96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

[vipertblck]

looking at buying a boat, i thought chaparral's were good. i know nothing about boating. how's this look??

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/boa/3263793463.html

bellow's and enging computer chip replaced in 09' owner stated in email. also says he would drop to about 8500. is it worth it, is it a good boat, what should i look for on these, is it too high priced? anything you guys can help me out with is appreciated.

 

[MWBoatFan]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

Welcome. I will jump in here since no one else has.

It seems a bit high to me. Maybe I am wrong. But I am thinking 7000 tops. Maybe 7500.

Ultimately it's about 3 things:
1. The current condition
2. How it's been cared for
3. Your local market for boats

Have it checked by a marine surveyor, water test it, check EVERYWHERE for signs of rot, mildew, mold.

Then it comes down to how much are you comfortable with spending for THIS boat.

If you do your homework, go slow and only let emotion get into the decision a little, you will not regret your purchase.

 

[Levinz11]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

That's a good looking, clean boat! I bet it really flies with that 5.7. I have no comment on price

 

[MJG24]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

Those are very good boats. Both my brother and neighbor had 2130 sports around the same year.

If it is a one owner and has been garage kept its whole life, that is worth a lot (more than average retail). It obviously has been well cared for.

Price may be a little high, but I'd pay a premium for that situation and boat. And it is WELL powered!

 

[jkust]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

I like that it is a one owner. That's not easy to find after almost 20 years. At that age, rot to me is biggest concern. I'm suprised at how many excellent looking boats have rot. I just saw this situation on a similar year Crownline on the forums. The boat was beautiful and then the poster mentioned there were soft spots. I'm always willing to pay a premium for something in excellent shape however I don't know your local market in the fall. I'm also not sure what a computer chip is. That is not standard carbed Mercruiser lingo.

 

[vipertblck]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

I was assuming the computer chip means ECM? Or are these engines a carb on them still? Should u joints be a concern or bellows be inspected? I plan on doing the work and inspection myself. As for rot I think I know what you mean, in the hull/floor area(sorry if I have incorrect terms) and anywhere around engine or I can physically see or feel??

 

[jkust]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

I was assuming the computer chip means ECM? Or are these engines a carb on them still? Should u joints be a concern or bellows be inspected? I plan on doing the work and inspection myself. As for rot I think I know what you mean, in the hull/floor area(sorry if I have incorrect terms) and anywhere around engine or I can physically see or feel??

LX could be a 4bbl carb or EFI (not to be confused with the modern MPI that started in 2002). I'd inspect bellows but didn't you mention they were new? Unfortunatly rot is so unbelievably common you wouldn't believe it. It can happen from a leaky bellows, neglect, poor storage, etc. What I will say and this is a bit of a broad brush is that a one owner and especially a one owner of a higher end boat such as that one will have been maintained better than something owned by 4 or 5 different owners. The rot can happen anywhere on the floor and the first noticable symptom will be a soft spot which can be much worse underneath requring major repair. Newer boats have fiberglass floors and removable carpet and some don't use any wood at all in their construction.

I will say that locating a legit, excellent boat that age is not that easy and so I wouldn't let it sit too long before I made a plan of attack. Do yourself the biggest favor and take it out on the water for a nice long ride since a boat on muffs in the driveway not under load can hide major issues. We tend to look at older boats through the lens of just assume the worst and prove the best after enough years of seeing the worst.

 

[vipertblck]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

LX could be a 4bbl carb or EFI (not to be confused with the modern MPI that started in 2002). I'd inspect bellows but didn't you mention they were new? Unfortunatly rot is so unbelievably common you wouldn't believe it. It can happen from a leaky bellows, neglect, poor storage, etc. What I will say and this is a bit of a broad brush is that a one owner and especially a one owner of a higher end boat such as that one will have been maintained better than something owned by 4 or 5 different owners. The rot can happen anywhere on the floor and the first noticable symptom will be a soft spot which can be much worse underneath requring major repair. Newer boats have fiberglass floors and removable carpet and some don't use any wood at all in their construction.

