1996 chaparral 1930

[pangolin]

[FONT=&quot]I am shopping for a used boat, my first boat, and many people have recommended chaparrals to me. My price range is pretty low, under $8k for sure so my options are somewhat limited. I was trying to stay year 2000+ but have started to see a few mid to late 90's Chaparrals, mainly 1930 ss models that have caught my eye. What are your thoughts on those, good boats, too old, typically rotten wood, good deal for the right price? I have my eye on one right now that is a 1996 with a 5.7L in it. I still haven't seen it in person yet, am waiting for additional pics from the seller. ( I asked this in the chap forum too but wanted to also open it up to an un-biased audience) -thanks[/FONT]

 

[wrvond]

I see two on boattrader - one in El Cajon that looks gorgeous and one in Coos Bay that's not so much.
I think the Chaparral bow riders are a quality boat with plenty of power. Get a nice one and you'll be quite happy.

 

[SeaDooSam]

You have heard from me in PMs but just from looking on the chap forums, as many manufacturers did, the quality has gone down over the years. Sometimes it's good to pick up an "oldie but goodie" As long as the floor is all there, seats are doable, and the engine is good, you are in! Side note they handle chop pretty well. My 1830 has been through 6ft waves out in the lake.

 

[tpenfield]

At 20 years of age, the exact condition of the boat(s) that you are considering will out-weigh the manufacturer reputation. The boat that you look at could have all of the issues that you mention or none of the issues. Chaparral is a decent brand, but you will have understand what to look for in order to see if there are any issues.

 

[pangolin]

Yes, I hear you. I have looked at 4 boats now and am starting to get an idea of how to do this. I had one as far as an inspection which turned up a problem in a cylinder. One of my main worries about a 20 year old boat is rot. I am not confident I'll be able to notice it, although I will plan to have an inspection by a boat mechanic. Not exactly a survey so hopefully I can find a mechanic that expresses some confidence on the issue.

 

[jkust]

Sure they are good boats but at that age any formerly good quality boat can be a problem boat. That 96 is now three+ generations old where as chap re tooled most of their hulls between 2000 and 2002 to completely modernize them. Those hulls then that were the 2000-2002 generation were then again retooled for the 2008 model years. That 5.7 is also way outdated as well as it it tbi whereas the modern 5.7 arrived on the scene for model year 2002 which itself is now obsolete. Chap quality hasn't necessarily gone down, they simply added an H20 series of boats to answer to the economic downturn. The H20 series is a formerly non-existent entry-level series of boats that aren't up to the level of their SSi models but of course are much cheaper. If you are working with an 8k budget however, it is going to be tough to get anything with a modern 5.7 in it as it will need to be a mid sized bowrider and at least a 2002 or newer. If I was in a position to have an 8k budget, knowing that even in the 90's, the chaps had some nice ammenities and decent build quality for the times and that in reality a 20 year old boat is quite common, I would probably steer to considering them as well. Things change dramatically in the early 2000's where some brands retooled and revamped their designs and others took a few years to catch up. Chap happened to be one of the brands that quickly upgraded everything about their boats early on in the 2000's.

 

[tpenfield]

One thing to check out a bit more is that in the 1990's Chaparral switched from regular exterior plywood to Greenwood XL (which is a pressure treated and kiln dried plywood made for boat construction). I found a 1997 brochure which mentions the use of Greenwood XL, but I have not found a 1996 brochure (or similar info) that mentions is for that year.

The benefit of the Greenwood XL ( or Perma-Panel which is a similar product) is that even though the boat has probably absorbed moisture in some areas the wood itself will resist rotting.

Perhaps you could do some Google searching to see if the 1996 boats used the Greenwood XL.

 

[garbageguy]

...I will plan to have an inspection by a boat mechanic. Not exactly a survey so hopefully I can find a mechanic that expresses some confidence on the issue.

not sure what type of person you have in mind, but there are many very good mechanics out there, hopefully you are going to get one with marine experience, and one who has experience with boat hulls and other boat systems

 

[jkust]

I'll also mention that a survey from a marine surveyor and a mechanic giving his advice on the hull in addition to the engine are very different things. My previous boat, a much newer Chaparral, cost $2,000 to survey. It was 18 feet. I discovered there were about 3 total surveyors in my state which I presume lead to the high cost.

