Chaparral 256 SSi Boats For Sale

The Chaparral 256 SSi is a stern-drive bowrider built around an 8.1-liter Mercruiser 496 Mag MPI, a closed-cooled V8 rated at 375 horsepower paired with a Bravo Three duo-prop outdrive. This was the introductory year of the model, which Chaparral produced through roughly 2007 before the side-walk-through 256 SSX replaced it, so a 2004 or 2008 example carries the lower pricing of a first-generation hull while sharing the deck plan that stayed in production for years. The 256 SSi is yacht certified and seats up to 14 passengers across its cockpit and bow. A clean 2004 boat with the 496 has sold in the range of thirty thousand dollars with full canvas and cushions included.

The hull is a true deep-V with lifting strakes, a reverse chine and a keel guard option, and the one-piece molded swim platform is integrated into the mold rather than bolted on, finished with a raised diamond-plate edge and skid-proof surface. The Bravo Three drive runs twin counter-rotating props, and the platform extends back to fully cover the outdrive so swimmers are shielded from the propellers. Captain's Call exhaust lets you switch the engine note between a deep tone and a quieter setting. Stainless steel appears throughout the exterior: pop-out cleats, rub rail, a bow scuff plate and a bow boarding ladder at the anchor locker.

Shade and weather protection are handled by an eyebrow forward top and a large rear Bimini camper top, with full enclosures available including isinglass windows. The arch is collapsible — pull the pins and it hinges forward for trailering or storage. The helm uses a bolstered captain's chair that swivels and slides, a tan non-glare tilt wheel, and a full set of gauges and rocker switches. An automatic fire suppression system sits in the bilge, and dual batteries with a selector switch live under a cockpit seat alongside an external power port that can raise the engine hatch if the batteries go dead.

The cockpit centers on a U-shaped lounge with a starboard walk-through transom that balances seating weight evenly side to side. The refreshment center includes a Corian countertop, a sink or cooler well, a trash bin, deep dry storage and a 12-volt outlet for a blender. Storage is a signature of the layout — the in-floor compartments are deep enough to swallow long skis and wakeboards, and the seat cushions lift over additional bins. A port-side glove compartment near the helm holds phones and wallets.

The bow seating has thick combing cushions and lounge backs, a full wraparound safety rail for children, and an anchor locker that doubles with the boarding ladder. Bow filler cushions convert the seating into a forward sun pad, and a matching aft filler turns the U-shaped lounge into a large sun pad over the engine. Belowdecks the head compartment has wood cabinetry, a light, a mirror, a CD stereo and a VacuFlush pump-out toilet. Complete examples come with bow and cockpit snap-on covers plus a full mooring cover, the table with both cockpit and bow mounting points, and all the filler-cushion support bars. On the 256 SSi the engine-compartment lid is often left off because the 496 is tall enough that there isn't room for it, so check the bilge directly for clean belts, hoses and anodes when evaluating one for sale.