undecided on jet or prop

[carlos]

Hi All,
I am interested in getting my second boat , but am not sure if i want an i/o or a jet. I like the new Chaparral
223 vr. with twin 250 jets. I have had an i/o before but not a jet. I will mainly use this boat for cruising and pulling my kids ( 8 and 11) on a tube. And of course the adults on skis and tubes. I am looking for the pros and cons of a jet boat. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

 

[bobbie]

having switched from an i/o this year to a 2014 212x, i cannot praise the yamaha boats enough. it's a priceless feeling knowing there is not a prop behind the boat. i feel more in control with the jets after adding the thrust vectors...we can put that boat anywhere on a dime. huge advantage is the ability to surf behind the boat which turns out is better than disneyland, christmas, and halloween combined. plus you add the fact the maintenance is a fraction what you will spend on winterizing an i/o. not mentioning the risk of hitting an outboard on debris...

go yamaha...you will not regret it

 

[spaz1868]

I too just switched at the beginning of this season from an i/o to a jet boat. The safety factor for the kids was the main driving force for looking at jet boats. But this season has really made me a believer and loyal follower of jet boats. Other than the safety factor, there any numerous other benefits like lower maintenance costs. To me, the pros definitely outweighed the cons. The major criticism for jet boats is the slow handling...I will definitely confirm that there's a little bit of a learning curve. But once you master it, you will be able to maneuver your jet boat as good or maybe even better than an i/o. I am not even saying just consider Yamaha, because there's a lot of really nice looking jet boats entering the market. I don't think you will regret it if you choose to go with a jet boat.

 

[MOA_Chaser]

I love my jet boat and would never go back to an I/O. The lack of a prop, lack of expensive required maintenance, the great hole shot, there's tons of reasons to go with a jet.

However, they ARE different. I'd suggest going to the Member Map area and find someone to take you for a ride so you can experience it. If you want to do a lot of wakeboarding, etc., you might not be happy with it. Myself, for tubing/etc with the kids, it's fine.

 

[Bruce]

Have you been able to drive a Chaparral 223? Would love to hear about it.

I suggest trying some other jets before you make a decision on what to buy.

 

[Ronnie]

Given you are on a jet boat site the responses will be skewed toward getting a jet since mos members here already have.
I wouldn't buy anything but a jet boat until I'm forced to (e.g., my next boat will likely be a cruiser and currently no one offers them with jet propulsion). The safety of a jet over a prop cannot be over emphasized. Earlier this Summer I drifted into a no boating zone. When I realized it I immediaey powered up to move the boat back into a boating zone. Fortunately, I was in a jet boat because I forgot to check and therefore didn't realize that I had several people swimming at the stern. No harm no foul. If I was in a prop the result could have and probably would have been a lot different.

 

[Bilmon]

X2 on all above plus more room than same size i/o with the more compact engines .I've been boating since the 1960,s and I don't see myself ever going back to a prop
Bill

 

[buckbuck]

Love my Yamaha 212X but I would caution you that jets are not a good solution where there is a lot of floating weeds or debris. What kind of conditions will you boat in?

 

[96Pirate]

We love our Yamaha! I have 2 girls (8 & 10) and they love to tube and swim off the swim platform.

Pros
1 - Safety (The main reason we bought a jet boat). I can't tell you how many time the kids have jumped off the deck only to climb right back up. With an i/o I would have been cringing every time for fear they would cut their legs on a prop. No worries here
2 - Swim platform
3 - Low/Inexpensive Maintenance
4 - Yamaha reliability ( I would encourage you to definitely look at the Yamahas)
5 - All Around good boat
6 - Low draft (Just labor day weekend I drove through a 2' area by accident. If I had a prop, I may had lost it)
7 - Clean out plugs (Another reason to look at the Yamahas...I only had to use once but I loved the fact that I did not need to get in the water)
8 - Twin motors (great if one should fail)
9 - More room
10 - Fun to drive

Cons
1 - Initial slow speed maneuvering
2 - Not a pure water sports boat (A good amount of modifications to these boats for ropeless surfing...Then again I would not advise surfing with an i/o, so not really a con when comparing a jet to i/o)

As you can see, many more Pros then Cons.

The only other type of boat I would consider right now is an inboard. Hope this helps!

 

[carlos]

Thanks for the advice so far. Yes i know this is a jet forum but i posted on the chaparral forum and only got one reply. I will be boating on a large lake that is clean for the most part. No i have not had a chance to drive a 223 vr yet. I have looked at the yamaha page and see the sx 240 but my question is with each drive at 180hp will there be much difference to a boat with twin 250hp to pull skiers and tubers ? I really don't care to much about top speed....although it is nice lol. One other thing , is there jet spray that will splash in the eyes of a tuber?
Thanks,

 

[octavio3311]

Keep in mind that all propulsion systems each have their own pros and cons. I/O's, outboards, inboards or jets. They all have specific strengths.
That said, I too came from I/O's. I will never go back to an I/O.
The only other option I would consider would be an inboard wakeboat.

 

[Evil Sports]

Safety was not driving force in my decision, super low draft, almost zero maintenance and ease of repair if needed were the determining factors.

 

[Bilmon]

60-70 ft rope will minimize jet spray issues. Shouldn't be any problem pulling a tube with any of the available engine/boat combos.
Bill

 

[Julian]

Jets do throw spray a little further back than props....so just add 10 feet to your rope and your fine.

