WEBVTT

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(whooshing)

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<v Announcer>The following opinions</v>

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are solely those of BoatTEST.com, and its test captain.

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<v ->I'm Capt. Steve from BoatTEST.com,</v>

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and today I am on a boat made by Chaparral

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that fills the need for a luxury, outboard deck boat.

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It is the SunCoast 250, and I'm gonna see how they've done.

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<v Announcer>The main feature here is</v>

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that this boat is outboard powered.

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This is pivotal in providing more interior space

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without increasing the overall length of the boat itself.

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She can accommodate up to 300-horsepower

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with 250-horsepower being standard.

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We tested with the Yamaha 300 four stroke,

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so let's start placing how she performed.

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With half fuel and two people on board,

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we had an estimated test weight of 4,648 pounds.

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Top speed was 51.5 miles per hour,

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with a 26.3 gallon per hour fuel burn.

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We measured a best economy at 3,000 RPM,

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at 23.8 miles per hour.

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That speed reduced the fuel burn to 6.5 gallons per hour,

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which gave our test boat a range of 249 miles,

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and an endurance of 10 and a half hours

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while still holding back a 10% reserve of fuel.

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She was also quick to accelerate,

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reaching planing speed at three seconds,

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coming to 20 miles per hour at 5.2 seconds,

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and continuing past 30 in 8.5 seconds.

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Her minimal bow rise upon acceleration

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produces no loss of visibility from the seated position.

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We had a perfectly flat, calm test day,

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so we can't comment on her sea handling capabilities.

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But Chaparrals don't disappoint,

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and she did present a solid ride of a much heavier boat.

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This boat's home for those who tend

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to bring guests aboard that are nervous boaters.

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<v ->The helm gets an extra-wide</v>

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bucket seat with a flip-up bolster.

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This is one of my favorite features with Chaparral.

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You don't have to look under the seat

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to find the controls to slide forward out.

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Looking at the console itself,

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earth tones remove any concern over glare.

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Two digital gauges to either side, GPS map in the center.

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All of the rocker switches have icons.

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Stereo remote to the left hand side,

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12 volt supply and MP3 jack to the right.

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<v Announcer>Now let's look at some of the features</v>

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that make this boat such a standout.

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First, plenty of seating while

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still keeping the roominess.

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<v ->We've got roomy bow seating,</v>

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to both sides of a pedestal table.

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Space between the seat, 27 inches.

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All the way across, we are looking at six feet, two inches.

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Very comfortable, wrap-around bolsters.

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Elongated grab handles, these are easy

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for little hands to get their fingers around,

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something that Chaparral does in-house.

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We have blue courtesy lights, plus look at the

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stainless steel speaker grills, and dual drink holders.

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Port side seating, very comfortable, two grab handles.

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Bolster forms a comfortable arm rest.

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Just ahead in the console, head with a porta potty.

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And look at the storage in back!

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When water sports becomes a part of the action, seat flips

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back to become an out-facing seat for the observer.

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And now in this position, notice that we have

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wrap-around seating surrounding the cockpit,

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giving us seating between here and the bow for 12 people.

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Now here's an interesting feature!

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Take a look at this integrated swim platform.

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We don't usually see full walk around capability,

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and I would call this oversized, as it carries

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all the way back, just to the aft end of the engine.

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To both sides, there's aft-facing seats.

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Hatches are covered with non-skid.

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There's a stereo remote to the starboard bulkhead.

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Inside, battery switches, and over on this side,

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we have access to the batteries themselves.

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I'd like to see both of these seats have a removable bin,

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so they can be used as storage.

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We've got the collapsible sports tower,

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with the elevated tow point.

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A lower tow point inserts in the center of the walkthrough.

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When accessing the beach re-boarding ladder,

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there's a step leading up to the foredeck.

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Forward hatch, lift and lock latch,

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it's held open by friction hinges.

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Nobody seems to be able to get the hang of combining an

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anchor locker with a re-boarding ladder, but Chaparral does.

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Here we have a four-step re-boarding ladder.

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(ladder creaks)
Just underneath,

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an anchor, held in place with anchor keepers.

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To both sides, pull-up cleats, each one, six inches.

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To the starboard side, freshwater wash down

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for giving you a shower, and to clean off the anchor.

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This one has a stainless steel hose,

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and look at this: LED docking lights.

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Of course every boat has storage,

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but on the 250 SunCoast Chaparral seems

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to have taken it to the next level.

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Look at this, we've got a cavernous

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in-deck storage compartment.

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We've got a built-in cooler to one side,

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a 25 quart carry-on cooler to the other, and look at this:

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across the transom, full beam storage.

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Of course we have the usual walk-through windshield.

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This one held in the open position by a magnetic catch.

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Just below we have an air dam,

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it lies flush against the helm console.

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But in the open position, we still have a door behind,

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so it's not just an open compartment.

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And underneath the console, plenty of storage.

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Of course we have storage underneath boat seats,

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but these are abscessed by articulating

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hinges attached to the cushions.

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<v Announcer>So it seems that Chaparral met its goal</v>

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of creating a roomy deck boat with luxury

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appointments that also handles well.

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<v ->And that is my complete look</v>

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at the SunCoast 250 from Chaparral.

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For BoatTEST.com, I'm Captain Steve.

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We'll see you on the water!

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(whooshing)