1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

[fourwinnsnate]

Ok so my four winns got written off (the resort I was at docks let go)
So I am looking at the chaparral it's in overall great shape
The hr meter reads 346hrs and from the condition of the boat
Seems like it is probably accurate.
So what I'm wondering is if there are any notorious problems
With this boat I should be looking for. It has a 7.4l merc with the bravo 3
Duo prop out-drive...I will water test it tomorrow... I saw it tonight and it looked great
He said it was compression tested at 120psi all around which I believe is good for a 454
Any info would be appreciated thanks!

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

Chaps are very good boats, your already a boater so you know the rest, check the transom,stringers and deck etc etc. Care and Maintenance are more important then make Blah Blah Blah you know the story

Sorry to hear about the Fourwinns, that sucks...

 

[tpenfield]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

120 psi is on the low side for a 454. . . But it could be that the battery was not up to snuff and/or the throttle was closed during the test. I would want to see a re-test in real time. I never believe test results that are given to me.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

120 psi is on the low side for a 454. . .

Compression tests are far more valuable for the variance (if any) they show between cylinders then for the numbers themselves... 120psi is probably perfectly tight as long as all eight bores punched the same, which they did.

 

[fourwinnsnate]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

Yah... He said the comp test was all very even
I will ask him if he has results... I will change the impeller
As soon as I get it home as he has not done that in the one year
He has had the boat. The hull and interior are nearly perfect which tells
Me this boat has been loved... This duo prop bravo 3 out drive is good?
I am a bit leery on it as it was pretty rare in 1997
And also does anyone have this motor
And leg combo in a similiar size boat... If so
How is it on fuel? I know it's a 454 but I am
Not on to ever use full throttle and I'm
Very content to cruise at 32-34 mph
Thanks
Nate

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

...
This duo prop bravo 3 out drive is good?
I am a bit leery on it as it was pretty rare in 1997
And also does anyone have this motor
And leg combo in a similiar size boat... If so
How is it on fuel? I know it's a 454 but I am
Not on to ever use full throttle and I'm
Very content to cruise at 32-34 mph
...

Great drive. But prone to corrosion if they are kept in the water. The rear bearing carrier is what you need to check, and you have to remove the props to see it.
Nah, they weren't rare in 97.
I owned a Chap 2135 (boat was only 20'6" long) with a 280hp fuel injected 5.7 and B3 for 8 years. It ran great. It got about 3.5 mpg while cruising. 454 in a 2330 (23'8" long) would be about the same, maybe a little worse. But not better.

If you have never operated a boat with a dual prop drive before, be aware of a few things. They don't go slow. Since they have such great "bite" as soon as you put them in gear, they are moving. If that 454 in fuel injected, there's nothing you can do. If it's a carb, you could adjust the idle down as low as possible. Just be prepared to take it out of gear a lot as you are appraoching the dock.

As far as the boat goes, check the floor, it's wood under the carpet. About the carpet, don't worry if it looks all matted down, they looked that way when they were brand new.
Check the hinges on the sunpad and the lifting "shocks" (like on a hatchback car or minivan gate). If one shock is worn out, it'll bind the hinges and break them. If they are both worn out, the lid is HEAVY!

If the boat wasn't kept in the water then the hull shouldn't have any blisters and the drive shouldn't be corroded. But check 'em out anyway.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

You will love the 7.4L Bravo III, its a great combo, I think its only drawback is that it does not know how to be easy on the gas but lets face it how many boats are easy on the gas?

incredible bite coming out of the hole, I have the largest boat in our crowd and no one beats me out of the hole, of course this means I get to tow the bigger tubes and bigger skiers, did you say you were worried about gas??

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

..., did you say you were worried about gas??

Hahaha. You know the saying, "if you have to ask much it costs, you can't afford it."

 

[johnmsch]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

Don't know much about the B3's, but my 7.4L has been rock solid. I do all the preventative maintenance myself and haven't had any issues with the motor.

