Test driving 223 vrx tomorrow, need input ASAP

[Jeff Cox]

Hi all,
Looking for ASAP input as the Ocean City Boat show is next weekend and this boat is going to the show to be sold. Was ready to by Yam AR210, found the Chaparral 223 VRX and fell in love. Fit and finish way nicer. Styling way nicer. Family of 7, 2 younger children, 3 teens. Salt water, bays and ocean of Delaware/Maryland. Will be trailered. I've done tons of research on internet, don't know anyone that owns a jet boat to ask for more info. Here's my questions:
1. I am sold on the reliability of the Yamaha engines, still slightly skeptical on the vortex. Any real life use info is appreciated.
2. Here's the pricing we have worked out: new in showroom 2015 223 VRX, grey with twin 250's, medallion, aluminum trailer upgrade, anchor, cockpit and bow cover (sunbrella). sticker 60,970, offer 56,000. He says that he has to charge me the prep fee and destination charges that are approx 2,000-is this negotiable from other's experiences?
3. Has anyone that bought a vortex ever regretted the lack of clean out ports? Have you ever had debris stuck and had issues?
That's the questions for now, thanks in advance for your time! Jeff

 

[BobJohnson]

regarding reliability... Not much I can offer here. Chaparrals have only been out for 1 year. But, in that 1 year, I didn't have issues at all. I didn't see anyone online in this or on the Chaparral site talking about issues either. The engines have been around in other applications for a while, so hopefully someone else can chime in.
I don't think the prep charge is negotiable.
regarding the clean out ports... sure I would love to have them, but again, in my 1 year with the boat (in a shallow and very weedy in spots lake) I had no issues with anything getting stuck. The sleeve around the shaft is supposed to help and it looks like it does. Sure, something can make it to them impellers, but I think they get chopped up quick there.

Overall, I love my Chap. Sure I wish it had more history with it, so I could come on here and have years and wealth of knowledge on my boat to read about like the Yamaha guys do. But, the chap group is growing.

Yours sounds nice. 2x 250's will haul. I have the 2 x 150's and that is plenty for us. We do watersports and cruise around. Never had any lack of power feelings with mine, so yours will be great. The medallion system is wonderful. Full of features like cruise control, eco mode and pre set speed settings.

Let us know how the test drive goes. You must live somewhere way south of me (Chicago area), as I can only dream of boating right now.

 

[Jeff Cox]

Thanks for the reply. Would love to get one of the more "flashy" colors, but the only leftover is the "stealth", with a $6,000 price reduction, plus the 5 year warranty. Is it better to ask for accessories to be thrown in? He knows I have been seriously contemplating the Yamaha and knows I'm buying a boat this week.

South is only Delaware, expecting 44 degrees tomorrow so bundling up warmly before the test drive. I'll take some pics and give test drive feedback after tomorrow. If anyone else has anything to offer on the topic love to hear it! Have one week before it goes off to the boat show.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

All boats have problems. The key to a fun and successful boating season remains in your dealers hands. It's hard to gauge how long repairs take unless you know someone who uses your dealer for service and can tell you average repair times. In my experience, BRP motors have a lot of sensor related malfunctions that throw check engine codes and occasionally limit throttle. I have never had a code or throttle limit in my 11 year old Yamaha nor on my friends set of Yamaha skis.

No matter what brand you choose, have fun and hold the pressure of quick repairs on your dealer.

 

[Vandyman]

Your price for 2x250's is pretty good... that's about what I paid last year for 2x200's. No issues so far w/o clean-outs. Had to have my Medallion display replaced as it was faulty but performed while in for 1st scheduled maintenance so they had new unit on hand.

 

[PMChapVortex]

I have been waiting for someone to give some feedback on the 223 with the twin 250's ....THAT boat will fly! Don't strain your head on the lack of clean out ports that much. both systems are equally effective. with that said tally that for getting the boat you like. Reliability - Bombardier ..now BRP maker of the Rotax motors we all know from Sea-Doo's, ski doo's, the atvs, can-ams, karting motors, and light aircraft motors... you don't build motors that suck and remain in business especially when aviation is involved. The biggest concern is that of the superchargers and the infamous ceramic washer... the problem was addressed years back and now uses a steel washer.. the ceramic one was disintegrating in the superchargers and getting sucked into the motors and ruining them. With you being in salt water having the closed loop cooling system is huge.. the motors aren't drawing raw water from the ocean for cooling and means when you are done using it you wont have to flush the motors. Not only a convenience factor but also reduces risk of potential corrosion later on.

