Update: Finally Bought It. One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

[crqflier]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Took the Chap for a sea trial today - better part of 90 minutes. The boat was really impressive - rock solid through every maneuver slow or fast including some pretty good wind chop. No noises, shuddering, or other weird sounds from the hull, engine, or gears.

I was a little surprised by 2 things - the speed needed to plane (was hoping, perhaps unrealistically, for maybe mid-teens) and the amount of bow rise. Performance was strong - low 50's at about 4300 rpm (4 blade 19p ss prop) 3 adults, half a tank. There was probably a little more left as the throttle wasn't all the way down. Speaking of throttle, it was a little sticky - especially in reverse for whatever reason. Definitely going to have that checked out.

And the cockpit layout was really nice with plenty of space to move about. Believe the purchase will happen this week.

 

[jkust]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

A couple of thoughts. I generally don't see folks comparing boats in such different size leagues. The weight of those two boats is a good bit different at 1000lbs more for the Chap and the storage space required for winter storage is a lot different as well. The other thing that strikes me is how cheap those two boats are. Each of those is severely underpriced to the point of almost being spam on craigslist if they showed up here during the summer season. They wouldn't last an hour here especially the Regal given it fits in any garage and that it has mpi not to mention the desirable low hours. That particular Chap is a nice rig and if your have no storage issues, as is our limiter, I'd bring it home but I may find another couple similar sized boats to compare to. Often, with some brands, their smaller bowriders aren't representative of their larger offerings. For example Sea Ray's under 20 foot boats are minimalistic but their larger boats are as as nice as any. Chaparral and a couple others are some exceptions where most of their smaller boats are identical to the larger models but I'd get some other apples to apples comparisons if you plan to keep it for a while.

 

[not enuf toys]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

+1 on chap

size, seating and a 350 are things that you buy the first time because you cant add them later when you realise you want them!

its rare to hear someone say "man i wish this boat was a few feet smaller" or "its got too much power, should have gotten a smaller motor"

at the end of the day its your boat. go with what you like

 

[crqflier]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

It's funny. I was looking at prices in FLA just for comparison to CA and thought CA prices were high! Guess boats are some serious bucks in MN. These are two legit, no scam, pretty much mint condition boats. All family memebers have voted for the Chap at this point, so hopefully the transaction works out this time. We had all agreed on the Monterey before too....

 

[crqflier]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Now the wait begins. Came to agreement on the deal with the Chap owner. The boat is sitting at a local shop - they're figuring out the sticky throttle lever and doing an inspection on the outdrive. Hopefully this all goes quickly and we'll be boating soon. Can't wait.

 

[LibertyBoat]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Are you having the boat surveyed by a credentialed marine surveyor, including the engine ("in water" and "out of water"? If not, find a surveyor who is credentialed and highly respected in your area. Have you conducted any checks on the HIN# to see if this boat has ever been involved in any disasters (hurricane, tornado, floods, etc)? You did the sea test but those don't always flesh out certain problems. Are you having the electrical systems checked by a marine-certified electrical engineer? I wouldn't move forward until you have completed this due diligence.

 

[crqflier]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Well, the quick answer is no, I haven't done all those items. The longer story:

The current owner is the original owner. I reviewed all docs including the original bill of sale from the local dealer, all available repair records (no skips chronologically that I could see), and verified all electric is functioning including the trailer electric. Many items that were ac

On the sea trial I verified operating temp throughout the ride under all conditions - sustained WOT through sustained idle after the run for 90 minutes. Also verified no variation in the battery guage and no water in the bilge after the sea trial.

I called 2 local registered surveyors and, surprisingly, they both suggest I simply have the engine checked at the dealer, that they were unlikely to find anything of consequence on the boat. I was surprised by that - but after calling two, I figured I would drop it. This was before I sea-trialed.

Is boatfax better than boathistoryreport or are they essentially the same? Is there a better HIN report resource? I already looked at the USCG site for recalls - none.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

id go with the bigger boat it has a bigger motor, i have a 23 foot sundowner and it does suck to tube behind it because the outdrive thows hellatous water upwards even with outdrive all the way down i need to look at a longer rope thsi year.

 

[dockwrecker]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Says something that your local surveyors wouldn't bother to look at anything but the motor on that age Chap. Good boat with few problems. And after an apparently sucessful sea trail, I'm not sure what you'll find further.
Ain't no substitute for size and horsepower. If the price is right, I'd buy it.
Be happy.

 

[Icyharp]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

It's funny. I was looking at prices in FLA just for comparison to CA and thought CA prices were high! Guess boats are some serious bucks in MN.

No Kidding, when I bought mine I too was looking in FL and wondering if it was a scam at those prices. I live on the border of MN and yeppers boats here are spendy as compared to a few other states. One thing is for sure you don't here NADA around here.......cause they can't afford em either........lol.

Anyway enjoy your new boat, we have a 20 ft cuddy with the 350 in it, and with a family of 5 we love it. My brother has a 18ft'r and a family of 4, well he is already running out of room with the bow rider he has. Have fun and stay safe!!!!!!!!!

 

[crqflier]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Thanks for the comments. Just heard from the shop that the throttle cable needed to be replace to address the sticky throttle - pretty quick fix. Apparently it's nice and smooth now. Outdrive inspection and gear oil change tomorrow and I think we're done. Trying not to skip any steps that I'll regret, but I'm thinking I've triangulated my risk pretty well.

 

[crqflier]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Got the news from the shop. Outdrive area was totally clean - bearing, ujoints, bellows, etc. Had them change the gear oil. Picking up the boat tomorrow. Spent some $$ today at West Marine in anticipation. Thanks for all the comments. Can't wait.

 

[pmillar]

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Re: One more time (hopefully) - Which Boat to Buy?

Congratulations and good luck enjoying your new boat this summer.

 

[crqflier]

First weekend on the water!

First weekend on the water!

Let me start by saying thanks to everyone who offered advice on this and several other threads I started with questions about boat buying over the past several months. I gotta say that folks on the forum truly offer some great perspective. By asking and listening, I think I ended up with exactly the right boat for our family for a long time.

We took the boat up the mountain to the lake Friday afternoon (glad the Suburban handled the haul) and launched Saturday morning with the help of a local Coast Guard Aux member (gave me a half day hands on lesson on most everything). The boat exceeded pretty much every expectation I had for performance, handling, cabin layout, stability, and handling the wind chop.

So here's what I learned (confirmed) from forum advice:

• The "big" boat didn't feel too big at all on the water - glad I went this size.
• Don't sacrifice on the engine - 5.7 at altitude worked super well.
• Think through and "simulate" family use to confirm the right cabin layout. I almost sacrificed on the walkthrough transom and l-shaped seating. Turns out they're favorites of wife/kids.
• Prior owner care - it's tempting to ignore lack of maintenance/records after looking a dozens of boats since few folks keep track. I'm glad I stuck with being able to verify the history. I had no surprises at inspection or on our first weekend.

One thing I'd add is to look carefully at the trailer. In addition to the expense of fixing up a beat trailer, the condition could easily be an indicator of the "usual" care of the boat itself.

Thanks again. Here's the boat:

 

[DuckHunterJon]

Re: First weekend on the water!

Re: First weekend on the water!

Congrats on getting exactly what you wanted - we should all be that lucky. Enjoy it!