Which out of these three?

I'm looking at 3 boats on ebay right now. I like each one fairly equally.

Are there some things I should look for before bidding. 2 boats are a 15 min drive away. The other one is a 2 hour drive. I have a family of 4 with a wife that would prefer A/C and a Nice Bathroom with the anemeties of a Sea Ray.

The Chapparal is MUCH newer but has a porta-poti and no AC. It weighs less so it will use less gas. The cabin has much less head room though when compared to the other two.

I really like the Sea Ray because of it's reputation, this one LOOKS clean, and it has all the things I want in a boat but...it's aged almost 20 years old.

The Chapparal is GREAT it's only 8 years old has a smaller pot, no A/C and less head room.

I'll be using the boat mostly for cruising, sandbars, inter-coastal islands, occasional ocean fishing, and maybe overnights.

If you had to choose what would it be?

I need some guidance guys, thanks.

ps, this will be the first boat that I own to go on the water, I still consider myself a novice boater though..

1989 Sea Ray Express Cruiser 24'

1993 Wellcraft Cuddy Cabin Eclipse
I knocked this one out during my writing of this posting.

2000 Chaparral 245 SSi & Volvo Penta 5.7L

Re: Which out of these three?

I like the Chaparral, newer and nice configuration. The Sea Ray doesn't have much seating, not counting the folding chairs. Where you are located in FL, is lack of AC going to be a problem if overnighting?

Re: Which out of these three?

To me its all about the dollars. If those two boats were the same price I'd take the 2000 hands down. better resale value a few years down the road and just a more updated looking boat. That Sea Ray sure does look mint though for a 19 year old boat. Minor detail also, if you are going to keep it in slip you have to get the Chaparal bottom painted so add that to the cost...He also wants alot more for a trailer .

I think I just argued for both boats....sorry, good luck

Re: Which out of these three?

In your signature line you say you want to buy a 2005 or newer 25-30 foot cruiser. Why are you looking at such old boats? I digerss. Go with the newest boat, the Chaparral. You can buy a little A/C for any boat.

Re: Which out of these three?

bchboater: I live in West Palm Beach. It's been getting freaking hot lately. Is an A/C an easy add on?

RWilson2526: It will be trailered and kept in my side yard.

dave11: Sorry, my signature is old, I'll update it soon. Right now I want something to learn with and enjoy the family doing the things mentioned above SAFELY without breaking the bank. So what ever looks right and in like new shape.

Re: Which out of these three?

I'd buy the Sea Ray. Clearly its been sold several times before, and survived several buyer tests. I get that from the fact its been upgraded several times...so could be wrong.

It has what you want, so the only down-side is going to be that it falls apart. As a 20-yr old boat at this point, I'd be surprised if it fell apart this year if you properly maintained it...IOWs it should meet your desire to be your test boat.

Sure, the others are newer, but they also seem to be sold by dealers, whereas I got the impression the Sea Ray is a private seller...again, could be wrong.

FWIW, I've never bought used, so no experience there, but if I had to choose from the 3, I'd go with the one that best meets your desire and ran well. Obviously, test drive.

Re: Which out of these three?

2000 Chaparral 245 SSi & Volvo Penta 5.7L
I am not far from you.
This seems to be a good boat for this coastline.
Its newer but I noticed that the pully's on the engine have some rust. Probably nothing big but make sure its not been too moist down there.....