1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

[GlasV162]

Hello,
I just looked at a Chaparral '98 1830SS powered by a 4.3V6; it has approx. 52 hours on it and has only been in fresh water. Other than some blemishes on one of the hull stripes, the boat appears to be in great shape. Is there anything I should look for or be concerned about? Did they still use wood in 1998? Any info on what to look for or whether or not this sounds like a decent deal would be appreciated. It has a galvanized trailer and the owner wants $6500 for it. Based on what I've seen, it seems like a lot of boat for the money. Thanks for the input.
John

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

If you don't know Chaps you may not realize you are looking at a top of the line, no comprimises, boat brand. They used wood then and they still use some wood today. Wood in a boat is a good quality, however bad boat owners exploit it and that's where you see issues with rot. This is also where subsequent owners pay the price for the previous owner's sins. People that don't appropriatly maintain their stuff and subsequently blame it on something or somebody else. I have a 26 year old bowrider too and it's as good as new in original condition so wood can be maintained for decades. On its face 52 hours (even assuming that is accurate) seems like a good thing and it would be if it was say a 4 or 5 year old boat. At that age, other than the obvious benefits of little use such as less worn interior (assuming it was stored out of the sun and elements), a low hour boat needs to be checked out thoroughly. Like a car that doesn't get used the lack of use is a bad thing and is amplified for a boat and especially for an i/o which can in a worst case scenario sink. Why don't you post some pics or a link to the ad. My opinion and personal .02 being a Chap owner is that hull is the old school Chap hull. I don't personally care for the style as it just looks old but Chaps were some of the early adoptors and even a 1990's boat looks decent interior wise. Again my opinion only on Chaps. They upgraded and contemporized them in the early 2000's and used those early 2000's hulls for most of the 2000's for models. In other words a 2001 can be nearly identical to a late 2000's. Of coure a 2000's hull will cost you a bunch more $. Let us have a visual and give some opinions.

 

[Chaparralboater]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

A guy by my beach house is selling his 2000 1800ss with my hours for sure for 13,000...A bit high but still. So I would say your price is pretty good. Give him a lower but good offer and I am sure he will budge. Good luck

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

A guy by my beach house is selling his 2000 1800ss with my hours for sure for 13,000...A bit high but still. So I would say your price is pretty good. Give him a lower but good offer and I am sure he will budge. Good luck

Chaparralboater where are you located? Here in high price, land of 10,000 lakes, huge demand for boats, MN, $13,000 is freeking insanly high. It listed for 18k plus trailer and most certainly did not actually walk out the door for that price. I presume you mean a 180 SSE as there is no 1800 SS for the year 2000. SS model designations started in year 2002 which ultimately became badged as SSI in 2004 since there was little to no difference ammenity-wise. SSI is the Chap high end boat. A true SS Chaparral could very easily fetch 13k. There are big regional price differences in boats but we are at the high end in MN. 13k for an old school, most entry level Chap available is simply outrageous.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

My wife and I are going for a second look on Saturday, and hopefully a lake test. Yesterday I approached the owner about a lake test, and he wasn't keen on the idea as the boat is out of the water for the season and winterized. Needless to say, we're not buying it without a lake test. Everything looks well-maintained; the engine compartment is very clean, no water or oil in the bilge, or signs of excess water in the boat. The owner told me he has always covered the boat, and based on the condition of the interior, I have no reason not to believe him. No photos in the ad to send. One thing I like about the Chaparral is the hourmeter; not many boats this size have it as standard equipment; most other boats don't have them, but the seller always says "low hours." I was able to obtain a brochure from 1998, and it looks like a well-built boat, even pressure-treated plywood. This would be my first I/O, so naturally I'm a little nervous to change, having always owned outboards.

2 things the brochure didn't tell me, and maybe someone here can help:

1: Gas tank--what's it made of, and where is it located in the boat?
2: Windshield--real glass or plexiglass?
Thanks again,
John

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

My wife and I are going for a second look on Saturday, and hopefully a lake test. Yesterday I approached the owner about a lake test, and he wasn't keen on the idea as the boat is out of the water for the season and winterized. Needless to say, we're not buying it without a lake test. Everything looks well-maintained; the engine compartment is very clean, no water or oil in the bilge, or signs of excess water in the boat. The owner told me he has always covered the boat, and based on the condition of the interior, I have no reason not to believe him. No photos in the ad to send. One thing I like about the Chaparral is the hourmeter; not many boats this size have it as standard equipment; most other boats don't have them, but the seller always says "low hours." I was able to obtain a brochure from 1998, and it looks like a well-built boat, even pressure-treated plywood. This would be my first I/O, so naturally I'm a little nervous to change, having always owned outboards.

