New to forum/boating - 1983 Chaparral 19ft bowrider project boat

[JTA4765]

Hi Everyone,
​Like the title states I am new to this forum and boating. My family always had small fishing boats, but I'm looking to buy a 1983 Chaparral 19ft bowrider. It appears to be structurally sound and mechanically good, just in need of some serious cosmetic TLC. The motor is a MC 305 V8 that does run and all the steering and power trim features still work. The hull and flooring are all fiberglass and I could not find any soft spots, to include some of the storage compartments that had stagnant water laying in them. The biggest project I see is having to completely rebuild the engine cover, as it is falling apart.
​All that being said, I feel like there are still a few things I should probably check for and was looking for any suggestions or thoughts in general on the boat. There is not much information out there on these older boats unfortunately. I am not sure of the exact model, but hope to search the HIN and maybe figure it out from that.
​Thank you in advance for any input!

 

[ondarvr]

On any boat that old you should plan on having rotten wood, which means a gut and rebuild.

 

[tpenfield]

:welcome: . . . . to iBoats.

There is a Chaparral Owner's forum, with brochures. I will PM you a link to the 1983 brochure.

I'd check to see what the floor is made out of, as in the brochure, many of the boats look to be carpeted, which usually means fiberglass over plywood. There is probably a significant amount of wood in the boat as ondarvr pointed out. You may have to do some restoration work, unless someone has already done that recently.

 

[JTA4765]

Thanks for the help. I ended up taking the plunge and buying the boat this morning. I started ripping out the interior today and the engine cover will need to be rebuilt as well as the seats on either side of it. The fiberglass underneath the carpet appears to still be solid and no sign of soft spots. The motor started right up when we cranked it over today and ran smooth without any knocks or pings. We attached a water hose with the muffs and shifted into gear and it went smoothly. Being as this is my first I/O, I was looking for the usual stream of water you would see in an outboard motor, but saw nothing on this one. Is that normal or does it involve more investigation?
Thank you.

 

[tpenfield]

The water discharges outside the transom assembly and also through the propeller (assuming Mercruiser as the engine brand) Your boat being a 1983, I assume that it has the Alpha one outdrive.

​So, it does not have the telltale 'pee' stream that outboards have. You should see lots of water exiting the transom and prop area though.

 

[JTA4765]

Ok, thank you!