Chapparal H20 19 Review | Australia's Greatest Family Boats
They’re a sneaky mob at Chaparral. Rather than just toss another sports bowrider into the mix, Chaparral instead threw a real spanner in the works. On show to tempt the judges was the H20 19 Sport – an innovative sports/fish crossover boat.
CHAPARRAL H20 19 REVIEW
There’s an indefinably solid feel to Chaparral boats and the H2O 19 Sport is no exception. It’s a sturdy, assuring, yet assertive sports machine backed by the performance of a MerCruiser V6 sterndrive. Add in bucket loads of the premium luxury you expect of a Yankee bowrider and suddenly you’ve got a versatile sportsfisher.
The H20 19 Sport combines simple, clean internal finishes but with slightly less-plush upholstery than we have come to expect from other sports-dedicated models. Instead, the H2O series opts for fresh, easily cleaned and maintained gelcoat finishes that are more practical for a crossover boat with real fishing credentials.
You first leap aboard the H2O 19 thinking it to be a beautifully presented watersports package. But then the seating quickly transforms to reveal livebait tanks and casting platforms. Dual casting seats appear front and rear and “boom!” – a proper sportsfishing weapon.
Don’t be mistaken that these boats should only be confined to sweetwater environments, though. They are extremely seaworthy contenders that will perform well during coastal expeditions, making them true multipurpose machines.
This is a sociable waterski machine that will quickly convert for wakeboarding, for a picnic, or perhaps a cruise up your local metropolitan waterway.
CHAPARRAL H20 19 RATING
Fun factor | 9.5 |
Innovation | 8.9 |
Design and layout | 9.1 |
Quality of finish | 8.9 |
Handling and ride | 9.4 |
Stability at rest | 9.1 |
Ergonomics | 8.3 |
Standard equipment | 8.7 |
Value for money | 9.1 |
X-Factor | 9.3 |
TOTAL SCORE | 90.3 |
UNDERSTANDING THE RATING SYSTEM
| Meet the judging panel | The rating criteria explained |
THE JUDGES’ NOTEPAD
Angelo Sangiorgio: “This is the only sports/fish crossover boat in the competition and it does the job really well. She just needs a little tweak to be able to fit a bigger sounder for fishos and you’ve got a cracker boat. I know the fisherman in me has just come out but it also brings out the family man in me and it’s a perfect package for my wife and three kids.”
John Ford: “I’ll just refer to my notes: “F**k me sideways!” It’s impressive isn’t it? You can fish, you can ski, you can wakeboard, you can cruise, you can tube, you can dive and all for low fifties it’s really impressive. The dealer said he’d even caught a sailfish in it 25nm offshore! It’s so quiet and soft, yet we even did full lock turns at 45kts and it just bites. Most boats would jump and wallow or worse but not the Chaparral.”
Kevin Smith: “The H20 19 has all the fishing accessories that really work for me in a boat. It will suit your family for playful days out or you can grab the rods and head out yourself. You just take all the cushions and carpets and it’s easily cleaned. It’s got forward and rear cast decks so you don’t have to worry about getting a bit of blood on the boat – remove the carpets and away you go.”
Matt Jones: “The reason for the big smile is that I’ve just taken the Chaparral for a run. I put the hammers down and threw it around as much as I liked and it still asked for more! It’s very forgiving with a great ride. You can blow the cobwebs out, you can take the whole family out or you can just go fishing.”
John Willis chats to Tom Carlisle from Sirocco Marine North: “The H2O 19 is one of our entry level boats and all hulls in the H2O range have both the sports and the ski/fish variant. People nowadays are looking for more versatility in their boats, so with the H2O you don’t need different boats for each purpose — one boat does it all. You can have a sun bake on the rear deck while fishing the mangroves out on the bow. It’s got performance and thrills but also great economy.”
CHAPARRAL H20 19 SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 5.89m
BEAM: 2.29m
WEIGHT: 1207kg (hull and engine)
MAX. HORSEPOWER: 220
BASE PRICE: $43,200 (std.)
PRICE AS TESTED: $48,500 (w/ Fish-ski package)