Test drive whatever you buy.

Lots of good advice above....for me, safety, performance, no OUTDRIVE FLUID!! WOOT, fun, layout, are my favs

 

[Gym]

Thanks for the advice so far. Yes i know this is a jet forum but i posted on the chaparral forum and only got one reply. I will be boating on a large lake that is clean for the most part. No i have not had a chance to drive a 223 vr yet. I have looked at the yamaha page and see the sx 240 but my question is with each drive at 180hp will there be much difference to a boat with twin 250hp to pull skiers and tubers ? I really don't care to much about top speed....although it is nice lol. One other thing , is there jet spray that will splash in the eyes of a tuber?
Thanks,

@carlos. The best way to look at this question is to look at the HP to weight ratio. Typically Yamahas are pretty light boats giving them a relatively high HP to weight ratio so you won't have any trouble getting a big skier out of the water. Your skiers won't get sprayed. They also won't get hurt on twin props. It depends on what your priorities are.

 

[tdonoughue]

I don't have I/O experience to speak of to which to compare, but...

The jets do provide nearly instant acceleration, which can make it very easy to get a skier up out of the water (or pull the rope right out of his hands, if you reeeeally want to).

I will also confirm--there is plenty of spray with a normal/short rope. However, there are some driving techniques you can also use to counter that. A little steer, gun it a tad, and the tube will pop right over the edge of the wake and basically stay there--out of the spray.

Oh, and what everyone else said. I agree with all of that too (safety, easy maintenance, good layout, etc.).

 

[Kevin Turner]

Good stuff so far, a couple points to consider-
It takes some folks a bit of time to get the "feel" of a jet. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard: "Uh, I don't a jet is for me" after spending just a few minutes behind the wheel. Take your time, the first few minutes you might second guess your operating skills b/c she handle like nothing you have piloted B4.

However, most average jet jockeys can step ya through the handling "quirks" and 30 minutes later you're at ease and thrilled to be at the helm.

 

[OrangeTJ]

Thanks for the advice so far. Yes i know this is a jet forum but i posted on the chaparral forum and only got one reply. I will be boating on a large lake that is clean for the most part. No i have not had a chance to drive a 223 vr yet. I have looked at the yamaha page and see the sx 240 but my question is with each drive at 180hp will there be much difference to a boat with twin 250hp to pull skiers and tubers ? I really don't care to much about top speed....although it is nice lol. One other thing , is there jet spray that will splash in the eyes of a tuber?
Thanks,

The Yamaha with twin 180s will have absolutely no problem pulling any conceivable skier, boarder or tube. Of course, neither will the Chaparral with any of the available power configurations. You definitely do not need 500 hp to do this! Don't get me wrong, 500 hp sounds awesome and I'm sure it's fun, but if you're thinking its necessary for watersports that not correct. Heck, my SX210 with twin 110s has no problem whatsoever pulling boarders, tubers or skiers. Regarding spray, if you find it's a problem, just use a longer rope.

I can't wait to see the Chaparral in person, as it certainly looks nice online and Chaparral tends to make very nice boats. That said, don't overlook the Yamaha. They're good boats with proven reliability and the 2015 24 footers have some really nice features that don't appear to be present on the Chap - hinged seats, storage behind the swimdeck seats, etc.. Of course, it's also a somewhat larger boat overall for the same or less money. Having had to clear a sucked up ski rope once and a few bits of wood a couple of times from the pumps while out on the water, I'd also be very hesitant to buy a jet driven boat without cleanout ports. Trying to get under the boat to clear fouled pumps to avoid a tow back to the ramp would be a bad deal.

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

As to reiterate what OrangeTJ said, my AR192 single engine 210 hp has no problems pulling tubes or skiers. And if you want to wake surf, unless you drop 100K for a dedicated wake surf boat, just about any of the Yamaha's can produce a surf wake with the addition of ballast and at a total investment of boat and ballast you would be at a fraction of the cost of a V drive boat. Add the fact that an I/O has the most maint. costs over any other water propulsion and a jet being the least, you are comparing apples to oranges with the only similarity is that they are boats. Go for a test drive and better yet, search for someone in your area who owns a jet boat on this forum and you will get a better test drive first hand experience than you would at a dealer. Good luck in your search.

 

[Glassman]

If you think everyone here is going to blow pretty pink smoke up yer ass to convince you to buy a jet powered boat (specifically, Yamaha) You Are Wrong!

I think you should go with a prop boat. An old one. One that will make you earn your stripes!

I know, a weed whacker - maybe two of em! Two Props! That's it. Run that for a year and then come back and then tell us you can't decide.....

......all I can tell you with respect to my decision to buy a Yamaha is that I was done...cooked, I was Sooooo over propeller driven boats that I wanted to puke.

I was ready to take up hang gliding or something just to get away from that miserable little bastard of a boat that gave me heartburn just looking at it.

The day I sold it I became a different person - which is good, since I no longer matched any of the pictures in the Post Office.

The fact that I got as much for it as I paid for it didn't make me like it. I wanted it gone! Besides, at that point I already had my mitts on the Yamaha and it was the only thing on my mind.

That Chaparral 223 looks very interesting...and very green , but it will probably be a rocket equipped with the max horsepower! How much does it cost?