I know there's a lot of yamaha fans here...

[Morrowcat]

I've been lurking this forum for a bit and decided to join this great community. I've seen a lot of help and answers so thumbs up to all of you experts. While i dont currently own a boat, I am in the market. As stated is the title, I've heard all the good and bad on yamaha and see that they're a great choice. Thanks to scarabMike I've noticed the issues that scarab is seeing ( they are a beautiful boat and hope things get fixed with them) and now have a lot of answers. I have given both of these brands a serious thought as well as chaparral. What I haven't seen on here is a lot about chaparral. My question is, is there not a lot of chap members here or are they not having a lot of issues like some of the other jet boat manufacturers? If it's that they're not having issues then yamaha and chaparral are going to become my two choices to shop. Thanks in advance for any replies and advice.

 

[Vandyman]

@Morrowcat I think there are a few Chap folks here, but not many I guess due in large part to the newness of their model. I just hit 16 hours on my 223VRX today and have not had any major issues. I absolutely LOVE the build quality and look of my 223. Performance is awesome (still getting used to after years of stern drives), and the family loves it as well (just started wakeboarding). It is noisier than I would like, but at 30mph people on back seats can converse w/o yelling (I think it is quieting down as it breaks-in). The only issue I've had is with my Medallion display.... kept freezing so the dealer replaced it, works fine now. So far no issue having no clean-out ports, probably my biggest initial concern. I do like the fact that it has closed-loop cooling. So many choices, so few funds......

 

[Gym]

I've been lurking this forum for a bit and decided to join this great community. I've seen a lot of help and answers so thumbs up to all of you experts. While i dont currently own a boat, I am in the market. As stated is the title, I've heard all the good and bad on yamaha and see that they're a great choice. Thanks to scarabMike I've noticed the issues that scarab is seeing ( they are a beautiful boat and hope things get fixed with them) and now have a lot of answers. I have given both of these brands a serious thought as well as chaparral. What I haven't seen on here is a lot about chaparral. My question is, is there not a lot of chap members here or are they not having a lot of issues like some of the other jet boat manufacturers? If it's that they're not having issues then yamaha and chaparral are going to become my two choices to shop. Thanks in advance for any replies and advice.

Welcome to the forum @Morrowcat. You've come to the right place to do your pre buying homework. There is a Chaparral forum on here under "Boat Types." I spent a year lurking this site prior to buying my Yamaha which allowed me to become a knowledgeable buyer. I knew what to look for and the sellers knew it. Jump in and ask away. There is a lot of experience on this forum to draw from.

 

[Morrowcat]

@Vandyman ...did you go with the 200 or 250 hp option? If it was the 200, any thought you should have gone with the 250?

 

[Vandyman]

@Morrowcat I went with the twin 200 setup. I can't imagine needing more and have not even pushed mine hard yet. Outrunning a squall once had me maxing them out but with 6 people was still moving along over 50mph. Except for watersports, I'm good around 30mph. Maybe on the larger 240 setup would the 250's be desired, but I have not regretted my choice at all. Note: In my younger days where speed was everything I might have wanted more, but for my family now we are quite happy.

 

[Morrowcat]

Also to anyone that wants to add their two cents...I originally was looking at 19 ft boats and everyone seems to say the same...buy your second boat first. As this community is full of experience. ...I'm listening. I don't want my family to outgrow my boat so I'm looking at 22 ft boats, mainly 223 vrx and 212x...so if you have any input to these models please chime in

 

[RiverRat]

I think one thing to note that this site is essentially a spinoff of a dedicated Yamaha Jet Boat site... a much much much much better spinoff. While that pretty much made the initial membership mainly Yamaha owners, we welcome all makes here, and we all are looking forward to the day when the knowledge base is equal between all manufacturers here!

I have a 192 and works great for my small family of 4, and the occasional friend or two I take along. But.......... I was recently introduced to the wonderful world of Wake Surfing by some of the awesome members of this board and I'm hooked. Now I can see a bigger boat in my future, just based on the need for more ballast. Good luck in your search, the Chapparrals look very nice, they've always made very nice boats!

 

[Morrowcat]

@Vandyman ....I greatly appreciate you're input. Did you go with the ballast setup, stereo upgrade? Any options that are a must have? Would you keep the medallion display doing it again? Sorry for hammering you with questions but you guys are my best source of info.

 

[Morrowcat]

@RiverRat ....my family is the same size, wife and two kids. My apprehensive approach on 19 ft is exactly that...my kids are younger and surfing my be something that becomes a must...I grew up surfing on the west coast and I think I could definitely get hooked on wake surfing as a family activity. That and I am fearful if we bring along another three people a 19 ft might feel cramped?

 

[Bruce]

Currently 4.3% of members are Scarab owners while only 0.93% are Chaparral owners. I do not know if this is representative of their proportional sales. I hope that we will see more Chaparral owners in the future.

 

[GTBRMC]

Also to anyone that wants to add their two cents...I originally was looking at 19 ft boats and everyone seems to say the same...buy your second boat first. As this community is full of experience. ...I'm listening. I don't want my family to outgrow my boat so I'm looking at 22 ft boats, mainly 223 vrx and 212x...so if you have any input to these models please chime in

Welcome aboard, @Morrowcat

The Chaps are beautiful jetboats. Haven't seen any on the water, and not a ton of discussion here, but it is a new boat line.

