Restoring a chaparral 187XL

[Ncguy88]

hey guys, i have a 85 chaparral 187XL i bought for $400 with a ez - loader trailer.
previous owner said engine was locked up, i found a bad ground and she fired up and ran good. im a mechanic by trade so i checked compression, oil pressure both were great and tuned it up and rebuilt the carb and it runs great now. the interior was gone, no seats or engine cover, floor had one spot that feels like the wood seperated, i cut it out and stringers and foam was in good solid condition so i replaced the floor. so on to my question is this boat needs some wiring work, all new interior, a few gauges and hull needs painted. and pretty much all the electrics like blower, bilge pump, would it be worth sinking a few grand in to bring it back up to par or no? the way boat prices are rising daily im leaning towards just dropping 2 or 3k in it and get it nice and keep it. im not looking to sell to make a profit i just want a good solid boat for me and my family. thanks in advance for your advice and sorry for the long post.

 

[Bondo]

, would it be worth sinking a few grand in to bring it back up to par or no?

Ayuh,..... Sounds like ya got the hard part done,.... so why not,..??

 

[Lou C]

If you know the basics of the boat are solid and you yourself can get the finish work done gradually over time given the high price of used boats it does make sense. Think of what you’ll have to put into it, can you buy a good boat for that sum? Most boats in that price range will be in questionable shape and may need even more work than what you’ve got….

 

[Scott Danforth]

keep in mind the Chap is almost 38 years old (the M/Y 2023 boats are being set up now)

how is the transom and stringers?

many of the 187XL's came with the Merc 470 (3.7 liter). what motor do you have?

 

[Ncguy88]

Ayuh,..... Sounds like ya got the hard part done,.... so why not,..??

Yea I have thought the same.

If you know the basics of the boat are solid and you yourself can get the finish work done gradually over time given the high price of used boats it does make sense. Think of what you’ll have to put into it, can you buy a good boat for that sum? Most boats in that price range will be in questionable shape and may need even more work than what you’ve got….

Most boats in my area in solid, water ready condition are running anywhere between 4 to 6k with no issues. Iv got around $1200 into the boat now and by glance will have another 2k in it.

keep in mind the Chap is almost 38 years old (the M/Y 2023 boats are being set up now)

how is the transom and stringers?

many of the 187XL's came with the Merc 470 (3.7 liter). what motor do you have?

Transom seems solid by hammer and drill test. Stringers look good and felt solid and passed the drill test as well.
It has the 3.0l 140hp mercruiser.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Hammer test means nothing unless the rotten wood has long dried and was eaten by insects leaving a void

Whad dit the drill shavings look like? Fress wood sawdust, or dark and moist mulch?

 

[Ncguy88]

Drill shavings looked like drilling into a treated board. Not dark not soft it was solid.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Drill shavings looked like drilling into a treated board. Not dark not soft it was solid.

Buy a lottery ticket

 

[Ncguy88]

when i pulled the floor up it looked like it had been rebuilt in the past. although it was done right im not sure how long ago it had been since it was done. the boat had alot of work done to it in the past it just looked like someone neglected it a bit. i did find a marina sticker on the stern drive where it had been repaired before so i called them and gave them the vin # luckly they still had some service records on the boat. the engine was rebuilt, the stern drive serviced, new prop and some wiring done in 2005 and some interior fiberglass work done in 2007 the rest were just service's and tune ups up until 2013. they didnt have anythign older than 2005.

 

[tpenfield]

Pictures would be very helpful so as to get more specific input from those following this thread.