Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

[cobberdogger]

We are looking to buy a +/-20 ft boat for our cottage on a large freshwater lake. We have checked out a Chaparral 196 SIS and Reinell 220 LSE that are basically identical in many ways: hull design (both deep V), engine (5.0 L GXI Volvo Penta 270 HP), interior layout (similar seating, storage, walk-thru transom etc.). To my untrained eye they look almost identical. The Reinell is about $10K less and comes with a trailer. What do you experts have to say about Reinell boats? Any concerns? Is it really worth it to spend the extra $$ on the Chaparral? Any advice welcome! Thank you.

 

[oops!]

Re: Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

10 k is a lot for the same year......and no trailer......we need the detailes like actual prices.......there could be a reason the reinell is under priced.

chaps are good boats tho.....but not so good for that kind of a price difference

 

[cobberdogger]

Re: Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

Thanks for the reply, oops, and sorry for not providing more detail. There are actually three boats we are considering: 2 Reinells and 1 Chap. I will list the apples-to-apples comparison first, and then throw in a third option.

Apples to apples comparison:

2012 Chaparrel 196 SSi (20 feet)
Price: $36,000 (Note there is a 2011 Reinell with similar specs for $27K)
4.3 L GXI Volvo Penta 225 HP
Premium Package, snap-in carpet, ****-pit and bow cover, premium graphic, no bimini top, no trailer

2011 Reinell 207 LS Bow Rider (21 ft)
Price: $32,500
5.0 L GXI Volvo Penta
XL Package / Fiberglass Liner / Snap in Carpet / Stainless Rail / Stailess Pull up Cleats / Depth Finder / Sport Seating / with Flip up Bucket Seats / Stainless Drink Holders / Bow & Cockpit Covers. No trailer.


Third option:

2011 Reinell 220 LSE Sport Bow Rider (22 feet)
Price: $35,000.00
5.0 L GXI Volvo Penta 270 HP
Corsa Captains Silent Choice Exhaust
Includes following: XL Package / Fiberglass Liner / Snap in Carpet / Stainless Rail / Stailess Pull up Cleats / Depth Finder / Sport Seating / with Flip up Bucket Seats / Stainless Drink Holders / Bimini Top / Bow & Cockpit Covers / Tandem Axle Custom Trailer


As you can see, the "third option" appears to be more boat (+ trailer) for the same money as the smaller Chap (smaller engine, no trailer, fewer toys). I just wonder about long-term quality or the Reinell. I am not experienced enough to judge in the showroom or really tell the difference on the water in short test drive.

Our lake can be fairly rough so we want it to be able to handle that, but most of our usage is skiing, tubing, wakeboarding and short trips to town.

Thank you very much in advance for any guidance and sorry about the long post.

 

[brick75]

Re: Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

I think if you were to take a poll, you'd see that more people would say Chaparral's are a higher end/quality boat. But given the considerable differences between your options, I'd say you really need to think about what it is you want. I'm assuming you'll want a trailer for it, so you'd have to add that to the Chap's price to do a real comparison. With the Reinell's you're getting a more powerful engine, and with this size of a boat, I think you would be better served to have the V8. If you don't have any concerns about going bigger with the Reinell's, you're also obvioulsy getting a bigger boat too. If you plan to use it with family and friends, the extra space will no doubt be a plus.

Also, are the prices you're listing negotiated prices with the dealer, or just their list price? If you haven't negotiated the actual selling price yet, you may find an even bigger difference between them. Just depends on how motivated they are to sell I guess.

I did own a Reinell a couple years ago, and it seemed to be pretty solid. Got a number of comments from people while I had it which also suggested that they make a good product. Just keep in mind that as with most any boat, the biggest factor that will determine how long it lasts is how you maintain it. I don't think you'd be dissapointed with any of these options, but again, my advice woud be to determine what is most important to you and your needs.

 

[LippCJ7]

Re: Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

I'm with Brick HOWEVER once you put option 3 in there then you have another problem, Most of us into runabouts will tell you to get the biggest boat you can afford and I would be one of those, you cannot believe how quickly space gets taken on a boat, I went from a 20' boat to a 25' boat and while originally the massive space available on the new boat was great, I think I should have gotten a 50' boat....

but I would definitely put Chap over Reinell for overall quality but I have a friend with a Reinell thats 10 years old and is still a very nice boat, just not the quality of Chap

 

[Philster]

Re: Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

Whatever you do, if it ain't the Chappy, make a low-ball offer on the Chappy on par woth the other boat's current asking price, and straight-up tell the guy: If you say no, I am buying a Reinell right now; there are no counter offers.

You HAVE to do that.

 

[jraut]

Re: Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

We have a 2002 Chap 196SSI and absolutely love it. No experience with Reinell's, so can't comment. I'd definately recommend a V8 in the chap though. Ours has the 5.0 270hp engine, and I think the chap really needs it for skiing/tubing/etc. As others stated, buy the biggest boat you can afford.

 

[cobberdogger]

Re: Reinell vs. Chaparral-Newbie question

Thanks very much for the great insight, folks. Bick75, these prices include some discounting but we haven't started negotiating yet and we'll get a few thou for our old beater. The larger Reinell (option 3) is sitting in the marina's yard and our summer is definitely over, so my guess is they will be highly motivated. The other two options (20' Chappy or Reinell) would need to be ordered so we'd have less leverage. We're pretty much commited to a5.0 V8 regardless since I like to ski and my young kids will too, eventually. I recognize there will be a considerable wake for skiing, but the fact is, we need this boat to work for a few different needs of different family members (skiing, tubing, boarding, short pleasure cruises etc.). Much appreciate all the help.