We might be jumping ship

S

Spot

New Member
Jul 11, 2009
302
Aloha, Oregon
Boat Info
2009/280DA
Engines
350 Mag EFI, B-3, Kohler gen, heat-AC, finally a windlass
As some of you have seen, we are looking to upgrade. While looking at the 280/290 class of boat we found a Chaparral 280, new non current at a great price.

We love our dancer and really want another, however I have not been able to find the options that I have learned that we want in the next boat such as AC/Heat, Gen, Windlass, twin power... a more loaded boat than our 260 Da.

Is Chaparral the dark side? or from what I can tell they are similar to the 280DA with a few other differances. Any opions from the street... or harbor?

Thanks all.... just trying to support the economy in our way :grin:
 
I agree with the traitor comment however, I really can not find a 280 on the west coast with options.

On the resell price, I have checked out 1 year,2 year and 3 year boats and it appears that a Chaparral does better than some out there. They are close to the Dancers on values.
 
I suspect that you've half-jumped already, or you wouldn't have spelled "Chaparral" correctly. :grin:

I have friends with a 270 and a 280, and I've been impressed with them. The fit-and-finish is good. They use high-quality materials with tight, strong upholstery seams and impressive use of quality hardware. The lined interior is very durable. After years of "use" including dogs and kids, $100 worth of snap-down carpet can make the cabin look new.

Both boats came with cheapo manual heads, and both of them have broken.

The dashes are well laid out and durable. The ER's are tidy and surprisingly easy to work in - even when you have to share the space with V8's.

The fastback canvas design is clever - easy to use, and allows good space without looking bulky. Unfortunately, the factory eisin in akin to saran-wrap.

The gelcoat maintains a shine very well, and even when neglected comes back with very little effort. I've seen 2 year old boats with less shine than even un-waxed 5 year old Chaps.

They seem stern-heavy until the mid-20's, at which point they level out and provide a surprisingly nice ride. The ride is drier than I would expect from the convex bow, but it has it's limits. In 4-5's, things get wet.

I don't care for the stiff controls and clunking sounds from the Alphas, but I can hardly blame that on Chap.
 
I really appreciate the opinions and comments. What i am looking at has Volvo power, and agree on the fit and finish comment. Personally the Chaparral is the only boat that is in the running if we can not find something here. I did look at the Club classifieds and found a coupe on the east coast and one in Nebraska.

The only reason that I can spell Chaparral is due to all the craigslist/Boat Trader that I have been looking at. Odd that there are few units with a Gen. AC/Heat, espcially in the cold wet NW. By the way it does rain here... all the time :)
 
I would be carefull of the Volvo powerplant.i have heard alot of issues with the drives and mid sections.The engine is the same though pretty much no matter what drive.i have looked at the Chapparal's and really liked the layout.The only thing I didn't like is the availability of inboard power in the 30 foot range.good luck with whatever you buy
 
Todd, we are looking in the 60-80 range depending on year and how equipped. I have seen quite a few used 280's from 47-99 used, so I think we are in the right range. The decision has a few factors, that really weigh heavy on options, salt boat, fresh boat... the list goes on and on.

I was in Seattle tuesday looking around and it appears that we may need to look in other markets as well.
 
Spot said:
Todd, we are looking in the 60-80 range depending on year and how equipped. I have seen quite a few used 280's from 47-99 used, so I think we are in the right range. The decision has a few factors, that really weigh heavy on options, salt boat, fresh boat... the list goes on and on.

I was in Seattle tuesday looking around and it appears that we may need to look in other markets as well.
Click to expand...

I know that TurtleTone's boat is for sale and even though it's 2500 miles+ away you should really talk to him. It's a very very nice boat.
 
The reason that we are not looking at 30+ is my anal boat ownership. I prefer to house the boat dry/warm/on a rack indoors and the Marina limits the size that they will house. Another factor is I live in Portland and plan to tow to Seattle once a year for San Juan Trips.

I do my own pulling so that also limits size as well, thanks for asking

Scott
 
Don't limit your search to the NW. It's fun to road trip to look at a boat. You can do 90% of the search on the internet. Shipping on a boat that size is not that expensive either. There are lots of deals out there.
 
Southpaw, I think I have exahusted what is in the NW, I am expanding my search to Arizona, trying to stay in area with no Salt first. I travel quite a bit for work so arranging a trip to view a boat and make a little money at the same time could work.

The Chaparral still looks good since it is a new boat in my range, well close
 
Spot said:
I really appreciate the opinions and comments. What i am looking at has Volvo power...
Click to expand...

The Volvo power is the reason why I would go with the Chaperral. My mechanic tells me that Volvo manufactures to tighter tolerances than Mercruiser and stamps the tolerances on the gears; Mercruiser does not. Volvo drives are physically heavier and beefier than Mercs. They have their issues, as all I/Os do, but my overall impression is that Volvo makes a superior quality product to Mercruiser.

And like the others have already said, the boats themselves appear to be of similar quality to Sea Ray.

Jeff
 
You will NOT beat the price i'm going to sell my boat for. Even if you add up shipping, you are going to be so far ahead of the game that you will giggle with joy.
 
Mike, can you shoot an email with specifics, I did click on your link but was unsure if it has AC/Heat, Gen and some of the other specifics that I am looking for.

Thanks

Scott
 
Spot said:
Mike, can you shoot an email with specifics, I did click on your link but was unsure if it has AC/Heat, Gen and some of the other specifics that I am looking for.

Thanks

Scott
Click to expand...
Scott, I just checked out the link and it lists ac/heat under full specs but I did not see a generator either.....Todd
 
'Volvo' is Swedish for 'expensive'. I have owned both in the past and I have both right now so allow me the pleasure of responding.
5.7 Merc vs. Volvo... very similar of course / same GM vortec style engine but the Volvo is rated at 20hp more. Apparently they have a more aggresive 'tune' in the ecm (or is it a pcm with Volvo?). Anyways, I favor the Merc. for less expensive parts and I'm more familiar with them. Although, if the engine hatch was closed you'd never know what's under you other than the Merc starter sounds like a bigger reduction.
The drives however are a different story. The most noticeable difference is that bravo 3's are silky smooth in and out of gear and the Volvo dps (duo-prop) is clunky like an alpha. To check the drive oil, the bravo has an interior reservoir, the Volvo has a screw on the top of the drive that's a pain to check / service even when the boat's out of the water.
I'll stick with my Mercs for these reasons.
Regarding the Chaparral boats; they have nice lines but get on one and play with the switches, the cupboards, the fixtures, the canvas... have a look at the carpets and window trim... look at everything then hop on a Sea Ray and do the same... there's no comparison in quality, Sea Ray makes a better boat.
.
 
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