2 things the brochure didn't tell me, and maybe someone here can help:

1: Gas tank--what's it made of, and where is it located in the boat?
2: Windshield--real glass or plexiglass?
Thanks again,
John

Where did you say you were located again? We are just starting to think winterizing in Minnesota so you must be up in Canada. If he winterized it already, he must have suddenly had to consider selling it. Who in the world would not ask to at least have it run. He must realize that. In any event regarding the hour meter, what Chap really does well especially in the 2000's, is get the details right on their boats. An 18 foot is optioned as appropriate as good as their 40 footer (the SSE is the exception to that rule however). An hour meter however truly useful it is, is an example of that. Go for example to the Tahoe board and people are asking why their new boats don't have hour meters. Again, a meter is a bit of a nicety but that is unacceptable IMO even on the bottom of the spectrum in 2010. What I have noticed is that I NEVER see a beat up Chap or Cobalt or other high dollar premium brand boat. You might be the beneficiary of that situation as well. I have owned my Chap for three years now and get approached all the time at ramps etc. If they know the brand the conversation goes along the lines of we looked at them but couldn't pay the premium for the premium features and HD construction. I'd bet that ripples through their ownership. While I'm not a nice car guy, prefer to stay conservative and have rarely been complimented on my vehicles however nice I maintain them, owning a Chap and showing up at the ramp and being showered with complements is kind of a fun and unanticipated side effect. I don't glote about my stuff but I am so impressed by my Chaparral (having been boating for 37 years), I make an exception. Have you asked him about what major service items have been performed? On an I/O equipped boat (and O/b's as well) you need to replace items at certain intervals regardless of if they are giving you trouble now or not and regardless of hours on the meter. Things such as the belows and impeller and some others should have been replaced but I'd bet dollars to doughnuts they haven't been given the lack of use. When people complain about how expensive boat ownership is, those items are on their mind.

As for the gas tank it should be visible by opening up the engine hatch and you should be able to see the end of it and its specifics listed. Why is that a concern for you?
Regarding the glass, I could only conjecture so am no use there.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

jkust, thanks for the info. From everything I've read, Chaparral seems to have a great reputation and lots of happy owners. One thing I've noticed is the intense rivalry between Volvo Penta and MerCruiser. The boat we're looking at has the MerCruiser. I talked to my boat mechanic today and he said he prefers MerCruiser, simply because it's easier and faster to get parts when needed. On the other hand, I like the idea of the cone clutch and more accessible water pump on the VP. I have friends who have VP and friends who have MerCruisers, and the both love them.
As for the fuel tank, I'm concerned about ethanol. I want to make sure it's not a fiberglass tank. I would hope that a boat this new would have either a polyethylene or aluminum tank.
If we are fortunate enough to buy it, I'm going to have my guy go through everything and make sure it's ready for next season.
I have my doubts the deal will materialize. He wants to trade it for a pontoon boat rather than sell it. We're trying to convince him that it will be easier to switch to a pontoon with cash than finding a pontoon owner who wants his current boat.

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

jkust, thanks for the info. From everything I've read, Chaparral seems to have a great reputation and lots of happy owners. One thing I've noticed is the intense rivalry between Volvo Penta and MerCruiser. The boat we're looking at has the MerCruiser. I talked to my boat mechanic today and he said he prefers MerCruiser, simply because it's easier and faster to get parts when needed. On the other hand, I like the idea of the cone clutch and more accessible water pump on the VP. I have friends who have VP and friends who have MerCruisers, and the both love them.
As for the fuel tank, I'm concerned about ethanol. I want to make sure it's not a fiberglass tank. I would hope that a boat this new would have either a polyethylene or aluminum tank.
If we are fortunate enough to buy it, I'm going to have my guy go through everything and make sure it's ready for next season.
I have my doubts the deal will materialize. He wants to trade it for a pontoon boat rather than sell it. We're trying to convince him that it will be easier to switch to a pontoon with cash than finding a pontoon owner who wants his current boat.

