Darrell
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Finally had an opportunity to test drive a couple of boats this past week, and thought I would share my thoughts and see what everyone thinks.
Yamaha was a 2019 X e series
Chapparral was a 2018 2430 with twin 200's
to preface this post, I've been loving the Chapparral's, and was basically convinced this was the boat that I wanted. I would have to say that the 2019 Yamaha was beautiful. Not that the Chap was bad, but the new fit and finish of the Yamaha felt better - I have a hard time really defining that. kind of you know it when you like it. I also came into the test drive thinking I wasn't even considering this one!
2019 Yamaha 242X E-Series - list was 81k, not sure if they have any options left to put on this thing!
Sea deck flooring is great. I had not experienced this before, and it is a great soft flooring and a real nice upgrade from the normal sea mat / snap in carpet options that I've been in.
Wake Tower / Bimini - this thing is huge, and the stable. Full 1" powder coated frame all the way around. Zip out sunroof is pretty cool. I liked the stability and just overall size of it. and color matched to the boat, (red in this instance). Very stable and no sound or rippling when at WOT. Wet sounds speaker setup is top notch, sound bar and full surrounds and pods make for some solid tunes.
I don't think the overall seats and cockpit area has changed all that much, but the connect screen shows all the needed information and I really liked the 14" (??) wide screen.
No wake setting / slow speed control - this is area that I was most surprised with. by activating the no wake, the jets get directed downward, and they really improve the slow speed handling. it gives the option of 3 speeds, and basically ramps the RPM's up, and this provided a surprising amount of slow speed maneuverability. much better then the previous iterations that I had driven ('14-'15 I think).
Articulated keel / transom - with the update adding the keel and V transom, the boat handled very similar to an I/O. It tracked great. wasn't able to make it spin out though.
Speed with myself and the the sales guy and 3/4 of a tank topped around 48/49. so pretty respectable.
Overall I walked away from this test drive very surprised with the handling aspect. great smooth ride. Acceleration is no question, and the slow speed handling with the no wake was great (not as good as the Chap in my mind), but was able to back into a tight slip (6" on a side) on the first try and about 15 seconds of playing around with it. so a pretty intuitive control and little to no learning curve. Pulled in like a car backing into a parking spot.
Chapparral 2430 VRX twin 200's - list was 76k but reduced a little as we are past Labor day, so 72k was the offer. Didn't have the ASP or upgraded wetsounds. But pretty much all other available options.
Wake tower and Bimini - large, but not as large. Not too much to add here other than it looks good, and the Bimini is stable. much like the Yammi, no sound or rippling when at WOT.
Seats and cockpit area are layed out well, overall this hasn't changed much accept for the 2430 captain chair. so not much to add. comfortable and lots of space. The medallion is pretty easy to navigate, only real downside (when compared to the yammi) was the smaller size.
As this had no keel, it can't compare, but the Chap hull is fantastic in my mind. tracked straight and cornered great. I think it's called chine walk when is slides out in the turns, but this had almost nothing. Really impressed. And as I was able to spin this one out, a little bit more fun to drive.
Speed with myself and sales guy and 2/3 tank was 51. I think it's been said on here before, but the 200's are a really great comparison to the yammi.
I'm almost sad to say it, but in the end I really like the Yamaha over the Chap for the fit and finish, the connext, and the tower/bimini are just awesome. But enjoyed the driving of the Chap better. What really surprised me though was the slow speed control that the Yamaha had. The no wake brings it close to the Chap for control and reverse. Not quite as good, but a hell of a lot better then previous versions. I would love to try this out with the lateral thrusters on it. My guess is it would bring it near the Chap. As I plan to wet slip for a couple of weeks at a time in brackish water, the closed loop system on the Chap still really appeals to me.
To cop out a little, I'm thinking I'll bring my wife along with me on the next drive, and see what she likes best!
oh, btw, Yamaha, at least my dealer was offering a "boat show" financing. they take a deposit now. order or with a boat on the lot, then you close in February with what ever financing / warranty or other options that are best. I thought this was pretty cool. No deal like that from Chap dealer.
Well hopefully this was pretty neutral. I'm much more in the middle now then before the test drive. And really want to get my hands on a '19 Chap to see if they have updated anything.
