Crownline vs. Chaparral

[mapleaf99]

Hey Folks,
I am in the market to buy a late model used 23 ft. cuddy cabin. I want a higher end boat, but can't justify the price of a Cobalt or Chris-Craft. So I have narrowed my choices to a Crownline or Chaparral. The used Crownlines do cost a bit more than the Chaparrals, Are I am wondering if they are worth it? Is there any other higher end boat that I should look into? What do you think?
Thanks,
Duke

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I don't think they are worth it. And Crownline has been sold within the year, and their assets are set to be auctioned off soon. You be the judge of what that means.
( I am a former Chaparral owner, and my dad has owned 4 of them.)

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I can't help but mention Four Winns.

 

[werthert]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

Is it me or do Rinker's win the bang for the buck category?

 

[burp]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I don't think they are worth it. And Crownline has been sold within the year, and their assets are set to be auctioned off soon. You be the judge of what that means.
( I am a former Chaparral owner, and my dad has owned 4 of them.)

Don't count Crownline out just yet! I expect there will be some positive news soon. (something that the boating industry hasn't had for quite awhile)

I've have had 2 Crownlines. Both have performed and held up quite well.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

Is it me or do Rinker's win the bang for the buck category?

If they aren't winning that category, they are certainly in the Chase!

 

[superpop]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I can say that I have been very happy with my Chaparral. It is very well built and well thought out. I looked at the Cobalts and Chris Crafts and came to the conclusion that for a lot less money I could have a comparable boat. Just my .02

 

[45Auto]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

Crownline did use high end materials in their construction, which is why they tend to be more expensive and held their value better. Don't know how that'll work out now with the company up for sale. When anyone sees my 6 year old Crownline they think it is brand new and are surprised when I tell them it's not. Upholstery, carpet, fittings, gelcoat, etc all still look like it came off the showroom.

My previous boat was a Bayliner. After 4 years I had to replace all the wood in the seats due to rot, have the blue stripes in the seats recovered because the vinyl was all cracked and split from the sun, and had to re-do the side panels because of the wood rotting behind them. The blue gelcoat on the sides also faded badly. It didn't oxidize, all the polishing, wet sanding, etc wouldn't bring it back. The blue just turned cloudy all the way through. The carpet wore badly and had to be re-glued several times. The fittings were zamac (I think that's what they're called), chrome plated zinc, and pitted badly after a couple of years. The boat performed well, but it was obvious that it had been built to a lower priced market when compared to the Crownline.

No personal experience here with a Chaparral. But the only other 5 or 6 year old boats I've seen that appear to hold up as well as my Crownline has are the Cobalts.

 

[jkust]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

When anyone sees my 6 year old Crownline they think it is brand new and are surprised when I tell them it's not. Upholstery, carpet, fittings, gelcoat, etc all still look like it came off the showroom.
QUOTE]

I second that but with my 7 year old Chaparral. A few brands I noticed were a little ahead of the time style wise and never got dated in comparison to a 2003 teal green Larson for instance. Plus my hull was only just discontinued last year so is the same boat up to 08. One of the reasons I would buy an 03. My 2 cents is the Crownlines I saw were more sporty than luxury. I preferred the luxury, heavier hull of the Chap. Both brands are nice.

 

[Tahoe 55]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I've been doing research for awhile now on the same category of boats you're considering and I'm pretty sure my next boat will be a Chap.

 

[burp]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

Don't count Crownline out just yet! I expect there will be some positive news soon. (something that the boating industry hasn't had for quite awhile)

I've have had 2 Crownlines. Both have performed and held up quite well.

http://www.southernillinoisan.com/articles/2009/08/07/breaking_news/doc4a7cadefba5fd153082645.txt

 

[PitchFork]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I really like my '94 1930SST Chap It has been a great first boat with plenty of storage and three coolers of which we only use two of them. I am just glad I did not buy a new 17' Sea Ray like two of my neighbors did. They have no storage, no coolers, and no Deep "V" Hull.

 

[Tahoe 55]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

Nice boat PitchFork!

 

[JimKW]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

It's kind of like Chevy vs. Ford. Toyota vs. Honda or Cadillac vs. Lincoln. You will get people saying that one is better than the other.

I really like the Crownline I just bought. It's nine years old and looks practically brand new. I bought it because I go the best deal on it in my opinion. I did not see any Chaparrals though I have to admit. I was seriously considering Four Winns or Sea Ray though, but got the deal on the Crownline.

 

[DYLBOSS]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

Is it me or do Rinker's win the bang for the buck category?

I just bought a '96 Rinker 212 Cuddy. When I was doing my research, I saw nothing but positive statements about Rinkers, their construction and their customer service.

 

[Tabes117]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I love my EBBTIDE, small company out of Tenn. It is not well known but the quality is very high. Price my be higher than Crownline or Chaparral. The hulls are all hand laid no chopper guns. It takes large chop with no shake or rattle. The Z-track hull is very nice for performance. I have 23.5 bow rider.

http://www.ebbtideboats.com/

 

[CaptainYARRR]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I got a pretty reasonable deal IMO on my Monterey 218LS and they make a cuddy version of it. Very solid boat, still looks fantastic. Have a couple things here and there that need attention, but for a 7 y/o boat I'm very pleased.

 

[gobbler boat]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

I love my EBBTIDE, small company out of Tenn. It is not well known but the quality is very high. Price my be higher than Crownline or Chaparral. The hulls are all hand laid no chopper guns. It takes large chop with no shake or rattle. The Z-track hull is very nice for performance. I have 23.5 bow rider.

http://www.ebbtideboats.com/

Bless you my son! I have just bought an EBBTIDE 2440 after having a Chaparral Sunesta 210 for 12 yrs. I could not find much info on the Ebb's but what little I did find, it seemed like a great boat. I am still looking for little jewels like this to convince me I did the right thing. REALLY can not wait for summer. Even thought my Chaparral was 12 yrs old, I still had some people ask me if it was new!

 

[Philster]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

Crownlines are either darn well cared for, well made, or both, because after years of looking at boats, I'll be damned if they weren't consistently in good quality and stylish regardless of age. I'd be pressed to think of a brand that was better. Cobalts? Possibly.... but so many were outside the price range search that I saw only 2-3 of them.

I eventually went all-out for performance; hence, my Scarab. There are so many 1970's and 80's Wellcrafts, and Scarabs in particular, it was clear they had staying power.

Chappy is a good brand, though.

 

[180Fisherman]

Re: Crownline vs. Chaparral

If you want a higher end runabout cuddy you should be looking at Formula.