Well as it turns out Chaparral is one of a handfull that offer both Volvo and Mercruiser power packages. Quite frankly I have no preference. I like the visual gear lube bottle and actually like the fact that Mercruisers clunk into gear. Kind of of the same way I like the nice, solid sound of a your truck door slaming shut. If I'm being honest, the Volvo just looks more robust and substantial when compared to an Alpha 1. I like the multiples of shops that work on the Mercruiser vs Volvo. If I was buying a new Chap and had the choice, I really don't know which I'd get. I am going to say that the tank will be a non-issue. In reality, here in MN we have had ethanol forced upon us for years now and don't even know a single person with any power equipment of any type who has ever had an ethanol issue even with the least desirable tank materials. We dislike it for political reasons. There are tons of boats out there even if this guy doesn't budge from his illogical trade requirement. I think when each of us was shopping, we all had that unfortunate situation and lost out on some gem or another. If you haven't done so already take a look at the Chaparral factory owners forum. It is a busy place with a lot of Chap owners hanging out there. The differences between some of the midlevel boats and the upper level boats aren't readily understood until you actually own, trailer and handle one. Folks that haven't owned one won't necessarily accept or understand this. Mid level boats can look the part with a bit of bling but that is window dressing over the lighter and cheaper hulls. SS speaker grills, cupholders and handles aren't that expensive and don't make the boat. Of coure all brands use the same handful of engines so that isn't in the important part of the comparisons if they have the same power. Chap does have a loyal following for good reason. They have also managed to continue on during the financial downturn while many brands have sucumbed and sold off, reorganized or were discontinued.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

So, which do you have--a Merc or a Volvo?
In your opinion, how does the 1830SS stack up to a Sea Ray 180?
Thanks,
John

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

So, which do you have--a Merc or a Volvo?
In your opinion, how does the 1830SS stack up to a Sea Ray 180?
Thanks,
John

Sorry, I forgot my signature doesn't have my drive type. I have the Merc. The Sea Ray 180 isn't an appropriate comparison to the Chaparral 183ss. It is several notches down in the model line up of Sea Ray by comparison. The more appropriate comparison would be the 200 Sport weight-wise or the 200 Select ammenity-wise. See it takes the dry weight of the 2 foot longer Sport to be on par with the dry weight of the 18'3 inch 183ss (aka the 190ssi) Chap or the ammenities of the Select series to again be close plus they offered a 270hp V8 on the Chap which the 18 foot Sea Rays couldn't handle. Any time you are wondering just look at the dry weight of a boat to guage where it is on the heft scale. There is a correlation between the quality/robustness/general branding level of a boat and its weight. My 183ss has a dry weight of 2,900lbs with just the v6. There aren't many anywhere ever at that heavy of a dry weight for the same LOA. Dry weight is huge for the quality of the ride and construction robustness. All the stuff that other boats cut out is there. Sea Ray to this day still doesn't quite make an under 20 foot model on par with the small Chaparrals. I was literally just at the Sea Ray dealer since they are my local marina looking at their 2010 20+ foot Select series (a notch in ammenities and size higher than their entry level sport series) and they still haven't quite gotten it all together. The Sport series for 2010 upgraded their upholstry to contrasting colors but they are still minimalistic. Think of all the Chaps except the old SSE series as equipped like full fledged cruisers and all that someone would want if they were dropping 100k but in a small package. The funny thing is that in 2009 Chap went to the Widetech design which meant the gutted their smaller boat line when they stopped making the 190ssi/183ss and now only offer one power package in their 180ssi which is more akin to a basic type of boat. The space the 190ssi/183ss held is now vacant.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

Well you certainly know your Chaparral boats. Thanks for all the input; my wife and I are going together to look at the boat tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully take it for a lake trial. Thanks again,
John

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

Well you certainly know your Chaparral boats. Thanks for all the input; my wife and I are going together to look at the boat tomorrow afternoon, and hopefully take it for a lake trial. Thanks again,
John

Thanks John. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

Hello,
... it has approx. 52 hours on it and has only been in fresh water.
... Is there anything I should look for or be concerned about?
...Did they still use wood in 1998?
... It has a galvanized trailer and the owner wants $6500 for it. Based on what I've seen, it seems like a lot of boat for the money.

Why such low hours? That's a LOT of sitting around, in my opinion. Did they scrimp on required annual maintenance because "it only got 10 hours this year, we don't need to change the oil or lube the drive or grease the gimbal"? Stuff like that.

