Chaparral to drop vortex?

[Dean P]

Now I’m thoroughly confused...

Don't be. It's a fantastic boat.

 

[JetTech72]

I hope it's not going to happen as a Vortex is an amazing Jet boat. The VRX 223 is probably the best JetBoat on the market, followed by a Scarab 255 Open.
The main problem of Chaparral Vortex jetboat is Chaparral dealer network. Too many dealers don't want to embrace the brand, and basically use the Vortex as a lure to bring people in that are looking for a jetboat after seeing a Yamaha, but then try to sell them a H2O. They have a great boat but just can't sell it, while Yamaha is selling close to 5000 boats a year. Those dealers that embrace the Vortex line, are doing great with it.
I guess it's difficult to show an old stubborn dog some new tricks.

 

[Franced123]

I hope it's not going to happen as a Vortex is an amazing Jet boat. The VRX 223 is probably the best JetBoat on the market, followed by a Scarab 255 Open.
The main problem of Chaparral Vortex jetboat is Chaparral dealer network. Too many dealers don't want to embrace the brand, and basically use the Vortex as a lure to bring people in that are looking for a jetboat after seeing a Yamaha, but then try to sell them a H2O. They have a great boat but just can't sell it, while Yamaha is selling close to 5000 boats a year. Those dealers that embrace the Vortex line, are doing great with it.
I guess it's difficult to show an old stubborn dog some new tricks.

I totally agree my dealer has embraced it and they have sold a bunch. These guys know that the market is there. I really thought they were bullshitiing me until I seen how many vortex they had sitting in there marina. The crazy part is that I dont take mine to the river much and this guys had 15 of them floating in his river marina. I was super worried at first about not having cleanouts but after talking with some chap engineers and the guys at the doc it seems the hauls are designed to push any debris out of the way so the intake grates dont suck anything up. I have had mine out at least 10 times this season on multiple lakes. As long as your in dock mode and aware if your surroundings at the dock you wont have any issues. The people I have seen getting towed in this year have been 2 jet skis that had sucked up their own ropes, doesn't matter if u have cleanouts or not with a rope stuck up in there. Now that I've had it out so many times without ever needing the cleanouts I'm extremely happy I went with the the 223 vrx. We have had a blast wakeboarding and tubing, also the ski mode is incredible, my fiance has been able to perfectly get me out of the water and stay at constant 19mph during wakeboarding. Before we figured out ski mode i thought she was just trying to get rid of her old man haha! Now that I heard about the new vortex plant I'm even more excited because they have to be here to stay.

 

[Scottintexas]

s that had sucked up their own ropes, doesn't matter if u have cleanouts or not with a rope stuck up in there.

I've sucked up a rope 5 different times, with cleanout ports it may take an hour (depending on the rope) but I've never had to be towed in


.

 

[JetTech72]

I've sucked up a rope 5 different times, with cleanout ports it may take an hour (depending on the rope) but I've never had to be towed in


.

I would think you should learn after the 1st time that driving on your rope in boating is a no no, 5 times LOL!! Honestly the clean out port is a real good showroom feature, not always practical & does cause some issues (port leaking thus making boat cavitate, plug needs to be maintained otherwise they are difficult (impossible) to remove, safety switch failure or adjustment will cause the engines to stop ...)

 

[Franced123]

I've sucked up a rope 5 different times, with cleanout ports it may take an hour (depending on the rope) but I've never had to be towed in


.

That's sweet. Is the lake riddled with ropes? I have seen small pieces of r

I would think you should learn after the 1st time that driving on your rope in boating is a no no, 5 times LOL!! Honestly the clean out port is a real good showroom feature, not always practical & does cause some issues (port leaking thus making boat cavitate, plug needs to be maintained otherwise they are difficult (impossible) to remove, safety switch failure or adjustment will cause the engines to stop ...)

I agree 5 ropes would suck! Good luck on you next outing being rope free.

 

[ripler]

There's a Chap dealer near me that sells the Vortex and I've seen several on my pool. I would be real curious about sucking up debris since I do it quite often. Not having clean outs is a real deal breaker for me. I don't understand how they can say the hull is designed to keep debris out especially when the debris is in the water.

 

[ChrisM]

I think the mention of the new assembly plant may be referring to the new plant they opened back in 2015.

Chaparral and Robalo Boats open new manufacturing plant

Chaparral Boats Opens New Boat Plant

Chaparral/Robalo Open New Manufacturing Plant in Georgia | Fishing Wire

My not so local dealer has dropped the Vortex line as well a few years ago. Gave the reason that due to multiple color & option combinations it was impossible to keep adequate inventory for customers to see, I feel it's more of a lack of local demand for the jet platform, and the nationally advertised pricing doesn't garner much of a profit margin.
With that said, dealer warranty issues on the Vortex line specifically related to the BRP engine package, and other non Chaparral equipment are not possible for the dealers if they no longer actively carry the Vortex product. The Vortex line requires it's own licensure to the dealers both from Chaparral, and BRP.
My 4.5 year old Medallion console will be replaced when the warranty part arrives soon due to de-lamination, and the dealer will be able to replace, and activate it because the medallion is still used in other Chaparral products according to the dealer.

 

[RPD74]

I am finding that the Chaparral dealer I purchased my Vortex boat from no longer honors the warranty at all. So I have an under-warranty boat that will not be worked on by any Chaparral dealer or Seedoo BRP product service centers. The Chaparral dealer stopped selling these boats and apparently arranged for another marine service group to do future service and warranty work on the boats they sold. However that company has also severed their arrangement with BRP and no longer will have anything to do with the Vortex boats. None of these entities will even offer a suggestion of where I might go.

