***** CLEAN 2021 SURVEY AVAILABLE TO ALL SERIOUS BUYERS UPON REQUEST*****
The Chaparral 310 is a product of the company’s Wide Tech hull, used in its cruiser range of boats between 21 and 42 feet. The boat has a sharply raked bow, but with additional moldings above the waterline the pickle-fork design at deck height makes the pointy bit wider, creating more usable space in the cabin. It’s only at some angles that this unusual bow shape is obvious and the silhouette of the boat offers a contemporary styling that is pleasing and well balanced.
Other Chaparral features are an Extended V-Plane Hull that in the 310 provides half a meter of surface area either side of the prop to assist with getting the boat on the plane more efficiently.
Below decks is a cabin that acts as a roomy entertainer when the weather is bleak as well as offering accommodation for two couples. Upstairs the seating converts for relaxing at rest or for cruising in style. The Signature series includes standard features like the hardtop, a wet bar, convertible seating and swim platform that are often options on other brands.
SPORT CRUISER
This style of mid range sport cruiser is generally considered a great day boat and entertainer but the owners of this 310 saw potential for the boat as a coastal cruiser and embarked on an extended voyage over several months, hopping from port-to-port from Brisbane to the Whitsundays
and back.
The full-width boarding platform is 0.75m wide and has a removable stainless steel safety rail in the center, leaving clear sections each side. A recessed swim ladder is built into the starboard platform floor and there is a storage locker and rear-facing seat on the transom that is a pleasant place to relax. This seat converts to a sun pad over the engine box at the flick of a switch and lifts to reveal a monster storage locker for water toys, fenders and lines.
COCKPIT
A small step up to the cockpit deck is where I found front and rear-facing lounges to starboard forming a roomy space that converts to a dinette with the addition of a table that fixes to the side deck. More storage is found under each lounge and there is a step to the non-slip gunwale for boarding from the side.
Many sport cruisers have a length ways bench along the port side which can be an awkward seating position for crew underway. So I do like the layout of the 310 which has a wet bar and servery here and a twin seat alongside the helm. This allows easy passage around the boat as well as maximizing forward-facing seating for passengers. Granite-look bench tops run the length of the servery, with openings for a sink and rubbish bin and good storage space and a 23lt carry-on icebox below.
CABIN
Three steps lead down to the cabin from the cockpit through a sliding door. The wide, timber steps blend with the teak floor and dark cabinets and complement the rich cream leather upholstery for a quality, classic feel below.
It’s in the cabin that the benefit of the Wide Tech hull is most obvious; it’s a great feeling of space, especially for a 31-footer. Up to eight people could cozy around the deep-gloss mahogany dining table on the lounge that meanders around the cabin aft of the bed.
To port is a minimalist galley with granite bench top, sink with stainless steel mixer, 240V cook top, small microwave and a 12/240V Isotherm fridge. Appliances can run from shore power or two house batteries connected to an inverter. Opening ports over the galley and to starboard, as well as a hatch in the roof, give good airflow, while the generous 1.9m of head height adds to the roomy feel of the cabin.
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2018
Low hours
Chaparral
Signature
310
fresh water
Volvo Penta
Kentucky
