What to look for in this boat?

[Fordiesel69]

1989 Chaparral 2300 SX Sport 7.4L/V8 23ft

My friend is looking at this boat. It has the 7.4L 454 with merc bravo one outdrive. What should we look for in particular? I heard 454's part are getting very rare.

Compare it to a 350, would this drink gas like crazy at normal cruise speeds?

How are chaparral's for overall build quality?

Lastly it is an open bow, and the interior is not good, so without paying for a survey, (no places in my area), how can we check for major rot?

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

Usually my opinion is that unless you are looking for a project and paying accordingly, is to stay away from those types of deals. I figure if they can even take care of what they can see what does that say about all the hidden stuff that needs constant maintenance?

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

Thats what I am saying, what should we be looking for in particular in terms of determining if it is a junk project or a 2-3 year peddler.

 

[bekosh]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

1989 Chaparral 2300 SX Sport 7.4L/V8 23ft

My friend is looking at this boat. It has the 7.4L 454 with merc bravo one outdrive. What should we look for in particular? I heard 454's part are getting very rare.

No. Not rare at all. There are literally thousands and thousands of the 7.4l/Bravo 1 combos out there. There will be parts around for decades to come.

Compare it to a 350, would this drink gas like crazy at normal cruise speeds?

Nope. Fuel consumption will be about the same as the 350. In normal use, you'll average about 2.5mpg with a carb V8. Give or take, depending on how heavy your throttle hand is.

How are chaparral's for overall build quality?

Good quality boat. But the main thing for any boat that age is how well it was cared for. Was it stored indoors or out? Covered or uncovered? Was the engine & drive serviced regularly or not?
I would take a well cared for & maintained Bayliner over a neglected Sea Ray or Cruisers any day.

Lastly it is an open bow, and the interior is not good, so without paying for a survey, (no places in my area), how can we check for major rot?

Feel for soft spots on the floor, especially around any fittings like seat or table mounts. Take a small rubber mallet and tap around on the transom. Listen for a dead 'thunk'. Again check around any fittings like the drive & trim tabs. You should be able to hear the difference between a bad area and a good area.
Or, better yet, get a moisture meter (cheap ones are ~$50) and use that to check for wet areas under/behind the fiberglass.

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

Get the survey. You'll need it for insurance anyway. Tow it, pay for someone to come out, whatever it takes. Motor 6K, outdrive 2-3k, dry rot, a lot more. You just got to know before you buy.

The interior can redone on a shoestring budget, or all out, but the rest are cut and dry, big bucks.

Great boat and 454/Bravo 1 are rock solid, and you can add HP anytime the budget allows. Will run over 30mph at 2800 rpm or less, with good gph. It will due this on Lake Erie all day long with under 3 foot waves. Just get the survey before you buy. good luck.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

Get the survey. You'll need it for insurance anyway. Tow it, pay for someone to come out, whatever it takes. Motor 6K, outdrive 2-3k, dry rot, a lot more. You just got to know before you buy.

The interior can redone on a shoestring budget, or all out, but the rest are cut and dry, big bucks.

Great boat and 454/Bravo 1 are rock solid, and you can add HP anytime the budget allows. Will run over 30mph at 2800 rpm or less, with good gph. It will due this on Lake Erie all day long with under 3 foot waves. Just get the survey before you buy. good luck.

Like I said, a survey is out of the question, it is too far away to drive, and the owner does not have the trailer plated. He dropped the price 1500 as it is in storage in a airplane hanger which is very expensive. Boat was NOT winterized so it was stored in the heated hanger. We will have to do a full inspection on it thats why I asked. If all checks out, we will demand to test drive it. In my opionion if they object to a test drive, then they are hiding something.

The part that makes me nervous is it was left outside with the cover off all last summer. The owner said he did leave the plug out though. I hate when people do this.

 

[hungupthespikes]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

I'll go with lion hunter. just walk away. OK, so your not going to do that. The price won't let you, then read again bekosh's. he's right on the money too.
here's a video on the meter, and there are a bunch more that will help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuSbB7x3Bdc&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PMgET_Tes0&NR=1 (check list)

All in all you sound like you have a good handle on the situation and could have a good buy. Take the hammer, meter, coveralls and good crawler, you use to change you car oil, some old carpet or rug for the tight places and go at it. Try and be there for launch and recovery of the test drive. You will learn how far to back the trailer in and the best way to avoid hull damage.

This is an old boat and will take a lot of TLC. I've been taking care of a 1990 for the last 3 years and have a long way to go to get it the way it should be.

Just one day on the lake is full payback, the rest are gifts.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

This meter you speak of sounds interesting. Please tell me it is more accurate than a stud finder.

My friend is interested in it, not me, I just do not want him to get burned and not be in the water.

 

[Lion hunter]

Re: What to look for in this boat?

True moisture meters can be hard to come by sometimes but all they are , are ohm meters that detect current passing through the wood. So a regular ohm meter will work. Test the continuity on a dry piece of wood and use that as a base line. Find an area on the transom that you can get contact with wood with both leads about a foot apart. If there is continuity there is water.