1996 24' Chaparral Signature with 9 hours only. Boat is mint. Buy or pass

[serrano4657]

There is a boat for sale. 1996 24' Chaparral Signature on trailer and garage kept. The owner was in a car accident and is disabled and never got a chance to use the boat. He starts it up every few months. The motor has 9 hours on it, and the boat is mint condition. The boat has never seen water. I am concerned about seals and gaskets. Is this a good buy or not? He wants $17,000 for it. I am not going to pay 17,000 for 23 year old boat. Any advice would be great.

 

[tpenfield]

I'd give it a good inspection and do a compression test, if all looks good, I'd go for it. (if I were me that is . . . ) :thumb:

 

[blamtro]

I would give that serious consideration if its the style, type of boat and has the options you're looking for.

what are other boats in your category in similar age and condition going for?

Regardless if the boat was used or not, because of the age it will need a full transom service, with most rubber parts needing replaced. For what it’s worth I paid more money for a similar age boat and then had to buy a trailer. In my opinion, it was all about the condition of the hull and upholstery.

I would imagine the upholstery is in top-notch shape. The tires on the trailer will need to be replaced as they are past the eight year age limit.

I would have a marine and mechanical survey done. If they check out, move forward.

 

[roffey]

if he started the boat on a regular bases and was garage kept this might be the find of the century. 17k might be a deal. When you consider the boat has never seen water that would mean no rot. The boat has been garage kept so the interior and hull will be pristine… at 17k there would be lots of room to fix what needs to be looked at if anything.

 

[tacx]

Have you looked up the nada value? Sounds quit high to me.