First Boat Purchase Advice

[jr88fan]

I have been reading the forums and just about everything I can find on the Internet but wanted to post here because there seem to be some great discussions on this forum. I am buying my first boat and have been looking at multiple boats for about three weeks. I have it narrowed down to a bowrider but would like opinions on the following two boats.

Boat 1: 1987 Chaparral 198 XL, Inboard/Outboard, 305 Motor, no canopy, no extras

Boat 2: 1986 Larson Senza 175, Outboard, 150 HP, canopy, couple of tubes and ropes, few extras

My concerns are maintenance, gas usage, spare parts and availability of add ons. Thanks!

 

[tpenfield]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

I like Chappy's better than Larsons . . But with boats of this fine age, condition is everything. Structural rot is a big concern. If you plan on doing a lot of water sports and swimming off the stern, then the I/O will be better.

I would do compression tests on the engines to see if there are any issues.

Overall, you will be happier with the boat that is in better condition, and it is hard to tell from this distance. So, you will want to take a detailed look at the boat and post back with issues/concerns, etc.

 

[jr88fan]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Additional info

Boat 1 is $3400 and Boat 2 is $4000

 

[greenbush future]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Boat 1: 1987 Chaparral 198 XL, Inboard/Outboard, 305 Motor, no canopy, no extras

Is a better built boat, but how it has been treated and cared for is much more crittical than anything. Sea trial and deailed inspection of sub structure would be my top priorities.
Have fun

 

[jr88fan]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Thanks for the responses so far!
I have walked around and in both boats. I have looked in the every crevice I can find and looked at the structure as best I can. I have not found any obvious issues with either boat except for some rotted plywood which will be easy to replace since all the vinyl is in great shape. I am attaching a picture of each boat also. Both boats look like they were maintained pretty well as far as I can tell.
Any other words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

The chapparell certainly looks nicer - or the owner is better at waxing. One downside to the chapparell is the dual axle trailer if you intend to keep it in the garage.

 

[spoilsofwar]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

except for some rotted plywood which will be easy to replace since all the vinyl is in great shape.

Where was the rotted plywood?

 

[Slide]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

My dad has a Senza 195, same year as that one. He just finished a full structural overhaul - the transom was mush. Unless that Senza has been stored inside, it's probably got the same deal. Take some cores of the transom.

 

[jr88fan]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

The only place I found it was on the bottom of the rear seats. The vinyl was loose and I pulled the seat cushions out and the plywood was rotted. The vinyl is not torn so I am guessing I could use the current plywood as a template, cut another piece of plywood, probably replace the foam and re-staple the vinyl. On the bottom of the rear seats in the attached picture.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

More than likely it is because they get wet when people come in and out of the water (that is the "step"). For seats like that you need to make sure to pull them out after a day of boating so that they can dry out.

 

[jr88fan]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Since this is "the step" I should probably replace the plywood with a 3/4 inch marine grade or even coat it with drylock before recovering?

 

[jr88fan]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

So I read a little more and went and looked at both boats again. I offered $3100 for the Chappy and they took it so now I am the proud owner of a 1987 Chaparral 198 XL!

I took it home and cleaned it up and got a new dual purpose battery. Checked everything out using some helpful guidance from this site and all seemed well.

Got up Sunday morning and headed to the lake for my first launch and sea trial. No issues getting the boat in the water or getting to dock to pick up passengers. I did forget to mention that I grew up around boats in Florida but was never the one responsible for getting it in the water or out.

I chugged around the lake for a while checking everything out. I made sure I wasn?t taking on water mostly and getting used to the steering, trim, speed and checking out the gauges. Everything seems to be solid with the boat.

The speedometer doesn?t work but I would guess I eventually got the boat up to about 35 MPH on calm water and everything was still great. Cruised around the lake for about 4 hours and all was well. Stopped many times to check out the boat and jump in the lake to cool off. The bow strap broke which was the only issue with getting the boat out of the water. I had a spare tie down in the truck which saved the day! Will be replacing all tie downs and straps before the next trip!

I did find a few minor issues but I will create some new posts for those. Overall I am extremely happy (my girlfriend says I am giddy) with the boat. Today I am ordering some tubes, ropes, bimini top, etc. Thanks for the great posts and advice!

 

[Slide]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

So I read a little more and went and looked at both boats again. I offered $3100 for the Chappy and they took it so now I am the proud owner of a 1987 Chaparral 198 XL!

I took it home and cleaned it up and got a new dual purpose battery. Checked everything out using some helpful guidance from this site and all seemed well.

Got up Sunday morning and headed to the lake for my first launch and sea trial. No issues getting the boat in the water or getting to dock to pick up passengers. I did forget to mention that I grew up around boats in Florida but was never the one responsible for getting it in the water or out.

I chugged around the lake for a while checking everything out. I made sure I wasn’t taking on water mostly and getting used to the steering, trim, speed and checking out the gauges. Everything seems to be solid with the boat.

The speedometer doesn’t work but I would guess I eventually got the boat up to about 35 MPH on calm water and everything was still great. Cruised around the lake for about 4 hours and all was well. Stopped many times to check out the boat and jump in the lake to cool off. The bow strap broke which was the only issue with getting the boat out of the water. I had a spare tie down in the truck which saved the day! Will be replacing all tie downs and straps before the next trip!

I did find a few minor issues but I will create some new posts for those. Overall I am extremely happy (my girlfriend says I am giddy) with the boat. Today I am ordering some tubes, ropes, bimini top, etc. Thanks for the great posts and advice!

Congrats! The first boat is always an amazing feeling. Give it a season though and you'll have two-foot-itis just like the rest of us

 

[Captain Caveman]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Getting through the first ride without any major problems/setbacks is an awesome feeling. Congrats and welcome to the boating community

 

[KFS]

Re: First Boat Purchase Advice

Congratulations!