TOPIC: 1973 Chaparral 15 Tri-hull

Hi everyone,

I just picked up a 1973 Chaparral 15 Trihull bowrider this weekend. It's running the original Evinrude Starflite 85. The motor runs well so far and the owner just replaced the floor, the seats, the steering cables, and the battery. It also has a new Lowrance color fish/depth finder. It does have a fair number of issues, a lot of which are from the PO "Not really being a mechanic" (his words, not mine) My favorite so far is the 1" of wood screw sticking out the bottom of the hull on the front ofeach side from the flooring install. I guess he didn't realize the hull curved up near the bow. Then there's the trailer axle that's upside down, the original Evinrude metal gas cans that leak, the prop that's chunked and cracked, and the electrical distribution based on alligator clips....







This is our first power boat, so it's going to be a learning experience. I'm not planning a full resoration, but I will be fixing it up so it's a nice reliable way to cruise the local waters.

First wave will be a prop, new tanks, fix the crew holes, and wire the bilge pump so we can take a test cruise.