Expecting delivery of my new 223VRX next week

[OperationROL]

We did!! Successful launch and weekend. Only put about 2 1/2 hours on her but will provide initial good, bad, and ugly. First, there was no ugly, and really no bad. The engine noise is moderate... About the same as in my old boat. I could easily talk to those in back at 30mph and they said not an issue. I was probably over analyzing it due to reading about it so much but no one else seemed to notice. Would I like quieter? Sure... But not really an issue for me. Handling took some getting used to but was amazing. I've never had a boat that was so nimble or responsive. I didn't push hard due to break-in period (which limits me to 7000 rpm anyway for 7 hours) but the ride was remarkable. Sooo much better than my old 23 footer, and slices thru chop with ease. Fit and finish is also really awesome. The only thing I could not figure out was the stereo system. Could not pick up any stations and the USB recognized my iPhone but would not play from music list. No biggie and I'll research more on that. All in all the fam loves it and we had a blast. Can't wait to get thru the break in period. More to follow, and I'll try for some video. View attachment 21351

Glad it was a great experience. However, you must not know us well.......we want to see LOTS of pictures. One is just a tease!

 

[fairpilot]

Wow very nice, I wish you were closer I would love a ride and check it out. Decided to keep my yamaha thru this year and see if Chaparral make any changes for 2016. Keep us posted on how it is doing, how was reverse and docking, Im curious about the lateral thrust especially control at idle, dows the boat want to wag around, the part i dont like about my boat is when you step out from behind another boats wake you gotta work to maintain control just side slips like crazy, but im sure the new keel on yamaha probably fixed that. ENJOY IT, it is exciting

 

[Vandyman]

Wow very nice, I wish you were closer I would love a ride and check it out. Decided to keep my yamaha thru this year and see if Chaparral make any changes for 2016. Keep us posted on how it is doing, how was reverse and docking, Im curious about the lateral thrust especially control at idle, dows the boat want to wag around, the part i dont like about my boat is when you step out from behind another boats wake you gotta work to maintain control just side slips like crazy, but im sure the new keel on yamaha probably fixed that. ENJOY IT, it is exciting

@fairpilot Reverse and docking are a breeze after about 20 minutes practicing, the first thing I did! A slight turn of the wheel can make a huge difference, but again after one day I feel like a pro. At idle she seems to edge forward just a bit, but a slight pull into reverse and she sits perfectly still and straight (might need an adjustment but not an issue at all). I know what you mean about sliding off other wakes when taken in parallel. I don't know about Yamahas, but the Chap does slip slightly on crossing very gradually. It's not bad and I'll see if I can video next time. A little thrust took care of it, but my old stern drive was a little more solid there.

 

[SCSTWG]

Congrats. Nice looking boat. Excited to learn more about the Chap's.

 

[ScarabMike]

Congrats! She is a beautiful boat. I will eho what every one says.... Pics!

 

[Vandyman]

Great. Very happy for you! Thank you for the great write up also. Set up the closing and delivery date for mine over the weekend. Thursday 5/21 is my day. I feel like I am 5 years old and waiting for Christmas to come.

Keep the updates, pictures and videos coming. I can not read or look at too much stuff while I wait for mine.

Congrats again. Enjoy!

Okay.... here is a video (link on YouTube at

). Not very good (1st time I've used my GoPro) but at least it may show how stable the ride is. Light chop and a slight wake crossing, but the ride is quite good. The engine noise is there but I think the wind and GoPro case may have muffled it. The only negative I have so far is trying to figure out the stereo/navigation. I plan to contact the dealer tomorrow as the instructions do not go into bluetooth/USB connections very well. I also need to see if I can adjust the gates any as there is too much forward progression at idle (when I start engines on my lift it wants to lurch forward slightly before I can move the throttle back just a hair... may try just starting one until I'm out of the dock). At the marina I had 4 other boats ask me "What is that? Never seen one like it" and other positive comments. One other slight negative (until I find a fix).... upon fueling, I must restrict the flow to a very slow fill or the fuel nozzle shuts off due to back pressure. One or two angles seem to help (and I don't think it is a kink or anything) but I'll have to play with it more.

 

[BobJohnson]

Love seeing that!!! Let me know if you learn anything about the forward progression at idle. I am scheduled to take delivery Thr 5/21 and spend time on the water with the dealer learning the ins and outs. Will advise if I see the same issues. Looks like you got it up to 40 mph at one point. Was wondering how fast it would go during the break in period.

 

[ccrayjr]

Keep us updated! I'm going to look at a vrx this weekend.

 

[Vandyman]

Love seeing that!!! Let me know if you learn anything about the forward progression at idle. I am scheduled to take delivery Thr 5/21 and spend time on the water with the dealer learning the ins and outs. Will advise if I see the same issues. Looks like you got it up to 40 mph at one point. Was wondering how fast it would go during the break in period.

I didn't press it hard but at 6700rpm it cruises around 42 or so. I did call the dealer today but his technician was busy and I did not call back. Will try tomorrow and advise if I learn anything useful. I am 99% certain a simple linkage adjustment will fix the forward control.

 

[OrangeTJ]

So awesome! Sounds like the 200 hp engines are going to be sufficient if you're getting 42 at 6700 rpm. What is redline on those engines? Does your have the "medallion" touchscreen system? If so, is the cruise control GPS based, like Perfect Pass?

 

[Vandyman]

@OrangeTJ Redline is 8000 as I recall. While reading either the Medallion instructions (very sparse) or on the system menu, speed is measured by GPS. I hope to learn more answers to my questions shortly but have been in meetings these past few days. Really tough as the weather here is a perfect 10.

