Chaparral 2000 SL Sport floor, and more?? [SPLASHED Sept 2017]

[Baylinerchuck]

They are decent boats . . . but it didn't look much like a tank when Chuck was taking this thing apart. As I recall there were a few disappointments.

Definitely some head scratchers in the way it was built, but it did last 26 years until I got my hands on it. Who knows how much longer it would have lasted in its pre-restoration state. Probably many, many years. I'm not one to settle for soft spots though. I was going to get to the bottom of it, and I'm glad I did. Over all I have to say I'm really impressed with the hull thickness and molding. This thing is a beast. Everything attached to the hull......not so much. This is going to be a very solid boat when I'm done.

Hoping to pick up my resin and glass in the next couple weeks. I found a company in Edgewood MD that gets fresh resin in every Monday. Picking it up is going to save me about $150.00 in shipping costs. SCORE.

 

[proshadetree]

Look at the rest of the boats built in 1990 Chaparral was a leader. Many others are done rotten in a feild or sunk at the dock. Reguardless of who made it water will find wood, they love each other and can not be keep apart.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

Pretty much rained and had mist all day today. Would not have been a good day to grind any on the hull. There is always tomorrow I suppose. I did need some time to get all the Christmas stuff put away, so check that box.

I also worked on my polyester resin ventilation system. My fiberglass work is being done in my garage, which is the bottom level of my house. Though not dangerous, polyresin is a pretty annoying smell. A friend gave me two 8" duct booster fans. My plan is to enclose the top of my boat in plastic with a 2x4 frame. One fan will be an area fan for the entire boat, one will have 8" flex duct that I can move close to the layup. Fresh air will draw in the keyhole. I also have a radiant heater to ensure the layups are warm.

The plastic will have to be removable to get parts in. That's the plan anyway. Time will tell if it works or not. That's it for today.

 

[mickyryan]

they should move some air for sure!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

More grinding to report. It still amazes me that I find wet foam trapped between some of the layers of fiberglass. All this time in a dry garage and the foam never dried out. That just proves to me that foam, once compromised, nothing short of removing it will dry it out. Crazy.

I also found that water was laying between the hull and a layer of roving near the bilge drain. Either the roving never adhered to the hull, or water delaminated it when it froze. Either way the Fiberglass was black and nasty looking. This caused me to grind way more than I wanted.

The gel coat in the bilge area was extremely thick. It took me a good deal of time to get through this. I need to grind out the tabbing that binds the deck to the sides of the hull, and grind the transom. I can see the end through a cloud of fiberglass dust.....it's there......somewhere.

 

[drewm3i]

They are decent boats . . . but it didn't look much like a tank when Chuck was taking this thing apart. As I recall there were a few disappointments.

I would say they are good production boats. The OP's is definitely not the best representation of Chaparral quality as it is a 25 year old entry level bowrider (with all due respect to the OP and no offense meant )...I've owned two Chaps and been around others and I will say that they have some of the best materials out there, but sometimes fall short in execution. For instance, Chap started using PT marine wood for transoms in '93 and for all components in '96. They also started using starboard seat bases on all models in '94 (with the exception of the entry level SL line). They also use 316 stainless throughout, welded rails, all through bolted hardware, huge rubrails, and used chromed bronze through hulls when Formula, Sea Ray, and others used plastic. Where Chaparral's struggle is with sloppy glasswork (dry glass, no glass, etc.) and leaky vents. Sometimes the wiring is a bit haphazard too, but not terrible and it is all in looms.

When shopping for my last boat, I have to say (again, no offense ) that Formula's quality in the mid-90s did not compare to some of the other boats I looked at (Regal 2850 LSC). I looked at a mint 280 SS and it had rot in the cabin. The Regal did not. Formula's stringers were sparsely covered in CSM, Regal's were covered in roving completely. The Regal had a metal deck hatch, the Formula a plastic one. The Formula had an aluminum windshield, the Regal a stainless one. The Formula had plastic through hulls, the Regal stainless. The Formula berth was tiny, the Regal's huge. The Formula did look cooler though and had better gauges. Other than that, the Regal was a much better boat. I think it was a 2000 though, but had a deeper, lighter, and stepped hull.
I almost bought that boat, but instead ended up with a rotten Sea Ray. :laugh: One other boat on my list was a Chaparral Signature 29, but we didn't find one, so we bought the Sea Ray. I have to say the Sea Ray is pretty well-made too, minus the sloppy glasswork leading to some rot. Oh well!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

The OP's is definitely not the best representation of Chaparral quality as it is a 25 year old entry level bowrider (with all due respect to the OP and no offense meant )...I've owned two Chaps and been around others and I will say that they have some of the best materials out there, but sometimes fall short in execution. For instance, Chap started using PT marine wood for transoms in '93 and for all components in '96. They also started using starboard seat bases on all models in '94 (with the exception of the entry level SL line). They also use 316 stainless throughout, welded rails, all through bolted hardware, huge rubrails, and used chromed bronze through hulls when Formula, Sea Ray, and others used plastic. Where Chaparral's struggle is with sloppy glasswork (dry glass, no glass, etc.) and leaky vents. Sometimes the wiring is a bit haphazard too, but not terrible and it is all in looms.