Does anyone in this group have any advice or thoughts?

 

[Dean P]

I am finding that the Chaparral dealer I purchased my Vortex boat from no longer honors the warranty at all. So I have an under-warranty boat that will not be worked on by any Chaparral dealer or Seedoo BRP product service centers. The Chaparral dealer stopped selling these boats and apparently arranged for another marine service group to do future service and warranty work on the boats they sold. However that company has also severed their arrangement with BRP and no longer will have anything to do with the Vortex boats. None of these entities will even offer a suggestion of where I might go.

Does anyone in this group have any advice or thoughts?

Where are you located?

 

[Scottintexas]

I am finding that the Chaparral dealer I purchased my Vortex boat from no longer honors the warranty at all. So I have an under-warranty boat that will not be worked on by any Chaparral dealer or Seedoo BRP product service centers. The Chaparral dealer stopped selling these boats and apparently arranged for another marine service group to do future service and warranty work on the boats they sold. However that company has also severed their arrangement with BRP and no longer will have anything to do with the Vortex boats. None of these entities will even offer a suggestion of where I might go.

Does anyone in this group have any advice or thoughts?

Glad to have you on board sorry your having this issue,

As Dean asked,

1. where are you
2. What dealer did you buy the boat from
3. what service center did they refer you to that is also not handling BRP anymore



it's very discouraging to hear news like that,



.

 

[RPD74]

Where are you located?

I am in League City, Texas.

 

[Dean P]

Maybe try calling Chaparral directly to get guidance. That does suck. Very surprising your dealer left you stranded with no options.

What warranty work are you seeking?

 

[RPD74]

I am in League City, Texas.

Sorry, I missed your full post. I purchased the boat from Texas Marine in Kemah, TX. When they stopped carrying the Vortex line they arranged with Marine Max to handle service and warranty requirements for the boats they sold. Since then Marine Max has stopped supporting the Vortex BRP engines. They do not have any other suggestion except to try the Seedoo dealers, since they use the BRP drives. However, the Seedoo dealers are not geared for boats and they tell me the software is different. I did find a dealer in Austin (200 miles away) that works on Vortex engines, but they will not work on one they did not sell.

The Vortex website lists a dealer that services their boat, but that dealer appears to be a brokerage only dealer and they cannot do service on the Vortex boats.

 

[RPD74]

Maybe try calling Chaparral directly to get guidance. That does suck. Very surprising your dealer left you stranded with no options.

What warranty work are you seeking?

I have an issue with my Viper 2 touch screen, that may or may not be fixed by Texas Marine. I am trying to resolve that with them now since that is a Chaparral component. My engine warranty issue is excessive exhaust cloud in operation. It may be trivial, but it has highlighted to me that when my engine needs major work, I have no options.

 

[Scottintexas]

Wow!, when the 5th largest metropolitan area in the US they pull out of the market and your can't get service that would seriously make me consider buying a brand, talk about being left stranded,

I would try to contact Chapparal directly, this just sounds ridiculous and I can certainly believe somebody at a dealership just trying to sluff you off but then again, do you want to force them to handle your boat repair ??

Didn't we have a dealer in SW Florida on the board that help with advice on the carbon seal issues ?? maybe he could give advice on a good contact at Chapparal to grease the wheels,

again, 5th largest metro area and they leave a customer high/dry, that's not building a good rep.

 

[GeauxDeep]

My brother lives in Knoxville, TN. He bought a new 2018 203 Vortex in December of '18 I think it was, dealer was Aquaknox....anyway, went with his wife's family last week to Tim's Ford Lake for a week, dropped his boat in on the first day and the e-reverse module went out (this is what he told me anyway). Said it was stuck in forward and wouldnt go to neutral or reverse. Didnt get to use his boat the whole time they were there. Took it to the dealer when they got back and there were 3 other Vortex boats already sitting in the lot waiting for the exact same fix as his. They told him it was going to be 6 weeks at a minimum before they even got parts. and the other 3 boats were ahead of him. His dealer did confirm that they are dropping the vortex line. If it were me, I'd be very cautious of getting into one of these boats right now. Just my opinion.

 

[Dean P]

I have an issue with my Viper 2 touch screen, that may or may not be fixed by Texas Marine. I am trying to resolve that with them now since that is a Chaparral component. My engine warranty issue is excessive exhaust cloud in operation. It may be trivial, but it has highlighted to me that when my engine needs major work, I have no options.

There is a Chaparral FB group you should join. Micah, the admin/owner of the group, just purchased a new 2020 223 VRX. He actually took a tour of the Chaparral plant and watched (I believe) his boat being built. Speaking with him may help. Good luck.

 

[ChrisM]

The best contact I have used at Chaparral is Robin Keller in cust service. She has been absolutely selfless in helping me in the past. If you can get to her she may be able to provide assistance, or direct you to the proper people. The contact number for Chaparral seems to now be missing from the google results, but shows up on map quest. There is one dealer listed in your area.

 

[RPD74]

Thanks for input. I do follow the Chaparral Vortex Boaters Group on Facebook. It is the most useful and pleasant Facebook group ever established.

I have spoken to a Chaparral customer service rep and it seems I will be able to get the control system repaired or replaced, although this is still uncertain. Finding someone to service the BRP engine is still an issue. When I get this resolved one way or the other I will post the outcome.