Let the roasting began!! and thanks for your time!
Yamaha was a 2019 X e series
Chapparral was a 2018 2430 with twin 200's
to preface this post, I've been loving the Chapparral's, and was basically convinced this was the boat that I wanted. I would have to say that the 2019 Yamaha was beautiful. Not that the Chap was bad, but the new fit and finish of the Yamaha felt better - I have a hard time really defining that. kind of you know it when you like it. I also came into the test drive thinking I wasn't even considering this one!
2019 Yamaha 242X E-Series - list was 81k, not sure if they have any options left to put on this thing!
Sea deck flooring is great. I had not experienced this before, and it is a great soft flooring and a real nice upgrade from the normal sea mat / snap in carpet options that I've been in.
Wake Tower / Bimini - this thing is huge, and the stable. Full 1" powder coated frame all the way around. Zip out sunroof is pretty cool. I liked the stability and just overall size of it. and color matched to the boat, (red in this instance). Very stable and no sound or rippling when at WOT. Wet sounds speaker setup is top notch, sound bar and full surrounds and pods make for some solid tunes.
I don't think the overall seats and cockpit area has changed all that much, but the connect screen shows all the needed information and I really liked the 14" (??) wide screen.
No wake setting / slow speed control - this is area that I was most surprised with. by activating the no wake, the jets get directed downward, and they really improve the slow speed handling. it gives the option of 3 speeds, and basically ramps the RPM's up, and this provided a surprising amount of slow speed maneuverability. much better then the previous iterations that I had driven ('14-'15 I think).
Articulated keel / transom - with the update adding the keel and V transom, the boat handled very similar to an I/O. It tracked great. wasn't able to make it spin out though.
Speed with myself and the the sales guy and 3/4 of a tank topped around 48/49. so pretty respectable.
Overall I walked away from this test drive very surprised with the handling aspect. great smooth ride. Acceleration is no question, and the slow speed handling with the no wake was great (not as good as the Chap in my mind), but was able to back into a tight slip (6" on a side) on the first try and about 15 seconds of playing around with it. so a pretty intuitive control and little to no learning curve. Pulled in like a car backing into a parking spot.
Chapparral 2430 VRX twin 200's - list was 76k but reduced a little as we are past Labor day, so 72k was the offer. Didn't have the ASP or upgraded wetsounds. But pretty much all other available options.
Wake tower and Bimini - large, but not as large. Not too much to add here other than it looks good, and the Bimini is stable. much like the Yammi, no sound or rippling when at WOT.
Seats and cockpit area are layed out well, overall this hasn't changed much accept for the 2430 captain chair. so not much to add. comfortable and lots of space. The medallion is pretty easy to navigate, only real downside (when compared to the yammi) was the smaller size.
As this had no keel, it can't compare, but the Chap hull is fantastic in my mind. tracked straight and cornered great. I think it's called chine walk when is slides out in the turns, but this had almost nothing. Really impressed. And as I was able to spin this one out, a little bit more fun to drive.
Speed with myself and sales guy and 2/3 tank was 51. I think it's been said on here before, but the 200's are a really great comparison to the yammi.
I'm almost sad to say it, but in the end I really like the Yamaha over the Chap for the fit and finish, the connext, and the tower/bimini are just awesome. But enjoyed the driving of the Chap better. What really surprised me though was the slow speed control that the Yamaha had. The no wake brings it close to the Chap for control and reverse. Not quite as good, but a hell of a lot better then previous versions. I would love to try this out with the lateral thrusters on it. My guess is it would bring it near the Chap. As I plan to wet slip for a couple of weeks at a time in brackish water, the closed loop system on the Chap still really appeals to me.
To cop out a little, I'm thinking I'll bring my wife along with me on the next drive, and see what she likes best!
oh, btw, Yamaha, at least my dealer was offering a "boat show" financing. they take a deposit now. order or with a boat on the lot, then you close in February with what ever financing / warranty or other options that are best. I thought this was pretty cool. No deal like that from Chap dealer.
Well hopefully this was pretty neutral. I'm much more in the middle now then before the test drive. And really want to get my hands on a '19 Chap to see if they have updated anything.
Let the roasting began!! and thanks for your time!