Regarding your comment about the 223 vrx and 212 x...you may want to wait a couple weeks before you decide. Yamaha holds their annual dealer meeting in mid to late August, where they announce their new model year boat lineup. There are very credible rumors that there will be a new model to replace the 212 x announced at this year's meeting. Such a new model announcement would pressure 2015 model prices downward and also give you another option to consider with the new 2016 model.

Anyway, we are looking forward to more Chap jetboaters joining us and increasing the knowledge and support base here. If you go the Chap route, you can be one of the vanguard for those beautiful boats.

Good luck in your quest!

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

Welcome aboard. I started off in the same place as you, went and looked at boats and settled on the Yamaha due to past experience with their marine engines etc. I purchased the AR192 and at first it was excellent. I bought it at the end of the year last year and only put 10 hours on it before season ended. This year I took my extended family out, the 192 did well for just running around with them but when we tried to do water sports with the extra weight on board, it suffered. I did like the boat for room, that was not an issue but I quickly re-thought my options and decided to sell outright and upgrade to the 212X. I wish I made it my first purchase. It has a lot more room, not that we were cramped but it is plainly apparent once you are out on it for the day. The second benefit was the twins. So much more power it easily handles everything I ask of it, loaded with people and ballast it has no problems. So far we have only tubed with it as I need to get a wedge this winter but we load the ballast while tubing, 5 or 6 people on the boat, 3 on the tube and full ballast makes for a very fun ride and it does it all well.

 

[RiverRat]

I by no means want to steer anyone away from a 19 footer, but I also understand the 2nd boat first thing. Even though I can see a larger, more wake friendly boat in my future, I'm in no hurry to upgrade. I love my boat, and it does everything I ask it to do with ease. It's super easy to tow long distance (under 3k with surge brakes) and despite the supercharger pretty easy on fuel. I'm sure that will change once I get heavy into surfing. It also fits in my garage pretty nicely. And with maintenance it's obviously half as much work and parts. 4 spark plugs, 1 filter and 4 quarts of oil.

 

[Scuba_ref]

Also to anyone that wants to add their two cents...I originally was looking at 19 ft boats and everyone seems to say the same...buy your second boat first. As this community is full of experience. ...I'm listening. I don't want my family to outgrow my boat so I'm looking at 22 ft boats, mainly 223 vrx and 212x...so if you have any input to these models please chime in

@Morrowcat We made the transition from an 18' stern drive bow rider and initially our Yamaha seemed huge. Now that we have had it for a year it feels comfortable and cozy (if a boat can be cozy). Granted, I have 2 more kids than you, but as they grow and friends come along you will find you are quickly running out of boat. We love our 23' boat and are always looking for friends to take with us simply because we can. Never could do that in our first boat!

 

[Morrowcat]

Don't get me wrong...I love the idea of a 19 ft boat....less money up front, easier to tow, less maintenence, less money on fuel? (Unsure of supercharged vs 2 n/a)....I've just never heard anyone actually say they wished they had a smaller boat. Whether I'm dropping 35k or 65k....I don't want to have to explain to the wife that I want upgrade the boat three years from the initial purchase. I'm just looking at the future when both my kids want to bring friends along and the in laws are joining too and I've got that voice in the back of my head saying I told you....

 

[Boat Crazy]

I know absolutely nothing about the Chap's. I have not even seen one yet. I would like to welcome you to the most informative and friendly forum you will find on Jetboats with the most up to date upgrades by our fantastic administrators. This place even has an @he.p (help) for emergencies while on the water. Good luck on your search and purchase of your new boat. I will add that I am all for buying your second boat first. I have been there, done that when it comes to upgrading to larger boats. 16,18,19, and now 24.

 

[Morrowcat]

And by the way, thank you to everyone...what a great community. Being new and just joining, to have so many responses so quickly...this shows what kind of people are on this board.

 

[Vandyman]

@Vandyman ....I greatly appreciate you're input. Did you go with the ballast setup, stereo upgrade? Any options that are a must have? Would you keep the medallion display doing it again? Sorry for hammering you with questions but you guys are my best source of info.

@Morrowcat I did not go with the ballast setup as we're not that hardcore enthusiasts (more cruising & swimming). I did go with the Medallion upgrade (tower speakers, sub, etc...) and the sound is awesome. I'm somewhat of a techie and thought about building own system, but am very happy with the factory setup. FYI, I was about to buy a 242 Limited at the boat show here last year (I'd wanted a Yamaha for years), but I saw the Chaparral a booth or two away and something about the Chap just felt "right", plus they made me a good enough deal. I am happy to answer questions as there is not a whole lot on these boats yet.

 

[Julian]

Welcome @Morrowcat it is hard to say how many Chap jet boat owners there are....but they are slowly finding there way here. Lots of jet boat knowledge on this forum....both Yamaha and BRP brands....

 

[robert843]

@Vandyman does the setup you have require 93 octane fuel I just started looking at the chaps they seem to be set up s little better for tougher conditions