 

[fourwinnsnate]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

Alright so I bought the boat! It water tested great
And felt really nice... Only issue is the floor is a bit soft around
The ski locker but I noticed this before I bought it and offered him
$8000cad and he took it!!
The only issue is that I didn't notice the motor is quite rusted
which tells me the boat was in or around salt water and concerns me
Because it is raw water cooled... The boat ran great with no knocks or anything
And didn't burn a drop of oil in the hr I was driving it.
It has a 28' prop which seems like its too steep because wot was 46mph @ 3800 rpm

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

WOW 28's are pretty darn big, how fast were you going?

I have thought about getting a set but I was told I didn't have enough motor....

So I'm stuck with 26's

 

[fourwinnsnate]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

WOW 28's are pretty darn big, how fast were you going?

I have thought about getting a set but I was told I didn't have enough motor....

So I'm stuck with 26's

Yah I don't think it is enough motor
I can only do 46MPH at 3800 I'm thinking
I need a 24 or even 23 but this isn't the prop section so I won't
Get into that

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

try 26's most popular set on BIII's but I don't think you will get lower then 24's

26p gets me 55 MPH on Powell at 4600

Do you know what gears are in the outdrive?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

...
And felt really nice... Only issue is the floor is a bit soft around
The ski locker but I noticed this before I bought it and offered him
$8000cad and he took it!!
The only issue is that I didn't notice the motor is quite rusted
which tells me the boat was in or around salt water and concerns me
Because it is raw water cooled...
It has a 28' prop which seems like its too steep because wot was 46mph @ 3800 rpm

Hope your issues don't turn into big ones. Especially at that price.

Rusted engine doesn't automatically mean salt water. It's possible that the exhaust risers are stainless steel, where the exhaust manifolds are definately iron and the bolts between them are steel. That will cause some rust right there, my 1997 5.7 Bravo did it. I had one riser to manifold bolt almost completely rusted away after the boat was 9 years old.

Confirm the tach is correct, cause at 3800rpms WOT it would have been a PIG. 46mph is too low for a top speed also. 55 would be more like it. Again check the tach, but you're gonna need 24s or 26s, especially if it has 2.0 drive ratio (which it almost certainly does). Used propsets are available on ebay and places.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

...
I need a 24 or even 23 ...

No such thing as 23s in B3 propsets. Even numbers only from 20 to 30. There are now sets that have a 4 blade front prop. There are also factory "cupped" propsets. They sort of bridge the 2" pitch gaps of the standard propsets.

Expect to pay $600 for a used propset. ANd they are not shiny, so don't be upset when they look all dull!

 

[fourwinnsnate]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

Hope your issues don't turn into big ones. Especially at that price.

do you say that because it was so cheap you think there could be major problems
Or because it wasnt so cheap that it's worth doing repairs?
And as far as a "pig" do you mean slow or hard on fuel?

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

If the issues are major $$$ to fix, you paid WAY too much. If they are minor, you only paid a premium price.

I mean both. If it could only turn 3800rpm WOT, it would have been a DOG out of the hole (even with the B3 drive), and it would be overworking the engine causing it to use way more fuel. Also, "lugging" an engine like that can/will damage the valves and or pistons, if done long enough. That issue MUST be fixed.

 

[fourwinnsnate]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

Yah...I intend on changing the prop pitch asap...I really don't understand why anyone would be running a 28* prop on that boat..maybe so they could cruise at 40mph?? seems really strange...
As far as the price goes.. I'm not sure what boats go for where you are but here in Canada this boat (without a rotten floor) would be worth 15 000 all day long...I look at boat prices a lot around my area (6 hrs away max) and this to me was an amazing deal. I can fix the floor for a very small amount of money and as far as the rest of the boat...it seems to be in very good condition.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 chaparral 2330 sport limited

That boat could have been purchased in the US, when it was brand new, fo about $32,000. That's all the more I can say about that.

A 28 pitch propset might have worked if the drive was a 2.2 ratio, but it wouldn't have been when the boat was new. And at a true 3800 rpms, it isn't now.