PRICE!
I just went this weekend to my areas winter boat show. The local dealers boats were "nationally advertised pricing" wouldn't budge on price. What you see is the price. They also had a 2015 available and were offering a rebate of $1000 or $1500 I don't remember which. So definitely ask about that if they are not already advertising it .. Also for 2016 for boat show season Chaparral and BRP are offering a 5 year premium warranty on motor and accessories for a limited time.. not sure when the registration ends... they were honoring it on the 2015's that they had at the show!

Good luck I would suggest going in at $60k especially if you are thinking you want that boat. There was quite a buzz around the Vortex's at the local show. They had already had sold tags on 2 of the 5 at the show on the second day when i attended. With this being the second year for the Vortexes the kinks are addressed and people are finding out they exist. It also helps that you can surf behind them which is the "to do" water sport where I live in Texas. GOOD luck! keep us updated.

 

[BobJohnson]

@Jeff Cox how did the test drive go?

 

[JetTech72]

If I'm not mistaking Vortex base standard warranty is 3yrs/480hrs & lifetime for the hull, that's way better than what you will get from Yamaha.

 

[OrangeTJ]

The Vortex boats look really, really nice and the longer warranty is a nice "comfort". That said, I have not had a single solitary issue with my 2011 Yamaha. Granted, it's a simpler boat than the Chap or a newer Yamaha. Can't wait to hear the impression of the twin 250s. Aside from how strong it is, I'm particularly interested in the noise level. Easy to maintain a conversation with others in the boat at 30+ mph without shouting or straining to hear?

 

[BobJohnson]

I can tell you on my twin 150's, the noise level is very comfortable. We can talk while cruising at 30'ish mph across the boat and from the back of the boat to the bow. The noise from the wind and the water splashing seems to be a bigger deterrent to being heard then the engines. But, this is 200 hp less (300 vs 500 total) than what the OP was testing, so love to hear what he or someone else with 250's thought of the sound level.

 

[Duane652000]

Bump, I want to hear more about the Vortex. There just isn't enough chatter about the, being so new to the market and all.

 

[Jeff Cox]

Hi all,
Bundled up the kids and spent 45 minutes out in the water on a rocket ship. Even though it's still in the 7 hour break in period limited to 7,000 rpm, I hit max speed of 45 mph, slight chop, slight wind, 3/4 tank of gas, 3 adults and 4 kids. It is expected to do around 54 mph when the break in period is over. Acceleration was brisk, handling tight, a little bit of slipping in the water on harder turns, not sure if that's normal with jets. I have not driven jet boats before, so the low speed driving had a learning curve. It seemed to be easier with the lateral thrust system, will take some getting used to. The engine sound was "loud" but you could talk to each other without raising voice significantly when wide open. At cruise we were easily able to talk. The boat is gorgeous, hands down (in my opinion) so much nicer than the AR210 and the 212x that we had been considering. There was no comparison in looks, fit and finish, attention to detail and style. The AR210 was almost "plain looking" (sorry Yamaha fans, not intending to spark a war-just stating my one opinion).
Neon lights throughout the boat, stock 6 speaker stereo was very good, I didn't see any need to upgrade other than add wakeboard speakers. Tons of room for my 7 person family. Both wife and I like the transom seating and swim platform better than the Yamaha (padding under the butt is nice, swim platform larger).
Current pricing agreed to with the dealer is the $56,000 for the twin 250's, aluminum trailer, medallion, bow filler cushion, bow and cockpit cover. Right now 5 year warranty included for free.
Pics may be too big to embed, they keep getting rejected, here's the links:
https://goo.gl/photos/ajLKh9t5eLr7hK887
https://goo.gl/photos/yQ8LDKfW7WC3dN9M9
https://goo.gl/photos/QuaasDBhJKvcPz2E6
https://goo.gl/photos/zXFPgeohiskYzd4J7
https://goo.gl/photos/cWjfUtt8VCVmrWTJ9