No worries on offending I knew what I was getting into. The SL Sport is really a nice boat, and there are obviously better models. I doubt though that the construction details differed much in this manufacturer based on model. The difference between the SL and other models is the equipment and accessories you pay for. Like you stated, it was the execution of the build, as is the case I am learning with most production boats. The molding process is the real art in my opinion. This boat, the molding was flawless. Very thick and consistent hull throughout, even the cap. The gelcoat is thick and without defects. If I ever meet the guy who molded this boat, I'll shake his hand!! If I ever meet the dude with the plywood saw and chopper gun, I'm gonna beat him with it!! :brick:

This hull is the perfect platform for a rebuild and I don't regret buying the boat. In fact, when I'm done, I'm gonna scrape the "SL" off the side of the boat and replace it with "LTD". 2000LTD Sport, that'll show 'em!! :eyebrows:

 

[drewm3i]

This hull is the perfect platform for a rebuild and I don't regret buying the boat. In fact, when I'm done, I'm gonna scrape the "SL" off the side of the boat and replace it with "LTD". 2000LTD Sport, that'll show 'em!! :eyebrows:

.

As to your response, yes and no. I'm sort of a Chaparral history buff (grew up on two and also owned two myself and have been on that forum for years) and can comment on the different models based on experience and the old brochures. There are differences between models in features, but also in the quality of components. For example, the SL line had plywood seat bases where as the SS line (mid-range; I had a 2130 SS and a 2335 SS) had starboard. The SL used thinner vinyl and carpet. The SL also used standard plywood for deck, transom, and stringers, where as the SS line, Signature line of cruisers, and SX line began using PT XL wood for transoms in '93 and throughout in '96. Plus the SS, SX, and Signature lines also had standard or optional fiberglass liners. Also, the SL had more plastic for latches, windshield supports, and plexiglass windows versus stainless and glass. That said, they are still solid runabouts and I have a good buddy with a 1900 SL who loves the boat. They are great for a lake or river and will be very, very fast for the size (55 mph+). The gel coat is probably the same as the other boats, but I'm not entirely sure (Max Guard I think). Anyways, keep at it and you'll have a very nice boat pal!

 

[drewm3i]

Baylinerchuck http://forum.chaparralboats.com/index.php?/topic/5328-chaparral-brochure-archive/

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

Drove out to Edgewood MD today and picked up my fiberglass supplies from Fiberglassite. Saved me around $150.00 picking this up as opposed to shipping. Let the glassing begin!! 10 gallons resin, 15 QT cabosil, 15yds CSM, 15yds 1708, 5lbs chopped strands. Should be plenty to get me started.

 

[ripazka]

Drove out to Edgewood MD today and picked up my fiberglass supplies from Fiberglassite. Saved me around $150.00 picking this up as opposed to shipping. Let the glassing begin!! 10 gallons resin, 15 QT cabosil, 15yds CSM, 15yds 1708, 5lbs chopped strands. Should be plenty to get me started.

oooooooh me likey! Looks great man. I'm waiting for your lay up pics!


Ps. I'm jeallous of your tool cabinets :faint2:

 

[Baylinerchuck]

oooooooh me likey! Looks great man. I'm waiting for your lay up pics!


Ps. I'm jeallous of your tool cabinets :faint2:

Thanks man, should have the transom glassed this weekend. After all, I have to keep up withe you, right?

I bought the toolbox from Harbor Freight. I know there are some tool box snobs out there, but honestly for a garage box this thing is very nice, and inexpensive compared to Kobalt or most others. If I was working out of it to earn a living it might not be the best choice. For my use, it's perfect.

 

[ripazka]

Thanks man, should have the transom glassed this weekend. After all, I have to keep up withe you, right?

I bought the toolbox from Harbor Freight. I know there are some tool box snobs out there, but honestly for a garage box this thing is very nice, and inexpensive compared to Kobalt or most others. If I was working out of it to earn a living it might not be the best choice. For my use, it's perfect.

I think the same way. I would invest to those expensive ones if I would use them every day for my job or something.

You will keep up easily. I have many weeks that Im not home before May so Im pretty sure Im the one who is in a hurry

 

[JASinIL2006]

Drove out to Edgewood MD today and picked up my fiberglass supplies from Fiberglassite. Saved me around $150.00 picking this up as opposed to shipping. Let the glassing begin!! 10 gallons resin, 15 QT cabosil, 15yds CSM, 15yds 1708, 5lbs chopped strands. Should be plenty to get me started.

Let the fun part begin!

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

First layup is done. Used a quart of resin on the transom. Gave the side I'm glassing a good soak coat then laid up 1.5 oz CSM while it was still tacky. Had a little left over so I gave my motor mounts a good drink.

My fans kept up with the fume extraction perfectly. I got no complaints from the Admiral on the resin stench. I kept heat on the wet resin with an electric radiant heater. Temp in the garage is 62 degrees. Very pleased with the first glassing.

 

[ripazka]

Looks great! Keep it up. Few months and its time to splash

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

Went back to grinding on the boat. My plan was to be 100% done grinding today. Well, the good builders at Chaparral, and Murphy decided to throw me a curve. The curve was actually in the form of more rotten plywood. They used a thin strip, (1/2" x 3/4"), as a filler for the outside chines. The wonderful folks at Chaparral covered it in up to 3/4" of fiberglass. Since it was still wet it had to come out. I grabbed the Metabo and got after it. Honestly I'm surprised I didn't accidentally slice through the hull.

I also found that the area in bilge had water between a layer of fiberglass. It took a lot of grinding to get all the damaged delaminated layers removed. By the time I got that done, plus all the other grinding, my poor 4-1/2" grinder was toast.

Good news is there's not much more to do. I need to finish grinding the starboard side tomorrow. I'll get a cheap grinder to finish this as the glass dust would ruin a good grinder. Good thing HF is a mile from my house.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

No Title

Glassed the other side of the transom tonight. Not friscoboater grade, but good none-the-less.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Looks just fine to me!

 

[tpenfield]

Not sure why they would put a block of wood along the chines . . . it looks to be just along the stern portion of the hull?

I'm wondering if you are planning on adding a layer (or two) of fiberglass to the hull where you had to do extra grinding? :noidea:

That might be a good idea, based on some of the issues with the laminate that you have encountered