(whoosh)
Captain Steve: The following opinions are solely those
of boatTEST.com and its test captain.
(energetic music)
Hi, Captain Steve from boatTEST.com, and today
we're going to be taking a look at a boat
from Chaparral's H20 lineup, the 21 Ski & Fish.
She starts out the day as a typical bowrider
with bow seating, a pair of bucket seats at the consoles,
but transforming her into a fishing boat
is an easy affair, mostly involving removal of seat pads.
At the bow, a casting deck is quickly created
by removing the cushions, and then flipping back
the hinge center fill-in, and both a rod holder
and pedestal mount are exposed.
Then, a pedestal that stores under the hatch
is put in place, and one of the aft seats
is relocated to the bow.
The other aft seat simply gets a pedestal added to it
from the hatch underneath, and then mounts to the aft deck.
A padded seat can remain between the aft pedestal locations,
and underneath it is a built-in, 70-quart aerated live well.
An elevated casting deck at the stern has
yet another pedestal base.
A hatch support covers the main battery.
To starboard is open space.
She comes pre-rigged for a standard trolling motor.
A saltwater trolling motor is also available.
Dual batteries for the trolling motor
are inside the port console, and a cord to the charger
is just under the console.
Ride holders are to the port bulwarks.
And just like that, she's all rigged for fishing.
So much for playing underwater.
For on the water, a water toy inflator stores
under the rear starboard seat.
To the stern is a full-width sun pad,
leading to a molded swim platform.
A tow point is in the middle.
A concealed re-boarding ladder is to the starboard side,
remaining in view of the helm.
The 21 Ski & Fish is laid out
much like one would expect from a bowrider.
Just behind the forward anchor locker
is V seating, with storage underneath
the hinged hatches at the benches.
A speaker and modest stainless grab handles
are to either side.
Wraparound bolsters make for accommodating more people.
A walk-through windshield leads to a pair
of bucket seats at each console.
They both have flip-up bolsters, and I noticed how
these don't have a tendency to drop down unintentionally.
Double-stitched padded armrests are to the sides.
And here's a nice touch: the MP3 port is inside
the glove box, so the unit can stay protected
from the elements on a padded surface.
The marine-grade stereo is to the side,
just above the console storage hatch.
At the helm, Chaparral went with a custom-molded
fiberglass console, colored tan to reduce glare.
There's full instrumentation, with fog-resistant lenses
and brushed aluminum faces.
The convenience package includes this tilt wheel,
depth gauge, and compass.
The windshield frames are high enough to not obstruct view.
The usual storage access is to the side.
The in-deck storage is padded to protect your gear,
and the hatch is supported by a gas strut.
There's four-across seating at the stern.
Underneath are two storage compartments to the sides,
with the battery switch inside the port compartment.
And here's another example of the quality
we've come to expect from Chaparral:
standard courtesy lights, stainless drink holders,
and look at the upscale trim sand-colored, snap-in carpet.
Removing it for fishing makes for easy wash downs.
There's a full-width sun pad ahead of the molded
swim platform that measures 3'3" by 6'5".
A latch at the bottom releases the engine hatch,
making short work of the daily checks.
Externally, Chaparral went with six, six-inch cleats,
including two mid-ship cleats.
Now let's get underway.
The Chaparral H20 21 Ski & Fish has a length overall
of 21 feet, and beam of 8'4", and a draft of 32 inches.
With an empty weight of 3,200 pounds, full fuel,
and two people on board, we had an estimated test weight
of 3,860 pounds.
With a 220 catalyzed MerCruiser 4.3 MPI,
turning a 21-pitch, 3-bladed prop,
we reached a top speed of 4,800 RPM,
of 47.6 miles per hour.
At that speed, we were burning 15.6 gallons per hour,
giving us a range of 110 miles.
Best cruise came in at 3,000 RPM and 29.3 miles per hour.
That speed reduced the fuel burn
to only 6.9 gallons per hour, which the H20 21
could keep up for 153 miles, at five hours and 12 minutes,
while still holding back a 10 percent reserve of fuel.
We reached planing speed in 3.4 seconds,
accelerated to 20 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds,
and continued running through 30 miles per hour
in 9.1 seconds.
Upon acceleration, the bow comes up 15 degrees
with no loss of visibility to the horizon
from the seated position.
Once on plane, bring the trim up to about
the one-quarter mark on the trim gauge
to get her into her optimal cruise attitude.
If the trim is brought up too much,
the propeller will start to ventilate.
Then just bring it back down
and it will be just about ideal.
When turning, she leans 13 degrees into the turn,
and she clings to the water like she's on rails.
There was no noticeable chine walk during the turns,
except when turning hard at full speed,
something rarely done during normal operations.
When taking power off, she settles back into the water,
stern first.
The H20 series is billed as entry level,
but with Chaparral, that level is higher
than others in class.
And this H20 21 Ski & Fish is another example
of that level of quality.
For boatTEST.com, I'm Captain Steve.
We'll see you on the water.
(whoosh)