Advice on Buying a Used Boat

[Brr83]

Hi everyone, I’m new here and looking for some advice on buying our first boat. I don’t know anything about boats and, while my husband is more knowledgeable than me, it’s also going to be my husband’s first boat, too. I’m hoping someone might be able to give us advice on a fair price for a boat we’ve found recently.

We live in the Seattle area and want a cuddy cabin boat, so that seems to limit our options quite a bit. We found a used 2005 Chapparal 215 sis for sale from a private owner and went to take a look at this past weekend. The boat seems to have been meticulously maintained from what I can tell and we were really impressed with the condition of the seats, carpets, and hull of the boat. It has 628 hours on it with an upgraded engine 5.7L v8 engine. The cuddy cabin itself could use a good steam cleaning on the fabric on the walls, but is not in awful condition.

The only real concern for us is that the boat has been in salt water and we’ve been advised that that will cause all kinds of headaches for us. The current owner said they do most of their boating on the freshwater lakes, though. The trailer has also been in salt water, but looks good aside from some rust in the bolts. Either way, we’d pay to have a pre-purchase inspection done on the boat before buying.

Anyway, they’re asking $20,000 for it and I was wondering if anyone could say whether or not that’s the right price for such a boat.

Thanks so much if you’ve stuck with me through such a long post. Any advice is appreciated!

Here is the text from the listing if anyone cares to look it over:

2005 Chaparral 215 ssi
Engine: Volvo Penta 5.7 GI-E with SX outdrive
Hours: 628.5
22 ft cuddy cabin with rare upgraded 5.7L v8 engine. Most of these boats have the 4.3L v6 or the 5.0L v8. The chaparral 215 ssi provides a good combination of cruising capabilities and watersports fun all in an easy to trailer package. This boat is in good condition with many mechanical maintenance items having been recently done, including a new helm steering system, new engine exhaust risers, major outdrive service replacing the u-joint, bearings and housing, and all seals.
Garmin GPS Chartplotter / Fish finder combo
Digital depth sounder
Bimini
Full camper canvas
2 covers (cockpit cover and trailer cover)
Sink
Table (mounts in cockpit or the cuddy)
Transom shower
Large extended swim platform with folding ladder
Removable cockpit carpets
Removable cushions and transom door provide easy access to dock or swim platform
Duel battery setup with selector/crossover switch. (1 starting battery, 1 house battery)
Large cuddy cabin that can be setup with a table or converted to a V-berth
Head (port a potty)
2 12volt power ports
Duel axel trailer in good condition. Recently overhauled with new axles, brakes, and hubs.
CD player radio with 2 wired remote controls (1 on the swim platform, 1 at the helm)
Large capacity 56 gallon fuel tank provides

[LFBB]

Bounce around on the deck/flooring, if it's soft, pass. You don't list the price of the boat or how long it's been for sale. Get a marine survey of the boat and engine, it will be money well spent/saved.

IMO you should have at least 5K ready at a minutes notice to drop into a new engine or outdrive, 10k would be a nicer number. If you can't really afford the survey, you can't really afford the boat.

[Brr83]

Thanks for your reply! The deck seemed solid and we are planning on having it inspected before finalizing anything.

I don’t think it’s been up for sale for long (maybe about a week or two) and they’re asking $20,000 for it.

[LFBB]

Without me seeing the boat itself I cannot comment on the price.

[blaster]

If you are new to boating and seriously like this boat I would recommend a survey and sea trial. Yes this will be expensive, maybe $600-1000 depending on your area but you will have an expert go through all systems and propulsion.

As a buyer you need to patiently look for the details. Do not just take the sellers word but go through everything yourself. How does the boat present? Look in all the compartments. Look for corrosion. Look for messy wiring or “upgrades”. Look for evidence of water leaks such as brown drips and stains. Look closely at the engine and the transom assembly with the engine running and the boat in the water. Bring a small mirror on a wand to inspect hidden areas for leaks or corrosion. Make sure the boat is water tested under a load.

It sounds like there are service records and the boat was maintained. Make sure a mechanic inspects spark plugs and tests compression at the very least. This can give you good insight into the engine’s health. Look at the motor oil and gear oil. Likely it will be fresh as the seller would care about presentation. If fluids are dirty you could send out samples for analysis of wear components.