 

[ScarabMike]

@OrangeTJ Yes sir, just like the perfect pass. It has several levels built in. Its called "ski mode"

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Wow very nice, I wish you were closer I would love a ride and check it out. Decided to keep my yamaha thru this year and see if Chaparral make any changes for 2016. Keep us posted on how it is doing, how was reverse and docking, Im curious about the lateral thrust especially control at idle, dows the boat want to wag around, the part i dont like about my boat is when you step out from behind another boats wake you gotta work to maintain control just side slips like crazy, but im sure the new keel on yamaha probably fixed that. ENJOY IT, it is exciting

Get yourself some Cobra Ultimates. My Ultimates cured this out of control wake crossing, now she easily and smoothly cuts over wakes with control.

 

[ScarabMike]

One thing I noticed is the boat is really quiet. For a twin engine setup, its as quiert as the Yamaha. I wonder what they did to cure the resonating? Can you take some close ups of the engine bay?

 

[TimH]

have you been able to go anymore? Looking at getting a 223 myself and was wondering if you have any new things to share. Your post has been helpful so far.

 

[BobJohnson]

Looks like I will finally get to start my own version of this thread. Delivery of my boat to the dealer has been promised and push out a couple times by Chaparral this month, but it finally arrived yesterday evening. I am taking delivery this Saturday the 30th. Praying for good weather, or at least no rain, so I can play with it all Saturday and Sunday. Like I said, I will start my own post so as not to steal this one.

@Vandyman would love to hear (and see) more about your boat. How is that forward progression at idle doing? Did you figure something out or need an adjustment? Any other things to look for that you can suggest for the first day out? I will be spending time on the water Saturday with someone from my dealer to walk me through the driving/handling of the boat, so be a great time to address any questions.

 

[OrangeTJ]

I am very, very curious about the noise level. I reeeeeealllllly want it to be quiet enough for person-t0-person conversation at speed without shouting. That's the only way I could possibly get spousal approval! Our next boat HAS to be quieter than our SX210.

 

[Vandyman]

Looks like I will finally get to start my own version of this thread. Delivery of my boat to the dealer has been promised and push out a couple times by Chaparral this month, but it finally arrived yesterday evening. I am taking delivery this Saturday the 30th. Praying for good weather, or at least no rain, so I can play with it all Saturday and Sunday. Like I said, I will start my own post so as not to steal this one.

@Vandyman would love to hear (and see) more about your boat. How is that forward progression at idle doing? Did you figure something out or need an adjustment? Any other things to look for that you can suggest for the first day out? I will be spending time on the water Saturday with someone from my dealer to walk me through the driving/handling of the boat, so be a great time to address any questions.

Hi @BobJohnson and @OrangeTJ ...... I wasn't able to take pics or video, but did get about 4 hours in and hit that magical 7 hour break in period. Hopefully between us we will get all of these things figured out. A few notes:
1) I was told I can't really adjust the gates, so have pretty much mastered the forward progression thing. I simply start one engine and quickly pull back slightly on the throttle, providing a hint of reverse. It sits perfectly still, and when ready to motor on out I slip it in neutral and start the other engine. It is really no big deal anymore.
2) Got the stereo figured out (well, my daughter in the pic did)... it sounds amazing. There are no radio stations to speak of (it does pull in NOAA clearly), but our iTune playlist sounds simply awesome. I have not figured out the navigation but was advised to eject the memory card and reinsert. Last resort is to contact Navionics and download some maps.
3) I noticed when putting on the throttle that RPMs advanced to about 7800, and speed registered 51mph. This was with 95% fuel and 3 people on board (in a stiff wind trying to outrun the weather). I didn't notice the hour meters at 7 until afterwards.
4) the sound level around 35mph is quite noticeable, but I could still talk to those in the very back.... did have to shout some.
5) I had more people staring and asking about the boat than I can count. I really love the looks in the water. Bimini top looks and performs perfectly. Maneuverability at the dock and around the pumps is amazing. I would like one more cleat right under the tower, but no biggie.
6) new issue: this was unexpected and quite frustrating during one day, but did not happen the last day at all. While at idle for about 10 minutes through a slew with lots of docks (long no-wake zone), I noticed when I sped up that the speedo and other info did not change- basically, the Medallion screen froze. I also noticed the battery and temp gauges were all pointing down (like when ignition is just turned on). I had to stop completely and restart. Display and gauges would then work, but then freeze again. It might happen after 2 minutes, or after 20 minutes.... just at random. At speed I could tell it was off by 1) depth not changing, 2) speed/tachs not changing, and 3) gauges pointing down. This only happened on one day and before break-in, so not sure if that had anything to do with it,but happened numerous times. The last day on the water, everything worked 100% all day. The dealer has a call in the Chaparral and I hope to learn more later this week.

All in all, I am mastering this thing and loving every minute. These few issues will be addressed I'm sure, but the family absolutely loves this boat and how much interior space it has, and all the attention she gets at the marina. I must also say how well it cuts through the chop- so smooth and precise. Although I would prefer less engine noise at mid to full throttle, it is about the same as what we had in our old boat (thru-hull exhaust) and not a big deal. I hope this helps.... I promise more pics and video soon.

 

[fairpilot]

Man that is all great info, the more of this we can get makes our choices easier. Sounds like a great boat with a few minor kinks, my yamaha had a few issues in the beginning also. keep us posted and Thank you for all your info. Hopefully Bob will have some good input

 

[Flower]

I am very, very curious about the noise level. I reeeeeealllllly want it to be quiet enough for person-t0-person conversation at speed without shouting. That's the only way I could possibly get spousal approval! Our next boat HAS to be quieter than our SX210.

I did a sea trial of the 243 VRX this past weekend. I was surprised at how quiet it was. I'm a first time boater and docked it no problem at all. Now waiting to test a Yami 242 to compare.