First Boat - Used 1994 Chapperal 1930 SS

[rbiankowski]

Hey all,

Thank you for taking the time today.

I am about to purchase my first boat, been researching for quite awhile but haven't come across a good deal. Recently, a boat shop in Wisconsin (where I live) has listed this Used 1994 Chapperal 1930 SS for sale here: http://www.boathouseh2o.com/inventory/192-1994-chapperal-1930-ss

I went today to check it out, boat interior looks great as well as the exterior. The salesman told me they took the boat in as a trade in April 2016 while it was not working. They fixed the fly wheel in the engine and now it's for sale again. He talked about how it's suppose to now be listed at $7,999 instead of $5,000 because the $5K amount was only for when it was not functioning - therefore I'd be getting a deal..

I am looking for as much advice as possible via looking at the photos and personal experiences with this boat and the motor it has. My concern is that the motor still isn't 100% so I am hoping to negotiate a 1 YR Limited Warranty or something if I go forward with this. Is this do-able?

The team was extremely accomodating and very nice, no pressure. I am going to set up an appointment to take the boat for a test drive next week Saturday. Any thoughts on the boat quality, motor, etc would be very much appreciated.

Thank you,
Ryan

 

[wrvond]

That's a great looking boat! I doubt they'll provide much, if any, warranty. I'd still be tempted.

 

[jbcurt00]

Used boat sellers are often similar to used car salesmen, so take everything they say as part of the sales pitch.

It should not have been difficult to change the ad's list price for the boat, once it was fixed, and if it was supposed to be $7999, somebody's in deep guano. Thats a nearly 3K hit on an 8K boat......

If YOU think 5K is a deal, then go over the boat extremely carefully on your test drive. Hands and eyes on is significantly better then remotely via limited pix on the net.

Remember it is an over 20yr old boat, so current condition is a much better guage then brand/maker.

 

[89retta]

Yep hes giving you the salesman pitch. Hes just telling you the boat is suppose to be $7999 so you think its a good deal at $5000. Its a 22 year old boat. If you like the boat offer him $4000 cash

 

[southkogs]

I'm with JB - You have to look a bit and see if the boat seems like a $5k boat to you. In my area, I would be looking to shave a little off the price like 89 says, BUT ... if it's in as good shape as it looks in the photos, the full $5k might be worth it.

 

[89retta]

One more thing. Not to many people buying boats in the fall. So I think you got the advantage when it comes to price.

 

[bruceb58]

The boat is not worth $8K and I kinda doubt it's even worth $5K. I agree that $4k is tops on that boat.

 

[Pat_220v]

Looks nice.

Every transom I looked at was plywood sandwiched by fiberglass or aluminium.

The screws on the back, holding the transducers on, and the wires to the transducers. Did they have any visible sealant on them? I cannot really tell from the picture. It kinda looks like they do not. These are frequently put on my owners and done incorrectly. If no sealant I would be concerned about rot. Specifically I would tug on the transponder a bit, and see if they move at all. Not just the transponder, but the fasteners holding the wires to it to the transom. I have also heard of trying to lift the lower unit to see if there is movement. Other people take the wooden handle from a hammer and tap back there, although I have been confused when I have done this. Don't be afraid to look stupid.

Balsa core deck with balsa stringers on that model if I recall correctly. If the transom has rot issues it would take the stringers with it, resulting in a severe reduction in value.

The deck, you can check that by simply walking on it and bouncing your weight up and down a bit. If it is rotten anywhere, the boat is worthless. They rot from the bottom (stringers) up. For me usually the lowest point, where you access the front of the boat between the windshields was most likely to flex.

 

[rbiankowski]

I walked the entire deck yesterday and it seemed solid after checking nearly every square foot. Will be checking for the sealant next weekend, good point! Thank you for your help!

 

[rbiankowski]

Thanks everyone for the answers so far!

Any comments on the fly wheel issue they fixed in the engine? Is this common and does it come often with more issues?

Also, any tips on negotiating with boats? I've always come out very well with car deals - it's probably no different with a boat?

 

[tpenfield]

Since this boat is 22 years old, it is a roll of the dice. $5K is a decent asking price. NADA value is about $4K as a reference point, so $8K is not realistic. Maybe they tried the boat at $8K :noidea: and no takers.

