You might try the boat ramp you are planning on using and find someone that has a similar style boat that looks like they know what they are doing. Might cost you a few bucks or lunch but shouldn't be too bad. I always offer up my help when someone wants to look at a boat.
Forget Maxum and forget wake boats of any flavor.
That Chapparal, OTOH is to die for. If I were in the market for a bow rider, I'd be all over that one! I'd try to get them to knock it down a couple thousand though, I'm sure they've padded the price by 2K for that very reason.
Other than inspecting the engine, I'll tell you what to check. Get down on the ground under the outdrive and remove the drain plug (if it isn't already) and shine a light into the hole. Is it bare wood inside there or is it sealed? If it's bare wood, then move on, that boat'll likely need a new transom in another five years or so. If it's sealed, then check the skeg. Has it been dragged on anything hard enough to remove metal? If so, then let some oil out to check for water. In fact, it wouldn't hurt to check the lower unit for water intrusion any way. How clean is the engine compartment? Is the fiberglass stained? Is there mildew growing on the vent hoses? If the rest of the boat is any indication, I'll bet the engine bay sparkles too. Look at the bolts and lugs, like on the starter motor. If there's rust, then there's been water in the bilge - which isn't the end of the world, but you need to figure out how much and for how long. If there's staining only at the lowest point below the motor, then I'd call that boat a very good candidate.
I would, however, get rid of that whale tail and install proper tabs right away!
I don't think the whale tail is a deal killer at all. They were very common in the 80's, and are much less expensive than tabs. For somebody trying to improve how quickly a boat gets on plane, a whale tail is just about the easiest, least intrusive thing you can do.The Chap has a whale tail bolted to the outdrive which is never a positive sign about how the boat performs for me. I'd steer clear of that boat. I doubt you'll get a private party to warranty a used boat but they should allow you a nice long test drive once you've proven to them your not wasting their time.
On that Chap I can say that I had the same boat for 8 years but was a 2003...the 2002 as is your subject boat was the first year and they refined some things for 2003 then in 2004, they gave it their SSi badging and called it the 190 SSi which is the Chap top line of boats. I had the sport seating and the v6 as well (that 2002 has the standard seating). That boat is 18' 3 inches and is possibly the heaviest 18 footer you will find because that was the next generation of Chap build quality and hulls. That boat has a 2002 patent on the hull and was produced until the 2008 model year. In 2004, the boat came with a 5.0 mpi option because with the 33 gallon tank and the slightly less than 3000 dry weight, the 5.0 MPI is very much appreciated. With the wrong prop on that boat, it tended to want to porpoise, rather than correct some of that porpoising with a different prop of completely cure it with trim tabs, it would seem they chinsed out and put a whale tail on it. I can see that that 2002 seems to have been ordered without any of the optional features and is a stripped down model. Technically the compass and depth sounder are options but think that dealers always ordered them with at the minimum those two features. Technically again the 3.0 was offered but would be an inappropriate choice for a heavy boat such as that. The local marina here in MN that sold most of the Chaps outfitted them with Shorelandr' trailers..if it was the full roller trailer as my was, it is a very nice trailer. The 4.3 is a venerable engine and even in carb format not too shappy. What you aren't aware of maybe is that you have stumbled upon a Mercedes compared a bunch of entry level chevys.
Haha thanks for your input! What does that last line mean? Also can someone explain the whale tail and tabs to me? whats is its purpose?
The Chap has a whale tail bolted to the outdrive which is never a positive sign about how the boat performs for me. I'd steer clear of that boat. I doubt you'll get a private party to warranty a used boat but they should allow you a nice long test drive once you've proven to them your not wasting their time.
Its a family owned dealership, has some good reviews, so they may. Whats the whale tail thing, I mean I see it but what is its purpose and what are tabs
Haha thanks for your input! What does that last line mean? Also can someone explain the whale tail and tabs to me? whats is its purpose?