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Hi all,
Bundled up the kids and spent 45 minutes out in the water on a rocket ship. Even though it's still in the 7 hour break in period limited to 7,000 rpm, I hit max speed of 45 mph, slight chop, slight wind, 3/4 tank of gas, 3 adults and 4 kids. It is expected to do around 54 mph when the break in period is over. Acceleration was brisk, handling tight, a little bit of slipping in the water on harder turns, not sure if that's normal with jets. I have not driven jet boats before, so the low speed driving had a learning curve. It seemed to be easier with the lateral thrust system, will take some getting used to. The engine sound was "loud" but you could talk to each other without raising voice significantly when wide open. At cruise we were easily able to talk. The boat is gorgeous, hands down (in my opinion) so much nicer than the AR210 and the 212x that we had been considering. There was no comparison in looks, fit and finish, attention to detail and style. The AR210 was almost "plain looking" (sorry Yamaha fans, not intending to spark a war-just stating my one opinion).
Neon lights throughout the boat, stock 6 speaker stereo was very good, I didn't see any need to upgrade other than add wakeboard speakers. Tons of room for my 7 person family. Both wife and I like the transom seating and swim platform better than the Yamaha (padding under the butt is nice, swim platform larger).
Current pricing agreed to with the dealer is the $56,000 for the twin 250's, aluminum trailer, medallion, bow filler cushion, bow and cockpit cover. Right now 5 year warranty included for free.
Pics may be too big to embed, they keep getting rejected, here's the links:
https://goo.gl/photos/ajLKh9t5eLr7hK887
https://goo.gl/photos/yQ8LDKfW7WC3dN9M9
https://goo.gl/photos/QuaasDBhJKvcPz2E6
https://goo.gl/photos/zXFPgeohiskYzd4J7
https://goo.gl/photos/cWjfUtt8VCVmrWTJ9

That's a good looking boat you have there @Jeff Cox Congrats and enjoy. Can't wait to hear the feedback after break-in and WOT!!!!

 

[veedubtek]

Beautiful!

And I agree. Even on the older seadoos, the fit and finish was far superior. Until Yammy updates the 21'ers (later this year?), they are really hard to compare from a cosmetic and dash stroker perspective. Especially since we don't even have sx/ar 21's this year. Hoping to see something exciting this fall though!

 

[MattFX4]

That is a beautiful boat. My wife and I looked at the Yamaha AR240's and the Chap 243's a few weeks ago at the Atlanta boat show. Right away I could tell the Chap's were superior in fit and finish. The boat just felt more complete, and had that wow factor. My wife also really liked the Chap's. Not bashing the Yamaha at all, I would take one tomorrow and be happy. I'm not surprised at all the Chaparral is nicer, but it shows up in the pricing. On the other hand I prefer the Yamaha's engines over the BRP option. The Chap's burn way more fuel at full throttle, but pretty comparable at cruise. The noise also seems to be an issue on the Chap compared to the new Yamaha 24'ers. I am hoping the competition in the marketplace forces Yamaha to up their game for '17.

 

[Vandyman]

That's a great deal on a gorgeous boat.... hint though about trailering: remove the floor mats if trailering w/o a cover. Maybe it is general knowledge to do so (live and learn), but Chaparral reduced the number of snaps and I had 1 or 2 apparently fly out on first trip back to dealer (and paid $200 for replacements). After break in I bet you can hit the high-50's, as I got to 53 with the twin 200's. I am so ready for spring.....

 

[MattFX4]

Oh, meant to ask, how is the space in the bow area? I really like the wide squared off design of the Yamaha's bow. The Chaparral looks to have a more narrow, pointy bow design.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Beautiful! Are the seat cushions hinged on the bottom or do you have to lift them out/remove to access the storage underneath them? I know the 243
Has hinged seats but not sure about the 223. That's a nice feature that I would like on my next boat.

 

[Duane652000]

Really nice rig. I too want the stealth grey to match my truck, but wow the red, lime and yellow really pop! I'd love to get a 224, but I really need a head! I don't understand why Chap offer a head on their other 22 footers, but not on the Vortex, which is why I currently am saving for a 24'.

I also think that the yammy's have a better more reliable power plants, but think the Chap will handle better with the thrust vectoring and deeper bow.

Of course I'm speculating because I haven't yet driven a Vortex.

 

[smashedheadcat]

Thank you Jeff for sharing your experience with the boat. I am serving overseas until the fall, but plan to pick up a boat this winter. The jets are my first choice and I have a soft-spot for those chaparrals, so I really enjoy reading posts about them.