In regard to the trailer I would pull at least one wheel and check the condition of the brakes. You could also pull a hub and inspect for wear on the spindle and the quality of the grease. Check the condition of the tires and the date codes. Trailer tires are good for about five years regardless of tread life. Test all of the lights. If the trailer has disc brakes (hopefully) make sure the reverse lockout solenoid is functioning properly.

Be prepared to spend ten percent of your purchase price on annual maintenance and expenses.

[Brr83]

Thanks for the advice! We will definitely be paying to have a marine surveyor look it over.

The cabin had some staining in the carpet on the sides which I’m just now realizing might be water stains from leaking or I guess it could be mildew since it’s a wet climate here. Is this common or should we be concerned about leaks?

[blaster]

I would be very concerned about leaks.

[Parker Yacht]

20k for a 20 year old Chapparell?
Sorry, you lost me.

[Brr83]

What’s a ballpark fair price in your opinion?

[Parker Yacht]

5-7k.

[blaster]

Throw in $1500 for the trailer. The seller seems to think they can recoup money from previous repairs. I agree the price is high but I do not know what the market is there. I do not know how often this boat was in saltwater. Be patient when buying a used boat. They pop up all the time and you don’t want to end up kicking yourself after buying someone’s problem.

[jmike]

My brother owned 2 Chaparrals. One was a 1987 22' cuddy with a V8 I/O engine he bought brand new. We went everywhere in that boat, all up and down the east coast of Florida. He even made the trip to Ft. Jefferson in it. We were diving 4 people off of it and a few times 6! It started to get a soft floor just before he traded it in.

He had it for for 13 years and traded up to a 30 Chaparral cruiser. That boat was okay but not as diver friendly. He had that boat for a few years until it fell victim to divorce...

Anyway, with a 20 year old boat do as the others have said and get it checked out.

[Brr83]

Good to hear you had a good time on the 22’ Chapparal. My husband is a little concerned about the limited storage, but sounds like it worked for your brother.

[KMac]

Get whatever you buy surveyed.. Worth the money. Still not "foolproof" but close enough. They will check the hull, all the components, the engine, and if requested, some do the sea trial.

[Billinfla]

20k for a 20 year old Chapparell?
Sorry, you lost me.

Engine is probably toast from rust. At least the manifolds if it is FWC.

I don't know anything about cold weather and salt environment. May not be as aggressive as we encounter in the tropics.

[Brr83]

Thanks for the input, everyone! Follow up question, is there a secret to finding a marine surveyor who will take a look at the boat? I would have thought there would be a lot of people doing it in this area, but so far one shop said they’re too short staffed to do it, one guy apparently died, and we haven’t heard back from another place. I’m having trouble finding anyone on Google who says they’ll do it.

[erie skipper]

After a survey--and you should be speaking with and individual surveyor, not a "shop" unless you are just referring to the engine portion of the survey. Marine surveyors rarely do engine surveys, but the advice you have received so far is correct--survey and sea trial are a must and at least a compression check and decent inspection of the engine, then of course a sea trial with your surveyor riding along.
The 5.7 is not rare in that boat as Chaparral is known for leaning toward the performance side of things. Value wise having been in salt water, 12-15 is closer to max value than 20 and even at that I would at the very least expect to replace exhaust manifolds unless you are given proof that they have recently been done. By the way, I have been in boat sales for most of my adult life so I'm trying here to give you some reasonable guidelines and agree with most of what has already been said. Good luck!

[Parker Yacht]

Google "Accredited Marine Surveyors".
There are a variety of organizations that accredit them.
- NAMS.
- ACMS.
- ABYCInc.
Find one that does small botes, not ships or tugs.
Maybe a local FB Page, ETC.
Here is one, type in Seattle and let your fingers do the walking.

[Parker Yacht]

Post some pictures of the boat and Engine/Outdrive, Volvo parts may be an issue.

[Billinfla]

20k for a 20 year old Chapparell?
Sorry, you lost me.

Engine is probably toast from rust. At least the manifolds if it is FWC.

I don't know anything about cold weather and salt environment. May not be as aggressive as we encounter in the tropics.

[Parker Yacht]

Maybe, but once an engine/trailer touchs salt, they rarely are "The Same".