I will say that locating a legit, excellent boat that age is not that easy and so I wouldn't let it sit too long before I made a plan of attack. Do yourself the biggest favor and take it out on the water for a nice long ride since a boat on muffs in the driveway not under load can hide major issues. We tend to look at older boats through the lens of just assume the worst and prove the best after enough years of seeing the worst.

yes bellows were new in 09 he mentioned in email; is this short enough they should still be ok? if i remember their easy enough to check while i look at the boat by just crawling under the boat and i can see them there by the outdrive unit, right? i really apprecate your(and everyone elses) input, it helps a lot in my situation. I went out all summer with a buddy on his 1968 searay sundancer and it was perfect for havin fun, but it DID have a soft spot on the floor i noticed. assuming that's the rot. it never affected anything during out time, but just something i noticed.

off topic real quick, where would you guys kind of rank the boating manufactures. up in northern illinois im out on lake geneva a lot over the summer, and i noticed if you wanna roll with a good boat, everyone has cobalts, chaparrals, regals and four winns; those were the majority out there. there were still ski boats, four winns, some bayliners, baja, donzi. Just wondering what the rank is with these, as i said i know nothing. what's towards the top scale and whats towards the bottom end, not calling ANY manufacture garbage, but as in the car world, you have your toyota's and you have your mercedes, i'm a middle class kinda guy. how do these boats work as far as their rank?

 

[greenbush future]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

chaparral's are very well built and towards the top of the list you have shared. Your find looks very nice as others mentioned, it will not last long on the market if it's priced right. I have no idea what they are worth so I can't comment on that part of your ? Sea test would be mandatory IMO. Bellows and rot that can occur as a result of the leaking with them, should be investigated well. Nice find!! Now you can qualify her!

 

[BugsBunnyBoater]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

Very Nice boat. I purchased a used boat last year here is what I learned.
1) Test every inch of the floor for rot soft spots.. I was lucky I had none
2) Test every switch and knob and latch.
3) Do a water test or have it taken to a shop to test the compression. Be sure that you pay so who ever does the test know they work for you.
4)Offer 1000.00 less then they asking see what they say. You can always up your price I was able to get over 1K of the boat I bought. Lots of people look few have cash to buy..

 

[fat fanny]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

That rig is very nice and very well powered the condition is excellant for it's age along with the tandom axle trailer. I own a 96 Searay and it was also a 1 owner and the proof is in it's appearance you can tell the rig mentioned has been well cared for just look at the upolstry.

 

[Sunsetrider]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

I wouldn't hesitate to pay that for that boat if it was within my budget. I don't like to quibble too much for a good product. You aren't buying it for resale.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

If there is no rot, I would not think twice about paying $8500.. Beautiful boat, and obviously well cared for.

 

[theBrownskull]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

Chaparral is a good boat and that boat looks GGGGGGREAT (Tony the Tiger). Take your time and check it out and look for bad spots in the floor. Offer the person less money if everything is in good shape and go from there.

 

[vipertblck]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

went and checked out the boat, all seemed ok. floor was solid didnt find any soft spots on the floor or in the engine cover/area, it all seemed like it was fiberglass or something, not wood. also one of the engine mount bolts(the front mounts, two on each side that bolt into the hull) that seemed cocked, but i couldnt move the washer so it had to be tight?! aside from that the bellows seemed to have some cracks at least from the one i could see, also does the water not get directed out of the engine through the prop on these engines? it was coming out(water and exhaust gas) from closer to the transom but on both sides from a hole about 1.0", each side. is this normal? it still had minimal exhaust expelling from the prop too.

i had bad luck uploading photos but ill try later

 

[vipertblck]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

 

[Maclin]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

A lot of the water will exit out the idle relief ports at the bottom of the transom mount, that is normal when on the trailer and running on muffs.

There are two major bellows on an outdrive, driveshaft bellows and exhaust bellows. The bellows in the first pic is the exhaust bellows and it is not considered a critical item if it is cracked, in fact they need to drain anyway. The driveshaft bellows is harder to see and look at, most of it is hidden on those drives, it is most important as if it is leaking then water can enter the boat and also bathe the driveshaft u-joints and bearing.

