I think I am set on buying a 2003 Chaparral 230 ssi that is located 4 hours away in PA. The issue is the boat is located in BFNW. I found a Marine Surveryor that is located an hour away. Called no answer, so I emailed him this morning as I hope for a reply back. I also called around to a half dozen marinas/boat shops in the area. Either they don't touch Mercrusiers or they are backed logged by weeks. My first boat I got for $7,500 about 12 years ago. For that I evaluated first on dry land, then did a test drive of it. Have been pretty happy with it. This boat is about 3x more, so I felt like paying extra for a surveryor might be worth it. I know others are interested in the boat as well. I am wondering if I should just forgo both and evaluate it myself. I am thinking about buying a compression tester and leak down tester to test the engine after we do the test drive. I know the boat is old, though it at least has a lined deck and encapsulated stringers. All I could find was 90's or earlier issues with Chaparral stringers, deck, and transom issues.