 

[pangolin]

I found the '96 brochure, the link is below.
http://forum.chaparralboats.com/publications/brochures/1996/sportboats.pdf

Looks like they used an "XL Plywood" with a limited lifetime warranty against rot, decay, bleeding, and delamination.

And yes I agree garbageguy, definitely a marine mechanic.

 

[pangolin]

A marine survey around here is about $14 / foot. I don't think they know the engines nearly as well as a boat mechanic that's why for this size boat I am opting for a mechanic.

 

[jkust]

A marine survey around here is about $14 / foot. I don't think they know the engines nearly as well as a boat mechanic that's why for this size boat I am opting for a mechanic.

That sounds much more reasonable. 2k was the minimum and they went up from there.

 

[pangolin]

Well I have an appointment set to see the Chap this Saturday. We are going to meet directly at the lake where I will inspect it prior to test driving. I'll be doing my first ever compression test, so far i've only practiced on the lawn mower, let me know if you have any tips.
If all goes well at the lake we will drive it to a local boat repair shop where they will perform an inspection. I am still waiting on a few additional pictures from the seller to determine condition. At this price point, under 5k for this one, I am expecting some interior vinyl issues. I guess it will depend on how bad it is. If everything else checks out I would probably learn how to fix it myself.

I've always enjoyed my time on boats (except deep sea!) and look forward to creating good memories with the family. My thought process behind this level of boat is that we are basically trying this hobby out. If we can find a decent boat in good running order that should give us chance to try it out without breaking the bank.

 

[jkust]

Sounds good. 5k is definitely an entry price but hopefully it checks out and you can move from up there. Mostly, you can assess everything relatively easily and most things can be fixed relatively easy though at a cost obviously except the potential for there being some rot that you can't easily identify or locate. Any rot or soft spots , assuming they are visible, and move on...you want to boat not be a project manager.

 

[pangolin]

No Title

Here the pics i have so far:

 

[jkust]

Ouch....that has seen its share of sun. The bow roller is no longer touching the bow telling me something is amiss as well. The interior falls into the lost cause category and likely you will just have to live with it. I wonder what that little digital screen on the cowl of the engine is for?

 

[pangolin]

"Ouch"
I like the honest feedback, it made me step back a minute and re-evaluate. But I have to remember at this price I am expecting some problems with the interior, as long as the vinyl is not completely ripped up I think we can live with it. As for the bow roller not touching, I was wondering the same thing. I wonder if he just doesn't crank it all the way up for some reason...
A little background on the boat according to the sellar. He is the second owner, has had it for 4 years now and only used it in fresh water. The original owner was a friend of his brothers. It has been stored outside but under a boat cover for it's life. I don't know the sellers boating experience he may be a first timer and hence the boat not all the way up to the roller. Just speculating.

 

[jkust]

This is a tough one...for under 5k, with a decent sized bowrider and a nice sized small block v8, you will need to compromise. That is sun damage from being directly exposed to the sun, uncovered for a decent amount of time. Unless it had an enormous amount of hours on it i.e. being directly exposed to the sun while being used, when you use a boat for the day and put it away afterward out of the sun and elements, it is hard to see how that happened if it was stored out of the elements when not in use. I like the boat, you can see the early formation of the more contemporary chap design and touches on it.
I will say though that when I was shopping for my current boat earlier this spring, I was looking nationally and I saw a surprising amount of sun damage on the southern boats versus up here in the north where we just don't get sun damage to that extent. Those southern boats weren't claiming at all that they were not stored out of the sun, just the fact that I saw as much as I saw even in much newer boats was surprising.
I couldn't really tell but is it a roller trailer or a bunk trailer?

 

[pangolin]

That makes sense about the sun. It is a bunk trailer, the kind with carpeted flats boards that the boat rests on.

 

[jkust]

That makes sense about the sun. It is a bunk trailer, the kind with carpeted flats boards that the boat rests on.

Aside from water intrusion, sun exposure is a big enemy of boats. A person can mitigate it by keeping the seats treated with certain products. End of the day, if you are looking to get out on the water and everything else checks out. An interesting point of fact is that on boats slightly larger, in particular the Chaparrals among them, there isn't a bimini storage spot so the bimini generally is always on and up and that will also mitigate some of the sun exposure to much of the interior.