 

[vipertblck]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

A lot of the water will exit out the idle relief ports at the bottom of the transom mount, that is normal when on the trailer and running on muffs.

There are two major bellows on an outdrive, driveshaft bellows and exhaust bellows. The bellows in the first pic is the exhaust bellows and it is not considered a critical item if it is cracked, in fact they need to drain anyway. The driveshaft bellows is harder to see and look at, most of it is hidden on those drives, it is most important as if it is leaking then water can enter the boat and also bathe the driveshaft u-joints and bearing.

Your right it's really tucked up in there, did the exhaust boot look bad enough with the small cracks to replace? I'm assuming the driveshaft one is same condition as they were replaced together in 09. Don't you just pull the whole out drive off to replace these? Overall with not seeing/finding any rot in the places I felt/stepped/saw it seemed pretty good. Trailer had some rust coming in on wheel wells but nothing with holes yet. You could tell he takes care of it, still nice n' slick with fresh wax, always drained block he said in winter while keeping it in heated garage, no cracks or any blemishes underneith on hull, took a bit to start after sitting for a month but I think that was due to the carb and not EFI, after it ran for a few mins it fired back up right away. Had some clunk/grind going into gear(in driveway) but isn't that normal. Didn't seem bad or excessive. Really the only thing I could see it needs are bellow's due to small cracks shown in the pics, and check gimble alignment when doing that job. Also the engine mount bolt I talked about and posted a pic of, might be kinda hard to tell in the pic but I posted anyway. When I saw it I tried to move the washer thinking it would move it the bolt was indeed loose; nope washer didn't budge. He started the engine and with the torque of starting and minor revving, the mount didn't budge either, so i'd ASSUME it wasnt a bug deal, just something that caught my eye because the bolt wasn't perpendicular with the washer. That was pretty much what I found and my conclusion; you guys got any thoughts? I figured if a sea trial works out as he describes with no issues/abnormalities/clunks/grinds/etc. then maybe I'll make an offer.

 

[Utahboatnut]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

sometimes the exhaust bellows will show wear, cracking, etc. just due to the hot water runnimng through them. IF the bellows were all changed in 09 I would feel pretty good about their condition. There are actually 3 bellows but the shift cable one generally isnt changed with the other two. I would think its getting close to a lower shift cable replace anyway as they are a wear item, a worn or mis adjusted lower will affect the way they go into gear forward and reverse. A typical Merc does have a pronounced clunk when put into gear, when they ratchet thats a good indicator of cable issues. Exhaust out the relief ports is normal while running on muffs. What computer chip was replaced? on a carbed 96 I dont know how many chips there were(as in there could be some I just dont know) others might chime in on that topic. I have a similar size,year Crownline with the 5.7/Merc drive and it performs very well, you will not be disapointed with the power. Good luck

 

[vipertblck]

Re: 96' chaparral 1930 sport purchase, good or bad?

sometimes the exhaust bellows will show wear, cracking, etc. just due to the hot water runnimng through them. IF the bellows were all changed in 09 I would feel pretty good about their condition. There are actually 3 bellows but the shift cable one generally isnt changed with the other two. I would think its getting close to a lower shift cable replace anyway as they are a wear item, a worn or mis adjusted lower will affect the way they go into gear forward and reverse. A typical Merc does have a pronounced clunk when put into gear, when they ratchet thats a good indicator of cable issues. Exhaust out the relief ports is normal while running on muffs. What computer chip was replaced? on a carbed 96 I dont know how many chips there were(as in ..there could be some I just dont know) others might chime in on that topic. I have a similar size,year Crownline with the 5.7/Merc drive and it performs very well, you will not be disapointed with the power. Good luck

What exactly is the lower shift cable? The one that goes from the captains lever to the outdrive, or the one to the engine; isn't there two? Also I believe the ourdrive did ratchet slightly when put into gear, but I didn't pay close enough attention or know what I was looking for. He put it in and out of both gears so I couldn't tell you if he had hesitation or not. He just put it in forward when I asked and it engaged normally from what I thought; then put in neutral, and then reverse and it engaged the same...