Dry rot in hoses, corroded exhaust manifolds, soft spots in the floor. Sunpad hinges and mounting (if it has "sport" seating). Torn, ripped, leaking, worn out canvas. Loose screws holding the seat pedestals in place. Looses screws holding the trim ring around the floor locker. Windshield center section opens without hitting driver's side of windshield frame. Frayed stitching on the sunpad and rear bench seat.(if equipped) Lid covering boarding ladder on swim platform not loose or cracked. Thru hull fitting not damaged/cracking from the UV light.

Yes, wood floors and transoms in 1998.

Galvanized trailer is a good thing, but VERY heavy. $6500 is definately a lot of money for that boat.

DEFINATELY NOT a fiberglass tank. It's aluminum, and it should be under the floor in front of the engine compartment.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

All those items you mentioned appear excellent; no soft spots in the floor, screws are tight, hoses / belts look good, he says he has it serviced annually regardless of the amount of use. Exhaust manifolds look good on the outside. No way of knowing how they look inside. Again, no reason not to believe him; he has all paperwork for the boat. NADA has the boat at roughly $6400 for average retail; assuming the boat runs well (which I hope to determine tomorrow), what is a fair price, if everything else checks out ok?
One other question: how often do you have to replace the bellows? I hear that's a big / expensive job. Thanks,
John

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

One other question: how often do you have to replace the bellows? I hear that's a big / expensive job. Thanks,
John

I won't comment on price. It's worth whatever you want it to be, or whatever your bank will loan you. But be aware, there are several "add-ons" in NADA that are actually standard equipment on Chaparrals.

Bellows should be replace in the 5-10 year range for a freshwater boat. Not a "huge" job, just hard to get the driveshaft bellows on and to stay put. Only expensive if you let a marine mechanic do it for you. Exhaust bellows is easier. Shift cable bellows isn't too bad.

That boat "may" have good bellows, since it's not been used much. But it also may need them, cause they are dry-rotted from not being used much!

 

[GlasV162]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

Well my wife and I went this noon with cash in hand to look at the boat; she loved it, and the owner spent a lot of time with me going over details of what he's done to maintain it, features of the boat, etc. I told him we'd like to lake test it, and he said "No." We were shocked, as the other day when I looked at it, I told him that if we came back, it would be with cash in hand, and that we would like to lake test it, and provided the lake test went well, we were prepared to buy his boat. Needless to say, we didn't buy his boat. It was a real downer because at 52 hours, it's probably as close as we could get to a new boat at a used boat price. I guess for now we'll keep using our trusty old '78 Glastron.
Thanks again for all your input.
John

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

John, that's a bummer. It sounds like he is an irrational guy. Even in MN we have another 3 weeks or more before the engine could potentially freeze in the garage. Unwinterize it and sell the thing. Oh well, keep looking and good luck.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

Thanks. It may have been a blessing in disguise. After reading the posts on the I/O forum here, I'm beginning to really appreciate the simplicity of my 2-stroke outboard. I like the idea of an I/O, but it seems that there are a LOT more moving parts to go bad than with a 2-stroke outboard. The problem is up here in New England, there aren't many outboard runabouts--most of the major brands like Chaparral are I/O powered. The search goes on..............

 

[jkust]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

Thanks. It may have been a blessing in disguise. After reading the posts on the I/O forum here, I'm beginning to really appreciate the simplicity of my 2-stroke outboard. I like the idea of an I/O, but it seems that there are a LOT more moving parts to go bad than with a 2-stroke outboard. The problem is up here in New England, there aren't many outboard runabouts--most of the major brands like Chaparral are I/O powered. The search goes on..............

Yep no question, I am set to bring my Chap in for almost a $1000 preventative maintainance servicing now that I am at 100 hours. My 26 year old outboard, bowrider has never required more than a $3 servicing ($1 per plug). I suppose though you only live once and what good is all your money at the end of the day.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: 1998 Chaparral 1830ss / 4.3 v6

Yep no question, I am set to bring my Chap in for almost a $1000 preventative maintainance servicing now that I am at 100 hours. My 26 year old outboard, bowrider has never required more than a $3 servicing ($1 per plug). I suppose though you only live once and what good is all your money at the end of the day.

Learn how to do your own maintenance (it's not hard at all) and that $1000 becomes $100.