Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

[sailsmanship]

Need your opinion... I am looking at a 1996 31 Chaparral Signiture. It has 5.7L efi Mercruisers w/Bravo III's I am not familiar with Chaparrals..<br />Are they good boats? It is 31feet long 10.5 beam,<br />but only weighs 9600 lbs. Is that on the light side? It seems like it is in good condition.. I would have it surveyed in any event, but would like your opinion. There are not that many for sale on the popular internet sights...

 

[Cat3347]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Chapparral's are a very fine boat. I would even call them "high end" in my area. You are very wise to get the boat surveyed. Here are my suggestions.<br />1. Remember...YOU pick the surveyor, not the seller.<br />2. No matter what the seller says (either a private party, or a dealership), get the boat serviced if/when you buy it.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

S,ship,Though I have not heard any direct info on the quality of a Chap,I can tell you for sure that it is not a high end boat.Surely better than a Bayliner,possibly as good as a Rinker or similar boat.High end in that type and size of boat would be a Formula for instance.It is in no way in the class of a Formula.Personally I do like the looks of the Chaps in that size.How much is the seller looking for???The motors and drives are a good choice.Make sure to have the drives checked out thoroughly because there were a few years that those drives had internal corrosion problems.BIG corrosion problems.Charlie

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Sail, don't believe that weight unless the boat has been weighed at a certified scale.<br />Chaparrals are fine boats. I won't argue with charlie (cause apparently he's "crazy" ha ha), but Chaps are a lot better than some, not as fancy as some, and right on par with some. <br />If those engines are 5.7 EFI Gen +, they are 280 horsepower a piece. That should do a decent job in that boat. (for comparison my father has a 2001 Sig 300 w/twin 240hp 5.0 and Bravo 2 drives, and it serves him well.)<br />That year of Bravo 3 drives would be one of the years that were prone to corrosion. So if the boat has been in Lake Erie all it's life, look them over closely.

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Thanks. They want 49000 for the boat What do you think, Also How bad was the corrosion problem and why"|?

 

[Luna Sea]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Price sounds a little high. I see mid 90's 35/36 foot Silvertons and Carvers for not much more than that. ($60/70K). And they're a lot more boat. Look it up on NADA. Should be a nice boat though.

 

[MrBill]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Price may be way high...check this on NADA. Before adding extras and special power, retail price ranges from $33,000 to ave retail of $40,000, and the higher price would be at a dealer with warrantee and financing options.<br /><br /> http://www2.nadaguides.com/autohome2.aspx?Lnk=1&wSec=10&wPr=0&wPg=2111 <br /><br />Net weight indicated is about right, NADA lists at 9,750 lbs. with twin engine set up. Used boat pricing in that size and age is VERY competitive. There are a lot of manufacturers and huge volumes of used boats.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Also How bad was the corrosion problem and why"|?

Not sure I can say how bad it was. I can say that my 1997 Bravo 3 was trailered for 4 years, no problem. Now it has spent the last 4 summers in the IL River, and it's corroded, bad enough to worry me about the gear lube leaking out eventually!<br /><br />The why is a little easier to explain. Basically you have two huge stainless steel props mounted on an outdrive made of Aluminum. So, dissimilar metals will cause the alum to corrode. That's what the "zincs" are for. But on a Bravo 3, that one that sticks down from under the ventilation plate, doesn't stick down at all, it's flat. (and there's one inside the case when you remove the prop on a Bravo 1, none at all on the Bravo 3) So there is less overall corrosion protection on a Bravo 3, when in fact there needs to be MORE. Look at the one from the last couple of years, they a "zinc" that sticks out from the end of the prop shaft, looks like a bullet coming out of the rear prop.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

According to NADA (not the "consumer edition" either, the one your bank will use to lend money), with the two options I know the boat has, 5.7efi (280 horse each), and Bravo 3, the boat has an average retail of $41,195 with a high retail of $48,450.<br />That does not take into account any other options. The biggie I can think of is a generator. It may have been standard in that boat, but I don't think so. A 3kw generator adds $1985 to avg retail and $2205 to high retail. Hope that helps,