Amazing what a little bit of wax and polish can do.

Not sure what the 'flywheel' issue would be . . . you don't hear about flywheel issues much. Could be something else, like the coupler, which is attached to the flywheel.

The dealer will probably comply with state and local consumer protection laws . . . doubt they will provide any warranty beyond that, as the cost to fix what could go wrong would be a big chunk of what the selling price was.

 

[jbcurt00]

Buying boats is entirely different then buying cars, IMO.

Lots of down side to a 'deal' very little upside beyond price. And as Tim just mentioned, w no warranty, repairs can get expensive.

IMO, it would be a huge help to go see several boats, dozens (or more), before buying 1. Particularly if its your 1st boat. Go see boats that dont really interest you (makes it easier to be hyper critical) and boats that are priced above where you want to pay (its getting into a bad time of year to sell a boat).

So much of what can be wrong w a boat is extremely hard to identify for even experienced used boat buyers.

Read this:
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/gener...er-s-checklist

 

[roffey]

Nice looking boat, I agree with the comments above if they really did price it wrong all they need to do is change it. One thing, I noticed the reported HP on the boat is 350. That seems way to much for a 19 foot bowrider. I bet the motor is a 5.7 (350) or more likely a 5.0 and some one goofed on the documentation.

 

[roffey]

looked a little closer and the motor is a 5.7 or a 350, that thing would fly. Correct me if I'm wrong but that is 260 hp on a 19 foot boat? My boat is a 20 footer and will do middle 50s (on the GPS) with 190hp.

 

[rbiankowski]

Yeah I agree, it's a great motor for a starter boat. I am just concerned with the engine. Going to try to get them to do $4000 with a 1 YR warranty on the engine.

 

[bruceb58]

Hire a mechanic to do a compression test on the engine before you buy it. I really doubt anyone would warranty a used engine/drive/boat like that but you can always ask.

 

[jkust]

Looks like a decent starter boat for sure. I would be less concerned about the engine because it is simple to test, diagnose and if necessary, repair. Parts are widely available for that engine as well. The hull and potential rot and delamination is my biggest concern. The early chaps are built pretty crudely compard to the next generation where most of the wood was replaced with fiberglass and other plastic type materials. They still used wood but a lot less of it starting around 2001ish +- when all of the hulls were replace and modernized. There's a good thread highlighting what I believe is your exact boat and all of the rotting and issues it had as he rebuilt it all. It was actually pretty eyeopening as to the brand having one reputation but the actual construction was pretty low end for what I believe was actually a 96 in the thread. As for the 350 in a 19 foot boat, as mentioned it is an early 350 with low HP and Chap put 260HP MPI engines in the 18 foot boats for years in the early and mid 2000's. A low HP 350 in a 19 foot boat isn't as unusual with the Chaps. I've known people with the early 350's and the modern 350's with a lot more HP and they didn't think the MPI added as much as you would think over the older 350's. If you can truley be sure that the boat has no rot issues and it solid, I would be fine paying 5k for it in the fall. I will say that my previous Chap had a v6 which was actually newer than my current chap with a 350 MPI and the 350 is so amazingly more capable even in a substantially heavier boat. I've had boats chase me down to ask what kind of power I have that gets me going so fast as I blow past them (even with a seventeen inch prop). The 350 is an excellent engine and that alone would attract me to your subject boat. I won't ever own anything less than a v8 any longer.

 

[SeaDooSam]

That boat will do about 50mph. I have the littler 1830 and love it. It is a great boat. I paid 5k at beginning of the season with a rebuilt engine for comparison. Since it it a bigger boat 5k is right on the money IMO. Looks like it was well taken care of and the interior looks great. As long as the floor is all there should be a good boat. Maybe get an I depend mechanic to look at the engine? We surprisingly got a 1yr warranty on the rebuilt engine. However the guy didn't exactly honor it but no big deal. Luckily the boat was perfect after a new carb.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I have a 19' bowrider with a 350 Mag in front of an Alpha One Gen 2 drive. When outfitted with a 4-blade prop, the boat will do 50 mph with several passengers and a full tank of gas. With a 3-blade prop it will get close to 60 mph. It's pretty nice to have the ooomph there when you want it!