Chaparral 216 SSi Wide Tech

Although not exactly a household name in the Australian boating market, Chaparral is a big name on the US market and indeed throughout the world.

Chaparral does all its own research, design and engineering and also does its own FRP small parts manufacturing, RTM, robotic cutting, CAM Gerber cutting, complete upholstery and interior fitout and has a composite/component laboratory on site with in-water testing. The plant is fully self-contained and covers over 40 hectares.

The Australian boating media got to test out the new range of Chaparral boats at the picturesque Lake Eildon north of Melbourne where Chaparral agent Scott O'Hare of Aussie Boat Sales had some of the range on show.

The lake is a haven for skiers, powerboaters and house boat owners. It’s the perfect spot for a Chaparral and we had five from which to choose. Our first boat was the Chaparral 216 SSi Wide Tech. As the name suggest the 216 is 21ft 6in long or 5.55m with a beam of 8ft 4in or 2.54m.

It’s a classy-looking bow rider powered by a 5.7-litre 350 Mercruiser Mag putting out 300hp.

The attention to detail is fantastic on these boats. The colour coding is great, right down to the air vents for the engine. The upholstery is also a standout feature. It looks and feels luxurious and appears to be built to last.

From the helm seat, you get a good view of the gauges which let you know revs, speed, trim and fuel. An array of rocker switches attend to the operation of the horn, bilge pump, nav lights, docking lights, interior lights, and two spares for accessories. A 12-volt plug and a remote for the stereo complete the dash. It’s all neat and I noted that nothing looked out of place or looked like and add-on.

Notable inclusions were handholds all around the boat including on the back of the helm seats and, as is typical of American-built boats, there was a plethora of drink holders. There were also thoughtful armrests for all occupants.

Storage is all over the boat including an under-floor storage for skis and wake boards.

The 151-litre fuel tank is made of polyethylene and fillers are located on the port and starboard gunwales. There are six stainless steel docking cleats and all the through-hull fittings are also of high-quality stainless steel. The quality of the fit and finish of the hull and, in fact, all throughout the boat is excellent. It's obvious that these boats come from a top-class manufacturer that prides itself in the end product. Climbing through the boat, it is very hard to fault and it's obvious that this attention to detail will result in a boat that will last a long, long time. 

Up front, there is an anchor locker with a moulded lid and stainless steel fittings. Down aft, the engine bay is accessed by lifting the sunpad. The lid lifts and lowers with the help of two stainless hydraulic arms and access to the engine for servicing is very good.

The big 216 does take a little bit of coaxing to get up on the plane but once there, you can throttle back and enjoy the sights at a leisurely cruise of around 20mph. Flatten the throttle and trim out and the Chaparral will exceed 50mph.

One of the standout features (or I should another of the standout features) of this boat is its handling. Nicely weighted power steering enables the driver to flick the 21-footer around with ease. It’s a great hull shape that feels almost idiot-proof. But if it's not all about giong fast, you'll also find that the 216 is highly manoeuvrable at low speed as well.

The 20-degree deadrise cuts through small chop easily but I did find that in the bigger stuff, like wakes off the wake boarding boats, it did slam a bit.

The wake boarders in attendance thought the world of the Chaparrals. The Xtreme range, which we will profile soon, are purpose-designed ski and wakeboard boats and they certainly got the thumbs up from the professionals. All the SSi range can be fitted with optional wakeboarding towers if you find that the Xtreme isn't your cup of tea and you want something a bit more conservative but still have the urge to play in the wake.

In all, whether you’re driving or a passenger, the Chaparral 216 is a very pleasant boat to be in and one that should find many happy owners here in Aus.