 

[Luna Sea]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

So it sounds like a $40,000 boat to me.<br /><br />Maybe less if you do a search on "Chaparral". This thread in particular went on for quite some time!!!<br /><br /> LEMONS

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

As I stated,be very careful with the drive as far as corrosion because most of it you cant see.It is a major cause for concern.There may be update kits available by now that may help.The wrong zincs were part of the problem.These drives need an aluminum sacraficial annode that are sold in kits now.As far as I remember that was only part of the problem.If that boat has been in the water every year since new, I will go out on a limb and say You will need to buy it with the price of 2 new drives taken into consideration.Dont think that because the outside of the drives are corrosion free that they are ok.Charlie

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Wow, charlie isn't too crazy after all! He's right on the money.<br /><br />The worst place for the corrosion to be is at the rear (lower) carrier. You need to remove both props to see this. Please also note that the inner prop nut is huge and takes a special prop wrench. If the corrosion is bad enough, the oil seal down there will leak. Not sure how much you have to replace if it's leaking now. Is it just the carrier or is it the whole lower case? Anyone?

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

TW,from what I have read a while back,there are different annodes for different water types which are crucial to the health of that drive .Unfortunately the corrosion is not limited to the prop area.It is just accelerated there because of the ss props.There is some info on this in a Boat US forum.They were very active with this problem and Mercruiser to aid their members in need .Charlie

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Thanks Guys, I did go to Nada and ran the boat with what it has and it came back with a 47K average high and 39K low. It also has a triple axle trailer with it. I'm still interested but now you kinda scared me on the outdrive corrosion problem. I have attached the link for the boat<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/sites/execyac...22.html?listing_page=listing_sum_index_3.html <br /><br />where it shows the outdrives without the props,but correct me if I'm wrong a surveyor will only go as far as that and alot of the problem could be hidden. Let me know what you think..P.S. you might be thinking why is he dwelling on this boat when there are so many others out there. Well its because the way the cockpit is set up. I just sold my 26 ft Rinker that I loved but I really wanted twin screws, and this boat has the same cockpit layout as the Rinker, that being a single helm seat with curved seat on the port side across. Most all the boats that I have seen in the 30-32 foot range seem to favor the double wide helm seat with the additional seating behind it. Thanks again for the advise it really helps

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Cant blame you for hanging in there with this boat,she looks sweeeeet!!The outside of the drives look clean.By the looks of the bottom I guess she has been hauled each outing which make a world of difference.If you are planning on doing the same I wouldnt be AS concerned but would still recommend having the drives checked out by a mercruiser tech.The trailer looks to be steel which may be less desirable in the long run.What kind of aft cabin does she have??Cant tell from the pictures.Regal makes a boat that size but much beefier and the aft cabin is queensize.Good luck,I would be excited too!! Charlie

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

In your opinion, if everything is as it seems, and I know you can't tell by pictures, but if it surveys good, do you think mid forties would be a decent price?

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Oh, and the aft cabin is the standard : decent head room front 40% going down to a shoehorn fit at your feet. Nothing great, but it will sleep 2.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Taking into consideration the time of year that it is and the possibility of the drives needing to have some $ spent on them ,I would shoot lower .You can always go higher during negotiations.All going well I would offer around $39 and go from there.If all works out well with the survey ,the boat is probably worth mid 40s.I dont think at this time of year anyone will be trying to out bid you.Use that to your advantage.You are probably the only live prospect they will see for a while.Charlie

 

[sailsmanship]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Thanks again For your help........

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Chaparral used boat..Any Good?

Sail, those drives look fine from the pictures. Certainly nothing like mine! Where are the props?<br />It's funny how everyone's tastes are different. I prefer the exact opposite deck seating. The reason I don't like the seating in that 31 Chap is because the passenger is behind the driver, and so they are talking to the back of their head! And I don't like facing sideways, so I would always be seated in the port lounge with my back against the backrest.