Chaparral Surf Series Boats For Sale

The Chaparral Surf Series adapts the brand's stern-drive bowriders for wake surfing by fitting forward-facing drives, ballast and the Malibu Surf Gate, and the lineup spans the 23 Surf, the GTS6 in the 26-foot class, and the 28 Surf Black Edition. These Chaparral surf boats keep the open layout, walk-through bow and large swim platforms of a family bowrider while adding the equipment needed to throw a surfable wave, making them suited to buyers who want to tie up and swim with the kids one minute and pull a surfer the next. Shoppers cross-shopping dedicated inboard wakeboard boats should know these run forward-drive outdrives rather than subfloor ballast, which trades some under-floor storage for the ballast sacks.

The Chaparral 23 surf boat for sale is built on the 23 SSI hull with a 23-foot length overall, 8-foot-6-inch beam, 30-inch draft and 3,900-pound dry weight. It runs a 6.2-liter MerCruiser 300-horsepower engine on the Mercury Bravo 4S forward-facing outdrive, reaching a top speed of 44.7 mph at 5,150 rpm. Best cruise lands at 3,000 rpm and 22.2 mph, where a 7-gallon-per-hour burn returns 3.1 mpg and a range of 128 statute miles against the 45-gallon fuel capacity with a 10% reserve. It planes in 3.4 seconds and stays on plane down to 12.2 mph; the forward-facing props make it sensitive to trim and quick in turns, and its 20-degree deadrise produces some hull slap when crossing wakes at speed. A Fat Sack ballast holds 425 pounds, and the surf functions run through a 7-inch Medallion touchscreen.

The 28 Surf Black Edition is the flagship, with a 28-foot length overall, 8-foot-6-inch beam and a yacht-certified capacity. Power comes from a 430-horsepower Volvo Penta V8 forward drive, with engine choices of 380 or 430 horsepower from Mercury or Volvo Penta. Top speed reached 48.3 mph at 5,700 rpm, with best cruise of 31.3 mph at 4,000 rpm returning 2.6 mpg and a range of 190 statute miles on the 80-gallon tank. Surfing at 9 to 10 mph, it can run for over 11 hours and still hold a 10% reserve. The extended V-plane hull planes with little bow rise, hitting 20 mph in 9.2 seconds. A 1,080-pound center-mounted ballast sack fills in about 10 minutes.

Helm and surf control differ across the range. The 28 Surf with Volvo Penta uses an exclusive Simrad dual-screen setup of two 7-inch NSS Evo 3 displays that manage engine data, speed, trim, ballast and the surf gates, with up to six pre-programmed surf, ski and wakeboard profiles and side-to-side gate switching on the fly; Mercury-powered boats substitute a Medallion touchscreen for one Simrad screen. Selecting the surf profile drops speed to 11.5 mph GPS and trim to zero automatically. The Surf Gate runs under license from Malibu and is credited with a clean wave that swaps sides without much hull lean.

Deck and interior details reflect the family-cruiser roots. All three models feature electrically lowering swim platforms, with the optional 30-inch Infinity Power Step on the 28 and a roughly 24-square-foot platform on the GTS6 that doubles as a lounge and reboarding step. The 28 carries SeaDek non-skid matting standard, stainless grab handles and beverage holders, heat-repelling Envision silicone upholstery offered in six colors, and an enclosed head with a standard porta potty (electric flush optional), a sink and 46 inches of headroom. Bow seating on the 28 sits a full 26 inches apart with 18-inch bolsters, and an aft chaise converts to a 50-by-49-inch lounge. The GTS6 weighs about 5,600 pounds and carries 1,000 pounds of ballast, and benefits from adding crew weight forward to build the wave.

Buyers weighing Chaparral surf boats should factor the surf-specific tradeoffs alongside the equipment list. Ballast sacks consume the under-floor storage where boards and gear would otherwise go, so board racks become worthwhile, and the big aft lounge means a 28-foot Surf seats a cockpit closer to an older 23- or 24-footer, which matters if you have a slip-length limit. Optional hardtops with glass skylights and the folding tower add to the price, and the hardtop bimini omits board-rack mounting. Those shopping used Chaparral surf boats for sale will find the value concentrated in the drive type, ballast and screen package, and the electric platform and touchscreen systems are the items to inspect closely.