Absolutely love mine.

As @Luc Lafreniere stated, these boats are very sensititive to battery level AND quality/octane of fuel. Make sure your battery is always fully charged (battery tender is [almost] a must). I only put premium gas in my VRX. Tried lower rated fuel and had all kinks of issues.

@Micah Thompson can be found here. Tons of good info there too.

 

[MaineLakeJetDude]

@Dean P Some great nuggets thanks. I took it out for an extended Labor day weekend and absolutely love it: tubing, sunset cruising, ripping down my lake. Going to install the thrust vectors from the deal and see if that helps with the delayed handling at low speeds as it gets windy with current on my lake and docking can be tricky.

 

[MaineLakeJetDude]

Some people place a piece of colored tape (electrical) to mark the center.

As far as a dead battery and having to jump it, invest in a 12V battery pack like this one. Much safer and has safe guards built in to prevent reversing. I keep mine on the boat at all times.

Sorry you had a terrible start, but these are great boats. Absolutely love mine.

As @Luc Lafreniere stated, these boats are very sensititive to battery level AND quality/octane of fuel. Make sure your battery is always fully charged (battery tender is [almost] a must). I only put premium gas in my VRX. Tried lower rated fuel and had all kinks of issues.

@Micah Thompson can be found here. Tons of good info there too.

Thanks, one question do you recharge your battery after the boat has been sitting for a couple of weeks? Any tips for charging as the electronics seem to be sensitive e.g. turn off connection, unhook from boat. Thanks!

 

[Dean P]

Thanks, one question do you recharge your battery after the boat has been sitting for a couple of weeks? Any tips for charging as the electronics seem to be sensitive e.g. turn off connection, unhook from boat. Thanks!

My boat sits on a lift behind my house and is always plugged in. You could consider investing in a trickle charge solar panel or possibly removing the battery if the boat will sit for extended periods of time and charge at your home.

 

[Postie]

YAMAHA BOATS COME WITH A BATTERY SWITCH. I just bought an SX190, and I have to ask the sealer, when I pick it up, if the switch has to be switched off, every time that I shut down. I have a lift at my home, and I would like to be able to dock for a while, and then maybe go for another ride. Turning it on and off sounds like a pain.
I bought the Yamaha because, in my area, there are no Chaparral dealers, and the Sea Doo dealers don't want to service anything, other than their own. As well, Yamaha does look after their customers.
I like that suggestion about a solar panel, to use a Battery Tender. Going to keep that in mind; great idea!
My neighbor has a 223 Vortex, and is always having something go wrong. Beautiful boat, to look at, but now, he is trying to sell it. I am not going to tell him about mine, until it shows up on my lift.
This is a great thread, for everyone!
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!