1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

[pcosky]

Ok, I'm new here and pretty new to boating, last boat I had was a 16' Glaspar my grand father left to me and I sold it in 1988...poetic isn't it.

Long story short, friend of mine bought this boat brand new in 1988 and had a lot fo fun with it until he discovered sailing. The last time this boat was out on the water was 2002. The boat was winterized and the cylinders oil fogged so I am not worried about the engine. Even it was frozen I used to do a fair amount of auto racing in my past and a 4 bolt main Chevy block is a phone call away.

I went through this thing today and found that most of the wood backing for the trim is dry rotted and there seems to be some "springyness" to the deck in the area of the teak access panel by the cabin entrance. I cleaned the upholstery and am getting ready to strip it down and cut new backing for all of it, but the deck is my concern. It doesnt feel soft or even rotten but is does have a little action to it. Is this normal or should I plan on a deck replacement this winter?

 

[pcosky]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

here are a few more pictures

 

[chargerboy]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

Nice lookin' boat! There's two trains of thought you can go with: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Also, "If it ain't broke, you aren't trying"

There's going to be some flexing of a floor, they can't be as solid as cement. If everything works, and feels solid and safe, why bother taking it apart? On the other hand, it IS 20+ years old, so there's going to be some rot taking place if you look for it. If it's worth taking apart right now is up to you. If the boat functions well and you believe is safe, then enjoy!

This is just my two cents, I'm sure other people will have other opinions.

 

[IceWater]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

Enjoy the summer and do the deck, stringers and transom in a year or two. I'm planning on putting mine off for two or three years.

 

[pcosky]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

I don't think the deck is too bad off as it is sealed with epoxy under the carpet as far as I can see. Also, where there are screw penetrations the screws are holding which they would not do if it were rotten. The boat is very solid other than the trim back and seat bases but none of that wood was sealed. When I do the new wood it will all get coated with a ploy clear coat to keep it sealed. I have stainless staples and brads coming for the upholstery work and backing construction. The nice thing is I am no stranger to wood work and have all teh tooling to do this and then some.....it's really great being a guy and a tool addict.

I just wasn't sure if the deck should have any flex to it.

I have all the manuals to the boat, engine and sterndrive....next is to put the waterjacket on this beatie and fire it up. I keep looking at it and can't help thinking a TBI unit and HEI distributor would be just what the doctor ordered.....although if it ain't broke don't fix it sounds like good advice to take.

Thanks for any and all suggestions....

Pete the newbie

 

[pcosky]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

Update 2 years later. Life got in the way but thankfully a friend of mine has a brother in law that used to own a marine service business. He was kind enough to put new bellows, gimbal bearing and a starter on the old girl and says its ready for the river and purring like a kitten. He also told me the boat is very solid.

If it ain't broke don't fix it turned out to be great advice.

 

[White90GT]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

Update 2 years later. Life got in the way but thankfully a friend of mine has a brother in law that used to own a marine service business. He was kind enough to put new bellows, gimbal bearing and a starter on the old girl and says its ready for the river and purring like a kitten. He also told me the boat is very solid.

If it ain't broke don't fix it turned out to be great advice.

Congrats on the clean bill of health from the marine doctor. Go have some summer fun. She's a nice looking boat. I kinda wish I had me a larger boat like this, but then again, I wouldn't wanna fill up the gas tank. My little 17 footer gets us around just fine and keeps most of the additional crowd (extra kids) from coming along if it were bigger.

 

[pcosky]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

I happened into this boat, I wasn't looking to get one when it fell into my lap, but that tank is painful to top off at the gas station down the road. I'm afraid of the cost on the river.

Now to go and pay for the slip for the rest of the season and give it a proper home.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: 1988 Chaparral 225 XLC 8 years in a mine

Did you ask him what he did to ensure the boat was "Solid" and ready for water? Boat decks are NOT supposed to be springy or spongy. A 24 yr old boat usually has issues. How was it stored since 2002? Was it covered and protected from the elements? Stringers and Transoms are very important to the overall structural integrity of the boat. A Spongy deck usually indicates issues down below. Without taking core samples there is no TRUE way of knowing the condition of them. If she were mine I'd be doing some intense investiagation of them. The motor mounts and transom are easy to core sample and that would give you peace of mind if you did the samples and found out that everything was solid and dry. Thats my recommendation and 2? worth.